Primary School | story-of-marian-morris

North Strathfield Primary

My first memory of primary school is sitting in an empty classroom with grey-haired, elderly, bespectacled Mrs Sam. No class photos from this era but I do have this great photo from the same era. The desks had lift up tops and everything was kept inside. The front of your desk was nailed to the back of the one in front and all desks were screwed to the floor in blocks. Seats were on a hinge and when you answered you had to stand up without belting the seat back .... or you would get slaps across the legs. There were fifty to a room and ink wells in each desk which had to be filled with ink each morning. I am very proud to say that I eventually reached the envied position of "ink monitor" which meant I had to be at school early to do this job.

My fondest memories include receiving 100% for a Creative Writing Test called What the Moon Saw when I was in fourth class. I was sent to read it to the Principal who made me read it to the 6th class .

One afternoon in 4th class my parents talked to me about why they would be called for a meeting with the principal about me. Being the goody-goody I was, I had no idea. In those days everyone did an IQ test in 4th class and I apparently did so well they wanted me to go to a special school at Ashfield Primary for 5th and 6th class. My parents said no.

All our assessments were one test for each subject in June and December, when the marks went on our report cards with a one paragraph about our behaviour and attitude. Thankfully my marks were rarely out of the 90's which meant, at report time, we were not allowed to see any sibling reports or discuss our own. In this respect, my parents obviously were well ahead of their time.

I liked school but I did get into trouble a few times. In third or fourth class, (I had Mrs Sam in both) I was called to the front of the class and received three mighty belts from the hand of Mrs Sam around my calves after I dipped a plait of the girl in front of me in the ink-well. Oops! I remember in sixth class a whole group of us got the cane from eating Perkin's Paste during Miss Fitch's Sewing Class. Oops again!

Our school was built in a U shape with the boy's classes down one side and the girls' classes on the other. Across the base of the U was the library, the sewing room withsewing machines and the boys' woodwork room whcih I never got to enter.

The typical Year 6 flirting with the boys did go on in the adjacent washrroms where there were bubblers and taps and basins all under cover from the sun and the rain.

This photo is special. Only the best pupils became milk monitors. Crates like these were delivered every day to every primary school. Children had to drink their milk before they went to play at recess. Milk monitors took the milkk crates to each room and returned them to the pick-up point after recess... getting out of work. We weren't rich, but we certainly weren't poor either, because Mum would sometimes give us money to buy chocolate straws do flavour our milk!

Perhaps the best year I had was 5th Class. My teacher was Miss Lawson, a preety young thing who loved to read stories and teach poetry. Among those that I went on to teach in my own classes in the future were "Tarantella", "Abou Ben Adam", "The Night Before Christmas" and "The Man From Snowy River" (many years before the film appeared).

My last year in PrimarySchool, 6th Class I was in the Principal's class. She spent most of her time in the adjacent office and I spent my time reading books at my desk.

In Primary school I also excelled at Athletics. I loved practising for the sports carnivals, especially high jump on the grass area at lunch time. School uniform tucked into p[ants at the side, doing scissors jump over the bar at 3ft 6 inches (3 ' 6")... Those were the days!

Another clear memory is the only one I shared with my brother Doug. We were both in the school choir and won The City of Sydney Eisteddfford singing a hymn called "Art Thou Troubled?" Yes it was a public school and yes we sang hymns!

Home Life

What a wonderful childhood I had. I thought I might list some of the more memorable activities I remember, without trying to tell a story because a story would just be too long.

