Famous Past Pupils

Jean Gardner Batten

Jean Batten was a great woman who originated in Rotorua but she decided not to leave her story there. She travelled to England and trained as a pilot but didn't stop there just yet. She decided to fly to Australia and then New Zealand. Why did she do this? Because she was one of the world's first woman aviators. Surprisingly, Jean Batten came to Grey Lynn School along with her two brothers, John and Harold. We will always be proud to say she was once a pupil at our school. By Alex

(Photo of Jean Batten arriving at Mangere Aerodrome in October 1936 after a solo flight from Lympne in Kent, England, which took 21 days altogether with stops in a number of countries including India and Australia.This photo originally appeared in the Weekly News.)

Tudor Collins

Tudor Collins and his brothers and sisters were all pupils at Grey Lynn School during the period before World War 1. Tudor Collins is well remembered as a photographer of the kauri timber industry in Northland and the Coromandels. His black and white photographs of giant kauri trees, logs, dams and bullock teams are found in many publications. His photo collection is now part of the Matakohe Pioneer Museum, where a carved kauri bust of Tudor Collins can be seen.

By Dorothy

Matakohe Pioneer and Kauri Museum