schoolposts590-blog - Tumblr blog

schoolposts590-blog · 5 years

Text

Memories of Elwood High School

My years at Elwood High School are still to this day, memorable.

As a teenage migrant to this amazing land, I was an eager and wide-eyed 13-year-old from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) who had the hallmark of making it ‘good in Australia’.

This was the dream, and Elwood High was my entry point. The words that come to mind to describe my experience are: collegiality, collaboration and community.

Reminiscent of my time at Elwood High, there are four of us who regularly dine, share history and interconnect and intersect with our professions, family life and passions.

Having English as my mother tongue perhaps enhanced my time at the School as I did not have any language hurdles to overcome. However, the cultural and social challenges were soon to also be overlooked as the school community and Form 2A (1969) kids were inclusive, keen to learn more about from where I hailed and above all, an amazing friendship base.

So, whether it was on the Basketball court, or the Hockey field, the stage (Mr Whitehead as drama teacher), or even the catwalk for our social fashion parades – life away from the hustle, the bustle and the poverty of my homeland began almost the day after I landed at Essendon Airport. I was keen and eager to meld my new life with the rawness of co-education that one would say I took to ‘like a duck to water’.

With three brothers also studying at Elwood (1 in High and 2 in Central) my time at the School from October to December 1968 proved to be a very valuable introduction to Australian school life as well as immersion into a new culture.

My memories are filled with the release of Revolution by the Beatles (1968); Neil Armstrong landing on the moon on 20 July 1969; my first invitation to a party and me turning up with an empty plate (invitation said ‘bring a plate’!); Lyne Cockfield and Christine Beddoe being so kind to me on the Basketball court; my first meeting with Rachel Rovay from Israel who later became my best friend; learning a new language with Mr Crabtree (French) – I loved it so much. And of course, the new uniform – striped and zipped!!

Elwood High School was my canvas for cultural and social development – a major aspect of my early settlement in a new country. It provided me with a solid base of people with purpose all willing to share experiences and learn from each other’s past. I carry these great feelings with me each day and know that I was privileged.

It truly made the Land of Milk and Honey a reality! (The advertising slogan used internationally in the 60s to promote Australia to emigrants).

Bev

1 note · View note