Our Schools (Nov 2000)

[Archivist]

From: <lynda@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2000

My worst memory of school was my teacher in primary 7 at Dykesmains primary, who went out of her way to make my life that year a complete misery. My best memory was of my teacher in primary 6 at Kyleshill school who was called Miss Reid. She was old and lived with her sister, both of whom were called Miss Reid. They used to bring their poodles in to visit when it was choir practice as the sister came in to play the piano. Miss Reid had also been my dads teacher and he says she was old then!!!!She used to take us to Ayr for the school music festival and we won sometimes but she used to tell me to stand in the back row of the choir and just to move my mouth and not really let any sound come out!!!! Guess I was being told nicely that my only contribution was to make the numbers up!!!!



From: "Betty Woodland" <bettywood@xxl.net.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 25, 2000

Dear Lynda, I too had Miss Reid for a year before Kyleshill school burned down and we were moved first of all to the Special School next to the public school and then to Auchenharvie House. Miss Reid was nice but my greatest disappointment was that when we entered her class, instead of getting what she was famed for, and that was reading Babar The Baby Elephant to the class at the end of the day, she did not read it to us. What a disappointment!!!!! it was. Her fame had gone before her and everyone expected it. She probably got sick of reading the same story over and over for years.
regards Betty Woodland nee McClure.


From: "Mike Garrett" <garrett@xx.nl>
Cc: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000

I attended St. Mary's school (1969-1976) - perhaps the greatest character was the head-master, Mr. John James McCann - usually referred to as "JJ" by the staff (though not to his face) or "Baldy!" by the children (again never to his face). He would ride a bike wherever he went, whatever the weather (very useful for covering the ground between the 3 schools - the Annex on Jacks Road, the "Old Public" on argyle street, and the Upper school on Springvale street). We were all terrified of him - I remember distinctly assemblies on a Friday afternoon in the annex where he would conduct the singing and the prayer ("the harvest is rich but the labourers are poor..."). His wife - Mrs Mary McCann used to make the best tablet ever - sometimes she would do supply teaching if someone was ill - she was very strict but there was always tablet at the end of the day - made it all worthwhile. My mum (Isable Garrett) taught at St. Marys at this time, she told me that the Christmas parties were always fun - Mr McCann would usually end up on the piano and the favourite prank of the staff was to try and spike his (non-alcoholic) drink - they never succeeded. The night would usually end with a rendition of the song "Oh No John, No John, No" - sung with great gusto and with JJ blissfully unaware. "JJ" died a few years ago - he was a great character - was on the books of Celtic when a young man - and was passionately interested in school football. Does anyone else out there remember him

cheers, Mike.


From: "David Young" <david@presto1.xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000

I remember my first day at Saltcoats Public School when I was 5 years old. My teacher was called Miss Forrester I and was convinced I was in love with her and wanted to marry her. We also had percussion classes that year and I think I banged sticks or something together to make a noise.
I also remember Mr Chater the Headmaster. He had white hair. Then there was Mrs Coqohoun whom I did not like and I walked out of her class once because she was getting at some girl I liked. My mother immediately sent me back. In later years I met her and found her to be a very nice lady. She lived in Sharphill Road

After the qualifying exams came the Ardrossan Academy and teachers like Wongy Murray, Tubby Anderson, Geordie Buchan, Keyhole Kate, Tommy Hughs, gymn teacher. Gussie Fergusson , music and Miss Scrimgeors.Wilf Seggie kept the 'strap' in his robe and I got a taste of that more than once.Then of course Andy Parker who used to throw the wooden backed blackboard duster at me and hit me on the head. He never missed once.
The Rector was Dan Pennel. He had been there when my mother was at the school. Just before I left in 1955 a new teacher called Andrew Partridge arrived. I liked him and he eventually became the rector. I used to visit the school once a year until he retired and then that was it. Nobody left that I knew, Anybody remember any of those people?
David Young


From: "mcguire" <mcguire@xx.dk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000

Those were the days. Being selected as one of the months monitors and being given the doubtful privilege of staying behind after 4 o'clock to clean the blackboard and or fill the depleted ink wells. Filling the inkwells was ok as it gave one the certainty of having 'ammunition' to dip balls of blotting paper into and then fire them off with the help of a ruler at those girls who used to clipe. Real scunners they were. Then we had to dish out straws and collect the classes milk ration that was often frozen stiff in the winter. I remember when I went to St Mary's in the early fifties that Mr, McCann the same one that Mike Garret was talking about still ruled the roost. I remember his daily assemblies in the school hall and the may concerts we had to give on the stage. Mike mentioned Mrs McCann. I can't really remember her but I was in the same class as Mary Francis their daughter. I believe they also had a younger son called Tommy? I got on reasonably well with Mary Francis but the last I heard of her was an incident while she was working in the labs at ICI. As I remember it she poured something like acid over herself. Does anyone else know of this incident? Also if anyone has any school photographs from that time I would dearly love to see them in Threetowners.

School was just a place we couldn't get away from quick enough but after a short period on the working market wished we were back again.

Regards
Tony McGuire


From: "Isabella Ashurst" <issy@xx.net.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000

Hi All,
I went to St. Marys and then St. Michaels. My strongest memory of St. Marys is the song we used to sing about Mr. McCann

Mr. McCann, the holy wee man,
Went to church on Sundays
To pray to god to give him the stength
To belt the weans on Monday

And many of those beltings I got.

