tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post6992351733365047105..comments2024-03-16T21:36:55.792-07:00Comments on THE PIGOTT FAMILY OF QUEEN'S COUNTY, IRELAND; SOME ANCESTRAL CONNECTIONS.: Miss Florence WILKES, of Greenacre, SchoolteacherChris PIGOTThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03844772114014337759noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-67057662432987392942023-10-28T16:03:18.907-07:002023-10-28T16:03:18.907-07:00Not so good with posting on social media. I’m Roge...Not so good with posting on social media. I’m Roger Parry, now using my middle name George, thanks in part to John Tilley who started calling me that at Parramatta High. <br />Just touching base with the 59-60 cohort. <br />Do you remember Florence giving everyone two shillings and the challenge to build it into a business? I don’t remember the prize but come the reveal Valda Louch win it with 19 pounds odd. We must have raised a hundred pounds to fund our outings. <br />Georgeparry48@icloud.com<br /> https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-parry-2a5ab4a8/, <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-11178430343386038312023-07-03T22:42:52.888-07:002023-07-03T22:42:52.888-07:00Hi Kay, Carolyn and Steve. I'm still going to ...Hi Kay, Carolyn and Steve. I'm still going to Parramatta Park the first weekend of each school holidays but it seems the reunion doesn't have turnout it did in the early days. They were 2 of the best years of my life and Miss Wilkes cared so much she made me cry one day. Graemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958824064483760559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-44305969401376816002023-05-14T08:57:37.587-07:002023-05-14T08:57:37.587-07:00I was in Miss Wilkes' class in 1961-2. Greg Ha...I was in Miss Wilkes' class in 1961-2. Greg Hayes and Graham Harper were good friends. I am Rob (then Bob or Robert) Creighton and I posted above under "Unknown". What a great triute to a great lady this post and subsequent thread, is.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537143583375591340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-35047931496532584622023-03-20T19:53:22.705-07:002023-03-20T19:53:22.705-07:00Miss Wilkes is the only teacher I have ever had an...Miss Wilkes is the only teacher I have ever had any thought to “google” and even then it has taken me over 50 years.<br />I am very pleased to see she has some fingerprint on the web but very saddened to see she died relatively young.<br />I was in Miss Wilkes OC classes in 66 & 67, apparently her last two years in that role.<br />Unlike my classmates above (Kay, Amanda and Carolyn, who I do remember) I was firmly anchored in the bottom quartile classes but I remember Miss Wilkes passion for teaching and her patience at my indifference to being educated.<br />My sincere complements to Kay for her memories shared above. They did spark some recollections of my own, but alas no Latin or music in my memories, or subsequent path.<br />I do recall Miss Wilkes own poems would appear occasionally in the Education Dept School Magazine and the reflected pride even I felt at her achievement.<br />I am sure she set many of her students on futures better than they would have been without her influence – maybe even me.<br />She was a kind and understanding lady, and a very good teacher<br />Steve HarrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-76450583877240727282023-03-13T00:57:22.310-07:002023-03-13T00:57:22.310-07:00Apologies for typos.Apologies for typos.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-56024322927551860462023-03-13T00:39:44.562-07:002023-03-13T00:39:44.562-07:00It’s wonderful that comments about Mis cWilkes con...It’s wonderful that comments about Mis cWilkes continue ti pop up now and then. Fir anyone interested, I’ve just published a book called School Gaze: A Teacher’s Tale, with her featuring in one of the earlier chapters in the section ‘Under His Eye.’ It’s about how much we both suffered under a patriarchal head who made her life, especially, a misery (though her smiles tried to hide it) and how much she helped me in so many ways. Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10566124280080376671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-24623724836167168502023-03-12T18:32:06.061-07:002023-03-12T18:32:06.061-07:00I was at Berala same years -1966-67, and agree wit...I was at Berala same years -1966-67, and agree with all that has been said. I was there with my twin sister Amanda (Mandy), & occasionally stumble across old photos of classmates & wonder what became of them. When my daughter entered an OC class 30 years later, she was fortunate to have a teacher who reminded me of Miss Wilkes in so many ways. Carolyn Lucas (Pitt)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-64724462377877148902022-06-16T19:22:27.150-07:002022-06-16T19:22:27.150-07:00I am Kay Watson (nee Shepherd) and it is so nice t...I am Kay Watson (nee Shepherd) and it is so nice to read these memories. I was fortunate to have been in Miss Wilkes’ 5OC and 6OC in 1966-67 and all of my memories of her are fond. I have memories of our monthly visits to the Australian Museum (and the envy/dislike we observed in the other classes as a result); of singing loudly on every bus trip anywhere, (especially if we had our favourite bus driver, Barney Dean); of Narrabeen Lakes National Fitness Camp stays (including one occasion when Miss W was in tears and we all felt most protective of her and highly indignant that anyone would do anything to upset her!); of her being in tears again during an ANZAC day ceremony in the hall next to our classroom. <br />Perhaps the most vivid memory of my days in 5/6OC is of our class reciting the poem ‘The Congo’ by Vachel Lindsay. I can still recite it to this day – both girls’ and boys’ parts! I don’t remember too much in the way of natural sciences in her classes but she was keen on music and would sit at the piano and play one-fingered tunes for us to sing. We did weekly maths sheets fresh off the old Roneo machine with type that turned purple over time.<br />Her grounding of us in the English language is what I remember most about her impact on my learning; and her emphasis on the importance of learning Latin led me to change schools when I was sent to Homebush West Girls’ Junior HS (no Latin) so in my second year of high school I talked my way (quoting Miss Wilkes to the Education Department) into Strathfield Girls’ HS where I proceeded to complete 5 years of Latin. I use my Latin training every day, a skill I consider part of her legacy. <br />Miss Wilkes remained with me all through my adolescence and beyond – if for no other reason that my mother would admonish me with ‘What would Miss Wilkes say?’ if ever I lapsed into incorrect or sloppy speech. So I guess I associate her memory with how to act, speak and learn correctly – she was a true role model for all of us. I received no letter on completion of my HSC in 1973 – perhaps by then she was ill - but I do have her autograph in my autograph book and still have her comments on my ‘novella’ written for her class. I have always said those two years with Miss Wilkes and the friends I made in the OC class were the highlight of my school years – nothing has ever matched them. <br />As for Mr O’Rousseau, he was still there (still despised in his grey dust coat) in 1967. One of the songs we used to sing on our bus trips (to the tune of ‘My Darling Clementine’) went:<br />‘Come to Berala, come to Berala, come to Berala Public School.<br />There’s a signpost on the corner saying we teach the golden rule.<br />Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the teachers on the top,<br />Put O’Rousseau on the bottom and burn the ‘bloomin’ lot!’<br /><br />One thing is for sure, none of us would have considered putting Miss Wilkes anywhere near that bonfire. A wonderful and inspiring lady and teacher, she lives on in all of us. Perhaps she is why I am a teacher today.<br />Kaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-27282729029415624162022-01-11T15:43:32.861-08:002022-01-11T15:43:32.861-08:00Hi I was at Berala OC I think in 1953 to 1954. I k...Hi I was at Berala OC I think in 1953 to 1954. I know we had Florence in sixth class and the previous year another teacher who was very big on leatherwork. Florence was a font of wisdom in English and Although I have forgotten most of it, at the time it was very useful. I had the cane from her a couple of times probably for talking or some other minor infringement. I got the feeling she preferred girls as I Know she had forgotten that I was a library monitor and I had to remind her when she presented reward books to the others. (well I was only 12 ) I still have the book somewhere. The only fellow student that I have ever met again was Barry Andrews,(now deceased) who was somewhat of an identity at UNSW when I was doing my civil engineering degree. I enjoyed my time at Berala and it imprinted on my memory She was an excellent teacher which made her classes hard work but enjoyable. I am retired now and live on six acres On the outskirts of Sydney.brian daynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-22802035292025632402021-10-26T08:19:12.348-07:002021-10-26T08:19:12.348-07:00My name is Greg Hayes, along with Graham Harper (a...My name is Greg Hayes, along with Graham Harper (another GH)was in the same class and also ay Granville Boys' High School. Unfortunately I received the cane from Miss Wilkes, but I loved her anyway. She was an excellent teacher and probably influenced me in later years as a Secondary High School Mathematics teacher. We couldn't help but feel a bit of arrogance and pride, being in an O.C. class. I agree with everything Graham said. Shw was a true inspiration. I cried profusely when her life was cut short.