Photo
circa 1931:
Back
row: Ken Unthank, Clyde Walker, Jack Maher, Leslie Crawford.
2nd
Row: Gwen Twyford, Kitty Bryce, Phyllis Hodgins, Joan Hodgins, Lola Maher,
Dorothy Twyford.
3rd
Row: Peggy Maher, Winnie Judd, Dorothy Shaw, Joan Flood, Lorna Benton, Joyce
Twyford, Dulcie Benton, Dorothea Hodgins.
4th
Row:- Aldo Paganoni Gaza Shaw, Phillip Webb, John Willoughby, Peter Willoughby.
Front
Row: Alan Flood, Wallace Hutchinson, Ronnie Bryce, Eric Unthank, Jackie Bryce.
Teacher:
Mr. Ernest Allsop.
Photo
circa 1935:
Back
row:- Les Connop, Eric Unthank, John Willoughby, Phillip Webb, Bob Andison.
2nd
row: Joyce Twyford, Francis Hutchinson, Lorna Benton, Gwen Hutchinson, Joan
Flood, Dulcie Benton, Hilda Paganoni.
3rd
row: Alan Flood, Gaza Shaw, David Barclay.
Front
row: Roy Winterton, Roy Flood, Neville Shaw, Ron Benton, Neville Mair, Ross Malr.
Teacher:
Mr. Malone.
1932
Aldo
Paganoni, Spencer Paganoni, John Crawford, Clyde Walker, Ken Unthank, Peter
Willoughby, John Willoughby, Dorothy Shaw, Gwen Hutchinson, Dorothy Hodgins,
Joan Barclay, Lorna Benton, Bob Anderson, Winnie Judd, Gwen Twyford, Joan
Hodgins, Dorothy Twyford, Rae Mair, Allan Flood, Dulcie Benton, Joyce Twyford,
Francis Hutchinson, Eric Unthank.
I
can remember sitting in the old oak tree to eat lunch. Even in 1930 or
thereabouts it was large enough to provide shade and safe spots for quite a few
of us to sit among its branches to eat. or pelt the luckless ones below with
acorns.
On
Arbour Day in the 30's another oak was planted about 10-15 meters nearer to
Jones Road to commemorate the feats of Bert Hinkler, the aviator. It has
obviously had to make way for some of the extensions which have been built since
those days.
Teams
of boys and girls often played a form of rounders at lunchtime. There was no
pitcher and the batter could choose, within limits, the form of bat which
suited. The batter stood at home base, threw the ball up and could hit it on the
full or on the first bounce. When John Maher came in to bat with his broomstick,
some of the fielders always retreated beyond the north fence to the creek. That
was where his hit often landed, having first cleared the tops of the pine trees
along the boundary.
Another
memory was 'Trotting Dolly'.
Billy
Shaw, father of Gaza and his brothers and sisters, would take apples down to the
coolstores on a lorry drawn by Trotting Dolly. If they came home along
Mornington Road as we were going home from school we would try to keep up with
them, but it required rare stamina to keep up with Dolly as she trotted up the
hills towards Coolart Road. She never seemed to walk anywhere.
Students
dressed for their performance of “The Roast Pig” (Circa 1935)
Back
Row left to right: Ron Horsey, Neville Shaw, Ronald Benton, Neville Mair, Roy
Flood, Ray Sweeney.
It
is nice to be able to share in a little part of the centenary celebrations of
Tyabb State School 3129.
Along
with my sister and brother, I attended the school in the 1930's, and my father
and his brothers and sisters were pupils at the school in the 1890's and early
1900's.
I
now have 3 grandchildren attending the school with 3 more as past pupils, who
have gone on to Secondary school.
Some
of the memorable things that come to my mind were some of the outside activities
connected with the school. I remember Bird Day, when we, the pupils and teacher,
went for a nice walk through the nearby park and reserve, over the creek and
through the adjoining bushland, seeing and listening for the different kinds of
bird life, also looking for nests, but being warned never to touch the eggs.
