DIDJA KNOW?

COINCIDENCES or WHO'D A THOUGHT IT?

Elaine Saunders taught with Grahame K in Goodooga in 1978-79.


Marion [Smith's] groomsmen at her wedding in 1968 were Doug Walker (below) and Graeme O'Brien. Lenore Grunsell was bridesmaid.





Marion went to Mortlake PS in the fifties with Lynn Ludwig, Graeme O'Brien and Greg Ponchard (64/65).

Marion (below) went through Burwood Girls High with Pat Walshe (64/65)




George Revalds-Lubens partnered Marion Smith at Grad Ball 1964


Grahame Keast taught with Mario Biasutti in 1965. Mario lives just out of Mittagong.


Marion once dated Jock! He's still got some flair and panache. After all these years!




Rob Hughes: I have an account with ING Direct bank. They advertised for existing customers who would volunteer to be a part of a new advertising campaign. I put my hand up, did an audition, and was selected. Yesterday I spent all day in a TV studio, playing the ING tune on my sax and saying "It's your money!" like Billy Connolly. It'll probably be edited down to about a two second appearance in ING Direct's TV ad, which will go to air pretty soon.




It was a great experience. All day my fellow 'stars' and I were being referred to as 'the talent'. Catering provided a fancy lunch, and wardrobe and styling fussed over our makeup and hair. I quickly got used to it. Look for me on a TV set near you in mid August.


I suppose we should take note of the fact that Rob Hughes married Marion’s niece and Dougie's daughter!! (He’s a marriage celebrant!)


The Keasts and the Smarts toured the States together back in 1971. They shared a room at the Sweetheart Desert Bell Wedding Chapel Motel in Las Vegas on Christmas Day 1971.


Grahame K partnered Di [Edwards] Groenewegen (below) in 1963 and Barb [Powell] Luelf at grad 64. Barb has been involved in Isolated Children's Committees I believe. No wonder, she lives at Rankin Springs or out that way.




Greg Ponchard (64/65), David Baker and Graeme O’B were in the same class for the first 3 years of high school at Homebush Boys High.


Grahame K taught with Jackie [Ames] Rowan in 1968-69. He whizzed her in 1964. She married an aggie.
Grahame K taught with Jean [Parmenter] Crouch in Cooma around 1986. Jean was WWTC 64/65.


At one stage George Lubans, Dennis Forsythe and Graeme O’B were Head Teachers Mathematics in adjacent Newcastle schools viz Warners Bay HS, Cardiff HS and Wallsend HS respectively with David Mann at Gloucester HS.


Graeme O’B was offered the HT Mathematics at West Wyalong to follow Dennis F but did not accept it.


Julianne Melville and Janet Lane attended Balmain Teachers College together in the 60s. They met at a WWTC gathering in 2008 at Marion’s place for the first time since they’d left teachers college. Julianne had married Rob Hughes and Janet had married Graham Wright! They both attend WWTC gatherings regularly these days with their husbands.


Graham Wright (Prestons PS) and Grahame Keast (Liverpool PS) played cricket against each other around around ’54-’55. Then they played together while at Hurlstone Ag High. At WWTC they played against each other, GW with Leagues Club and GK for West Wagga.



Graham W has been into roses and chooks pretty heavily. He was president of the state rose society for 4 years and has been a national and international judge as well. He has been quite successful showing his roses too, winning Australian Champion on more than one occasion. As well as having the opportunity to travel all over Oz, he was also judging in Osaka, Japan at one stage. When he's not showing or judging roses, it's chooks!


Fay [Bailey] - that's what she looked like then - hadn’t got around to cashing in her book vouchers she’d received on graduation. She got a few! So, a few years after the event, as a married girl, she wrote to M Hale and said that her vouchers were in pounds (£) and we had now moved to decimal currency ($) AND her name had changed because she had married Grahame Keast. Fay received her reply with vouchers made out to Mrs Fay Keast in dollars. M Hale wrote a note to her which included the phrase “you could have knocked me over with a feather…”




Did you know that:
Cookie [Masters] may retire in July 2011; at least she has given an indication!!! She says she enjoys the work too much to do so now.
Bruce now works four days a week for their oldest son Greg who is Deputy at Strathfield South High;
That Bruce’s ‘work’ does not include teaching but ‘special projects’ which just happen to include in 2009:
Looking after the PE faculty
Sports Organising
Celebration assemblies
Fortnightly newsletter
Cookie and Bruce spent 14 days with our youngest son, Justin, in Singapore last holidays and did a week’s trip into Vietnam with his wife Michelle and 2 year old Cooper while there.
The attached photo was taken in Japan in 2008; I was tempted to do some ‘air brushing’ to remedy the changes since college.

