One of my first memories of school in the 70’s was drinking the milk in the morning.
A large truck would deliver the milk which was left under the trees and the milk monitor would collect the milk bottles for the class. As we all sat in a circle on the floor, one student would have the punch contraption to put a hole in the foil milk bottle top. Another student would pass around the box of wax straws, take one pass it on. And then drink. If you could, there were the lucky few with notes from their parents to excuse them from this ritual. Fine in winter when the milk stayed cool not so good in summer.
Image: Pixabay
I commenced as a student at Rosanna Primary School probably 1950, as I turned 5 years old in March of that year. Our family, consisting of Mum and Dad and my three sisters and I, had moved to West Heidelberg from North Fitzroy so that Dad could take up the position of Foreman of the Drop Forgings at Sidchrome, which was located in Dougharty Rd, West Heidelberg. Our yellow timber house was next to Sidchrome, and surrounded by wide open paddocks, with just a couple of houses dotted here and there. Mum was a city girl from Kensington, and she thought she was “out in the sticks”. It took a while for her to settle, but we children were quite happy. I remember the school principal when I commenced at RPS was Mr Moller, who retired shortly after I started at the school, but I can’t remember the name of the next principal. Mr Moller was presented with a fishing rod. I do remember the name of my prep teacher – Mrs Buntine, but the only others I recall are Alan Lang who taught my younger sister when she was in about grade 4, and Mr Hirst, who taught a composite class 5/6. My best friend Jennifer and I were in Mr Hirst’s grade 5 and we were a bit scared of him, as he could be rather strict. I recall the pine trees that surrounded the school grounds, and I also remember the little school library that I think consisted of shelving in a hallway. Prior to that we used to borrow books via a mobile library service. Due to re-zoning, I had to leave RPS at the end of grade 5 and commence grade 6 at West Heidelberg Primary School. I remember Mum not being at all happy about the re-zoning, but as my best friend made the move with me, it didn’t seem so bad. Secondary education followed at the new Heidelberg Girls Secondary School, Jen and I being part of the “pioneers” of the school, which was how the first principal Miss Kate M. Payne, used to describe us. Jen and I were both inducted as prefects, which made us very proud.