Memories - Percy / Bertha / Kathleen / Hilda

PERCY JOHNSON (1919 - 1923) of Granville left school at 13. Having lived at the Church of England Homes he remembers Mr. Cox. His first job was in the leather industry where he was paid 14/ - a week.

BERTHA POPE (nee WHALLEY) (1915 - 1917) remembers the 1914 - 1918 war years, when we finished our school work we could knit socks for soldiers. The thick wool and big needles were supplied by the Red Cross". In my last year we had a concert for the Red Cross in the Church Hall opposite the school." Bertha recalls being top of the school in 1917 and winning a gold medal for this achievement.

KATHLEEN NEASMITH (nee LAMB) (1912 - 1919) of Epping writes, "The photo I have was taken before going to the showground to take part in a flag drill for the Prince of Wales (in 1920, later Edward VIII). With the group was Miss Doe and Headmaster Thacker." Kathleen also recalls a competition; knitting socks for the soldiers in the 1914 - 1918 war.

HILDA BINDING (nee PILZ) of Telopea, was born in Broken Hill in 1900 and came to Sydney at the age of 15. In 1917 she taught infants' classes for 5 months at Carlingford Public School before returning in 1921 for a further 5 or 6 years.

Hilda can remember Headmaster Gray, " ... (who) had a very loud voice which scared the life out of the little infants children. My pupils used to poke their heads around the door to see if Mr. Gray was in sight. I would say, 'Go on, go on, he won't eat you' and they would say, 'But he might come along"!

Some of the families Hilda remembers teaching include Catt, Mobbs, Bowerman, Tunks and Hockley. Mr. Murphy and Miss D. Sullivan are remembered fellow teachers.

At lunch time, the children used to sit under the coral trees to eat their sandwiches. (Now that's something many hundreds of boys and girls have done!)

While living in Carlingford in the 1920's, Hilda recalls one of the bushfires in the district. She particularly remembers that it threatened her house which was on the Telopea side of Carlingford railway station.

Hilda also recalls that the guard would stop the Carlingford train late at night to set down passengers where there was no platform.

Hilda wishes the present pupils and teachers all the best of luck for the centenary.