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-7977302088492531572021-06-23T22:55:27.922-07:002021-06-23T22:55:27.922-07:00My name is Carol Duval -- Johnson when I knew Flor...My name is Carol Duval -- Johnson when I knew Florence Wilkes. I'd just finished my first very difficult year of teaching at Banksia Road Primary School in Greenacre working under a misogynistic headmaster, Alan McLaughlin. Poor Miss Wilkes suffered perhaps even more when she took on the role of assistant head but never complained to any of us -- always the consummate professional--but we could see what she endured with public upbraidings and so on. It seems from earlier posts about her time at Berala that she went from one frying pan to another.<br /><br />She taught me so much--how best to use the School Magazine for reading, how to teach composition using what we'd now call writing frames and was a constant sunny presence in an otherwise gloomy school. Best of all she encouraged me to study Early English at Macquarie University under the tutelage of Professor Elizabeth Liggins who'd been Florence's tutor at New England. <br /><br />My only regret is that I didnt do more to keep in touch with her when I left in 1971 for overseas. I have so much to be grateful to her for. She gets a decent mention in my new book, School Gaze, which I should have finished in a few months time.Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10566124280080376671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-1472501886410841152020-12-10T10:19:41.954-08:002020-12-10T10:19:41.954-08:00I was a Berala OC classmate of Graham (Harper, who...I was a Berala OC classmate of Graham (Harper, who posted earlier) in 1961-62. I can echo all of his comments and certainly he reminded me of some I'd forgotten, for example the Port Kembla steelworks trip.<br /><br />I too received a congratulatory note from Miss Wilkes on graduation from Homebush High some 6 years later. How could she possibly have kept track of all who passed through her classes I used to wonder. But, she did apparently.<br /><br />They were great days and Miss Wilkes was undoubtedly a formative influence on the person I have become - though she may deny that publicly... LOL. An unforgettably dedicated teacher who inspired all she taught, I have no doubt<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537143583375591340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-37916199688401301652020-04-30T09:18:23.335-07:002020-04-30T09:18:23.335-07:00My name is Helen Haste and I was at Berala 1953-54...My name is Helen Haste and I was at Berala 1953-54. Miss Wilkes joined the school I think in 1954. She was a breath of fresh air. We were very impressed that she was a published writer, but particularly she was very enthusiastic about everything she taught. OC kids were quite a challenge I think - we had all been 'stars' in our primary schools and suddenly we were among peers who were at least as bright as us. Teaching us would be rewarding I suspect, but demanding. Miss Wilkes had an endless fund of project ideas - projects were meant to stretch us, and they did. The others, above, mention the museum and musical visits - these were a rich treat and only later did I appreciate how rare these opportunities were.<br /><br />She also dressed distinctively. Teachers in those days didn't do 'glamour' much but she always looked well dressed. I remember the fashion was for a near see-through blouse, but very modest because there was a stern camisole beneath it. It seemed very exotic at the time. She also had lovely blonde hair, always in place.<br /><br />Mr Aurousseau was around then, though not deputy head. He was an unpleasant man as I recall, and very much a philistine. He seemed ignorant of all sorts of obvious cultural references and was rude if one alluded to something he didn't know about. Miss Wilkes was a sophisticated contrast. However the dislike of OC kids and their teachers was quite extensive in the school - I think they resented what they saw as our 'privileges'. <br /><br />Helhaste@aol.comHelen Hastenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-88349401527535094882018-12-27T17:27:00.647-08:002018-12-27T17:27:00.647-08:00I am Graham Harper and I was in Miss Wilkes' O...I am Graham Harper and I was in Miss Wilkes' OC class 1961-62.<br /><br />The thing that sticks most in my mind about her work was the tremendous amount of herself she gave to us. We would act out plays and she would take slides of them to show us once they had been developed. She wrote many of the plays we acted, as well as contributing to the School Magazine. We had lots of excursions all over the Sydney Basin, including to Port Kembla Steelworks in an ancient double decker bus - the memories of toiling up Bulli Pass at less than walking pace still linger!<br /><br />We also went to the Coca Cola bottling facility - this was an excursion offered by Coke to all year 5 students, so of course we had to go.