Early school days

I was lucky to have a big brother to take me to school on my first day. He had already been catching the bus so I was quite confident going with him. I dont recall being nervous in any way.

I had already had the experience of being apart from Mum and the family not only because of the dancing lessons but also because I had been to ...I don't know if it was a kindergarten or  a child-minding centre .
I dont know if this was a regular occurence or  only when Mum was going to town or somewhere. I have only 2 very distinct memories associated with the place. One was being in "trouble" for talking when the phone rang!!! I was already  apparently quite a chatterbox . From what I can remember ,if the phone rang we all had to go to the far end of the room. I must have been a bit slow to get going . I must have been talking to someone but cant remember what happened to them. My memory is of being grasped by the hair and "dragged" to the other end of the room. More likely the person had her hand behind my head and was leading me ...but that is not how I remember it!
The other memory is of an Easter egg hunt. I feel this was a family event on  the weekend . I was very upset when I saw other children, much more outgoing than myself, getting to the eggs before I could. I've hated any sort of competition ever since!

Now it was time to head off to Yeronga State School...
Records indicate that children started school when they turned 5. There was some flexibility but from records it seems at that time there would have been children starting every few days. Must have been a nightmare for the teachers. I turned 5 on June 12, 1936 and started school on June30th. ( Alan had turned 5 on Sept 27 and started school on Sept 28; Lois must have been really keen as she actually started school the day of her 5th birthday,Oct 2).  I  thank my brother-in-law Tom for providing me with that research.

We started in Prep.1 and depending on when you had started you completed one and a half years or 2 years before you entered Grade 1. For some there was a Prep 4 which was mainly a revision time.This made for smaller Prep classes but large Grade 1 classes. I have a report from Grade 1 which shows there were 49 children in my class.( By the way I got a Special Merit!) There was a certain amount of work that had to be completed before going up to Grade 1 and as I was in the Prep3 class I can still remember my anxiety that I wouldn't remember it all. Such important things as the sounds of the alphabet...a is an apple- a says ...etc etc.

It surprises me that I cannot remember the layout of our home at this time but can remember where I sat that first day and have a clear memory of all the classrooms of the next few years and where they were situated.
That first day ( and probably for some time after) my "room" was an enclosed part of the veranda and we sat at long desks with long forms. I was seated beside someone I knew ( maybe a neighbour?) and she was being a bit bossy because she had started earlier and knew more than I did! Funny what the memory bank retains isn't it?!
I can still see the little Primers we had which were our reading books in those early years. I think they were about 10x8 cm.We used slates and slate pencils. Not sure which year we started using copy books but I think it would have been quite a few years later.

I was lucky that Mum was always sewing and I had already learnt to sew on a button,  as an early activity involved a fat blunt needle, yarn and a punched card. I dont know if my girls used anything similar but the next time I remember seeing anything similar was when Fiona was at Special ED. school. Sewing followed me right through primary school and I have a feeling the boys also did it. Must ask Alan about that. We progressed to stitching on cloth and I distinctly remember being handed a piece of plain fabric with the outline of a sailing boat drawn on it. After learning running stitch we progressed to other simple embroidery stitiches such as stem stitch and lazy daisy .
At some stage we learnt run-and-fell seams, french seams  and other useful stitching...all by hand .

Drawing was not my favourite subject. We were not taught how to draw. I cant ever remember being given any sort of guidance and it was only when as an adult here in Toowoomba that I came across a book on drawing and  learnt how to "see" something and draw what I "saw" rather than what my brain told me about an object. Before then I was totally convinced I could not draw at all. At school we drew such  exciting things as a string of beads!! No attempt at shading  etc; everything of mine was very one-dimensional.

It was at Yeronga State School that I had my first taste of acting. I was already in love with performing through the dancing. One day I was called out to the veranda; I must have been about 9 I think. There were several teachers there and I was told to stand at one end of the veranda and repeat something. I was being "auditioned" for a part in a play that was to be performed outdoors and they were looking for people whose voices would carry. I think this was for the official opening of the new Yeronga Infants school. I was very excited but remember nothing whatsoever about the actual play or whether I had to wear any costume etc.
In secondary school I was always in the school plays and years later was a member of the Brisbane Repertory theatre. It was in the doldrums at the time so I didn't do much with them but did act in some one-act plays. I remember Dad saying afterwards "I didn't know you could act like that"  Made me very proud and happy. While at University I earned a little money cataloguing some of their library.

The only time I can recall being in trouble at primary school was for talking ( surprise surprise) I was sent to stand out on the veranda and was there when I saw the Headmaster doing his rounds on the other wing. By the time he got to me I was so nervous that I had picked to shreds the end of my lovely black patent  leather belt  which was a gift from Auntie Agnes. Oh the indignity of being asked by the Head why I outside the classroom.

The first immunisation I can recall having was at this school when I would have 8 or 9. It was for diphtheria and only about 6 children in my class were allowed by their parents to have it. I did not have any reaction but as we were allowed to have a lie-down under the building if feeling off-colour ,naturally we all lay down. I remember the other children coming out at little lunch and we all  played possum and pretended to be asleep.

I started at Yeronga in 1936, was there until the end of 1941, then at Amiens State School for 1942 and part of 1943, back to Yeronga for the rest of 1943 then at Eagle Junction State Shool for 1944 before starting at Clayfield College in 1945.

Some children have unhappy memories of their school days but I can honestly say I enjoyed mine.