(This memory was written in 1987 as part of the school's 125th celebrations.)
I started school in the spring of 1928. Miss Bunch was our teacher, a much loved lady. She was a very kind but firm person. I remember on her birthday we had a little party with chocolate biscuits and lemonade. One boy Jackie guessed it was her birthday and brought her a pretty pink vase with a fluted top.
On Empire Day Betty Hughes was dressed as Britannia, she sat on a little chair on top of a table. The rest of us were buttercups and daisies dressed in crepe paper costumes and we danced and sang around Betty.
During my time in the infants someone in Australia predicted that the world would end on a certain day. I remember all that day during playtimes jumping up and down the steps by the churchyard gate keeping an eye on the churchyard. With the mind of a six year old, I expected all the people to rise from the graves all wearing their best clothes and start talking to each other. I was so relieved to wake up the next morning and find that my little world was still complete. On leaving Miss Bunch to go into the big school she gave each one of us a book. I still have mine and I treasure it.
Next stop was Miss Kingston's, a rather frail lady but very nice. I was given a penny for spelling CHRYSANTHEMUM correctly, and I also won a round box of coloured pencils for being top of the class.
On to Miss Cullam's, Standard 3-4. Miss Cullam always wore beautiful fair isle jumpers in the winter, and she would sit on the edge of the iron guard that surrounded the old tortoise stove. Very discreetly she would pull her hanky from her knicker leg, very delicately wipe her nose and just as discreetly return it to its hiding place. One day during a sewing lesson she said to one girl "Violet, go and wash your face it is dirty". "Oh no miss, please that ain't dirt that's me mostosh". Giggles all round and Miss Cullam when she was lost for an answer simply banged her ruler on the desk and said "On with your work girls, on with your work". How I hated those pieces of coarse white material that we had to practice seams and buttonholes on using bright red cotton so that our stitches could be seen.
The next class was standard 5-6-7 and we were taught by Mr. Oldham the headmaster. Both boys and girls had an afternoon gardening. The boys grew vegetables and the girls flowers. This came to an end for the girls while I was in this class, but the boys continued to grow vegetables taking them home at the right time for the pot. The boys also had woodwork lessons on Friday afternoons, and we had cookery once a week.
Drawing was one of my favourite lessons. One day I had misbehaved and I was sent into the middle room which was empty for some reason. I drew a single red poppy and when I went back to Mr. Oldham at the end of the lesson he said "why are you naughty when you do such wonderful work ?' Oh dear, I could have died of shame. Even after all these years whenever I have reason to feel guilty or a little ashamed of anything said or done I can see his face and hear his voice just as if it were yesterday.
Thanks for the memories, St. Michael's.
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