1955 - 1956 ZEROING IN

It seems that the protracted cold referred to in my last post in July, last year(!!) froze my processes of recollection! In the last few days, a blast of heat reminiscent of my childhood years in 1944 and 1945, has however administered a jolt to the memory and summoned up the will ( it has also started the alleged "Global Warming" fanatics lifting their heads out of the long grass) .

So where was I , before I froze? Doesn't matter - I choose to resume by peering back to 1955 and 1956, come with me and see the cast of student characters assembled at Marist Brothers' Darlinghurst that was.

Marist Brothers Darlinghurst which was soon to be converted into expensive Apartments and a Town House

1955 4TH YEAR CLASS
ZEROING IN 1955 - MY BEST FRIEND AND FUTURE BROTHER-IN - LAW TONY HANNON EXTREME LEFT BACK ROW 

ZEROING IN 1956 TONY HAS MOVED TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE IN THE BACK ROW, WHILST YOUR SCRIBE HAS MOVED DOWN TO THE FOURTH ROW DOWN THIRD FROM THE RIGHT - AND HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN WATCHING TOO MUCH LENI RIEFENSTAHL!

The photos above are now 57 and 56 years old respectively. It is interesting that what they do in my mind is summon up a series of brief thumb-nail sketches of a remarkably diverse range of rapidly forming personalities.  I can't share them all in full and one or two might be deemed libelous in any case, so I shall confine myself to a very few.

 It needs to be borne in mind, that the majority of the Class were longtime students of "Darlo"as it was affectionately known, but in the year I transferred in on my own, a group of boys from Marist Brothers Bondi, which had closed in an Archdiocesan Schools rationalisation, came to Darlo. I think about 10 of them were in our class, including Tony Hannon (now my Brother-in-Law). Tony and I  shared many interests in common, but especially History and movies and Goon Show humour. We frequently went to the movies together and bushwalking, and in later years each had a bewildering succession of cameras and cars. Zany humor was the order of the day and the Goon Show was the ideal grist for our mental mills. Here was a friendship that was to last through the decades and I would anytime trust my life to Tony.

I guess I was rather reserved with most people in those days , so I did not form close friendships with  students other than Tony - living 12-14 miles away to the West didn't help in that regard. I was always coming from, or going to, a different place to everyone else.

 I got to know a little and to like, the irrepressible Roger Constable, an engaging fellow, who delighted in projecting himself as a daring sort of rogue. He was a good guy with no harm in him that I saw. We ended up together in both Class Photographs above( he standing to my right as we look at the photo) and in 1955 the slight inclination of the head and my slightly contorted mouth show that he had just muttered one of his gags and I was trying to repress a laugh. By 1956 my Leni Riefenstahl training had overcome any such risk!

Considering the diverse make-up of Australian society to-day we can see  a very few indications of what was developing. The few Chinese students were affable fellows, super whizzes at Maths. The last of their number to arrive spoke almost no English and certainly had a very hard time as he began his 4^th and 5^th Year Studies!!He was very popular because of the way in which he struggled on in the face of this impossible adversity, and was always treated kindly in a jocular fashion becoming known as “ Curly” in that perverse type of Aussie humor!

An interesting phenomenon which I only realise now, as I write, was the fact that the subjects we took and the formal activities we engaged in, began to determine the possibilities of forming friendships, much more so than in earlier years of schooling. Thus school began to provide a foretaste of life in tertiary institutions and, indeed, life itself.

As I look on the photos now, I see those who went on to become a Solicitor – mover and shaker, a Barrister, a Doctor, a Dentist, several Teachers, and a briefly famous Merchant Banker. Strangely enough in all my years since school, apart from Tony Hannon for obvious reasons, I have only ever met two of those former fellow students. Considering the variety of circles in which I have moved, in The Commonwealth Bank, in the French Bank, in the Australian – American Association, in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve and in the Church in various places, that seems to me to be very unusual, and quite surprising.  But out of all of us, as far as I am aware, there was not one Priest, though I know at least 5 had considered the possibility, and I was briefly in the Minor Seminary in 1956. I often wonder what became of them all.

All too soon real life was to take us “cogs” up in its gearbox, and schooldays and their concerns and joys and pains would swiftly disappear in the rear vision mirror, as life moved into Top Gear whirring us away all over the place.

