From Our Archives
The Boarding Houses – Penleigh Presbyterian Girls’ School and Essendon Grammar School
Both Penleigh Presbyterian Girls’ School and Essendon Grammar School offered boarding facilities to students. Full boarders were those boys and girls whose parents lived at a long distance - in the country regions, interstate or overseas.
Weekly boarders “lived in” from Monday to Friday and went home each weekend, while day boarders took the main meal of the day at lunchtime in the boarders’ dining room. Those students who boarded lived, as a family, with the Headmaster or Headmistress.
Wahgunyah (left) at Park Street and Gresham Robinson House at Raleigh Street were home to many boys and girls over the first half of last century.
The following are two delightful accounts, from Penleigh girls, of their boarding experiences – one from the 1920’s and the other from the 1940’s. They were written for the PEGS Oral Historian, Ms Jane Yule, and now form a valuable part of the PEGS archives.
Margaret Hagger
Former PEGS Archivist
A Penleigh Day Boarder's Recollections of the 1920s
My sister, Lesley Lane, has suggested that I should write you some of my memories of those far-off days at Penleigh. As I dive into the past – so many images come to mind – but first some of the practical things which Lesley said she could not remember.
There were two schoolrooms built at the back of the fine old building – sliding doors between them – and these were opened up to make a larger area where morning assembly was held – and then closed back for two classrooms. We did have a “break-up” at the end of the year – possibly in Moonee Ponds Town Hall? I remember a scene from ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ where my small brother stole the show in a red velvet tunic and black eyes sparkling. In another dramatic performance I was one of the Celts – the opposition Romans I think. We must have had great preparations and rehearsals for these fragments from history and literature. After our performances there was the prize-giving. I am still amazed when I look at my bookshelves at the excellence of the prizes – remembering I left Penleigh at about twelve years of age – still on my bookshelves – beautifully bound with Penleigh crest - ‘Legends of Greece and Rome’, ‘Stories from Wagner’s operas’, ‘Stories from the Faerie Queen’, Henty’s ‘ For Name and Fame’ and an edition of Tennyson’s poetry – and others which my darling daughter has need of.
I think this is a reflection of our excellent education at Penleigh. I think of that part of my schooling with affection and of the pride when I found myself at PLC in a class which had neither Latin or French. [At Penleigh] We had already had a year’s Longman’s Latin and a year of La France with Miss Williamson – I can see her now trying to teach us to make the French ‘u’ sound - half way between a ‘u’ and an ‘i’! Such courage, as she had not had the advantage of trips to France – probably not even French lessons herself. Miss Williamson also taught us handcrafts – knitting, sewing, for which our best works were entered for some school competition! During these lessons, those who could read well – took turns to read aloud to the class who were busy ‘smocking’ – and we were introduced in this way to many books.
I think of Miss Jopson and her love of poetry – and when a lesson finished early she would read us poetry – having asked first which poems we would like. We always begged for The forsaken merman because Miss Jopson became very emotional – awful little brats we were! - but I look on her English lessons as starting me in my ‘brilliant career’ in literature and Miss Williamson in Modern Languages – of course we had a good home background which helped.
Somewhere along the way I must have had music lessons as, when I went to PLC, I was asked to play the grand piano for Mrs Gott – shaking and quaking, as I remember. Back to Penleigh where, once a week, Miss Lascelles came to give us dancing lessons – this was a highlight of the week – perhaps it was a month – not a week. The 90 year old brain finds it hard to cope!!
We were day boarders at Penleigh and I still remember how we looked forward to our excellent lunches – delicious curry every Wednesday.
One of my main mental images of those years was standing in the hall outside Miss Limerock’s office – consigned to outer space either for talking in class or ‘answering back’! Miss Limerock always had a suppressed twinkle in her eye as she decided on the fitting punishment. I remember, too, having been sent out of class (probably for being a damn nuisance) and sitting on an outside seat when Miss Elma came by. She asked me why I was there and I said, “Because I’ve been naughty.” She placed her hand on my head and found I had a roaring temperature. She rang mother who rang Dillon’s Cab, a horse-drawn cab which stood outside Essendon Station, awaiting customers. Mr Dillon came and Miss Elma took me home, several miles, and he then took Miss Elma back to school. I had double pneumonia! I always remember Miss Elma sitting beside me in the cab – she was wearing her pretty brown silk dress with a string of pearls which we all admired – and which she only wore when off to some meeting – and I probably spoilt her day – but she was so kind.
There was in the grounds of Penleigh – a barn – probably from the days when a horse and carriage were kept. There was a ladder to the loft and one of our most daring acts of disobedience was to hide in the barn – climb up to the loft and wait till we were discovered. When we asked, “Please may I leave the room” we would go to the loo and then take off to the barn. This was eventually found out and we were no longer allowed to ‘leave the room’ during class-time – disaster! disaster! in my case, a puddle on the floor!
