Country school

No Infants classes(Prep); half-day school only for other grades... as long as they had slit trenches and daily air-raid practice!!!
That was the story for many Brisbane schools in early 1942...no such luck for country schools. Having come from one of the larger primary Brisbane schools I found the one-teacher, 2 class-room school at Amiens quite a change.



Amiens school
 ( acknowledgement :Amiens State School 75th anniversary 1919-1994; J Harslett)

This photo was taken in 1925 but the school looks very similar to my memories of it in 1942. From classes of approx 20 pupils, I had come to a school with a total enrolment about the same. Yes, we did have to have daily air-raid practice. There were slit trenches under a double row of pine trees and when the "siren" went we had to go down ( in an orderly manner please!) into the trenches and crouch down with our head on knees and hands on heads until the "all clear siren" sounded. I dont remember being scared...probably we all found it a good lark as the war seemed far away.

This little school was bitterly cold in winter. The area around the Granite Belt can be extremely cold. There was a chip heater in the room which helped a little. Mum made me some long warm pants but she added a bib with shoulder straps thinking that would make them more comfortable for me.Unfortunately some girls told me they were like baby pants so I always hated wearing those pants even though they were warm.

Pupils from Grade 5 went into Stanthorpe once a week for rural school. I was in Grade 5 but was still only 10years so was not eligible. However the teacher made application and approval was given for me to go. The girls did Cooking and Sewing and the boys Wood and Metal work. We travelled into Stanthorpe on the back of a truck...I think with a long seat each side. Alan and I were picked up at our front gate. There were already several children on board by the time it reached us and I dreaded the moment of personal indignity as they hauled me aboard as Alan pushed from behind. This young city girl was not used to climbing into the back of a large truck .Coming home was not without its worries either . The girls had to protect their cooking from the boys!

The gate leading to our house.

At first we walked to school then at some stage we acquired bikes.  Either Alan or I gave Lois a ride to school . One day I was giving Lois a "doubler" when we had a buster. I had a billycan on the handlebars and as I was standing ( Lois being on the seat) my knee became caught under the billy . The bike came to an abrupt stop and Lois went flying off the bike landing face down. The dirt road consisted mainly of crushed granite so she didn't have a soft landing. She scraped all the skin on her nose ; possibly there were other scrapes but we remember the nose because a scab formed and Mum said it made her look like a little koala bear. For many years after we referred to her "koala" nose.

I was never the athletic type and can't remember any sports activities at Yeronga School. It was a surprise when I found myself being trained to represent Amiens school at a  District  inter-school sports day in Stanthorpe. There cannot have been anyone else in my age-group available! The teacher also  did his best to teach me to high-jump but I couldn't get the knack of missing that bar. I must have reached some qualifying time in running as he had high hopes for me. He gave me a pep talk just before the race; I remember handing him my watch to look after, and shortly after  seeing all these other kids running  in front of me. Apparently I was slow off the mark and couldn't catch up.

I dont remember missing my Brisbane friends which is surprising as I had been at that one school for all my schooldays to that time. I must have made some new friends as I dont remember being unhappy . There were a few who enjoyed teasing the city kids which eventually led to the one outstanding memory from this school.

I'll have to give you the background to the occasion. Mum had always had a "project". In Brisbane she had been involved with the Mothercraft Association and was also on a committee to try to have a Kindergarten establised in Annerley. With her interest in women's affairs and children it is not surprising that she became involved with the local Italian women. There was, and still is,  a large Italian community in the area around Stanthorpe.  The men were interned during the war leaving the women to run the orchards and farms. Many became ostracised by the local families. They had not been accustomed to attending  to business matters which were regarded as men's responsibilities so Mum often helped the women fill in documents etc. We became friendly with several families and I played with the children at school. Several times when walking home from school some of the girls, bigger and older than me, tried to bully me for "fraternising" with the "enemy"

We were already a little on the "outer" because we were 3 city kids in a country environment; add to that we were ahead scholastically and so all three of us topped our classes. This so-called fraternising gave them just the excuse they were looking for to "have a go" at us.

At the top of the paddock behind the school was the school tree plantation ( schools celebrated  Arbor Day each year by planting a tree.) The young trees had to be watered by bucket. One day several kids were up there and shouted out for the rest of us to come up and see something. We rushed up and immediately a ring formed around Alan and me and they drenched us with the buckets of water. I cannot remember anything about the aftermath of that happening; did we go back into class wet? did the teacher say anything? Maybe Alan can remember. Did we tell Mum...I doubt it.

School must have continued as normal now they had had their fun as I dont remember being unhappy there. Alan did Scholarship that year and left to go to Brisbane . We left at the end of first term 1943 and returned to Yeronga state school in May.

I dont know what happened to our bikes as I dont think I had a bike again until we lived at Petrie in 1945-6.

Many years ago I accompanied Bill to an official function somewhere outside Stanthorpe and as we drove 

away afterwards we passed near Amiens.  We toyed with the idea of trying to find some familiar landmarks

but as we wanted to return to Toowoomba that evening we decided not to delay. Later this year when the weather is warmer we will go and stay a couple of days . We will start from the school and see if anything seems familiar to me. Hopefully I may also be able to make an appointment to see over the school.

I may have something to tell you in a later post.