Canley (inc. Sir Henry Parkes School)

The teacher in the middle of the front row is Margaret Johnson, she was my first teacher at Henry Parkes, had a few rapid smacks on the back of the legs off Tom Meacham and then onto Les Rea's class, what a teacher, remember his hobby was collecting car numbers, he would come into class in the morning, his bike was in the store room, get out his small note book and transfer numbers he had seen on the way to his log book. His bike was also responsible for cutting off the end of one of his fingers when he caught it in the spokes after mending a puncture. He also ran the school football and boys rounders teams.

Thanks for replying Mick. I think the David name was Blenkinsop. I could be wrong. Chris Brandish was the one who lived half way down Sheriff. Yes I remember Roger and Gillian Barr, never played with them much. Kenny Ball was a good footballer, everyone was scared of him on the football field. Last time I saw him he was having a scrap at Highfield Road.

Hi bug ass, what year did you go and whose class were you in for the last year at Henry Parkes? Just feel that we must have crossed paths at sometime. Do you remember any of the Mayors Croft kids, I remember Bob Steane and Phyllis Gibson. Bob had an older sister but cannot remember her name, and I think Bob joined the navy? Also were the Millwards who lived on Charter Avenue, Barry and Anthony. ps, was Kenny winning the scrap?

HI Les, please excuse me for butting in here, but Henry Parkes holds so many memories for me. You were there a little before me and I guess you were there with my sister Sonia. First big memory in the houses Hammond, Bradman, Joyce and Lundy? and the colours red, blue, green and yellow. There must be more to follow on this? PLEASE!

The Wolfe family lived at 26 Mayors Croft, children were Bob & Angela. Angela would have left Henry Parkes circa 1953. Bob was older and I don't know when he left.

Hi Mick, just wanted to say a big "Thank you" for the photo of Canley shops as it brought back many pleasant memories of my childhood as a pupil of Sir Henry Parkes Primary from about 1953. Do you remember the newsagent on the end of the shops just out of camera shot - can't remember his name though? Maybe you remember the two old ladies who owned and served in the sweet shop, Scott and Merriman and can be seen in your photo? The big Coop shop used to have sawdust on the shop floor and I used to like kicking it whenever I went in with my mum for her milk checks I can hear her now giving me a good telling off! Keep the snapshops coming, Mick. Cheers, Les

So pleased to see you reviving this topic, Mick I believe the houses were named after famous Australian sports people of that time - Bradman the cricketer (green colour), Landy (yellow) athlete - my house, not sure about the other two as I never liked sports. I remember taking part in the school sports one year, it was in the three legged race so you had one ankle tied to your mates ankle and had to be the fastest to run together to the finish. We were leading until the other lad forgot we were temporarily joined at the ankle and went out of sync resulting in two faces in the dirt and lots of cursing! Remember the wooden huts at the other side of the playground where we were taught art? They were always freezing in the winter, I think they must have been relocated from some WWII Army barracks. They creaked whenever anyone walked in them. Cheers, Les.

Good grief! Bob & I were "best friends" at school in those days - he lived at number 20 Mayors Croft. The last time I saw him must have been around 1968 - and at that time I'm sure he said he was in the Navy. I seem to recall he had lost the ends of a couple of fingers in an accident. Another lad that I recall in my last year (Miss Penn's class) was Francis Andrews - a (very) tall, ginger-haired kid.

Yes, I remember Francis, but not sure where he lived. Do you remember Colin Brown or Graham Smith. Both of them were in the football team of 61. Got a photo somewhere and I must try and dig it out. I think that both of them lived around the Pershore Place area down by the highway.

Hi Les, do you remember the dining room where we sat at 8 to a table with our coloured aluminium beakers with about half an inch of water in them? After dinner you would go up the field and stand in a line holding your hand out shouting "Sir, pick me" so that you could play in the footie mach organised by Les Rea. I remember being in the school sports day and in the obstacle race, the last part was to blow up a balloon until it burst, mine would not burst until a guy called Blake McAteer burst it for me. What great days!! Much more to follow.

