Kim Odgers ........ and a battered box of beaut memories

Deep down and at the back of a rarely used cupboard in my house sits a battered box of Telopea memorabilia. I had forgotten I had it really until this recent xmas when one of my grandchildren launched into the cupboard contents, seizing on my old LP collection. I assume, given his age, he thought them merely Frisbees and was busy whistling them into my neighbouring reserve before I final grabbed his wrist preventing The Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers” suffering the same fate.

Anyway, about this battered box.

I noticed it as I was stacking back what was left of my LP collection. It is a treasure chest of TPHS memorabilia. Class and sports team posed photographs took up a lot of the space. Piled on top of these photographs were several issues of “Capitol” that for some reason contained a number of short stories and poems submitted by me anonymously. What was going on in those days?

I had kept many of my school reports that I still intend to keep away from my children.

Most of us also have what is listed above. I have a TPHS hockey pennant flag won mostly through the efforts of Norm Collings and I – OK, with perhaps a little help from Gerrin Hingee. There is a scattering of school cadets’ souvenirs.

Also in the box is my Griffith Primary school badge. This badge, featuring a rampant red griffin, was distributed to each student of that very first Griffith Primary year. This new Primary area arrangement was the only year I was not in TPHS during my entire schooling journey.                          

                                                                                   

Each griffin badge was uniquely numbered on the back – mine was 84. I can remember the great George Hurrell requesting that we return to the school after 50 years and donate the badge to the school records. I did just that only to find the school permanently closed.

Still working through my treasure box……

I have kept no favoured pics of favoured teachers. No surprises there. I do have a schoolyard pic of Sue Miller taken with my brownie-box, who I had a huge crush on. The long grey skirt does not cut it in 2012, but looked fine to me in ’63. I have a small, neatly folded female hanky, origins unknown. Initials JS - a mystery.

Anyway, that’s it. A battered box with beaut memories.