Helen Fischer (Hender) YHS 1967 (equiv): Jenny Foster and I first met at Kindergarten in 1960. We both have vivid memories of being put on the "Kinder Bus" by ourselves and waving nervously back to our mothers through the bus window!!! Jenny still remembers clinging to her mother’s leg, not wanting to get on the bus. I witnessed nearly everyone going through this as I got on at Railway Avenue and the bus travelled all around Yallourn picking up the kids. I loved the bus trip after a while. We were friends at Yallourn State School up until the end of grade 5 (1965). I can still remember the afternoon assembly in December 1965 where all the kids had to line up in to their new grades for next year and to find out who your teacher was going to be. Jenny and I were told to go and stand on the side as we were going to different schools the next year. We just stood there together feeling sad and dejected as we would not see each other anymore nor the friends we grew up with. I never settled properly in to my new schools and Jenny didn't either. After numerous attempts to try and scan my primary school photos to Julie for the Yallourn website (they kept going off somewhere in my computer where I couldn't find them - me being a real computer whizz - "NOT"). When they were finally done I was telling my friends about the website and showing them the old photos. One friend said "I bet you can name all the kids in this photo". I started with Jenny Foster, me and my other friend piped up and said "that is my cousin". I didn't believe her and she repeated her cousins name is Jenny Foster! I showed her the photo and said to pick out which one she was and she chose Jenny straight away. I couldn't believe she had not told me this before as she knew I was born and bred in Yallourn - her excuse being she never connected the two before!! Well you can imagine how excited I was!!! Meredith rang Jenny that night and said do you remember going to school with a Helen Hender and she said yes!!!! We have been emailing each other and finally caught up in May 2013 after last seeing each other "48" years ago!!!! We both recognised each other instantly. The first thing Jenny said was "you haven't got dark hair anymore" and I replied "you haven't either"!! We had a great afternoon catching up and could not believe how similar our lives have been. Jenny's father was the "Mr Foster" who taught at Yallourn State School - I bet you all remember him as he was always so friendly and smiling!!! I am hoping Jenny is coming to the next Yallourn reunion in March at Woorabinda to catch up with other YPS kids from our era, such as Libby Langdon, Gayle Malpass, Kerry Setches, Sue Barnard, Pam Robertson, Carol Moffat and Robyn Byrne, just to name a few.
(Photo attached)