Memories on Monday - Primary School Days

Primary School Days - North Perth Primary School

For the first six years of my school life I attended North Perth Primary School - the same school my Dad had gone to as a child - although funnily enough I didn't find that out until I was an adult - weird how things like that happen. Although come to think of it, Dad never much talked about himself as a child.

I loved going to school and I loved this school, it was divided into lower and upper primary - which way back then was a little forward thinking - common now but not so much then. I think part of that was because the original older buildings became the lower school when the new one was built.

Way back then each classroom had a fireplace for winter - and there was nothing better than coming in after playing and warming yourself in front of the fire. Learning to the sound of wood crackling while it burnt. The ceilings where high so the rooms never got too hot in summer and there were big high windows that opened at the top and the bottom with long ropes that hung down to open the top ones.

There were no whiteboards or even green chalkboards back then, just large blackboards at the front of the class and every one got a turn to be chalk and duster monitor. I used to love bashing the dusters together outside and watching the chalk dust floating off into the air. Had to remember not to inhale though.

Those were the days when we used to get small glass bottles of milk, with real cream on the top, delivered in crates and every child got to have one each day. My Mum used to occasionally spoil us and buy straws with strawberry or chocolate favouring inside, so as you drank your milk became favoured.

My Grade 3 Class - I am wearing my favourite dress and long white socks
Yep, that's me 2nd from the left in the front row.

When I first started writing in pen, it was with a dip pen, we didn't get biros until year 5 - doesn't that make me feel old. So from Year 4 on someone was the ink monitor and had to fill the little ink pots up each morning. There was something simple and elegant in learning to write with a dip pen - although smudging was always a problem, although we had a blotter we were supposed to use.

Life was simpler back then, no calculators or learning algebra - that was all left to high school. We learned to hand sew from Grade 1, not my favourite subject but I loved the embroidery when we got to that. We had story time right up to year 5, with our teachers taking the time once a week to read to us, just a chapter at a time from one of the old classics. I used to love to listen and now I love to read to my grandchildren (and to my children when they were younger) - making up voices for all the characters - turning the story into more than just words.

We didn't have a school canteen, but there was a 'tuck shop' over the road that when you got to upper primary you were allowed visit to buy your lunch, I used to love it when Mum would let us buy our lunch - it was a treat as it didn't happen often.

There were no big fences around our school like there are today keeping vandals out, just a waist height fence as a reminder not to run out on the road if you were chasing a ball.

But best of all we were allowed to be kids - there were no high expectations about where we were going as adults, we were allowed to learn at our pace, to just enjoy the experiences of school.

Impromptu photo of my Grade 6 Class, taken by our teacher
Can you pick me out in this photo?
Need a hint? I am standing.

I read about all this national testing and the pressures it puts on schools and students, I mean they are even talking about testing 4 year olds. I know we need to excel as a nation in the world, but not everyone can be the best, trying your hardest should be enough ... and letting small children just be children - I can't see what is wrong with that.

Memories on Monday - Funny Stories

Do you have any stories about family members that pop back into your memory when you do something or go somewhere?

I remember my Mum telling me about my Aunty Min and her spider adventure and every now and then when I put on my winter dressing gown, that has been hanging behind the door, the story pops into my head.

The story goes, one winter's morning my Aunty Min got up and put on her dressing gown that had been hanging behind the door. Shortly after leaving the bedroom, Min felt a tickle in her armpit and so she rubbed it, as you do, thinking she must have a loose thread or something.

A little while later, it was still tickling her, so she decided to take the dressing gown off and fix the said loose thread. Yep, you guessed it - it wasn't a loose thread but a huntsman spider, all cosy and a little cross that his/her nice warm dark house was now being worn by a woman.

I don't believe the spider bit my Aunt and I hope she didn't kill the spider. But often when I get my dressing gown down and pop it on suddenly I think - oops should have checked for spiders.

Memories on Monday - When I Turned 12

The year I turned 12 was a year of change for me. I started at a new school, in Year 7 which here in Perth is the final year of primary school.

My parents divorced and my mother re-married. I had to get used to having a step-father, who actually is a fantastic man, but boy did I give him curry that year - sorry Pop.

