Helen Mackenzie (née Burford)

Early January 1957 was an exciting time. We went to the city with our mothers to purchase our uniforms for our next three years of secondary education. Not having to wear a uniform in primary school, this was something to look forward to. Our summer uniform consisted of a short-sleeved blue and white check with black and gold threads running through. A straw hat with the school badge on the hat band. White socks and black shoes. Winter was a navy blue serge tunic with three box pleats front and back, a white blouse and blue tie, navy blazer and beret. One didn’t dare to be caught without a hat or beret because if one was seen by the prefects, punishment was handed out.

For domestic arts (cooking and laundry), we had to have a white crossover pinafore and hat. On the hat and pocket our names had to be embroidered so the teacher knew our names as we had these lessons once a week. It had to be spotless and well-ironed, if not marks were taken off. For PE we wore a white blouse and royal blue shorts and sandshoes.

The first day of term we all had to be in the grounds of Croydon Primary School and then we were put into classes by what religion we were. This made it easy when the priest or minister came each week for religious instruction. In first year (as it was called then), we did English, arithmetic, social studies, general science, drawing (art), dressmaking and home science, which were marked. Physical education, or sport, wasn’t a marked subject then. There were three terms and we had an exam at the end of each. Thirty-nine girls were in the class in first year.

In second year we had to decide what course we wanted to do. There was general with typing and commercial. In G/T we could either drop science or art and take on typing. Commercial had typing, shorthand and bookkeeping. Only one subject was chosen from art, dressmaking or home science. The subjects stayed the same for third year (the Intermediate Certificate).

I chose general and typing as I wasn’t keen on science, the fact being that we had a male teacher (the only one at the school). And in second year it was required that you dissect a frog – I was well and truly put off by that. The only time I recall a film being used was when we learned about our reproductive system and getting our ‘periods’ – a bit of a hush-hush subject. We didn’t know where babies came from in those days.

Over at the primary school, our classrooms were upstairs and we did English, arithmetic, social studies and typing there. We travelled to Torrens Road, either walking or by bicycle for drawing (art), home science, dressmaking and phys ed. The new school was being built on the Torrens Road frontage but unfortunately we never got to use it. It opened the year after we left. All the classes got to plant a tree along the front of the building.

School excursions were few in those days. At the end of first year we went to Long Gully at National Park for a picnic day. Second year we were off to the Wayville Showgrounds to see the Queen Mother when she visited South Australia. At the end of the year we had a picnic day at the Gorge Picnic Grounds at Cudlee Creek. In third year we were studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream so we went to see the play at the old West’s Theatre in Hindley Street. It made it so much easier to understand afterwards, even when Pyramis says, ‘I see a voice.’ At the end of the year was a big highlight. A social was held upstairs at the primary school and the boys from Croydon Boys Tech were invited. This was the first time we were allowed to mix together. The evening was well supervised by teachers and parents. We had a great time dancing the barn dance, the military two step and some rock ‘n roll. Rock ‘n roll came in with Bill Hayley and the Comets and Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock. Also Gene Vincent and the Blue Chaps and Little Richard. We used to listen to the hit parade on radio and, even in third year when television came in, we still listened to the radio to hear the latest songs.

The ‘bodgies’ and ‘widgies’ were around in that time but they were a bit older than we were and they didn’t affect us. They dressed in purple and black and rode motor bikes.

Other memories that I have from my days at Croydon include the first time we were at the Torrens Road school for recess and lunch. Coming from the primary school where our breaks were spent playing games like chasey, skipping, hide-and-seek, it was strange to see the older girls sitting very lady-like on the seats between the classrooms just talking to one another. Our group played a game called ‘Brandy’. We stood in a circle, feet touching outwards together, then dropped a ball in the middle. Whoever’s feet it touched was ‘He’ and ‘he’ had to run around and try to catch everyone by branding them with the ball. Guess we looked like tomboys to the older second and third year girls.

The girls were only allowed to use the hockey ground and the boys had the football oval. No one was to go over the imaginary line that divided males and females.

