Canley (inc. Sir Henry Parkes School)

Mr Maddison - thank you, I couldnt recall his name. Mr bayliss was certainly the "projector operator". I thought I remembered film shows on a Friday afternoon - but as you say, this was only on special occasions. It wasnt until the school had closed that I actually had the opportunity to venture up to the "Projector Room". This was a purpose built room, high above the main hall - with a tiny opening allowing the film to be projected through it. It was really strange going up the staircase, accessed via a door in the entrance hall. In fact, the original screen was still in place (at least I think it was the original) when the school was demolished. It was on a roller/pully system, operated by a large handle stage right. All the old lighting sockets were still there as well. I cant believe the "health & safety brigade didnt have a field day! There were two halls - back-to-back. One being the "Infants", and the other the "juniors". The main hall had a full stage - and when productions were put on, the infants hall was used by performers to access the stage in the main hall through linking doors at the back behind the scenery. I have photos of the whole school just prior to it being demolished - as soon as I get chance i'll put some up on my website (which can be accessed via the URL mentioned earlier. Incidently, Mr Bayliss was my teacher in my penultimate year, with his class moving up to Miss Penns in the final year. I really enjoyed my time at Henry Parkes - and hated school when I moved on to Woodlands! Speak soon.

Thanks so much for all of that info, Tony, you were so fortunate to be able to have one last walk through the school before they demolished it. It is nice to know someone like yourself who really appreciated the full history of the school and the important part it would play in so many people's lives was that person Mentioning two halls is really making me scratch my head as I can't recall the infants hall and yet it would have been there when I was a pupil. Thank you. Christmas at school was exciting as it was when we made the school decorations (and got to take them home) and time for the school nativity play in the big hall with that lovely polished timber floor. One year I was picked to be one of the three wise men that each carried something like mum's tea caddy - mine supposedly containing Frankincense. No words to speak but stage fright came to me at an early age! The kangaroo was made out of a black covered substance and definitely held a pole between its paws and also the little "Joey" in the pouch held it in its paws too. You can see in your picture the way they both have their paws in a holding pose. Cheers, Les

Les, just wondered whether you have had the opportunity to visit the replica of Sir Henrys cottage that has been built over in Australia. Its an exact copy, brick for brick of Moat House Cottage where Henry was born? I believe theres also the Henry Parkes museum over in Parkes. Back to school.... Were there wooden huts at the back of the school when you were there? they were removed in more recent years, but I seem to recall a classrom (which my class occupied one year) and two huts used as a dining room when I was there.

I've uploaded just a tiny selection of photos of the old school here. Hope you like! (I'll try and get more done soon)

Thank you so much, Tony, for taking the time to take those wonderful photos of Sir Henry Parkes School. All its former pupils are indebted to you for taking the time to preserve what has now gone forever but which we can still recall with fond memories because of you. We were unaware that there was such a replica cottage here, but we will make a point of taking plenty of photos of it and the museum when we are next in NSW. Maybe if someone is living near Parkes, NSW reading this forum they could do this sooner than us. I remember the wooden huts located at the top playground and they were used for art classes and, as you say, for dinners, though I used to walk home for dinner.They were so cold in the winter being only heated by a paraffin heater and the floors was so creaky when you walked on them. Mr Wood was the caretaker and fix it man in the big house in the main entrance drive. He wore a brown what I think used to be called a Cow Gown - funny name when you think of it now.

One of my teachers was a Miss Nunn who married and became Mrs Welton. There were a lot of very confused pupils who couldn't grasp the concept of changing your name almost overnight. We still called her Miss Nunn for the rest of the year. One Scottish boy in our class called Kirkbride lost his father and so we were all told to play nicely with him when he returned to school. His mum later remarried and just like Miss Nunn we couldn't understand why you would change your last surname, but he was okay with us using his first name. He was a fantastic gymnast and went on to represent Coventry and in later years heard he had joined the armed forces as a PE teacher. Doesn't it make you wonder what pupils are doing now?

Really?? One of my first teachers was Miss Nunn (although I dont recall any name-change) I met her again at the schools 50th birthday celebrations (along with Mr Rea) - and you know what - she remembered me!!! Thats quite worrying - not sure what I did that made me stand out in her mind!

It must have been nice to see them after so many years.

