The COVID-19 & Corona free thread.

[Saitch]

This little fella lives in my 'tilly. It normally comes out for a look around when I stop for a while. Come to think of it, I haven't seen it for a while.

Spidie - Copy.jpg

[bob10]

I got caned twice, the second time I was sent home for 2 weeks.

Apparently grabbing the cane in the hand that’s taken the strike, pulling it from the Headmasters hand and whacking him across the head with it isn’t acceptable. Who knew!

I was also assaulted by a Geography teacher from South Africa. Decided to pull my chatty arse out of my seat by my ear. Torn cartilage on my ear resulted in a broken nose for him.

That one at least didn’t result in any further action as the school wasn’t keen on the full story coming out.

I got caned for not fighting. When we moved from Rockhampton to Brisbane , in the late 50's, we moved into my Grandmothers house on my Mothers side. Three families in the one housing commission house. First day at Stafford Heights State School, Mum got me a good pair of second hand shoes, at the right price. Didn't wear shoes up in Rocky. , at Central Boys School. I was always at the Headmasters office in Rocky, usually for fighting, easy to get a fight in Rocky in those days. Mum's instructions? NO FIGHTING, or your Father will deal with you! I knew what that meant. First day, I walked thru the gate dressed in my best 2nd hand clothes, new 2nd hand shoes, feeling like the King of England. A group of likely lads came up [ to sort the new kid out] and one said, " you think you're some kind of toff, mate, wearing shoes to school?" Normally this would get some reaction from me, but I remembered Mum's warning. What they didn't know was I had 4 cousins at the school, lived in the same house, their name is Laverty, of wild Irish descent. [ They all joined the Army, three infantry , one Engineer , saw service in the Malayan Emergency, and Vietnam. They didn't mind a fight, in other words] After it was all over in the Headmasters office, 6 cuts each for fighting for the protagonists, and 3 for me! When I queried that, the Head said, " That's for not sticking up for your cousins ".

Best thing he ever did for me. The boys in the fight became my best mates, the school yard logic was I copped it sweet, didn't complain or dob any one in, and took the punishment . We had many a time I'm glad Mum never found out about, people tell me times were tough, but to me, the best days of my life. [ Apart from my married days of course. ]

[bob10]

One for those heathens in the southern States who play aerial ping pong. The Welsh say a game of rugby starts after the final whistle.


How To Watch A Game Of Rugby.


How to watch a game of rugby: Part 3

[Saitch]

I got caned for not fighting. When we moved from Rockhampton to Brisbane , in the late 50's, we moved into my Grandmothers house on my Mothers side. Three families in the one housing commission house. First day at Stafford Heights State School, Mum got me a good pair of second hand shoes, at the right price. Didn't wear shoes up in Rocky. , at Central Boys School. I was always at the Headmasters office in Rocky, usually for fighting, easy to get a fight in Rocky in those days. Mum's instructions? NO FIGHTING, or your Father will deal with you! I knew what that meant. First day, I walked thru the gate dressed in my best 2nd hand clothes, new 2nd hand shoes, feeling like the King of England. A group of likely lads came up [ to sort the new kid out] and one said, " you think you're some kind of toff, mate, wearing shoes to school?" Normally this would get some reaction from me, but I remembered Mum's warning. What they didn't know was I had 4 cousins at the school, lived in the same house, their name is Laverty, of wild Irish descent. [ They all joined the Army, three infantry , one Engineer , saw service in the Malayan Emergency, and Vietnam. They didn't mind a fight, in other words] After it was all over in the Headmasters office, 6 cuts each for fighting for the protagonists, and 3 for me! When I queried that, the Head said, " That's for not sticking up for your cousins ".

Best thing he ever did for me. The boys in the fight became my best mates, the school yard logic was I copped it sweet, didn't complain or dob any one in, and took the punishment . We had many a time I'm glad Mum never found out about, people tell me times were tough, but to me, the best days of my life. [ Apart from my married days of course. ]

Hahaha! A good picture there, Bob.

From year 6 to starting work, I attended a De la Salle boy's college. The leather strap on each hand X 3 treatment was frequently used on wayward scholars. I received a dose or two and was quite affronted once when, after one such strap session, the strap wielder casually asked me, 'How's your father going?' as my dad and the head brother were friends. With both hands feeling as though they were in a bucket of acid and me trying to not show any pain, I could barely manage to get out a 'Good.'
I never look back and think how abusive it may have been, if in fact it was as I don't reckon it did my mates or I any lasting harm, but I do reflect on the fact that I managed to avoid said strap several times when really, I should have copped a flogging!

[JDNSW]

About fifty years ago (Good Lord! was it that long ago?), I had occasion to visit a colleague in a Brisbane suburb on a work matter. When I arrived at his house it was in an uproar. It turned out that the parents had just found that their 10yo son, who walked about half a mile to school, had gone round the corner from the house, taken his shoes and socks off, put them in his bag, spent the day barefoot, and put them back on at the same point on the way home. And had been doing that every day since he started at the school about five years earlier!

A few years later, driving out to Roma, I observed that the further west you went, the fewer kids were wearing shoes to school, virtually none west of Toowoomba.

[Hogarthde]

When we where real little grubs , the parents took us to the theatre in Wynyard , in the 57 Landy no less, to watch the movie “Smiley”.

So we kids ran around sans footwear for the next few days, however I don’t believe school attendance was included.

[V8Ian]

We never wore shoes to school, in Redcliffe, until high school. Them toffs from De La Salle probably did but they're probably making up for it now.

[Bigbjorn]

We never wore shoes to school, in Redcliffe, until high school. Them toffs from De La Salle probably did but they're probably making up for it now.

In inner Brisbane in my primary school years the catholic schools pupils were principally from the Irish Catholic labouring class. Few toffs. The poor people. Later the "New Australians" started arriving, central and mediterranean europeans.

[V8Ian]

In inner Brisbane in my primary school years the catholic schools pupils were principally from the Irish Catholic labouring class. Few toffs. The poor people. Later the "New Australians" started arriving, central and mediterranean europeans.

But did they wear shoes, Brian?
As an aside, my FiL was educated at a Catlick school in Belfast, prewar. As Catholics in a Protestant dominated city, work was occasional ad hoc. My FiL's family were so poor, three boys shared one pair of shoes between them. They took turns with the shoes, carrying them to and from school, to save wear, puting them on at the school gate. This was done regardless of the weather or snow on the ground.

[rick130]

l guess that explains Mt Barney, then.