Manila-Downunder & The Aussie Aswang - Living The Filo Life In Australia.

Class 1 Green in 1975 - Spot the Aussie Aswang

~~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANS SOUCI ~~

PUBLIC SCHOOL

Besides a couple of brief visits last year for #2 son, I have not been to my old public school at Sans Souci since I last left in 1980. Although I had often wanted to go back and remember those old days, the opportunity never arose until last Saturday.



Twas on this day that the school was to have its 125th anniversary and, with thanks to the wonders of Facebook, numerous old school friends arranged to meet up at the west end of the playground, all of whom I had not seen for over three decades.



What better way to start than at my childhood home in Poplar Street, the plan being to retrace the same path to school that I used many hundreds of times in the 70s.


The old house has changed a fair bit, the garage looking like it has been brought foward, the fish pond and waterfall long gone, along with the old cherry tree I used to play under and gardens in the middle of the grass where a large frog regularly hid.

The rest of the street, excepting one rebuilt house and one or two renos, remained just the same as it did back then. After all these years it came as quite a surprise that more rebuilds had not occured.
One original house near Jamison Lane was for sale and, for a brief moment, I dreamed of returning home to Poplar Street - at east until the reality of cost sunk in.

As I approach the school crossing on Rocky Point Road I start having all the memories roll in.

Many was the morning I stood here with David Verrell (near neighbour) trying to get a few trucks to blow their horns while I was enroute to school.
Today you would be more likely to attract a raised finger than a quick toot on the horn, but in those days people were more civilized and after a few trucks we would move on for our day of class.

One thing that changes is your perspective of size. This is where we went to kindergarden and, at least to a five year old, this area looked huge and scary.

Nowdays it looks so small in comparison and, although it did pass the swinging of the cat test, and such trial with a large dog would surely be messy.
My #2 son Scott is seen playing around in the same location I did at his same age.

A pretty bloody great moment.

Two of my closest mates at primary school reunited 32 years later, although looking somewhat more the worse for wear after this extended time.

Scott Whichelo to my left and Gary Milne to my right.

David Kirkland, seen here with Gary and Scott, for many years has been the only Sans Souci contact I have had.

David was the SSPS 'Doctor Who Fanclub' President during my time there. I still remember meetings, in the library I think, where we would get photocopies of all things Doctor Who.

A small part of a 70s classroom gather in the old timber shed at the west end of the school.

Twas a stinking hot day and the shade of the building a welcome relief.

With the heat becoming something of an issue, and the whinging kids even more so, we headed to the old school hall to view the historical display set up within.

While our group found photos of ourselves pretty easily, one 83 year old lady made our find pale into insignificance - seeing a shot of herself in a class photograph.

An old friend to many, Mr Cane lazes around during the celebrations.

Sans Souci Pubic School memorabilia.

School building, much as it was when we were there.

The time capsule we buried was now under the gardens to the left of the flag.

For some reason the school was unable to find it, this being a huge disappointment for our years as it was the major event of the day.

The old demountable classrooms where I am pretty sure we had religion classes.

However today they are used for art and Greek classes.

Here came another one of those long forgotten memories, this time that of my sneaking into a friends religion class. Can't remember the religion, or even which friend, but the teacher never got wise to it.


The front of the kindergarden part of the school where the terrible, terrible news that Santa was not real was revealed to me. I still believe until I went home and the whole horrid lie was exposed by my parents.

Much time was spent around this old sand pit as a youngster, so it stands to reason that while Gary and myself were walking around it, many different memoried came to the fore.

Besides the obvious building of sand castles, I remember these black and orange flying insects that used to be in abundance here and caught by the kids - who subsequently tortured them in many a different way. We called them pumpkin bugs, their real name still unknown to me now.

Then Gary brought up how we would rub stones together to get a powder which, when dampened, could be used as a sort of paint.

Oh Ohhhhhhhhh - Incoming Bad Memory

While walking around the back of the primary school, which admitedly was actually blocked off and not really supposed to be accessed, we were spotted by none other than the current principle of the school who came down to inform us, 32 years later, that we were being naughty again :-)

Thankfully we were spared detention and/or reactivation of the earlier shown cane once it become apparent our reasons for being there.

Sadly it all came to an end far to soon, a mixture of heat, no time capsule, no entry into our old classrooms and the reality of our current lives meaning many of us had to go. Although, unlike 1980, we have all mentioned a desire to catch up in the future one way or another and swap more stories of those 'easier days'.

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In Memoriam - Leanne Thrum

One of our own time who never got to experience all life had to offer.

Three decades on and your class mates still remember you.