Remembering

Remembering UHS 1974-1977

At the beginning of this journey a month ago I felt like I could not contribute anything. The faces in the Facebook group did not trigger memories, and my school days were a long time ago.

But this week I decided I had some project planning and analytical skills which could be useful. So I started to contribute. And memories have been trickling in ever since.

I remember…

•  jumping on frozen puddles – like sheets of glass while walking to school in a parka and ankle socks

• buying a salad roll from the canteen and a bag of salt and vinegar chips and putting the chips inside the roll before I could eat it

• mean girls whispering “lezzie” because I turned up on a casual dress day wearing Bay City Roller pants and white socks. Apparently white socks were an indicator of sexual orientation in the 1970s – who knew?

• envying the blonde, athletic girls who breezed through sports the way my father wished I would. Netball, swimming, athletics, cross country. I was happier reading a book but wished I could do all that stuff – they made it look so easy

• covering folders with cut outs from magazines – graduating over the years from David Cassidy, Andy Gibb and David Essex to Queen, Bowie and Kiss

• the copy of The Lord of the Rings in the school library – I discovered the book in year 8 and I remember it had dark red reinforcing tape on the binding to hold the huge tome together

• secreting a cigarette and a lighter in my sock so we could smoke while out on the cross country course

• the terrifying sewing machines that didn’t go at all when you pushed the pedal and then took off like a rocket with one millimetre more pressure

• making odd things in the huge school kitchens – milkshakes, scones, a mince casserole layered with pancakes (was that meant to be lasagne?)

• a trend where we had biscuit tins to keep our pens and pencils in and methodically scratched all the paint off during class using a locker key. What a mess for the cleaners!

• sitting against the north facing wall of our classroom and rolling our socks down to try and get brown legs

Sorry guys but on viewing the old photos I am rather amazed any of us ever experienced a sexual awakening! However, it was the 70s and I am sure your hair and bodies seemed much hotter than the options in the media today

I hope you have all led productive, contented lives and are happy with the footprint you have left on the planet 

To quote another person who, sadly is no longer with us:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Donna Clayton-Smith