I started school at the Kimberley State School in 1946 at the age of 6yrs and 4mths. It was a two room school with two teachers and about 30 children. The second teacher was often a young trainee except for Miss Dwyer who was older. The School house was attached to the School. My Mother was always  involved in school affairs and the Headmasters would  become family friends.

I was already  accomplished at riding a horse when I started School.  I even had my own horse. Trixy was her name.  My Father or one of the men would catch Trixy in the morning and have her saddled and ready for me, at least until I could catch her myself. She was reluctant to go the 4 kms to school and I had to coax her along a bit with a stick. She was easy to catch in the school paddock and when I saddled her up and headed for home she would canter all the way. I would always hold her back and make her walk the last 1/2 klm.  Kind wasn’t  I !

When my sister Jenny started school the next year, we would ride double up. When Wendy started, she and Jenny rode the horse and I had to walk, but only until the school bus started, which was not that long after.

In the six years at Kimberley School I can only remember having two Headmasters. There was Mr James, who had a large car and once drove a group of us to Hobart to see the Queen and Prince Phillip. I remember seeing the largest crowd of people I had ever seen, lining the streets of Hobart,  and the shining black car flashing by with the waving Queen and Duke on board. We stayed overnight in a private home and returned home the next day. A great adventure. Then there was Mr Challice, an older man, who spent the the first hour of the day reading the newspaper to us. I can’t remember much more about the schooling,  except I was in serious trouble one time in grade 2 or 3 art class for painting the sea purple. It was about then that I was found to be colour-blind.