Lorna Ellery (née Verco)

I began attending Norwood Central School in 1928. I lived at Rosslyn Park and had a fair distance to travel to school by tramcar. This was preceded by a ten-minute walk to the Kensington Gardens tram terminus. The tram travelled through Kensington Gardens, Kensington and Norwood and we alighted at Osmond Terrace. We then had another five minute walk, passing a Chinese laundry and the infant school, before reaching Norwood Central School.

Being a relatively new school, it was sandwiched in between Norwood Primary and Norwood Infant School in an assortment of houses and was a rather disjointed affair. The school boundaries were from Beulah Road on the northern side to Norwood Parade on the southern side.

One of the school houses was used for the general school, another was used for dressmaking and domestic arts, and one more was used for general art classes. One of the houses was a rather large two storey house at the end of all these buildings.

The Norwood Infant School, where I began my schooling in 1921, was the first school building in Osmond Terrace.

At Norwood Central School we had to make our own school uniform – a navy, three-box pleated uniform, a white blouse and a blue frock for summer wear. The blue frock was bound in red bias binding on the neck, sleeves and along small splits at each side.

The domestic arts uniform was a white dress and cap for cooking and a blue dress for laundry. We had to make our own laundry cap of white calico and embroider ‘NCS’ on it in red and blue (the school colours). ‘NCS’ was the abbreviation for ‘Norwood Central School’. Learning to make our uniforms in class was part of the school curriculum.

Our general class teacher was Miss Cooper (I think). The hygiene teacher was Miss Bowie and the dressmaking teacher was Miss Bodey. The art teacher’s name was Miss Phyllis Stoward and she lived in Kensington Gardens. Miss Ivett, the cooking teacher, lived in Magill. I cannot remember the name of the laundry teacher but I can remember taking various garments to school to launder.

In the art class we had to make a tea cosy cover, first having to draw the pattern and transfer it on to the material. We then embroidered the pattern of autumn leaves with green stems on two pieces of material called Indian Head.

When the work was finished we had to take it to a factory for the two pieces to be hemstitched together and we then crocheted right around the tea cosy in brown cotton. A quilted insert was placed inside to finish the cosy. My mother used the cosy for many years.

The central school lessons also included English, maths, singing, physical culture and debating sessions in the general section taught by a class teacher.

Some of the school displays were held on the Norwood Oval at the rear of the school and concerts were held in the Norwood Town Hall.

I only attended Norwood Central School for one year. Three of my sisters attended after I left and their names were Sonia, Una and Reva (deceased).

I enjoyed my education at Norwood infant, primary and central schools and later gained employment in the domestic service field with a prominent Adelaide family before marrying and starting my own family. Mr Henk Dorrestyn is my son-in-law.

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