Congratulations if you have read so far – my friends tell me that my writing has to be panel- beaten into shape before they can arrive at the great thoughts. If you can read one word in there you will perhaps make some sense of this darting in and out of ancient memories and impressions.
It is extraordinary how one’s mind slips back – I was watching an insurance clerk trying to work out on his computer a fairly elementary sum which I had already made out and I thought back to classes which finished early and so we had spelling-bees – or mental arithmetic - for the last 5 minutes. Both have stood me in good stead and were fun.
We were very lucky to have started life in a friendly family school. While PLC had some splendid teachers in the classics, history, languages – I never had the sense of belonging there that I had at Penleigh with Miss Limerock I, II and III.
Catherine Smith
(neé Gordon)
NOTE: Lesley was sent from Penleigh to Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) in Albert Street, East Melbourne to complete her schooling. This was also Miss Lilian Limerock’s old school.
A Boarder at Penleigh - 1940s
Penleigh Presbyterian Girls’ School, Park Street, Moonee Ponds was recommended to my parents, Mr & Mrs David Daniel, by our then local Minister Rev. W.J. Willis, as a good small boarding school for a country girl to attend.
At first, I was very homesick and, being an only child, missed my home environment but gradually made friends. Over 50 years have passed and I am still in contact with several girls.
Miss Lilian Limerock was the Principal, Miss Elma, the Junior School Principal and Miss Muriel was in charge of the household.
Discipline was strict but, in later life, I am certain we have all benefited from it.
In 1941, the war was coming closer to Australian shores. This affected the school routine. There was a “brown out” every night, men dug air raid trenches in a vacant allotment at the rear of Penleigh, each senior student was assigned a junior child to care for. When we had air raid drill – this could occur at any time of the day – the senior girl quickly located her charge and smartly proceeded to the shelters, and stayed until the all-clear signal was sounded.
Food rationing was introduced, tea, sugar, etc. I have never had sugar in my tea since school days. Meals were cooked by Miss Bellamy. Some dishes I still cook, especially macaroni cheese.
Every evening, Monday – Friday, after our evening meal we had to do our homework 7 – 8.30pm, then supper and bed.
Weekends: Saturday afternoons we were taken on excursions. [This] usually involved a lot of walking. Queen’s Park, Melbourne Gardens, Exhibition buildings, Aquarium and Maze. Also, the Essendon airport but sometimes we were allowed public transport on the return journey.
Sunday morning we all walked to St. John’s Church, Essendon for the 11am service. Rev. W.H. Waters was the Minister. I still miss singing the Psalms and Paraphrases which were a feature of the service.
Menus were the same each week. I recall Sunday lunch dessert was Queen Pudding. The afternoon was taken up with Sunday School and letter writing. Sunday night was early-to-bed, 6.30. During the summer months, with daylight saving, the sun was still quite high, [and] often we asked to go to Church again at night – sometimes it worked – that meant supper as well.
Quite a number of boarders learnt the piano so, up early in the morning to practise. We had 3 pianos so there was a roster system, very cold in the winter. One year I suffered with dreadful chilblains and could not practice.
I also learnt singing from Madame Gregor Wood, a gorgeous lady, principal contralto at Scots Church, Melbourne. Madame took some of her students to concerts and evenings in private homes to sing and entertain, gaining funds for Christmas cheer for Scots Church Soldiers’ Welfare Society. These evenings were enjoyable once our items were over. Madame taught us ancient Hebridean songs and, at that period, she was the only exponent of these old legends in Melbourne. I kept in contact with her for many years.
Other teachers I remember were Miss D. Cerutty, Miss Elsa Jopson, Miss Dorothy Lamrock and Mrs Edith Callahan.
There were three terms a year and full boarders were allowed two weekends per term to visit friends or relations – these were called boarders’ weekends. On average there would have been, during my schooldays, eight full boarders with four or five weekly girls, Monday – Friday. I would spend some weekends with my friend Bronwyn Woollacott at Essendon Grammar School. Her father was the Headmaster. Often we would sit on the upstairs balcony on Saturday afternoon and watch Essendon play football – no stands to block the view. At that time, the famous rover, Dick Reynolds, played for Essendon and if by chance we had the opportunity to walk to the Moonee Ponds railway station and down Puckle Street, we may even catch a glimpse of the famous player in the sports store.
The school played interschool sports and as a boarder these excursions were great. I played in the basketball team, now called netball. We travelled to Fintona, Strathcona etc, also the local schools, Lowther Hall and the Convent in Essendon.
My days at Penleigh were good and I feel that I have benefited greatly from attending there. Years later – 42 years – I met my former Head Prefect, Elsie Clyne – a weekly boarder, now Mrs Ken Webster of Broadford, at a 2/8th Armoured Regiment family day at our home “Greenmount”. Both our husbands served in the 2/8th during the War – a pleasant surprise!
Marjorie Missen
(neé Daniels)