1955 -1956 MARIST BROTHERS DARLINGHURST - BLUE AND BLUE PART ONE

YOUR SCRIBE 3RD ROW DOWN SECOND FROM THE LEFT
OBVIOUSLY SNAPPED IN THE MIDST  OF RESPONDING TO A COMMENT FROM THE IRREPRESSIBLE ROGER CONSTABLE NEXT TO THE RIGHT

YOUR SCRIBE FOURTH ROW DOWN FIFTH FROM THE LEFT
EXHIBITING THE STEELY VISAGE OF A HITLER JUGEND

From about 2nd Year of High School (1953) I had formed an increasingly strong conviction that I was being called to the Priesthood. This was not something I immediately embraced as being what I wanted to do. I can recall sitting through Sermons at Mass about the need for Priestly vocations and wishing the subject would come to an end so that my conscience would no longer be tortured by the consideration of the issue. However by 3rd Year (1954) at MARIST Brothers Lidcombe the issue was resolved after much prayer, visits to St.Patrick's Seminary Manly ( it always amused me that on cruises up to Palm Beach by the largest of the Manly Ferries "SOUTH STEYNE" the commentator regularly referred to the massive Seminary building as "the Cardinal's Palace" an infinitely more modest building across the road from the Seminary and NOT visible from the sea or the Harbour.) 

This meant that I needed to continue my studies in Latin when I went to a new college to complete 4th and 5th Years . Many of my fellow students  would not go on to those Matriculation studies, but go out into the workforce. Those that did go on went almost exclusively to Marist Brothers Parramatta - which did not teach Latin. Problem! Some investigation turned up the fact that Marist Brothers Darlinghurst - on the other side of the City and some 12 miles distant - not only taught Latin but its Headmaster, Brother Michael was an accomplished Latinist and in fact lectured at Sydney University. So that was the decision - Marist Brothers Darlinghurst it was to be. 

A daily trip to and fro by electric train was needed from Berala to Central Station then out onto Eddy Avenue which crosses Central's North frontage and then a tram or a Double-Decker bus to Taylor Square Darlinghurst , then a walk past the High Court, past (though I did not know it at the time!) the notorious "wall"-later infamous as a rent-boy pick-up point frequented by some very senior Labour appointed lawyers including it is said a High Court Judge and also a member of the Police Commission - "Sin City"indeed. The walk proceeded past the old Darlinghurst Gaol and hey presto! arrived at the College along one side of a cul-de-sac, on the corner of Liverpool Street which stretched all the way down the hill back to the City's Hyde Park.

Taylor Square at the bottom of the picture, the High Court just above it, the road to the left took me along "the wall"past the entrance to the old DARLINGHURST Gaol here shown in detail as I never saw it.. The College is out of sight beyond the top of the picture.

MARIST BROTHERS DARLINGHURST, LIVERPOOL STREET FRONTAGE FACING SOUTH AND  FACING EAST ONTO THE CUL DE SAC .OUR 5TH YEAR CLASSROOM IS ON THE TOP FLOOR ON THE RIGHT OF THE PICTURE, AND OUR 4TH YEAR CLASSROOM WAS IMMEDIATELY TO ITS LEFT IN THE PICTURE ADJACENT TO THE STAIRWELL WHICH IS THE BRICK PROJECTION OUT TOWARD THE STREET. 

As it happened , Brother Michael was appointed to another school. But he took the trouble to come all the way out to Berala during the school holidays to assure me and my parents that the College would be maintaining Latin and would gladly welcome me. I was very happy to receive this  kind attention, though embarrassed that I happened to be ill in bed  (a rare occurrence) at the time! We had few enough guests in our home when I was young, but Mum was even more overwhelmed than I by this distinguished visitor.

This of course meant a trip to ANTHONY HORDERN'S DEPARTMENT STORE  in the City to get fitted out with a new suit, Hat (!! - never have been keen on hats!) , Tie etc. So here I was on the brink of 1955 and keen to get on with it!