SIXTY years ago the school playground was a far different place.
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Boys and girls weren't allowed to play together outside and slacks were never worn by young women.
There were no computers, no Internet, everything students wrote in their textbook was copied from the blackboard.
At least, that's the experience of a recently reunited group of Tamworth High School students, who've found each other again after about 66 years.
Dawn Reading was in first form at the school in 1951, now she wears an OBE ['Over Bloomin' Eighty'] medal around her neck.
"Our Tamworth High School is now Tamworth Public School," Ms Reading said.
"It was a good school, we had about 1100 pupils there.
"We weren't allowed to go into the boys program, we went swimming of a Wednesday, we didn't go on excursions like they do now but we had a good grounding and good teachers."
There must have been something in the bubblers because the reunited group of 30 has an average age of about 80.
Some of them haven't seen each other since they left school, others catch up more regularly.
Most of them were married in Tamworth and had families here.
The cane was more of a threat than a reality at that stage but a call to their parents was enough to scare them straight, Ms Reading said.
"Aileen Whitten was almost always first in the form," she said.
"The deputy principal used to come around every afternoon for attendance and another girl and I were almost always put out on the verandah of one class.
"We'd run and sit back inside when we saw him coming."
In those days most students left school in third form [Year 9 or 10] and not many went on to university because of the expense.
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After they left school most of the women would look in the newspaper for a job, Ms Reading's first was as a typist for Ken Turner Motors, while Yvonne Whitton worked as a tailoress.
"Dad said everyone would always have to be wearing clothes but he didn't know machinery was going to take over," Ms Whitton said.
Study consisted of getting up at 5am with a book and walking all around the farm, by the time they got into the test room they knew where everything was on every page.
The Tamworth High School students met at Tamworth Wests Leagues Club for lunch on Thursday and hope to make it a regular catch up every couple of months.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
