Sunday, March 20, 2022
We were just chilling in the garden in the first sunny day since... what feels like forever, Nerys and Charlie had popped in then at about 11am a 7 year old boy with a big smile on his face popped around the corner with a very loud HELLO!
We jumped in surprise then following that young boy were Briony and Kate all from Canberra.
David and I had been asked if we could do a Face Time with James at 11am because he had a school assignment to do which was interviewing his Grandparents about what School was like for them!
Instead of a Facebook Interview they decided to rock up here at 11am!
Jackson and Jess stopped what they were doing and drove around quickly, Tim was out on the water in his canoe but it didn't take long for him to pop in as well.
James interviewing David.
💗💗💗What a beautiful surprise this has been. 💗💗💗
Here are my answers to James Questions.
Pennie’s Schools for James.
- What year did I start school? 1948 - (almost 3yo) Pre-School, Woollahra, Sydney. My parents Ripley and Rosemary ran a Grocery Store and I would be driven to school in a Taxi that had picked up several other children before it got to me. Rosie tells me that I would be looking out the window sadly waving goodbye then when the Taxi started with a jolt myself and all the other children would fall to the floor, no seatbelts back then.
- What was the name of this school? Woollahra Pre-school? I don’t really know.
- What was the name of your teacher (from any year)? The only teacher who’s name I remember was at Queenwood, Balmoral in 1962 when I was in 3rd Year (now called Year 9) My English Teacher was Denise Long who was my first cousin once removed. (very embarrassing)
- What Subjects did I do at school? Don’t remember Primary School, High School English, Maths, Geography, Science, Cooking.
- What did you do during lunch time? In the first few weeks of each new school I used to just sit watching the other kids or I would walk around alone hoping someone would come and talk to me and eventually be my friend. When I had made a friend I think we just sat around and chatted.
- What did I eat at Lunch? Vegemite or Peanut Butter Sandwiches then in High School a Meat Pie from the Canteen if I was lucky.
- What happened when I did the wrong thing? The only time I did something wrong I was given detention which means I had to stay one hour later at school. I was at Queenwood Ladies College in 1962. The thing I did was to take off my hat and my gloves while on the bus on the one hour trip home from Balmoral to Newport… on a very hot day. Another girl on the bus, I don’t know who, must have reported me to the Headmistress the next day.
- What happened if I was late for school? I never was late.
- Did I enjoy school? Why? I loved Kapooka Army Camp School, there were only 26 Pupils in the whole school with one teacher teaching all ages and classes. Just two of us in second class, Penelope Janice Rodd and Peter John Renfrey, we had the same initials and we did enjoy a lot of fun. I loved Willoughby Girls Primary mainly because we lived in a brand new home at 7 Field Regiment, and we had lots of paddocks with a horse and her foal. I also loved Campbelltown Co-ed High because I started in First Year, (now called Year Seven) most of us were new to the school so making friends was pretty easy, I loved doing Science and a higher Mathematics and Cooking. Why Not? Queenwood Ladies College at Balmoral, because I had to drop Science and Mathematics I was told by the headmistress, ’Ladies don’t need Science or Mathematics, they can do Botany and Religion’, This is where my dislike for Religion probably started, we were told if we didn’t pass Religion we wouldn’t be getting our Intermediate Certificate at the end of the year 3. (I deliberately didn’t answer a single Religion question but I still got my Intermediate Certificate.)
- What did you use to write? Pencil in Primary Schools then an Inkwell and a Nib Pen in High School.
Labels: Briony & Kate & James, Charlie, Jackson, Nerys and Tim
# posted by Pennie @ March 20, 2022 
