In 1937 I started at Elwood Central School in the 'babies' grade, aged 4.   My mother was divorced and had to go to work, so I began school at a very young age.    The Little School, as it was called, was in Mitford Street, across the road from the Big School.    The headmistress was a very aptly named Miss Cross.   I seem to remember that if we were late for school we were made to stand on a dot in the school hall, quite a humiliating experience.    The little school went to grade 2, and after that I began at the big school in grade 3.
    
     My teacher in grade 3 was Miss Quirk.    I was in the front desk and Miss Quirk told me I would still be sitting there when I was 99, if I could not learn my tables.    I can still hear her saying that.    Then came grade 4 with Miss Tynon.     Miss Tynon was fond of calling us impudent lumps and brazen loaves and she would give the boys six 'cut's on their hands if they displeased her in any way.    She might qualify for physical and verbal abuse today.  Somehow I went 'up' to grade 5, where Mr McDonald was in charge.    Miss Opie took the other grade five.    In grade six I had Miss Wall who I remember for her kindness.   I must have passed sufficiently to go up to Form 1 where we had a range of teachers.    I remember Miss Egan as being very strict and one of the best teachers I ever had.    She took us for English and Arithmetic and also taught French.   I think Mr. Miller took us for Science.    Year 7 was divided into four groups - 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d.    I was in 1c and in time went on to 2c.    I seem to recall that those in 1c and 2c learnt Latin, while the brighter ones in 1a and 2a learnt French.    So I learnt Latin and I think the teacher was a Mr. Blumenthal, who was Jewish and came from Germany.    He swished around the corridors in a long black gown, saying get out of my way you little guttersnipe, to any student who crossed his path.   Charming.    There was also a teacher called Mr. Anson, who I can only remember coaching the basketball teams.   Some of the brightest students were Jewish children, who no doubt came out as refugees during the war.    I remember Barry and Barbara Aarons, Lily Shonberg, Isabel Woolfe, Maurie Gorr, all the Jewish children were very clever.    Ronald Quirk is another I remember as being exceptionally clever.   I somehow managed to gain my Merit Certificate, and went on to secondary school.   

      On Monday mornings we would have Assembly, which was taken by the Head Master, Mr. Charles Menzies.    We would salute the Flag and march into school to the accompaniment of the school band, Barry Aarons played the flute I seem to recall and there were the kettledrums.    I can still hear them playing.
      I was much better at sport than anything academic; I played basketball and rounders and loved playing for the school.    I can remember the teams going to the combined sports. We would travel on special trams, one for the boys and one for the girls.    We girls would all hang out the windows singing.....

Who are, who are, who are we,

We are, we are somebodee, 

Can't you see, can't you guess, we are the girls from the E.C.S.,

 Roll 'em, bowl 'em, pitch 'em in the tar,

 Elwood, Elwood, yah, yah, yah. ……….. over and over,  ad Infiniteum, ad nauseum.

      At the Scott's Street entrance of the school there grew a beautiful Wisteria which climbed over the arch. Whenever I see Wisteria I think of my old school.   Across the road was Mr. Hollybrook's tuck shop, where we could buy ice blocks and liquorice straps etc. and we would irreverently chant outside the shop –

Hollybrooks the dirty rooks,

Take a penny off your books …..

and run away when he came outside to chase us off.  How very rude of us. Sometimes there would be the Fairy Floss man in Poet's Grove. He was very popular.

 Despite struggling academically at Elwood, partly due I think to being too young for my year, I look back on my time at Elwood Central with great fondness.   If there is anyone else who can relate to my timeframe at Elwood, I would love to hear from them.     Years later, when I was in my 50's, I attained a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Monash University and was invited to do Honours.   

 I remember thinking at the time,

Eat your heart out Miss Quirk. 
                            ..............I have forgotten t.o mention WW2. How could I forget that.
We were at war - 1939-1945 - for most of the time I was at Elwood (1937 - 1946). We had air-raid practice which consisted of crouching underneath wooden forms in the school ground which otherwise were used for sitting on. What protection those forms would have provided I cannot imagine. The day news came through that the war was over - from memory it was about lunchtime - we were all let out. My mother was at work so my friend Leah and I hopped on a tram and went into the city, where we were nearly trampled to death in the crush in Swanston street. That terrible war which claimed the lives of so many of our young men, and it went on for six long years.  

I am planning to do a trip down memory lane and check out the area where the school was and also where I used to live, both in Foam Street and Beach Avenue. I will be filled with nostalgia.  
 ..............I can remember Margaret Gibson, Helen Blake, Ruth Lake, Shirley Hawking, Pauline Haimson, Mervyn Potter, Peter Dodds. .......

Long live the spirit of Elwood Central
best wishes to all concerned.  JF