Verulam Robertson, interviewed by Erica Jolly

I was the daughter of an older mother who was in her 40s when I was born. My first school was Croydon Girls Technical School in 1944. Croydon had advertised for teachers. I had been a student at Adelaide High School and, with a Seamen’s Union Scholarship, I had gone on to Stott’s Business College. I had also done temporary work for Elder Smith’s at Port Adelaide and Stott’s found me a job at the Flinders Tractor Company.

Croydon Girls Tech had a Welsh woman supposedly teaching commercial courses and the junior teacher knew more than the ‘official’ teacher. When I came there I was asked to write a report on her work and she was sacked. I got on well with the student teacher who was very good, having done commercial subjects at school. At Croydon the students respected their teachers. The classes were big, between 30 and 40. We knew where we stood with these young women – that’s what stands out. There were Aboriginal girls in the school. One of them was brilliant.

The headmistress was Flora McDonald, strict but fair. If I was slightly late going out on yard duty she would tell me I needed fresh air and it would be ‘lovely in the sunshine, Miss Moss.’

I tried to make the subjects as practical as I could but it was not as good as when I went back teaching later. In 1944 and ’45 I was at the SA School of Mines two nights a week studying for a diploma in accountancy. In 1947 I left when I was due to have my first child.

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