Bullying on the Runanga School Bus in 1973...

We lived about three miles from the nearest high school so we had to catch the School Bus into Greymouth. The bus started its journey at Runanga. I observed bullying on the bus but I was not a victim, at least not in my first year. I felt sorry for those who were bullied. One such kid who lived a mile further down from us got bullied so much that he ended up cycling to school.

A kid I used to hang out with said, "Look he cycles to school just because people pick on him."

I used to think "how cruel."

There were no issues with me though. I sometimes on the return journey would sit in the back seat with the bigger lads and think it was so cool. Then I bragged about it at home how I sat in the backseat with the bigger kids.

It was my second year at Greymouth High School which I was worried about because there was an unwritten rule that when there was no spare seats available then the third formers would give up their seat for the older kids and they were quite willing to do so but refused to give up their seats for me and fights broke out.

Glen Gibb, Ross Green, Jumbo O'Neil all refused to give up their seats and when I tried to drag them out of their seats a scuffle broke out.

YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE FOURTH FORM

After a few weeks I decided to just stand if all the seats in the bus were taken up and then Glen Gibb and Ross Green called me "A disgrace to the fourth form."

Yet, other fourth formers like Paul Brennan would kick one of the third formers from their seats and they would willingly give up their seat without putting up any resistance.

One day when I got on the bus one kid, a third former punched me in the face. I did nothing because he was smaller than me. It is a sure bet that if I retaliated then I would have been in hot water.

Some kids such as Leslie Quy and John Kaye gave me advice as to the best course of action.

Their advice was to just not try and kick anyone out of my seat but to just stand.

I followed their advice and I was called "A disgrace to the fourth form."

Ross Green always said to me, "You're weak."

In fact one Sunday John Kaye and Ross Green were walking back to Runanga from Greymouth and came over. (While we were having lunch). I looked out of the window but wasn't keen to talk to them. They had a flat tire on their bike and asked if I had a pump. I initially said "no" but then changed my mind and said I'll get it and while John was pumping up the bike, Ross Green said to me, "You're weak."

On top of all of the school bus bullying I was not getting on well at all with my family, was constantly called "Stupid," and was physically and verbally abused quite often.

My birthday was on May 5th and the way I got my ticket out of this torment because one could legally leave school at 15 in those days.

I didn't leave school as soon as I reached the age of 15 though. The school holidays were on straight after my birthday and I returned to school after the holidays. I brought a nte Dad wrote and handed it to Mr Farrell. He asked me "Why are you leaving school?" I had no answer to that.

A kid said to me, "Paul (Brennan) told me you are leaving school because everyone is picking on you."

Of course I denied it.

It was easy for others to say I shouldn't leave school when they did not experience what I experienced.

The same kids who picked on me played for the Runanga Rugby League team a few years later and Glen Gibb ended up playing for the Kiwis. In fact on my very last day home on the bus and as the bus was approaching my stop, Glen Gibb said to me, "Is this your last day?" I answered "Yes," and then he punched me in the arm.

No surprise that the Runanga rugby league side was not my favourite team.