I wore my first bra for a few hours (a 2nd hand training bra from my cousin) even though I did not need one - but all the other girls were getting boobs and I wasn't, so tissues filled it out - LOL.

I missed all my school friends from my old school and never really made any at the new ones, thankfully that changed the following year when I started high school and met some great girls.

I always felt like the odd one out that year. No boobs, no friends, new house, new school, but I also had my first boyfriend - even though that only lasted a few weeks - he was new to the school as well. He was a year older than me and had come over from England, so I thought it was all great, until he asked me to have sex ... so it was goodbye and don't talk to me again, thank you very much!! I mean I was 12!

I'm sure that all girls of 12 feel awkward, it is the time between childhood and being a teenager, but even though so many things seemed to be hard that year, I still look fondly back as these photos and think that life really wasn't too bad after all.

My 12th birthday party, that's me with the long white socks with my brother and 2 friends of the family - oh and the boyfriend is on the end. Oh and the dress was a gorgeous mustard colour, with brown and white checked collar that my Mum made.

This is my Mum and Step-Dad's wedding, the first time I got to wear stockings - and yes they were stocking with suspenders, not pantyhose. I still have the soft lemon bridesmaid dress with lace sleeves that Mum made in my wardrobe.

Memories on Monday - Too Cool For School

I just love these photos - all taken between May 1971 and Jan 1973 - I left school at the end of Year 10, aged 15 and ready to conquer the world. I always loved being out there in what I wore, so here is a quick run down the various stages of being "Too Cool For School"

July 1971 - Hippy stage just turned 16 - long floral cheesecloth dress and plaits

I wore a lot of cheesecloth in this stage and those little plaited raffia pretend shoes that consisted of a loop of raffia around your toe with a cute raffia flower and then plaited raffia that tied behind your heel - no sole just bare feet!

Midi and boot stage aged 16 - black patent tie up boots worn with lots
of midi skirts and tops

My hair at various stages was a little 'mulletish' I suppose

My purple stage, about 16 although maybe a bit younger (no date on back of photos),
purple paisley midi dress with fringed leather worked suede tie belt (you can just see the fringing if you look closely) with purple cardi and lots of gypsy bangles


My "I want to be alone stage" - following a bad perm (lets not even go there I am still mentally scared) there was the head scarf and jeans stage somewhere around 16

Moving into the military stage - green hounds-tooth coat with
double-breasted buttons around 17

My mini and platform shoes stage - alternated with the midi stage for quite a while and in this photo the mini is quite conservative - some of my minis should have been called tops I think!! Aged between 16 and 17

Still in the mini stage, I loved this dress, it was black with lime green and pale blue flowers and lime green trimming, made out of a really sheers fabric. Age around 16-17.

And me still in a mini on 9th February 1973, the day I came home with my eldest daughter, aged 17 1/2, that is her carry basket you can just see in my hand.

Its a shame I don't have photos of some of my other stages, my Mum crocheted me this amazing yellow and orange shaggy vest, I had the most 'to die for' long purple crepe dress that zipped up the middle and was embroidered with a satin butterfly that framed a fairly low V neck, then there was my maroon hot pants that I wore with black stockings and black boots - those were the days my friends, those were the days.

Memories on Monday - Those Were The Days

My 2nd boyfriend (and first husband and father of my eldest daughter) was a surfer. The whole nine yards - shaggy long blonde hair, blue eyes, station-wagon with boards on the top - every spare moment was spent chasing the waves with me in tow and quite often a few friends as well. I loved the carefree way we just got in the car and went wherever the waves were.



This pic is of me, aged 16 - (eating an orange), our friend Peta rugged up in her boyfriend's jacket and my hubby's cousin Graham (peeling an orange). It was taken on the beach somewhere in the SW on a beautiful winter's day. We just got up early one morning and drove south (3 1/2 hours) to surf, and then back the same day.

Those were the days my friends, those were the days. The days before responsibility became a part of my life, one day I might just do it again, who knows - stranger things have happened.

Memories On Mondays - Connections

One way of having connections back through time is through heirlooms, they don't have to be big or expensive, just something that has passed down through generations of the family.

