Pam Street (Parker) YHS 1955 - I have just been into Esk to pick up my mail from our private box, as we don't have a mail delivery to our property 7 kms out of Esk on the Hampton Road. Thank you so much for the Newsletter from YOGA, I was so thrilled to read it, I will send money order next time I get a chance to update Subscription, as I would not like to miss out on news of days gone by. I went to Yallourn State School and started at the grand age of 4, I dearly remember two teachers Miss Williams - Grade 6 and also John Robinson ? I think that was his name, he also read to the class in Year 4...I remember those years as pleasant and like a dream, I remember "The Faraway Tree" being read to class and have never forgotten it, I made sure my children had those books, because they'd given me so much pleasure as a child in School. I spent 3 years at Yallourn High School, the last year was unpleasant for me, as I was wrongly accused of striking another student, which was incorrect - I did in fact shake this person...which I suppose is just as bad, and I also gave her a lecture on not throwing things at people’s faces, and I hoped that was the end of it, but I was hauled out in front of the whole school...most unfortunate, I feel they could have discussed this in private, because as far as I'm concerned we were both at fault, me for shaking her, and she for throwing and striking someone, I was mortified to be held up for ridicule in front of the whole school, I was then belted with a steel ruler around the legs by Miss Birt, and in a state of shock, I ran to my locker—packed my satchel, and ran home to my parents, after telling the TRUTH to my parents...because I knew I'd be in deep trouble if I fibbed, the whole silly story was repeated to them both and they took me back to face up to the Principal.. then Mr Ellis, so we could sort out the whole horrible mess. It was after that discussion that I got an apology from Miss Birt...but the damage had been done...I vowed I'd never ever go back to school there, I was so mortified....AH! The drama kids make of their young days, I was all of 13 years of age, and thought my life was over..... Not So....My parents made me go and look for a part time job, which I did, I worked at Woolworths in Morwell on Christmas Decorations and one of my very first customers was our beloved Mr Val Pyers. He was buying decorations out of his own pocket to decorate one of the school rooms.....I've never forgotten that day either. I had added up the lengthy column of figures and asked him to check it for me, which he did....and he will tell you this himself, that the floor supervisor came over and checked my figures and said it was incorrectly totalled, and he kindly intervened on my behalf and said to her "No, you are incorrect - Pam and I have checked these figures ourselves and she is right, so both of us can't be wrong." I've been eternally grateful to him for that vote of confidence....when one is a child and that child feels like there is no future for her or him, and that everything is just so very dreadful, something little like that...turns the tide of your life. I decided that day I would get more education, and make something of my life and I did just that. Thank You Mr Val Pyers...I'm eternally grateful for your kindness and support, I'd like to tell you that I then went to Burroughs Business College in Little Collins Street in Melbourne, and went on to work at Ansett Airlines in Grants Building in Swanston Street Melbourne as a Junior Burroughs Ledger Machine Operator. From there I went to the S.E.C. at their branch in Yallourn Main Office in the Pay Section and in the Costs and Bookeeping Section - I left there about 1962. I came to Queensland and started as a Quality Control Inspector with Charles Hope & Company, then it became ACI and Nylex...we produced Laminex and Panelyte, I was taught how to use a Slide Rule and conduct tests on raw and treated products, by the trainee Industrial Chemists that were employed by ACI....after management discovered me doing a test one day late in the afternoon, as the trainee was out chatting up one of the girls in the factory...I was offered 3 days later the chance of becoming a Shift Chemist after some more training.... I then undertook 12 hour shifts as a Shift Chemist... In 1973 I worked for Gadsdens in Stafford - Qld in their Production Office, then when we built our first home in Marsden. I worked for McIlwraith Distributors in Jindalee - Brisbane as a Supervisor of a Computer Room with 6 Employees. I have had a varied career life, and a lot of enjoyable times...I think often of Yallourn and the wonderful times I had growing up in that town, the backyard plum trees, the tummy aches, the anthills we biked over, the stables, the old oak tree in Yallourn ovals, the old man made pool and rushes and reeds, the new pool, the croquet greens, the tennis courts.....old Mrs Melbourne and the lolly shop, the cream buns, the vanilla slices, the fish and chips...Hinkleys Soda bar and Fruit Shop. I think it is the most wasteful thing any entity has ever undertaken.. the loss of that town - it was never worth what they are reaping, they could have taken a different pathway...there is always
an alternative to handling sticky situations...as a child that was taught to me first hand...in life honesty and integrity, kindness and forgiveness...are tantamount to leading a good and happy life....nothing but a hole is left...and a lot of memories which will just fade away in time....How sad!