Christmases were a wonderful time, singing Christmas carols and making presents in preparation. Of course as we grew older we knew there were presents hidden in Mum and Dad's top wardrobe. Presents varied... lots of clothes with many small presents... I remember my fully clothed peg doll and lots of books because I loved to read. Church and a full baked dinner with traditional hats and bon-bons were always part of the day.
Playing after school with friends was important every day. This was usually very competitive, esecially between the Tagg's and the Macallisters as we played football or cricket or long jumps out the front.
After school was a ritual at our home at 29 Trafalgar Parade, Concord. We wouild arrive home to a glass of milk or cordial and change into our one set of play clothes and put our school clothes at the end of the bed. Then we would go outside to play usually with the Taggs who lived next door or my best friend, Mararet Murray who lived down the street. At 5.20 precisely my Dad would walk into our street and we would race down the 200m to greet him. Most days he had one piece of chewing gum for each of us... I loved Juicy Fruit. Dad's arrival meant a change of routine.
It was homework time. Mum would take a break from the cooking and sit with Dad at one end of the kitchen table with a bottle of beer. Mum would have a shandy and Dad would have a beer and the rest would be put back in the fridge for the next day. In turn, while this happened, Dad would test us on our multiplication tables and our weekly spelling and dictation lists. Occasiopnally he would test us on the details of our Social studies dates and times... I know so much info that is not so useful now like 1813 Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth crossed the Blue Mountains.... I must admit these afternoons were always a loving, inspirational time: a time of realising I loved learning and loved the idea of teaching. This partly came from my father and from my fifth grade teacher, Miss Lawson.
I was the only one interested in physical culture when I was young. I went to Bjelke-Peterson's Concord Methodist Club and was very proud of myself as this was close to dancing which was far too expensive. My sister, Robyn, became a drum majorette and I can still see the weekend mess from the legtan left all over the bathroom.
We regularly walked to the park on Saturday afternoon with Dad to give Mum a break. The swings were great with Dad pushing us until we went the full circle over the bar... could never happen today ! We usually took a ball and played catching or sometimes met friends there to play cricket.
Going Swimming at Cabarita Pool was essential every summer weekend. Again Dad would do his share of parenting while Mum stayed home to rest or do the housework. Dad taught us all how to swim during those times when often we would take sandwiches and stay for the whole day. We delighted in watching Dad swan dive from the High Board and we all became quite good at diving off the 1m springboard.During these day I learnt what suffering was. Many days I would be sunburnt to blistering stage, only to go again the following week for another dose... I did wear zinc cream on my nose and shoulders but there were never any warnings about skin damage or cancer in those days.
In our back yard was a huge jacaranda tree. We all played cowboys and indians most afternoons with the bows and arrows Dad made from the small tree branches and rope. There were also wooden rifles cut roughly into shape. Other rope was used to tie me or my sister Robyn to the Jacaranda tree waiting to be saved after the Indians were shot.
Sunday nights were special. The year television came to Australia our family of eight would walk down the street to the furniture shop, which left a TV going in the front window, to watch "Disneyland" each Sunday night at 5.30pm.
I was twelve when we got our first television set and Sunday nights we were allowed to sit in the loungeroom to eatour dinner of hot waffles with various fillings after our baked dinner at lunchtime. As well as Disneyland we loved to watch Bonanza and Rin Tin Tin.
Sunday was church day and for all my childhood I went to church regularly. My dad was an Elder at St Mark's Presbyterian Church, Concord, where he also ran Pathfinders, which was a Children's club, each Friday night. I followed Dad's desire to go to church, and eventually became confirmed in the church and taught Sunday School until I went to Armidale... another story.
With school holidays came lots of memories...
- Nanny Loomes used to come over each Tuesday to help Mum with the cooking and washing. Her favourite saying at the table was "eat up, shut up or get up the back".
- A painful memory was that all the kids had to lay down to sleep each afternoon for a sleep or quiet time for at least an hour. AS we got older we could read a book while laying on the bed!
- As we became older WE were allowed to walk together to Queen Elizabeth Park where each Christmas holidays a playcentre was open. Lots of games, craft, outings and competitions against other centres. I loved this so much that when I went to college I earnt money by running playcentres in the distrct.
Fond memories abound related to the temperatures in those days.
- During heatwaves we were allowed to lay outside on the grass at night watching the stars. There were no air conditioners.
- During heatwaves, after playing outside, we were allowed to have cold showers together in our costumes.
- Heating in the house was an open fireplace in the loungeroom. I loved the smell and the warmth that surrounded the house when this was on. In later years the fireplace was boarded up when we bought a kerosene heater. Great warmth and cheap too, but oh the fumes were terrible!
Perhaps the highlight of the year was Bonfire Night to celebrate the Queen's birthday. The whole family would walk down the shop and buy our crackers and fireworks. For weeks before, we would build a bonfire in our back yard which was much bigger than today's yards. On nightfal the bonfires would be lit and Dad would light the skyrockets and put them in a milk bottle to send them into space. My favourite was always the Magic Pinwheel which would be nailed to the wooden fence and spin furiously when lit, to give a magnificent spiral display.