Henry Winters YHS 1954-58 then Tech Trade Part Time and Night School 1959-62. His form was 1C in Room 10 - an army style portable building west of the main quadrangle. For a fresh-faced, unsophisticated and naive 11Y" year old, Henry thought his form teacher - Shirley Mason (now McCasker) was so absolutely gorgeous - a person with such command and elegance. Some of the students of that year were Peter Bavington, David Sloan, Noel Sonerman, Russell Williams, Terry Comber, Brian Wallace, Sidney Goidois and Jessie Grima ... girls weren't an interest in those days - it was billy carts and bicycles. ln those early days, Henry would cycle up to Yallourn North from Morwell via Tom's Bridge and aim to make a faster overall point to point time each venture on weekends. Transportation to school was via Latrobe Valley Buslines in either a 'federal' bus, a 'white' bus or the 'Reo' semi-trailer. Henry met the La Mode lndustries Reo semi at the bottom of Church Street Morwell after it disgorged the working La Mode girls at the factory. lt entered the La Mode factory at the Collins St (west side) driveway and the school kids waited inside the grounds to start the pick up route to YES. The interesting make up of the rear seat of the semi was a pecking seat order. From the passenger (kerb) side corner sat Tom Griggs, then Henry, then Geoff Wigg, his brother Murray Wigg, then Geoff Pickburn and in the driver side corner was John McCarrick. This pecking order came about as the majority, except Tom Griggs, started with the Reo semi at La Mode. Henry graduated to the rear seat by about third form. Somehow the return home was done in different makes of buses. The old 'white' was the slow coach and had to be nursed by the driver, whereas the 'federal' was a flyer. The girls up front coaxed the drivers to get up a bit of speed and race past the other buses back to Morwell. School dress was the regulation uniform and an annoyance to the Prefects at bus afternoon collection was the school cap. The idea was to order it a size smaller and if possible, wash it so it shrunk and always carry it in one's back pocket. When checked by a Prefect, one could pull out this small unit that sat on the hair like a pimple. The Prefects gave up in disgust after trying a blitz of wearing correct attire. Henry well remembers a classmate who had a long trip to get to school. He was Noel Sonerman whose parents had a small dairy farm 10 acres on the foothills of the Jeeralangs between Boolarra and Yinnar. After getting up with the sparrows and helping with milking, to get to school he rode his bicycle to the Midland Hwy, caught a bus, which brought children into Morwell, to connect with the bus to YES. The school day was a long one for Noel as milking awaited him when he got home. On cold frosty mornings, he filled the handlebars with boiling water with corks in the ends, but the water was cold before he got to the bottom of the hill to meet the bus. The class ratio boys to girls was fairly even in 1C and 2C. After becoming dux in 2C, Henry was 'elevated' to 3A where he joined David (Jimmy) Wallace, Daryl Raggart, Geoff Wigg, Ray Stewart, Tom Griggs and Ron Rawiller, and the topic of conversation on Monday mornings was a complete review and taking off of the expressions and bylines of the previous night's (Sunday) Goon Show. The teachers and senior students Henry remembers involved in the annual production of a Gilbert & Sullivan play were Jean Birt (English teacher) lsobel McLaren, John Tremain, Val Pyers and Tom Dooley. A memorable aspect of YES wintertime activities was the cookery classes output of soup for 6d per enamel mug each day (or was it 3d?). The cookery teacher managed the soup and it was served through a window off the verandah in the south west corner of the quadrangle to the south of the main staff room and main quadrangle. Some other teachers Henry remembers were Mr Cass and Mrs Parsons. They gave him the subject presented in such a way to make it understandable and enjoyable.