It may have been Miss Welton then Mrs Nunn - maybe I am still confused Do you remember when in the latter years at Sir Henry Parkes you had to stop using pencils and write with pens to prepare you for the Senior School (mine was Woodlands)? Not a ballpoint, but a sort of crude fountain pen with a wooden handle and you had to dip it into a porcelain ink well which sat in a hole at the corner of your desk. You had to keep dipping it in the ink every few words otherwise it ran out - so frustrating when you are half way through a long word! The ink was a powder mixed with water so depending on which pupil mixed it sometimes it had too much water and you ended up writing over every word twice as it had dried too feintly.

I remember those ink-pots well! it was towards the end of the year while in Mr Bayliss class. We always wrote on pencil until Mr Bayliss deemed that your handwriting was good enough to be allowed to use a pen! To this end we had regular handwriting tests and I recall it took me a few tries before he allowed me to "upgrade" to a pen (aka a wooden stick with a nib!) You were incredibly fortunate to be nominated "ink monitor" - a position I dont remember holding. I also moved on to Woodlands - in Gibson house. Do you remember a master called "sooty" Corbette? He was a Welsh maths master - with a mental streak. In the third year we had maths in the science block - where each row of seats were higher than the one infront. God help anyone who he caught talking or not paying attention. he would think nothing of firing a wooden blackboard rubber or stick of chalk at the head of any offenders!! It must have been like a "duck shoot" with pupils ducking down to avoid the misile, then popping back up a few seconds later. Happy Days? - No Chance!!

Yes, I remember him, but was never taught by him. I think the science block was called Leonardo Da Vinci. I was in McLachlan House, not far from Gibson, Mr Burdett was the House Master. There were a number of teachers at Woodlands as you described. Do you remember Mr Ratlidge from McLachlan House - he would strike the fear of death in me when every time he took us for maths in Gibralter block! He also loved to throw the blackboard rubber and chalk at you if you were caught not paying attention. His speciality was to take the arm off his wooden chair, make you bend over, check you had no books down your trousers then whack you as hard as he could. I can still see him bending down to get a good swing. He would bring tears to the eyes of the hardest boy. His favourite saying when he got frustrated (most of the time) was "Sweet smelling apricots, boy!" An absolute nutter of a teacher.

Miss Penn was my last teacher - I remember she was very strict. One day in my last year she must have caught Jim Harper smirking as she told him to "Wipe that smile off your face" (he always had a smile for some reason) He carefully took out his hankie and wiped his face! We all saw the funny side, except Miss Penn, of course. Jim Harper was a mad motorcycle enthusiast with a crew cut haircut and drew the best motorbikes and tractors of any kid in the school. He could whip them up in a few seconds accompanied by the appropriate engine sounds whilst he was drawing. There was also another teacher called Miss Lardner, who would probably be in the teachers' photo. Unfortunately, she was given a not very flattering nickname by the other teachers which was a play on her first name - perhaps not appropriate to repeat in this forum.

Re.Sir Henry Parkes School, do you remember the little bottles of milk? I was a milk monitor which meant you got out of your class a few minutes early just before the bell went for the mid morning break. You had to go out of the classroom and bring in the one third of a pint milk bottles for the whole class (about 30 pupils) in a heavy wire metal crate. You were supposed to carry it with another Milk Monitor, but rarely did as you didn't want to lose any break time and there were at least two crates per class to bring in. Pupils who couldn't drink milk or didn't like it could bring a note from their parents requesting they be exempt and they had a little bottle of orange instead. The other kids were so envious of anyone who had a bottle of orange reserved for them, including me. When you first started at the school you were allowed to play in the large sand pit where the classrooms were built around it in a square. Unwell pupils got to play in it too. I may be wrong, but I think it could have been under an all weather glass cover.

I remember the milk-bottle like it was yesterday! And the feeling of superiority you felt when picked to be monitor I also enjoyed poking a hole in the foil milk-bottle top to stick the straw through. I remember a sand pit in the edge of the large "juniors" playground, but not one in the "infants" area. I'm affraid i dont recall an all-weather glass cover - where would this have been?

Then we had to put the milk bottle tops in a container to be sent off somewhere. Maybe one of the earliest attempts at being eco-friendly? I'm sorry I can't be more informative, but I know the sand pit definately wasn't located outside because there was a constructed walkway around it and classrooms overlooked it and gave access to it on three sides. I don't ever remember it containing rainwater, hense my guess it must have been covered in some way. It was somewhere in the infants part, but wasn't used as part of a normal class so can only guess it was built with the intention for use by much younger children. I do remember playing in it so maybe they had just given up on my academic career Do you remember the way basic "sums" were taught to infants using cards on the wall?