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Gary Gould (cont'd) : What a shock I had when my parents moved back to Australia. I went to South Hurstville Primary school, I two storey imposing building on King Georges Rd. It looked and felt like a gaol to me. It was winter in Sydney - long trousers that made my legs itch, windows all closed and those horrible kerosene heaters. And I received a whack just for putting my knees on the desk on my first day. It made me terribly homesick for Lae and that feeling has never really left me. Thanks for the memories, everyone! |
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Aerial photo of Lae Photo courtesy of Gary Gould. Note from Wendy Phillips: Coronation Primary is the (inverted from this perspective) U-shaped building just |
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Judy Duggan (nee Peters), former grade 2 teacher : I was a teacher at the school for 6 months, from June to December in 1962. It was my first year of teaching and I was not quite 19 years old. I was sent to replace Mrs Cathy Slattery, who was taking leave to have her second baby. Coronation was my third school that year. I was transferred from Dregerhafen Boys' School where I had just done a stint of 8 weeks. I had originally been posted to Wau Primary A, but was moved after only 10 weeks because enrolments had dropped and the staff needed to be reduced from 3 teachers to 2. I taught Grade 2 in the class-room second from the end of the right side of the U shaped buildings, and I remember that the school dentist was visiting for a period during July and individual children were being called out for checks and treatment. After Lae I went back to Dregerhafen teaching national kids, which was what I wanted to do. I lasted there 2 years before being sent to another school - this time at Mendi. Re other teachers - I am aware that there are at least 3 former Coronation Rd School teachers currently living in and around Brisbane. They are Pat O'Brien, Fritz Prass and Geoff Keena.
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