I also remember having to give the farewell speech to Miss Cassidy on her retirement....very nerve racking

I got more beltings at St. Michaels, from Sister Pauline, than I can remember, mainly for talking and going out the back gate to talk to the "Protestants" from the school next door.

Isabella


From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000

When I was a wee boy going to the "Wee school" Winton Primary, the teacher I remember most apart from the headmistress Miss McIlwraith was a Miss McCallum. She must have thought me a poor wee soul in that snowy winter of 1948/49 'cause she gave me a lovely warm balaclava. I recall her walking to school from the direction of Hunter Avenue. A few years ago while doing some research into my McCallum name I was looking through the 1965 phone book and found a Miss C. H. McCallum living in Hunter Avenue and again in the 1990 phone book. Anyhoo her kind act stuck in this former wee six year old's memory.

Tammy Roy our deputy headmaster at the "big school" Eglinton, was also a kind soul. I recall him cycling to school, all the way I think from around the bottom of Gutherie Brae in Saltcoats. Tammy paid for my ticket to the Christmas School dance at a time when my dad was out of work. I did hear a rumour that he'd been pressured by the girls who said they'd not be going if I wasn't there. Ah well back to dreaming!

Hugh McCallum


From: "bobnet" <bobnet@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000

I am wondering if anyone went to Ardrossan Academy on the list or am I the only MUG?
Danny Pennell was the headmaster when I was there from 1948- ? Remember Dr. Nesbit the Latin Teacher. Didn't like school so don't have many pleasant memories to share. Glad to go to work then, not so glad now.


From: monica morrison
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000

I went to St. Peter's Primary. I had the same teacher for Primary 1 and Primary 7 (Miss McCann) - excellent teacher, also enjoyed Mrs Brown (her son Basil was grade higher than me), but the worst teacher I ever had was my Primary 5 teacher, Miss McCafferty. The only time I enjoyed that grade was when she had been on holiday with the Primary 6 teacher, Miss Duffy, and they would get the two classes together in the gym and show us slides of their trips.

Hated secondary school, although I spent six years there at St. Michaels Academy, Kilwinning. Always remember Sister Pauline, stopping the girls if she thought their skirts were too short, making them go on their knees and taking a ruler to see if they were too short. Then there was Maisie Wade, the English teacher (I'll never forget her - got totally lost in her poetry and novels - was in a world of her own). I had two favourite teachers at St. Michaels, both were from Ardrossan: Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Walsh.

Wonder if anyone remembers any of these teachers.
Monica Morrison (Coulter)


From: "Marie Reid" <reidss@xx.ca>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000

Sure do! Maisie Wade told me I bore a strong resemblance to the Wife of Bath in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (I always wondered if Maisie had personal knowledge of the wifie). She also claimed that she relied on me to answer for the rest of the class but was constantly disappointed. She was not impressed when I told her I couldnèt because I was lost in her reading of the poem of the day. One of the female math teachers, Mary Whiston (Ugh) sent me to sit with the primary 1 class at St. Michaels....I was in 4th year and very embarrassed, the kids were delighted to be in the company of one of the big kids from the college!

Sister Mary Campion wrote her name in huge letters on the board the first day and dared us to find an H in her name.

Sister Gabriel (Wee Gabby) went around the playground feeling girls' legs to make sure they were wearing stockings; apparently seamless stockings were totally foreign to her.

You know today's teachers may be too civilised....we got a different kind of education from these eccentric characters......and they never went on strike!!!

Marie


From: "Isabella Ashurst" <issy@xx.net.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000

Hi Monica,
I remember all the teachers you mentioned at St.Michaels. I was there from 55 to 59 ( I think). I remember Sister Francis particularly, she taught us English. If we didn't feel like doing any work (which was most days) one of us would ask her a religious question and she'd spend the whole period answering it.
Isabella



From: "Sally O'Connor" <salgeo@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000

Hi Netta, No you're not the only one to go to the Academy. Some of us didn't have the brains or the inclination!!I didn't like school either but boy, I have some good memories. I think I was the original rebel without a cause! I often wondered what happed to Bernadette Devlin. (Ireland) I bet she is still kicking goals for the world. Not like me who is a wee Granny but still has a wee bit to say!. I would be mortified if my grand-kids got up to half of the stuff we did. But hey, the 60s were soo special. I wouldn'd have missed it for Quids!! Some of the teachers I remember from Laighdykes are Mr McArdle (science) Andy Russell (science) Mrs Harris (music) Maggie Guy (English) Rita Porter (Maths) And of course Mr Bryson, nicknamed Snoop, who gave me 6 of the belt! Sally O xx


From: "Michael Erskine" <tobyspal@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000

Hello there,
I also attended St. mary's school in the early '60's. I well remember J.J.McCann and getting belted by him a few times. I remember teachers like Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Makelhatten, and big Hamish Frazer who we were all scared off, as we were told he was once a communist. The cannon at the church was called O'conner, and not O'connell as someone who wrote in said. Does anyone remember a fellow who was a bit simple, went by the name of John bell. He used to go around and collect empty bottles to get the threepence back. Sometimes he would come around with a big sack on his back and call out FIREWOOD!!
Bye for now.
Michael Erskine.