Yes, remember them both, although I was more friends with "Smithy" out of school than Colin. Didn't Colin join SHPPS rather late in the last year? They did live in Pershore Place, behind the shops opposite the back entrance to the 'Canley Crem'.

The top pic is a photo of the 1964/65 SHPPS football team, comprising of; D.Johnson, I.Davidson, J.Skelcher, K.Richards, J.Kendall, S.Hooker, K.Russell, J.Kendall, R.Stickley, A.Underhill, R.Barr, B.Munslow. Taken a little after I left in 1961, but a lot of the faces are still familiar Sorry, don't have list of names for bottom pic but again, I recognise most of the faces, just can't recall their names! Hopefully someone will be able to provide some.

Hi Tony, great pics, really must find mine from 61. I think the bottom pic is from 62 and faces I recognise are from the top left, Billy Nobel (lived at the top of John Rous), dont know who is next to him, or the next one. I think the one in the middle is Arthur Collins, then Philip Medcraft, then David Dewis. Front left is Norman Pilling (lived on Charter Ave), next to him is Gary Harper, don't recognise the goalie, the next one I think is Malcolm Ireland, cannot remember the last one (but I'm working on it)

You wouldn't get me wanting to do sports, especially with Mr Rea, sports were not on my agenda. Oh, dear, the name Blake McAteer brings back unfortunate memories, I hope he doesn't read our comments on the forum. I remember him as one of those boys who we, how should I put it, needed to keep away from as he was always in trouble. He definitely had a reputation that would fit in with your experience of him bursting your balloon! I reckon you got off lightly that day, Mick.

Malcolm Ireland - I seem to recall him being a pretty good player! I remember being picked for the school team and playing a game one Saturday morning. Unfortunately I had forgotten to take my boots home the night before - they were still in the little wire basket, beneath the bench under my coat-hook in the cloak-room in the main school building. I had to go and find the caretaker and ask him to open the school so I could get them. They couldn't afford to have their star player sidelined without boots could they? I ran down the school drive and tentatively approached the front door of his house. He came to the door - dressed in his brown coat (like a white doctors coat, but brown. They were called 'cow gowns' but I haven't a clue why!) The caretaker, after some stern leg-pulling, agreed to get his keys and open the school just for me. I hurriedly collected my boots from the cloakroom and ran, as fast as I could back to one of the top huts where we were getting changed. By this time everyone else was out on the pitch having a kick-about. It was at this point that I realised some rotten b****r had swapped my nice freshly washed and ironed football shirt (thats what Mums are for - isn't it?), for their dirty soaking wet one - and believe me, it was extremely wet. I am not exaggerating when I say I could have squeezed the water out of it - in fact I did! I wasn't chuffed. In those days there were no shirt numbers so there was no way of me telling who had taken it - and to this day I never discovered who it was. Any ideas Mick? Each week we had games, which usually meant a game of football for the boys and netball for the girls. In summer we might be treated to a game of rounders. The teachers usually took part on one of the sides. I remember on one occasion that Mr Rea took us he was on the 'other' side. I think I had been designated as a 'central defender' (or Centre Half as it was called then) He came hurtling down the right wing, our left back (sorry; left sided wing back) was way out of position, so I raced across to block his path. When I say block his path, that's just what I did. Foolishly I attempted to tackle him, and got flattened big time. I don't recall much, just my head hitting the ground, and Mr Rea bending over me saying 'You alright son?' as he picked me up. Although I replied 'Yes', I think I was really far from 'alright'. I don't think in those days anyone had heard of "first-aid" or neck-collars or spinal boards (ok, maybe not spinal boards!) but there was none of this cotton wool padding with kids then. It was very much - If you can stand up you must be alright! I also used to really enjoy 5 a-side football, which we only played if it was raining. We played in the school hall and I used to prefer going in goal. We used to lay the long benches down on their sides to form the sides of a 'pitch' and had to keep the ball down on the floor.