In the early days children from Rira attended Kaeaea School by walking or riding 3 miles over scrub covered hills. Unfortunately, the need for a school at Rira coincided with very tight Government budget conditions so it could not provide funding. The settlers therefore offered to construct a building at their own expense, and the Education Board accepted. The people approached the bank for financing to build the school but were told the bank could only fund a social hall. So a ‘hall’ was constructed and schooling began at Rira, but only on a part-time basis as the teacher had to be shared with Kaeaea School.
The CO’s grandmother and her numerous siblings attended the school for much of it first 20 years, and his father was a pupil when it closed in 1946.
In recent times the local community erected commemorative stones at the location of several long gone (but not forgotten) schools.
[Reference: ‘No Greater Purpose’ by C J Riddle]