Hinds Marie. Hinds Marie, Hinds Marie.
Written by Marie Northam (nee Hinds)
1959 – 1960
Year 1-2 Teacher
My father drove my bicycle and me to begin the school year in 1959. We arrived at Mrs Bell’s house and were greeted by Mrs Bell, a tiny vibrant English lady, who was to become a good friend. The teachers and Mrs Bell’s nieces all boarded with her during the two years that I stayed.
My first year I roomed with Ann Jack, who later married Glenn Moran (the other teacher). The next year, Glenn was replaced by Jim Varnavides, who then went on to marry Anne’s sister Pam.
My second year I slept on the verandah. That winter was cold, very cold. I think the creek had ice on it that year. Of course the toilet was way out the back, and many times, as I sat there, I could see the Davis children playing next door (through a gap in the door). I did wonder if they could see me!!
Mrs Bell was easy to live with as she only had the one rule. Keep the fire on, and the ‘big kettle’ boiling. The ‘big kettle’ was our only source of hot water, and woe betide anyone who used water from the ‘big kettle’ and didn’t refill it. We boarders were allowed the ‘big kettle’ full of hot water to wash with six days a week. On the seventh day the copper provided us with hot water.
Mrs Bell was a great cook but her forte (in my opinion) was the trifle she made in a huge glass bowl. Once when she and the other boarders were away for the weekend, she made the trifle just for me. I ate only trifle all that weekend!!
At Mrs Bell’s I learnt to start the generator, chop mallee roots and use a pressure pump iron. Once I sawed a pig’s head in half so she could extract the brains to cook.
School for me was the old building (with the two new rooms in the distance). The children were a delight (a teacher today would consider them perfect) but school supplies were short and scarce. For the year 1’s to begin pre-writing exercises they were asked to bring old magazines from home. These magazines were a source of enjoyment for me as I was able to read them before they were used!
Once a week Mr Hamilton would come from the “big school” to visit us – a necessary precaution I guess as his sons Larry and Don were in my class! Mrs Bell was also the school cleaner. She always cleaned my classroom first. She never used a dust pan and brush, but swept all the dirt down a convenient large gap in the floorboards. I had visions of the old room slowly rising on a hill of dirt!!
One year there was a mouse plague in the area and I stayed behind after Mrs Bell left to throw blackboard dusters at the mice as they invaded the classroom. The kills were recorded on the blackboard in coloured chalk to be counted the next day by year 1’s. Quite a decorative border I thought!
Social life was interesting. Every notable occasion in the area was celebrated with a dance, all invited. My first dance in Nyabing was, I was told, a Kitchen Tea! Whose? I never found out! We travelled to other towns for dances. Badminton was popular and we travelled as far away as Lake Grace to play. Remarkably on two occasions we were lucky to see the lights of the Aurora Australis as we travelled home late at night.
Many other nights there were card games at Mrs Bell’s. Of course there was tennis, football, cricket, the occasional ‘roo shoot’ and farm visits. I will always remember ice cream made with real cream at Webse’s.
In 1960 Wendy Sully from Pingrup and I decided Nyabing and Pingrup needed a hockey team. The girls were enthusiastic. We played on a paddock-like surface and by the end of the season, we were able to play in a tournament in Katanning.
Very soon after arriving in Nyabing, I realised that there was nowhere to swim (I’d grown up by the river and also frequented the beach). Luckily, Les Jack’s wife Mary was in Katanning having a baby and he kindly gave me a ride into the Katanning Pool, so I could swim while he visited Mary.
I did manage to swim with others in a few dams, but the most marvellous swim was on a hot, hot night after a dance. Robbie Stephens drove through the night to take us for a swim in Albany. We arrived at daybreak, ran onto the jetty (disturbing the early fishermen) and jumped into the ocean. Bliss! Robbie Stephens, (with his sister Moira), and sometimes Bill Smith from the Inn, were usually our drivers. Robbie also drove the mail run and I was lucky enough to go on many mail runs with him, opening and shutting the gates, and once pushing his ute through a swollen creek.
These are just some of many memories as a Year 1-2 Teacher.
