Wallingford Berks Line

Valerie was encouraged by her Scottish Gran to learn dancing, especially Highland Fling and Crossed Swords and to wear the Campbell tartan as a basic colour for a special dance dress.

Val Lovelock describes what it was like to attend school in Junee in the years 1914 into the 1920s.

The children carried small cases or leather shoulder bags.

In summer the girls dressed in a dress, with their own choice of print. The dress came to the knee and was "magyar" shape. Under the dress girls wore a cotton singlet and plain, very wide, white, cambric bloomers, with elastic around the waste and legs. Petticoats were white lawn, crocheted around the hem, neck and armholes. The hems were sometimes scalloped.

Sox were mostly white, some with lacey patterns. The sox had garters. Stockings were worn by older children, often with elastic tops. Shoes were plain black with one strap over the foot and buttoned on the side.

Hats were straw or Panama, by personal choice. However, veils were not allowed. Elastic was usually fastened under the chin and a coloured ribbon was worn around the brim join.

In the winter months the cotton singlet was replaced with a white one made of wool. Petticoats were made of flannelette, usually white or cream, with crocheted edges on the neck and hems and possibly a design on the front.

The dress was made of woollen material and jumpers, cardigans and gloves were usually worn. Stockings were black and ribbed or plain "lisle". A woollen Tam O'Shanta hat might be worn.

Physical culture lessons were a lot of marching around the school in various designs. The children learnt signals for the various patterns required. This activity was hot in summer but good on cold days. There were also "club" or drill exercises, movement exercises, bar bells, various ball eg Tunnel Ball and other games such as "Prisoner's Base". Their was a games hour on Friday afternoons.

Popular children's games in the playground were Drop the Handkerchief, Rounders, Twos and Threes, skipping (plain and French using two ropes at once), Hopscotch (which wore out shoes) using old tobacco tins filed with sand as "tors", marbles. Girls were not supposed to play marbles so they used to play behind the school opposite the Methodist Church. Once the school inspector discovered the girls in their 'illicit' pursuits, confiscated their marbles and gave them a severe lecture.

School hours were 9am to 11am, followed by playtime, then more lessons and a lunch break at 12.30 when everyone went home for lunch. School recommenced at 2pm and finished at 4pm.

The school rooms were very old, having been built around 1900. There were no infant school rooms until 1915/16 when an infants block was finally built. The walls needed painting and the classrooms were cold in winter in spite of a wood fire. The desks were 'forms', that is long row seating fitting about six. Each student had their own inkwell which was filled every Monday morning by two selected helpers. Students brought their own pens and nibs, blotting paper, rulers and pencils.

The blackboards were on a moveable platform, one board in front of another. In smaller classes, blackboards might be attached to the wall. Copy books were used for writing practice and the Jones Reading System was used to teach reading. Great effort was put into designing the covers on homework books, which were covered with plain, brown paper and cut out pictures of flowers and gardens were pasted on. Spelling 'bees' were popular, using long, brown spelling books. A class was broken up into four teams who competed for the best spelling result each week.

School assemblies were held every Monday morning in the quadrangle. The children assembled at bell time. This was followed by music. At the Assemby the flag was raised, the children sang "God Save the King" which was then the National Anthem and other Commonwealth songs such as "Rule Brittannia". At the saluting of the flag, the children were required to say, "I love my God, I honour my King, I salute the flag".

Presently living in Gosford, NSW with her daughter.