On
Arbour Day we had enjoyment planting different types of trees in the park,
wattles, gums etc., and hopefully many of them are still there. It is pleasing
to see the lovely Oak Trees still there; where we as kids had many a lesson
under the big shady branches on a hot summer's day. Often at recess time, the
girls and boys used to swing on the branches with their hands and legs, and make
babies cradles and pipes from the acorns.
When
it came to Christmas break up time for the school holidays there would be school
sports and running, finishing up with a lolly scramble, where Mr. Percy Twyford
made such a wonderful Santa, throwing the lollies, but making sure every one
would get some.
Then
there was the concert at night, when the children used to dress up for plays and
sing songs such as 'Once a Jolly Swagman', 'Strawberry Fair', 'Land of hope and
glory', and 'Jingle Bells'.
In
1938, we were taken by our teacher Mr. Laugier, with Miss Young as pianist, to
Oliver J. Neilson's 3UZ Studio in Bourke Street, Melbourne to sing and make a
record, which was played on air soon after. The songs we sang were, 'Where the
Bee sucks', and 'Silent Night'
I
remember how each week we used to send a big flower box by train to the
Childrens Orthopaedic Hospital, Mount Eliza, and if we didn't have enough
flowers to fill the box, we would put in lots of nice young gum tips, and wattle
when in flower.
My
sister, Dorothy, two older brothers Gaza and Neville, and myself and later my
younger brother Malcolm, were second generation pupils at 3129 Tyabb. My mother,
(then Alice Reeves) spent her early school years there. Of course, I thought it
really was ‘The Best School of All!’ (as sung by Eric Unthank at one
of the school concerts).
We
walked 3kms to school, rain, hail, or shine. It was a great day when my father
was coming back from putting fruit into the Tyabb Co-operative Coolstores for
cold storage, and we got a ride home on the horse-drawn lorry. This did not
happen very often.
In
1938, when Mr. Laugier was our Headmaster, he trained Grades IV to VIII to sing
as a choir, and in May of that year, a number of us travelled to Melbourne by
train (another exciting event) resplendent in our ‘Sunday Best’, to make a
record. On one side of the record we sang ‘Where the Bee Sucks’; and on the
other side ‘The Mill Wheel’. The songs were broadcast on Radio 3UZ a few
weeks later. We were famous!!
The
end of term break-ups were a happy time - they were celebrated with a concert
and dance followed by a luscious supper provided by the Mothers Club. Preparing
the board floor for dancing was fun. After a good sweeping with damp sawdust, a
scattering of flaked candle wax was spread over the floor, then with great
enthusiasm we children, on a bran sack and another pulling it madly, proceeded
to bring up a beautiful polish.
We
loved those nights as we had few outings in those days. The one exception was
the night the news came through that War had been declared, 3rd September 1939.
As children, we didn't realise the horror of war, but it certainly put a damper
on that celebration.
From
that day until I left school in December, 1941 to go to Frankston High School,
the daily newspaper headlines were cut out and pasted along the entire length of
the school room. The first one read ‘AT WAR WITH GERMANY’ in bold
black print.
Mr.
Len Oakley was our headmaster for my last two years in Primary School, and I
guess the Mouth Organ Band stands out in my memory of that time. The School
Committee bought the mouth organs and every one of us learnt to play, so these
were a feature of the school concerts. Parent’s feet tapped to the beat of
‘The American March’ and many other bright tunes.
Mr.
Oakley stayed on at the school until those of us in Grade 8 had all passed our
Merit Certificate exams, and then he enlisted in the RAAF to serve in World War
II.
I
look back on those years of my life spent at 3129 Tyabb with fond memories.
Past
pupils at a school Function held prior to the removal of the old building, 1959.
Back
row, left to right: Ross Mair, Neville Shaw, Neville Mair
Front row, left to right: Joyce Shepherd, Linda Lillywhite, Bob Andison