1954 AYRES Josephine, BADGER Jane, BATES Stanley, BROWN John, BUTLER Dorothy Ellen (now GARNER), CARSTENSEN Shirley A., COLLINS Diane Elizabeth, CONDON Alan Rodney, CORRY Margaret Alice, COX Francis, DODDS Valma May, DOHNT Donald Ralph, DOHNT Faye (now SIBBONS), FLORENCE Ronald, GALLAWAY Denis, GOGGIN Valerie (now FREW), HALDEN Eric, HUTCHINS Brian, MAGNUSSON Oscar, McCANN Daryl, McKENZIE David J., McKENZIE William, MILLS Elaine, MINCHIN Anthony, MUMFORD Jeanette, MUSGROVE Roslyn, MUSGROVE William, NASEBANDT Noeline, NEWNHAM Rosalie Helen, PATERSON Jan (now ROBINSON), PELL Dawn Noela, PELL Yvonne Elizabeth (now VISSER), PRICE Kaye (now CRANE), RENDELL Elaine Florence, RITCH Margaret Anne (now SCHIER), SCHIER Barry, WAITES Gladys Francis
The above list was uploaded in February 2009. Please feel free to add fond memories about your year level, or friends, by clicking on ‘comments’ below…. by sharing your happy/bizarre memories (& ‘submitting’ it) ….. others from your year can read and enjoy your stories… and hopefully add their own…… Is the list wrong? Please drop an email to…. reunion@nathaliasc.vic.edu.au
In 1954 we came up from the primary school into the Higher Elementary school and were greeted as juniors by the 53 crew including Barry Sheahan, Peter Shepard, Barry Castieau Max Pleydel, Roger Abreu and Co. We had Lil Walsh as form teacher and it was,” Yes Miss Walsh”, or “ No Miss Walsh” none of this “Yes Miss” or “No Miss” and she wrote on the blackboard in beautiful copperplate writing examples of which I still have in my School Report book. She ruled the class room with a wooden 3 foot ruler very strictly and we were all a bit scared of her . In fact she had taught many of our parents previously.
In Form 2 we again had Lil Walsh as form teacher again and in this year we had a double arithmetic class on one afternoon each week which we all needed like a hole in the head. We disliked those classes to such an extent some of us wagged school one day when we had double arith and we all got caught playing marbles in the bottom of the gravel pits about one mile north of the town. Hop Collins brought a class out on an excursion to the pits to study the soil profiles and caught us red handed. We ended up with 6 cuts each and in those days you did not tell your parents what had happened. Anyway my old man found out about it from Hop down at the pub a couple of nights later and I was belted with a piece of rubber hose for my troubles. In those days there was no litigation for touching/assaulting kids etc.
In Form 3 we had Jim Turner as form teacher and he was like a breathe of fresh air as teachers go. He taught us Art, Music and Woodwork. For woodwork we never made crappy apron labels or tooth brush racks or breadboards anymore. Under Jim’s tutelage we made step ladders, stools with woven cane seats both of which I still have and use to this day. We also made an 18 foot (5metres in today’s measurements) boat for the local scout troop and rebuilt the school bike shed and racks. John Martin arrived as our French teacher, we all thought he was a bit of a sissy as we did not know what gay guys were in those days. Our science teacher was Arthur Hardy, a big tall streak who played tennis left handed but wrote on the blackboard right handed.
In form 4 or Intermediate year we were a close knit bunch of about 14 to 16 kids out of about 38 who started out in Form 1. The depreciation in number coming from kids leaving at age 15 or shifting to other towns to live etc. We were the kings of the school being the highest grade that the school taught in those days. The school had just enough boys to field 2 house football sides with a 19th and 20th man.
Hop Collins was our form teacher and also taught us English and Geography and History. Arthur hardy taught us Maths and Science and Jim Turner continued to teach us Art, Music and Woodwork. I cannot remember who taught the girls cooking and sewing or Domestic Science I think they called it. John Martin continued to teach French but I gave that up as soon as I could after Form 2 much to my regret later on down the track when I found I had to do a year of Science French to get a A class degree at Melbourne Uni.
I am still in touch with Jim Turner, he lives in Tasmania and lives with wife No 3 (or it may be No 4, I have really lost count) and he is 76 years old now. He was only 22 when he first came to Nathalia to teach. He has spent a lot of his time writing volumes of heavy philosophical books which I cannot come to grips with. I have told him many times he is such a prolific writer if he wrote sexy blood and guts novels he would be a multi millionaire many times over but he just ignores my advice.
Since leaving school at Nathalia Higher Elementary School I spent 3 years at Melbourne High School then Melbourne University graduating in Mathematics and Statistics then completed the Fellowship of the Faculty of Actuaries Course in Edinburgh Scotland by correspondence from Melbourne. In those days there was no actuarial course in Australia but now the Institute of Actuaries of Australia conducts its own exams.
I am still in the workforce and keep myself busy working for a very successful boutique Funds Management Company, Chairman of another boutique Fund Manager specialising in Alternate Energy Companies , director of a public company making biodiesel and cattle food from algae and Chairman of the Melbourne Cricket Club Golf Section. I am a firm believer in the premise if you do not use your brain you will lose it. Oh, and I still do a bit of actuarial consulting for a number of Self Managed Super Fund Administration Firms.
Stan Bates
Consulting Actuary
Director MBD Energy
Phone +61 3 9530 6750
+61 418 127 552 (mobile)
456 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, 3002, Australia
stan.bates@mbdenergy.com
http://www.mbdenergy.com
Great read Stan… thanks for sharing your memories! Cheers Fay..
Common on you guys lets have some stories about the gtood times we had and the bad although I think they were far and few between. Mo McKenzie and Spud Florence can oput the boxing gloves on again as entertainment for the night I reckon.
Stan Bates