Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged boredom, hanging out, Penrith Plaza on September 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Shops are open
On a Thursday night
Penrith Plaza – early 70’s.
An ideal time for hanging out
The new centre, Penrith Plaza,
New record store: Light ‘N’ Sound
Ideal place.
Alternating between mingling, watching passers-by,
Flicking through albums, hoping for something new.
The Thursdays At The Plaza Paradox:
Simultaneously boring and the escape from boredom!
Extra:
Maybe we were not really hoping for something new in the Light ‘N’ Sound LP racks … but something new happening with the passers-by:
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged dedication, English Class, excursion, inspiration, Nepean High School on September 29, 2012| 1 Comment »
English classes become interesting
Teachers wanting to share
What they see, feel & love
They transport us.
Metaphorically, by their care & passion.
And, literally, by bus, train or car
Anywhere, anytime
To venues, events, theatres,
Anything …
Enlivening texts, engaging us.
Ms Purcell & Mr Young
Dedicate many private hours
Opening our eyes.
NHS Staff 1970: Ms Purcell is front row, extreme right. Mr Young back row, 7th from left.
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged drama, English Class, Macbeth, Shakespeare on September 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Despite successfully negotiating
Through successive years,
The Nepean High English Department
Maintains its belief that a text is unread
Unless it is read aloud … in class.
Makes sense for Macbeth.
Our first taste of Shakespeare.
Language obscure & unfamiliar
Our voices stumble, stutter.
Helped along by tension, mystery, murder, evil.
.
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged cemetery, drinking, friendship, meaning of life, philosophy, soul, St Stephen's on September 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »
It’s one of those aimless nights,
We seem isolated from
A desolate, even alien, world.
Behind St Stephen’s church
A small historical graveyard.
Behind St Stephens Church – a small historical resting place.
There is an odd sense of belonging
Respectfully, we enter
Find a friendly soul – (Alice?)*
Have a quiet drink,
Discuss – quietly, for hours
Life’s meaning, hopes, desires, & love.
Note:
* I think the name of our soul-mate was Alice, but I could be wrong. I could also be wrong about who might be in a position to confirm of correct this – Glen Davidson definitely, I’m pretty sure Greg Totman was there and Paul Smith may well have been there too.
Precinct of St Stephen’s Anglican Church Penrith.
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged cops, evading violence, false ID, sharpies, wandering the streets on September 26, 2012| 1 Comment »
Saturday nights – out, about,
Sometimes parties,
Sometimes private, close-friend gatherings,
And sometimes (often) wandering aimlessly
Around town …
No plan, no goal.
Only contingencies for encountering adversaries.
Sharpie “toughs” touring streets – evasive tactics:
Run!!
Curious cops – false personal information,
Name, address … at the ready:
Paul Smith, 63 Parker St, Penrith.
Paul doesn’t mind.
Extra:
The Sharpies (later Skinheads) were aggressive and had a pretty aggressive dance style … I wouldn’t have thought Daddy Cool was a band they liked. I think Lobby Lloyd was one of their Australian musical heros and then, of course, there was Slade. Anyway this footage is from 1974 – a few years after our schoolboy times steering clear of sharpies – and its here because it has some classic archetypes.
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged Julie McKenzie, Kent State shootings, Moratorium March, Neil Young, Ohio, Vietnam War on September 24, 2012| 5 Comments »
Moratorium Badge circa 1970
Political polarities
Becoming very personal.
The spectre of conscription &
A shrinking world
Sparks debate – often heated.
Kent State University*, another hemisphere?
A world away once, a shared pain now.
Julie McKenzie,
Julie in the middle – about 18 months after this memory.
Moratorium badge proudly worn
On NHS uniform
Brings cheers from many.
First in our year
To hit the streets.
Notes & Extra:
* Kent State University was the site where 4 students were killed and 9 others injured when the Ohio National Guards opened fire on them during an anti-war demonstration. A tragic irony – the war to liberate the Vietnamese and gift them democracy began to fought on a second front, the domestic front, where the battle was to limit expressions of democracy. And “democratic” leaders seemed blind to the irony.
Neil Young wrote this song very soon after what has been called the Kent State Massacre …
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged comfort, familiarity, home, knitting, Mum, warmth on September 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Sitting together,
Patterns, textures complex.
Watching TV.
At the football,
Riding on trains.
Click, click, click!!
A comforting sound
Familiar,
Speaks of home
And imminent warmth, when
Rapidly, but carefully, cast stitches
Rapidly become
New jumpers, cardigans
Patterns complex colour & texture.
Knitting needle percussion
Beats out the rhythm of the
World’s Best …
Posted in 1 Guildford Rd, Penrith Infants, Penrith Primary, tagged art, Bill Joyner, coathangers, cotton reels, craft, design, french knitting on September 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Look, there!
In Mum’s wardrobe.
A priceless treasure amidst
The rack of worthless wire.
A piece of artistry.
The design masterpiece
Creating utility and beauty
From the simplest items.
A wooden cotton reel
A few nails
Lengths of discarded wool.
Voila!
The wooden coathanger
Enveloped, transformed
Cloaked in french knitting.*
from the priceless collection of Bill Joyner
Note:
* I could not believe it when, over coffee, Bill Joyner reached into his bag and this beauty emerged. It’s specific story is his and it holds its own significant lessons for life (related to both the vast improvement in workmanship and the dangers of taking short-cuts). But Bill’s personal Alladin’s Cave continues to reflect my own (and yours too, I expect) memories.
Oh! I hope there is no need to remind you that my Short Memories are not meant to be chronological … generally they are pretty random. Anyway, in case it entered your mind … this Short Memory does not have its roots in a 4th Form (Year 10) art or craft class, despite my poor performances in matters crafty.
Posted in 138 Station St, Nepean High School, tagged class war, fighting, Nepean High School, schoolboy fight on September 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
School fights are common at NHS
Generally they
– involve juniors
– are stopped without damage
– happen on perimeters.
Quadrangle, heavily populated
Tensions escalate between
Senior boys.
It’s on!
Quadrangle becomes giant boxing ring,
Entire student body watching, stunned.
Mountains v The Dam??*
Serious battle rages,
Blood spilt, bones broken.
Finally, bell rings.
Note:
* Are the names of the combatants important? Maybe but really only to … well, two of the adversaries are in the team photo in Short Memory #154. On the same team in 1968, some years later these two duked it out on opposite teams in the quadrangle that day. If you can pick the two … I am sure the names of the other pugilists will come to you. If you can’t it’s probably not that important to know.
365 Short Memories 