1923 Frederick Prohl owned the original land.
1953 The area was owned by Norman William Millen.
1956/57 The land known as part of ‘Fairburn’s Old Land Claim 269A’ was taken for a state primary school. (NZ Gazette)
1 February 1961 Riverina School opened.
1970s Land was taken from the school site for a motorway. “The reclaimed land ‘being part old bed of sea’ is taken for a state primary school.”
(NZ Gazette)
The maps show the area that was filled in when the Waipuna Motorway was built and became reclaimed land that is now the school field.
Mr Abbenes has lived in Millen Avenue since before the school was built. The land seen in this photo was an open space where Mrs Dillimore would bring her cows.
When the contractors built the motorway, they filled in part of the swamp area which is now the school playing field, and the school buildings had to be moved to their present site.
Mr Abbenes had a goat that he put to graze on the riverbank. A lot of the children liked the goat and they would ignore the bell ringing and not go to class. Mr Abbenes was in trouble!