Last week I wrote about the establishment of
Winiam State School 2530, where many of my relatives started and completed their education. This week, I showcase more of the children who attended the school.
How did you get to school? Walk? By Bus? Car? Horse?
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Norma Rowe, Mavis Pilgrim, Rita Moulden, Dorrie Pilgrim & Marge Moulden on Ernie the Horse
Going to School - Winiam, Victoria |
My Grand Aunt, Mavis Pilgrim, wrote me:
"Uncle Stanley had two grey horses which they rode and Rita (Marge's sister who was the oldest) and Marge would
ride to our top gate as we called it; then Dorrie and I would walk up our lane
and Rita would get the horse near a post and we would get on and the four of us would go
to school like that. Uncle Stanley said to just walk the horse but
when we got over the hill Rita would make him
canter. Sometimes they would ride the other
horse which was a bit more sprightly and Marge was always on the back and would
put her toes under its flank and it would buck; but thankfully we
didn't fall off. I sat in front of Rita, Dorrie behind her and Marge on
the rump".
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Pilgrim children - 1924 Winiam
Lloyd aka John, Hazel, Edna & Eva (my grandmother) |
My grandmother, Eva Scott (nee Pilgrim) wrote me:
"I boarded with Aunty
Alice while going to High School and had visions of being a teacher, but Mum
was going through change of life and when she went down with measles, I had to
go home at 14. I only had 6 years of schooling,
as we lived over 3 miles from the school.
At first we had to walk. They
kept me home till I was 8 and John was 6.
Then he (dad) bought a pony for us and we got boils in summer from horse sweat,
as we rode bareback. So then he bought a
flap, big enough for 2, but quite flat, with stirrups and we didn't get so many
busters. Old Trix was very quiet, but
would shy at anything different, even a piece of paper on the road. One day
Miss Darker, our teacher, came around the dunny – as they were always known
then - and Trix lashed out and broke a button on her cardi. Dad reckoned Trix must have been asleep and
got a fright. After that we had to put
her in a small yard at Uncle Ned Pilgrim’s – a bit further on.
One day one of the
neighbors went by on his tractor and Trix jumped out and went home. She always went home if we fell off. While at High, I always went home for week ends
and often got a ride back with the minister on Sunday. If not I rode Trix in Monday morning – 10
miles. Tied the reins up and let her
go."
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22 March 1928
Winiam Sports Day
Fred Voigt walked into photo |
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September 1937 - Winiam State School
(I believe it is my grandmother on the horse on the far left) |
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Play time
Winiam State School |
Notice the shelter shed in the background below.
Last weeks post listed it as being built in 1910, while the main school building was built in 1886.
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Play time
Winiam State School |
What games did you play at School?
I remember my favourites were:
Tree Climbing
Basketball
Skipping Rope (rhyming team games)
Hop Scotch
Elastics
Monkey Bars and Ropes
Water fights in Summer
