Wednesday 3rd October

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go on an inspection of an IT work site at Taroona High School at 2.30.

It all felt very strange…

We were in a meeting room on the landward side of the building, so I wasn’t able to gaze out of the window, lost in views of the river, as I did whenever possible when I was a small student there, a very long time ago.

It was a very new school then, all bright and shiny.  It is much bigger now, and slightly less bright and shiny, but still situated in the most magnificent situation possible, right on the Derwent, with two fascinating little beaches just below the sports ground.  I was a dreamy child, not particularly good at concentrating – not much has changed…  I don’t know what I thought about when I gazed out at the river.  I know I was always looking for dolphins, whales, albatross, and that I never saw any of the above. 

Things have changed!  There are now dolphins aplenty in the Derwent, and in the last few years whales have come back to breed, and have been photographed frolicking with their calves right near Taroona High.  If I had a time machine I would go back and tell that small girl, dreaming out the window, that one day she would see MANY albatross and that yes, this would make her very happy.  I would also tell her that life would be good, with many unexpected twists and turns.  I don’t think I would ever then have believed that I would actually sail past those very windows, in a lovely comfy big boat, on my way to the South Pacific!  Or that I would go on day trips down the Channel, past the school, with my ever-growing family, armed with fishing rods and squid jigs.

I have a long association with this school. 

• Dad taught there in 1958, in the very first year, when Taroona High was the very first comprehensive high school in the state. 
• I then went there for two years before leaving for the much gloomier, greyer Launceston High School 
• My then husband Thad taught there from 13^th March 1973 – I remember the date well because it was the day I was in hospital giving birth to Nicky…
• My brothers Pete and Chris were next
• Nicky, Claire and Katy not long after
• Two of my three sons-in-law were also THS students (Stuart and Jeff)
• And now my nephews, Will and Tim – Will has moved on to college but Tim is still there, keeping up the family tradition