I have a beautiful vase and a painting that I loved as a child - both were my maternal grandmothers and my mother passed them on to me a few year's after my Grandma Win had died. From my paternal grandmother I have a jewelry box that she was given on the her 21st birthday (I will write more about that in another post) and 2 cane/wicker chairs.

Me as a little 'un in Grandma's big chair

I remember Grandma Grace having one of the chairs in her home while I was growing up and my parents had an identical one, which was originally Grandmas too, she had given it to my Mum when I was born as it was a good chair to breast-fed in.

and with my Mum in Grandma's chair during the same visit

When my Mum and Dad divorced Mum kept the chair and so it moved with us, Mum even lent it to me when I had my first 2 daughters to breast-fed in thus continuing the tradition. Numerous photos of my first grand-daughter and her Mum where also taken in the chair when visiting my mother's house.

I had always asked Mum if I could have the chair one day either when she no longer wanted it or if she could will it to me if she so decided.

Grandma Grace had also kept her chair and when she died my Dad gave it to my Mum so the pair of chairs could be back together again. Mum had her chair recovered a few years earlier and was lucky to be able to match the same fabric so she could get Grandma's chair recovered too.

I felt quite blessed when Mum passed the chairs on to me a few years ago. My eldest daughter now covets them so I know that they will have a good home to go to - although if all 4 of my children decide they want them a King Solomon decision might have to be made. Can you will 2 chairs between 4 - maybe they can have them a year about?

Some of the cane/wicker is slowing unwinding and there a few gaps in some of the bottom cane-work of the one my Grandma had kept, but given their age they are in a remarkably good condition. I would love to have them patched but as the older cane has darkened naturally with age I am not sure that it would look right (or even if it is still possible).

I don't sit in them often now, one sits in the spare room hosting a collection of teddies comfortably on it's cushions and the other sits in my study. Each time I look at them I am reminded of my Grandma Grace and my connection to her back through time. Somehow that is rather comforting to my heart and soul.

Memories on Mondays - The Harrings

My Paternal Great Grandparents - Alice Mary (Nicholls) and George Henry Harring



I don't have a lot of memories of Grandpa Harring as he died just before I turned 6, but I do remember him as a quiet man. Through later genealogy research I found he had a very hard childhood and came over to WA from NSW to start a new life as a young man. He met and married Alice and developed a lot of North Perth by building houses and shops.

Grandma is another story - I remember her as being tiny, but very feisty. I remember they had this big house they built but the only place you ever sat was in their kitchen - on special occasions you were allowed to go into the lounge and on those occasions Grandma used to play the piano - I used to love to hear her play.

The kitchen at Grandma and Grandpas was always cosy, there was always a kettle on and cups of tea being had. The tablecloth was always covered with newspaper - just in case there were spills - I don't know if that was only when children came to visit but it was always there when I was there. Children were supposed to be seen and not heard, but I always remember that never stopped me being part of the conversations.

Grandma's kitchen always had a work in progress - a string of silver milk bottle tops (those were the days when milk came in glass bottles and was delivered to your door). Grandma would wash them and add them to the string - when it got long enough she would use them in the garden to stop the birds eating the grapes.

Grandma and Grandpa's house was full of dark jarrah furniture - big beds, big cupboards and big wardrobes. They never pulled the big heavy drapes back in any of the rooms and so as kids we used to peek into the rooms as we passed and wonderful what could be hiding in there.

The kitchen was the only room where there was light and warmth. After my Dad and Mum divorced in 1967 I saw little of this Grandma, but I still remember her in her old cardigan, with her hair pinned up sitting in her kitchen drinking cups of tea.

The Harrings - back when roads were still sand
circa 1907

I recently asked the question whether to have a Sentimental Sunday or a Memories on Monday series of posts where I scanned old photos/slides and wrote about them.

The vote was 50/50 and so I am having the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month as Sentimental Sundays and the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month as Memories on Monday. I aim to please.

I would love you to join in, if and when you feel like sharing some of your memories, I will post your link on my blog (with your permission of course) so that others may also read along.

So first cab of the rank this month will be Memories on Mondays on Monday 11th Jan. Hope to see you back here then.