1955-1956 MARIST BROTHERS DARLINGHURST PART II

ZEROING IN 1955 - MY BEST FRIEND AND FUTURE BROTHER-IN - LAW TONY HANNON EXTREME LEFT BACK ROW 

ZEROING IN 1956 TONY HAS MOVED TO THE RIGHT A LITTLE IN THE BACK ROW, WHILST YOUR SCRIBE HAS MOVED DOWN TO THE FOURTH ROW DOWN THIRD FROM THE RIGHT - AND HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN WATCHING TOO MUCH LENI RIEFENSTAHL!

The photos above are now 56 and 55 years old respectively. It is interesting that what they do in my mind is summon up a series of brief thumb-nail sketches of a remarkably diverse range of rapidly forming personalities.  I can't share them all in full and one or two might be deemed libellous in any case, so I shall confine myself to a very few.

 It needs to be borne in mind, that the majority of the Class were longtime students of "Darlo"as it was affectionately known, but in the year I transferred in on my own, a group of boys from Marist Brothers Bondi, which had closed in an Archdiocesan Schools rationalisation, came to Darlo. I think about 10 were in our class, including Tony Hannon ( now my Brother-in-Law) . Tony and I shared many interests in common, but especially History and movies and Goon Show humour. We frequently  went to the movies and bushwalking and in later years .Each of us had a bewildering succession of cameras and cars, perhaps I led the race in the "bewildering range"area. Zany humor was the order of the day and the Goon Show was the ideal grist for our mental mills. Here was a friendship that was to last through the decades and I would still, anytime, trust my life to Tony.

I guess I was rather reserved in those days with most people so I did not form close friendships with other students - living 12-14 miles away to the West didn't help in that regard, I was always coming from or going to a different place to everyone else. I got to know a little and to like the irrepressible Roger Constable, an incorrigible wag who delighted in "stirring". There were several students who repeated 5th Year for their personal reasons. Whilst I didn't "hate"school I was impatient to be out in the world and independent of the regimented routine of school.

I particularly admired, but was not close to, several students for various  reasons : Bill Allport for his ultra modest manner and politeness coupled with academic ability and athletic success, Brian Wyndham for his manly bearing and good humour and outgoing personality - he was also accomplished as Drum Major in the School Cadets and Paul Langford for his quiet but friendly manner and genuine openness. The Class had varied outcomes in our lives one  student became a successful lawyer, another a doctor, another a dentist, another went into the Army , at least one a teacher ( my Brother-in- Law Tony with great distinction as a much admired Rugby Coach of Sydney Boys High and longtime enthusiastic and accomplished History Teacher) . Another was Bob Vagg who became media  famous for a time in the Financial Press as an "expert"executive of a major American Merchant Bank. But, several financial crises later that is not the sort of "darling"the media cultivates. 

I joined the Cadet Corps in 4th Year and saw the year out without distinction and did not sign up again for 5th Year. Interestingly, whilst re-reading the book "The Old School Tie"by Father John O'Neill the well-known Parish Priest of Doonside in Sydney's western suburbs, I came across a description that immediately brought to mind a Cadet Corps figure with outstanding clarity. The book is based on Father O'Neill's life together with that of another Priest friend. Names are fictionalised and some characters are "telescoped"for the purpose of the book, but it is all based solidly on fact.The hero and his friend and fellow Priest to be are both students at the Cathedral School and are members of the Cadet Corps.  The Permanent Army supervisor of the Cadet Unit at the School is "a World War Two and Korean War veteran, Sergeant Peter Irwin". When the two friends are at a mixed Schools Cadet Camp at Singleton and attendance at Sunday Mass makes them a tad late for breakfast in the Mess Hut the cook abuses them and won't serve them. The story goes on :
"He did not notice Sergeant Irwin standing near.
  Get breakfast for these men Cookie", said Irwin, They've been to Church Parade, I don't think we'll penalise them for being Christians."
The cook grumbled as he sloshed porridge into bowls, and slapped rounds of toast onto cold plates.
"Thank you Cookie", said Irwin. "Enjoy your breakfast gentlemen."
'Thank you Sir, they replied.
"If you can't enjoy it, offer it up"laughed the Sergeant as he walked away, and from that remark, the boys knew they had a fellow Catholic in high places."