<br /><br />Visits to the Australian Museum cropped up with alarming frequency - these always led to a project to work on at home. Originally we caught the train to the Museum, usually via the Town Hall for orchestral concerts. Later the two classes were crammed into a single deck bus, three to a seat and with forms down the aisle for overflow seating - what would today's regulators have to say about that!<br /><br />I can remember her operating the school library at lunchtimes - at first every day then only Tuesdays and Thursdays when a part-time teacher-librarian was appointed for the other three days.<br /><br />I don't recall her passion for biology, but I must say that she excelled in all she taught. In particular, I received a really solid grounding in traditional English grammar, which stood me in good stead for Secondary studies in French and Latin. Can anybody cite an example of a noun clause in apposition to the verb to be?<br /><br />We also loved the readings she gave us from Winnie the Pooh and, I think, Wind in the Willows.<br /><br />Miss Wilkes was rather handy with the cane, but only on the boys. We asked why she didn't cane girls, and she said she chose not to. Actually caning of girls had been banned by the Government a few years prior.<br /><br />She sent me a card, I think after the School Certificate, and certainly after the HSC. She<br />must have been extremely dedicated to maintain the addresses of her former students as well as purchasing and posting the cards. I actually rang her a couple of times, the latest being probably early 1967, and she was always pleased to talk with me.<br /><br />In 1961, the 6OC teacher was Keith Watkins who left toward the end of the year to take up a posting as Headmaster of the North Rocks school for the handicapped. He was replaced until the end of the year by a Miss Anegnosteu [probably wrongly spelled]. The next year, a permanent replacement, Mr McCarthy`took the reins ofthe incoming 5OC.<br /><br />The bane of Miss Wilkes' life from 1962 was a Mr O'Rousseau who was the new deputy principal. He hated OC students and their teachers and was an ignorant bully in the extreme. I have heard reports of his having Miss Wilkes in tears on a number of occasions, but I didn't see any of this.<br /><br />I could go on and on, but this will do for the moment.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03797361946109672300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310092770482554053.post-67384264136789538802016-09-08T00:50:38.797-07:002016-09-08T00:50:38.797-07:00Dear Chris,
Today I googled Berala Public School ...Dear Chris,<br /><br />Today I googled Berala Public School as part of a search to find pictures to show my youngest grandson who has been given a school assignment of interviewing a grandparent about their primary school days. Imagine my surprise when my explorations led me to your blog entry about Miss Florence Wilkes and I found myself staring at my school photos from 1959 and 1960!<br /><br />I am Lynette Cottam. When we together in 5th and 6th class I was LYNETTE COUCHMAN. In the 5OC photo I am 4th from the left in the second row and in the 6OC photo I am third from the right in the second row.<br /><br />Two special friends of mine whom you have not listed are SUZANNE COLE and SUSAN JOHNSON. Suzanne is 4th from the right in the front row in 5OC and 2nd from the left in the front row in 6OC. Susan is 2nd from the right in the 2nd row in 5OC beside "Bunny" Davies, and 2nd from the right in the front row in 6OC, directly in front of me.<br /><br />Another boy I remember and had contact with during high school days is ROBERT BOLAND. He is on the far left in the 3rd row in 5OC, and 2nd from the right in the 3rd row in 6OC. He, Billy Laing and I were all students of Berala Public School before we were placed in the opportunity class for 5th class.<br /><br />I remember many of the events and people you wrote about, especially Bryan Parker because Miss Wilkes moved me to sit beside him for the latter weeks or months of 1959 because she was trying to stop me talking to my desk-mate. The move achieved the desired goal :)<br /><br />I also fondly remember Miss Florence Wilkes. She was a teacher extraordinaire. I was particularly struck by the fact that she sent each of us a congratulatory card after our Leaving Certificate exam results were published in 1965.<br /><br />I went on to study for a BA, majoring in mathematics and Latin, at Sydney University and became a High School mathematics teacher. I taught for 3 years at Wentworth Central School [at the junction of the Murray and Darling rivers]. Subsequently I spent 29 years as an evangelical missionary in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. I spent 11 of those years teaching at a school for the children of missionaries. My husband and I retired to the Hunter Valley in NSW three years ago.<br /><br />There is much more I could write but I shall leave it at this for now.<br /><br />Lynette Couchman Cottam<br />billnalynettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07581308550281489443noreply@blogger.com