Stories

In 1947 when I was ten years old and living with my family on a farm at Wagerup in the South West, my mother became very ill and was hospitalised and/or confined to bed at home. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for help, so I was kept home from school to care for my mother and two younger siblings. I also had two brothers who were attending school and my father had to go out to work each day.

In 1983 my parents decided to go on a trip around Australia for a year. This was my first year of high school (Year 8 in those days) so I did my school studies with the Distance Education Centre (DEC).

Pam Clarke taught Maths at SIDE over many years in the Middle School and Secondary School. She recounts some memorable experiences working with students and their families.

In 1936 I passed an enjoyable year in the Infants Class with the WA Correspondence School. My teacher gave me great encouragement with her friendly and helpful remarks on my papers, and her remarks were copyplate legible.