by Margaret Sheppard (née Smith)

After seven years at Largs Bay Public School I was looking forward to secondary education at Adelaide Technical High School. I was fortunate to be accepted as enrolments were limited and dependent on the results of the Qualifying Certificate – a compulsory final exam for seventh grade students – qualifying them for further education.

I set off for high school with two friends from Largs Bay school. We travelled to Adelaide by train, carefully crossing King William Street looking first to the right and then to the left as we had been instructed. There were no traffic lights in 1933! It was a pleasure walking to the School of Mines building along North Terrace. I never tired of the beautiful trees, gardens and buildings.

The first assembly for new students – in Brookman Hall if I remember rightly – welcomed us and outlined rules but, oddly enough, the only rule I remember was that lunch was not to be wrapped in newspaper! This was the depression and desperate measures were called for to make ends meet but I had not come across this particular one. Of course uniforms were compulsory. The girls had a very neat summer uniform – a navy blue dress with a white collar and we were expected to be clean, neat and not disgrace the uniform.

It wasn’t long before we were allocated our classrooms and teachers and the necessary text books. The girls all did the commercial course, boys technical or commercial. At most secondary schools students sat for the Intermediate Certificate in the third year but Adelaide Technical High School aimed at the second year so the school motto ‘Labor Omnia Vincit’ – ‘With hard work everything can be achieved’ – seemed most appropriate! However I don’t remember feeling oppressed by the volume of work.

I soon realised I was never going to get the hang of maths and I think English was a stumbling block for some of the boys and this was serious as it was a necessary requisite for passing the Intermediate and Leaving exams. The girls had some light relief in callisthenics and Dalcroze Eurhythmics and, in the first year, domestic science was fun but girls today would probably not approve of a subject labelled ‘housewifery’.

The sporting set up left something to be desired. We had a few tennis-cum-basketball courts and a playing field in Frome Road. A good runner would volunteer to run down Frome Road and grab a court. We had an enjoyable sports day at Long Gully but, at the assembly before this event, the headmaster Mr Sidney Moyle warned that this was not a ‘couples’ picnic’. Fraternisation between the sexes was discouraged. However, after school, the rules weren’t policed and some teenage romances blossomed on journeys home and the Black and White Milk Bar was a popular meeting place.

The annual distribution of prizes was held at the end of the school year, especially poignant if it was one’s last year. We girls weren’t too happy with the outfits for this ceremony – white dresses with black stockings but, as we trailed across the stage to receive our certificates, it was an interesting study in black and white. My last speech night was particularly memorable as my grandfather died that day and my parents were unable to attend as they usually did.

I feel we had a good grounding in basic skills necessary to get into the workforce which was important in depression times. In 1932 over 30% of the Australian workforce was unemployed.

Looking back it seems such an uncomplicated time with simple pleasures. We were all interested in the test cricket with the big names of Donald Bradman, Clarrie Grimmett and the ‘bodyline’ controversy. 1934 saw Victoria’s centenary celebrations and 1936 South Australia’s. We followed with interest the flights of Bert Hinkler, Sir Keith Kingsford Smith and others. Airways were formed such as Qantas – the Queensland and Northern Territory Air Service – and Australian National Airways.

Among the most outstanding recollections of my years at ATHS is the respect students had for teachers and vice versa and, of course, friendships made – some lifelong. With the advent of World War II the world changed irrevocably. Great advances have been made in education amongst other things but I feel I had four years of excellent training which have served me well all my life.

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