Hello Members, I do hope you have all had a restful month after the crazy Christmas period.
As we begin February and the start of a new school year, I am reminded of my own school experiences. Most of the members who read this were probably brought up in the city or country towns. I was brought up on a farm which was quite remote. I went to a very small rural school. What I remember most was the walks in the bush and down to the creek gathering and collecting all sorts of nature study items. All the classes were held in the one room.
When I was in Grade 4 that all came to an end as the Education Department decided that there were not enough students to keep the school open. So when I was nine, Darriman 3207 closed and was carted away. The decision was made that my older sister and I would go to boarding school in Sale. And so began 8 years of life at a Catholic Boarding School.
I had to firstly learn to do my own hair with a band and ribbon to which to my credit I mastered like a true professional. 14 of us little kids marched one mile morning and night with our little suitcases to St Mary’s Primary School with a paper bag containing a cartwheel sandwich ( German Sausage ) on very stale bread, a rock cake and a very bruised apple. We didn’t have names we had numbers which was sewn or glued to everything we owned. Mine was No 76. We were allowed one bath per week on Wednesdays and we all suffered from dreadful chilblains as the Convent had no heating.
The fortunate side of it all was that I did go home on weekends to reconnect with all my pet animals …and my parents !! Anyway things are different now and all the kids nowadays seem to love school.
Have a good month
Geraldine McGann President 4 February 2023