For our general subjects we had the same teacher in first and third year. We all loved Mrs Bowness and got on really well with her. In the mornings we’d wait at the gate until we saw her coming along the street and we’d rush up to her and help carry the pile of books that she’d taken home the night before to mark. Her classes were always interesting due to her special teaching ways. No one was ever rude or naughty, not like nowadays. She was like a second mother to us and we gave her our respect.

Another teacher we had for typing always gave us a run-down on her family problems each lesson, starting with her husband, mother and two children then all about her bad luck and the steel corset she had to wear. The lesson was nearly over by the time we heard it all and when our end of term marks came out they were way down. For the next two terms we got a male teacher who didn’t pull any punches. On went the steel covers over the typewriter keys and up went the marks.

Miss Semmler taught us singing. The only songs I recall learning were the school hymn and An English Country Garden. We did listen to some records. Our art teacher was Jo Caddy and then Miss Morris. We learned colours that matched, papier maché, still life drawings, painting on rocks, painting borders and designing record covers, burning a pattern on cork mats and painting a glazing over them and setting up a weaving loom to make a scarf. We all did the scarves in the colours of our football teams.

We sat for our Intermediate exams in early December: one half of the class at Torrens Road, the other half above the primary school. After the papers were marked and the results were known a night was held at the Woodville Town Hall. We all had to have a white dress for this occasion. Our parents were invited. The night consisted of singing songs on stage and then we were presented with our certificates by the headmistress.

The majority of us left school to go into office positions. Only a few stayed on to do fourth year (Leaving) as they intended going to the Teachers Training College.

After the exams our PE teacher organized a camp at O’Sullivan’s Beach National Fitness Camp. We went by bus and in those days it was a long way from home. We were put on rosters to do the cooking and cleaning toilets and we had great fun. The day we went swimming one of the girls was taken out by the undertow and we all thought she might drown. Luckily it brought her back into shore, very exhausted. Her mum came and took her home. We didn’t go in the water any more.

Each year we had an annual sports day. We were put into houses, four I think. Mine was called Nyonga and its colour was orange. The sports consisted mainly of ball games and running races. Cricket was another game, introduced by our sports teacher, Val Bungay. We played among the cow pats around the Adelaide parklands on a Saturday morning. Hockey was played in winter on a Wednesday afternoon. We had to travel on our bikes to surrounding schools.

Other memories, at random, come to mind. Making soap to wash with by shaving bars of Velvet Soap, adding water and boiling up on the stove until it was a gluey consistency, then it was left to set. Ironing had to be done to perfection, a hanky had to be exactly square. We learned to line rubbish bins with newspaper. In second year we spent a term doing ‘Mother Care’. A sister came from the Mothers and Babies Association each week and at the end we had an exam and received a certificate if we passed.

Another term was spent doing invalid cookery. We learned recipes for sick people and how to make up a sick bed using envelope corners. For our cooking exams we had to cook a meal which was then tested by the teacher and marked accordingly. I had to do a rice custard but I forgot to cook the rice first. The look on Mrs Huff’s face when she tasted it I haven’t forgotten. I wondered why I finished earlier than the others.

The staff and students put on two Gilbert and Sullivan plays – The Mikado and HMS Pinafore. They were held in a hall in Jeffcott Street, North Adelaide. We could purchase tickets for our parents and ourselves: both were performed excellently.

I did enjoy my three years at Croydon and often things that we were taught still come to mind. My favourite saying is when I have two teaspoons of sugar in my tea. People remark ‘Two?’ and I answer ‘Sugar for heat and energy. That’s what we learned in cooking class at Croydon Tech.’

When I left school I went to work at David Murray’s office learning everything about running an office. When it went into receivership, I worked in Katie’s credit office until I left to have my first child, Scott, and Ian was born two and a half years later. I volunteered to help at primary school with the canteen, reading, electives and school excursions. When they went to high school I helped in their canteen for 15 years and now I’ve settled for Meals on Wheels for the last four and a half years and when I make the scotch broth I put in the pearl barley as we had to when we did invalid cookery.

Return to contents Buy A Broader Vision	© Erica Jolly and individual authors