The house I grew up in was directly across the street from the three schools where I obtained most of my schooling. Normally access to the school grounds is restricted but during the race, anybody can walk around so I took the opportunity to haunt. I am good at haunting.
Actually this blog is mostly for my sisters who might enjoy seeing part of their past.
Main entrance to the Boys High School. Back in my era the girls were taught in the Girls High School on the other side of Kent Street (which was part of the race course). Until 1974 when the school became coeducational, the two schools were the only non-coeducational schools in the state. You can read more about the school here.
The separation was rigorously enforced. The only times that students could mix were at school dances. Even at sports days where Maryborough competed against the Gympie and Bundaberg High Schools, the boy and girls from Maryborough had to sit in separate sections, much to the amusement of the students from the other schools who were allowed to mix. One unfortunate side effect during my time at the school was that the teachers at the boys school were better teachers than at the girls school, particularly in science and math. This made it much more difficult for girls to get the grades that would allow them to go to University.
The parade ground in front of the school.
After the parade we students would file through this door. The stone at the door way is well worn but it has lasted since 1881.
The parade ground is now mostly used as a parking lot. Somehow I was given the honour of being made a prefect during my final year and so occasionally I had to conduct the parade.
'Parade, attention. Right or left turn. Into school, quick march'.
Somehow I could not bring myself to adopt a military approach with pauses between the three sentences so it all rolled out too quickly. Somebody wrote an article in the student newspaper commenting on my somewhat lackadaisical approach.
The steps down to the oval that was designed by my father during the late 1940's. Cracks have developed.
The Assembly Hall now appears to house a museum but it was closed.
Where I learned physics. The chemistry building next door has been demolished.
Walk way. Protection from sun and heavy rain is common in Oz.
The basket ball court was constructed in my time though the surface was bitumen back then. If you are older you might remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. At one stage the prospect of nuclear war was high and I remember sitting on the little hill at the other end of the court with a bunch of other students from my class as we contemplated our possible demise.
On a happier note, I was able to visit the grounds of the Infants School where I had not walked since December 1954. My first few months of schooling was at Toowoomba but in June we moved to Maryborough and this was my school. I did not understand or enjoy school at Toowoomba but fortunately I really liked Maryborough and prospered. When I arrived as the new boy, another boy called Rex Zwisler befriended me and made me feel welcome which gave me confidence. Sometimes I wonder what happened to him. My grades improved and eventually I did well enough to sit next to Suzanne Plunkett who was the brightest student in the class. She left Maryborough and was one of the two girls from my year who went on to University.
To the left is the old trades building where I learned wood-working, sheet metal and drawing during grades 7 - 8. I was hopeless at all three subjects but I enjoyed them and they have been useful in my amplifier building hobby.
The old shed at the infants school. Rain in Queensland can be torrential so there has to be a place for students to huddle during breaks.
My sisters and I were part of the early baby-boomer surge in school enrollments. Some forward thinking 'genius' also decided to make matters worse by reducing the starting age from six years old to five and so in my first year of school, there were double the number of students. My class sizes were 40 - 50 students and additional class rooms had to be built quickly. We were the first students in this new wing. There used to be a verandah, but it appears the wing is now used as offices.
The old part of the infants school which was erected in 1881 - 82.
I then walked over to the State School (3 - 6). My grade 6 class was in the room at the top of this corner. The school was initially built as an immigration centre in 1875- 76 but was converted into a school during 1877. More about the school here.
The inner courtyard and I was in a few of these classrooms. In grade 5, I was in a class with three of Maryborough's brightest students, Brian Hoepper, Darrel Elkins and Helen Isles. Back in that era you sat in the order of your overall grade in exams. I mostly used to sit 4th. This seating pattern continued to the end of grade 8.
Helen was the other girl from my year to go to University and she went to private school in Brisbane for her high school education. Her brothers went to the boys high school as I did. Her father was a doctor who could afford the fees and evidently knew that the quality of the girls school teachers did not equal the boys. No girls from the girls high school went directly to University while a dozen or so boys went from my year.
One of the two sheds. During wet weather my friends and I would get a tennis ball where you got a tennis ball and tried to throw the ball to hit the beam and then catch it on the rebound. If you succeeded you got a point and if you missed, the team on the other side took over. Sometimes we substituted the narrow beams high up but that was quite difficult. The shed seems smaller now.
In the background is another new wing that was built to accommodate the influx of additional students. To the left is a shade cloth. Queensland is the skin cancer capitol of the world and so shade cloth is common in all schools now.
This used to be the parade ground which was usually conducted by the principal, Pop Peters. He was an enthusiastic proponent of the 'Spare the rod, spoil the child' principle and was notorious for his frequent caning of students.
During the parade, the school fife band would stand in the shed to the right and perform 'God save the Queen'. I joined briefly and was given the triangle to play. I could not see the teacher who conducted at the front so I had no idea when to strike the triangle so I just banged away at random. Not surprisingly, my tenure with the band was limited.
Believe it or not, I planted one of these trees as part of an Arbor Day activity, probably 60 years ago.
There are a few new buildings. This appears to be a hall.
Back in my time, this used to be a tennis court where I first played tennis.
Another view of the trades building. It is now called the Institute of Professional Learning.
Trades were very important to the town back in my time with three sawmills as well as the train and shipbuilding company of Walkers. In addition to this building, there was a large complex of buildings where trades were taught at the rear of the high school. They have since been demolished.
Since I lived across the street from the school, I would walk along here between the court and the oval. With my blonde hair I was occasionally attacked by magpies during spring. I protected my head by carrying my port (small school suitcase) on my shoulder. Yes, the Queenslanders word for suitcase is port, probably short for portmanteau.
The girls school across the road. When the schools combined, most of the activity moved to this school and much of the boys school became unused.
This photo was taken from in front of the girls school and right in the center is the house where I used to live.
My father worked for Queensland Government Railways and was able to rent this house which was owned and maintained by the railway. The rent was quite low. My sister Clare and I would play tennis at the side of the house.
The railway sold of the house years ago and the new owners made some changes. The fence was replaced during the early 60's and now seems to be in sad condition. Grass is usually this colour after a dry winter. When I got old enough, my job was to mow the grass which was quite a large job and took a few days.
Occasionally I have dreams about the house where the house has been severely remodeled and is in danger of destruction. I have never been back inside to see what happened which is probably a good thing.
And finally a view from the house to the Central School across the street. This was taken a couple of days earlier while they were preparing for the race.
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