Historical Society - some not so early memories

History Notes

 This week has seen the arrival of winter and the very appropriate list of winter pudding recipes for May.  I wonder how often we cook something such as Sago plum pudding these days – growing up we always had pudding after the main course at lunch time!  These days we tend to have a main meal at night and pudding may follow if we are eating out.  How life has changed.

There have been a few visitors this week and some of us have managed to trace a few family connections although the early Akers family is challenging one of our members.  We are also expecting a visit this week from one of the organizers of the Jane Ison/Crowley re-union about 14 years ago.  Some memories of the Golf Club hall with family trees scattered around the walls and the camp fire dinner are sure to be recalled.  There was also a well-attended lunch under the trees at Carisbrooke before everyone returned home.

Most people are enjoying Brian Coote’s photos in the news and the Railway Goods Shed is a rather rare photo – I couldn’t help noticing the old sleepers under the railway line – they wouldn’t suit today’s trains!

As most teenage children did in the 50’s and 60’s, I travelled to boarding school by train and it took about 12 hours from Barraba to Sydney.  We left Barraba about 7pm and travelled to Tamworth where our carriages had to wait for the Glen Innes train to arrive.  (I remember one night watching the Northern Daily Leader being printed in the basement of the old building before heading back to get on the train!)

After leaving Tamworth we mostly retired to sleep while the train rattled on its way down the Hunter Valley only to be woken at Broadmeadow by a loud speaker announcing breakfast.  After leaving Broadmeadow the railway line was made for faster trains and we roared along unless there were repair crews working on the line – they used to call out “paper” as the train crept through their workplace and occasionally a newspaper or toilet roll went out the window.

After passing Hornsby it was time to clean up, put on our hats, pack suitcases and be nice and tidy schoolchildren when the train drew into Central Station where personnel from the various schools were waiting to collect their pupils.

The trip home after three months at school was a time of great excitement, catching up with friends from other schools and looking forward to getting home.  Of course there were a few pranks but mostly there was lots of catching up to do.

Just think what today’s children miss out on without this travel with four terms of school and some of them are weekly boarders.