Our Cadet Unit at Darlinghurst - just up the hill from St.Mary's Cathedral College was obviously supervised by the same man as the Cathedral College :- the smiling, manly Warrant Officer Sam Irwin who exuded an admirable competence, efficiency and self - possession that made him universally admired. He was every inch the professional soldier, and a great fellow.

1955-1956 TRAVELLING TO SCHOOL

It must have been about a 16 miles journey from my home in Berala in the Western Suburbs to Marist Brothers Darlinghurst on the Eastern side of the City. I walked to Berala Station most days (10 minutes) or occasionally to Lidcombe (20-25 minutes)  to catch the suburban electric train to Sydney  Central Station.

There were still a few of these sad-faced ""Bradfield "cars in service - the only advantage they offered was a front passenger window -fun for kids to get a driver's eye view (a few of the more modern trains were similarly equipped at the time.)

The typical electric train of the day is shown in the photo below. Occasionally one of the Bradfield Driving Cars shown above would form part of the train, and more often, there were wooden trailer cars in the consist. However, after the Berala and Sydenham (I think) electric train crashes, the shattering of the wooden cars and increased casualties, meant that they were quickly phased out.

Standard electric train of my school days - to me they ere the iconic "face "of Sydney.Most were built in the U.K. as the brass plates I had to step over on boarding the train announced

.

There were still then, and for years to come, regular daily peak hour steam trains from Riverstone to Central stopping at Parramatta, Lidcombe and Strathfield,and Redfern where the zealots would hop off and RUN up and across the overbridge to catch an earlier City  underground electric train)  and there were always good crowds  on Lidcombe's No.1 Platform   
to take advantage of the express run to Central ( or Redfern as we have seen).

This is the "best"picture I could come up with of a C32 pulling a train of American corridor and end platforms, suburban cars , but I'm still looking!

These steam trains were hauled by C32 Class 4-6-0s dating from 1891 and they hauled American designed central corridor carriages with open entry platforms at either end. These carriages were also products of the 1880's. So the whole train was an operating Museum piece. There had been 191 of the C32 Class locomotives built, and all were still in service up to the time I left School, but the very next year, 1957 the first casualty came : 3264 was derailed and very badly damaged at Otford in January,1957. Four of the Class  survive in preservation and 2 are operational.

Arriving at Central, I would hurry off down the stairs and out to the ramp leading down to Eddy Avenue which crosses the Northern frontage of the huge Station. There, I would hop aboard a Tram for the trip left into Elizabeth Street up the hill to Mark Foy's magnificent Department Store , then a grinding 90 degrees turn into Liverpool Street and at the College Street intersection a brief glimpse of the College perched high on its hill at the top of the continuation of Liverpool Street and the Tramlines curved away to the right for the run up Oxford Street to Taylor Square. Oxford Street was the still in decline as the 1926 Underground Railway into the City had caused the CBD to flourish whilst all the pre 1926 fashionable places -Broadway, Railway Square, Oxford Street slowly died back.

My favourite Trams were the type seen just entering the picture below from the Left they were the oldest around and by far the most numerous.

Trams at Eddy Avenue in front of Sydney's great Central Station

At Taylor Square I began the walk North East ish to the College past the High Court on the right along what I later learned was the notorious" Wall" where at night, perverts picked up their "rent boys".Some of those using their services have been reported in later years as a member of the Police Commision and a High Court Judge . Ignorance was bliss. On the other side of the Wall was the old Darlinghurst Jail - now an Art School - I never went in.

And so I got to School.

Coming home the process was reversed, except that at Taylor Square I used to catch a Double Decker Bus down to Central - I guess because they may have run more frequently than the Trams at that time of day to Central.

I can't resist recounting a little anecdote that has stuck in my mind. One afternoon I was crossing Oxford Street to catch the Bus to Central at the Taylor Square stop, and had just passed a little old lady, dressed in a tired black cloth coat and wearing a small black hat, thinking to myself "poor little old thing"when a car suddenly surged by coming rather close to her . My Lol rounded on it swinging her handbag and screaming lustily "You f......B......!" I was gobsmacked! I have always been more cautious in awarding the title Little Old Lady ever since!

A heavily re-touched 1947 photo of Double decker buses at Taylor Square
where I used to catch them in the afternoon on way home from school.

N.B. "re-touching"was a manual process in the days before PHOTOSHOP.

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!

*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!