Wendy [Michie] Lambert and Judy [Wilson] James lived in the same street in Deniliquin and went to school together. Have been and still remain good friends to this day.

Bill Semple (below) taught with Judy [Wilson] James (above) at Hillston Central School at the same time, were even next door neighbours! And all up have lived in the same town, at the same time 3 times. Hillston, Hay and Orange!! [That’s called stalking Judy!]








I think, (says Judy [Wilson] James), but you would have to check this with June [Alden] Armytage, I think June and I shared a flat when we taught at Balranald in our first year out. But I left after 2 terms 'cause I hated it with a passion....not sharing with June, teaching in general!
Maybe you could give me a contact number so we can relive those days!!



June [Alden] Armytage was librarian at Conargo, just out of Deniliquin for the last part of her teaching career. They were so impressed with her that they named the library after June this year. What an honour.


One day in about 1995 when Bernie Fitzpatrick was DP at a certain high school in the infamous Green Valley he was talking over lunch with the newest member of staff whose surname just happened to be Smart. WWTC memories of Jim and Jan had crossed his mind a couple of times, but in the busyness of the school day the thought didn’t get much of a chance to materialise. Then Bernie just happened to reminisce about his years teaching at RAAF School Penang in the early ‘70s. Selina Smart was straight onto it. Her parents had also been teaching at RAAF School, a few years after that, she said. That was the catalyst that was needed. Bernie mentioned that he remembered a Jim Smart and a Jan Ferguson who were an item at WWTC back in ‘64. Wondered whether they ever tied the knot. Then Selina was out with it: “Do you know Keasty?” she asked, with a big grin on her face. She reckons she grew up with Keasty more like her uncle than just a friend of her parents. Used to holiday with them almost every year. [Guess where? Cudmirrah where Keasts have just moved to.]
Bernie’s comment about Selina, after watching her success in the classroom, enthusing kids from backgrounds not usually noted for their academic motivation, was that she was amongst the most talented new teachers he had worked with. On ya, Jim and Jan. That’s one terrific daughter you’ve got.






Avans (folding caravans) are becoming quite popular: Following people have moved into Avans – O’Briens, Fitzpatricks, Smarts, Keasts and Griffins. Any others?


Rob Hughes and Sue [Upton] King went to high school together in Canberra. Ida Brown was also at the same school.


Cyn Richardson and Sue King are still in touch via skype, email and visit each other.


Sue K bumps into Marilyn Johnson (Twinks) every now and then. She just survived the fires in Canberra. She married a guy from 64-65, Politi. Twinks' brother Tim married Anne Shillabeer – Sue’s room mate!
Mavis Morris married a guy with surname Lupton. Close?
Sue K still sees Geoff Cleary around town; Geoff Deards, Pierre Proctor occasionally. She sees Colleen [Duff] Lees regularly at the races.
There are a lot of WWTC folk in Canberra!!


Here are some folk who graduated in 1964 and married – Graham Roberts & Dale Reed, Jim Smart & Jan Ferguson, Bob Armytage & June Alden, Bob Tobin & Ros Lyle, John Griffin & Joy Diehm (both of them below), Grahame Keast & Fay Bailey, Bob Cureton (63)& Colleen Brophy, Bruce Lucas & Laraine “Cookie” Masters (65), Bernie Fitzpatrick (65) & Janice Kerin. Have I missed anybody? Probably. Let me know. How about Dave Giles and Lyn?




Fay [Bailey] was dating Dennis F. The only photo she had of her fella was one of Dennis and Grahame K. She didn’t know at the time that the photo could be (and would be) re-cycled. Talking of photos, the first photo Mrs Bailey saw of Grahame K – her future son-in-law, was one of GK, Rob Hughes and John Hanlon in 2 piece swimmers during the women’s dive at college!


Who’d a-thought-it? Dr Vanlyn Davy! Congratulations mate! If only the lecturers knew!





Did you know that:
Lleyton Hewitt got his “c’mon” from Keasty? We agreed to meet on the hill during the ashes test in ’66. Couldn’t find him until a series of “c’mon’s” echoed around the ground.

A bloke called “Pixie” was a hooker?

In the early nineties Bob Hughes answered the phone by asking: “Are you getting out at 55?”

Who gave “instant” O’B the name? I know that it was at the first dance of 1963 in the dining room and we all know the reason for it.

Some fools used to go to the level crossing at the back of the college at midnight to see the Southern Aurora go through. Why? [Hey Elwin, I thought it was more like 3 am!!]

Merv Smith (below) was drafted into the army. Instead a sending a very fit and toughened young soldier to Viet Nam they put him in Concord Repat. Hospital. I don’t think many of the young nurses could believe their luck. [Editor: I believe Rob Hughes was also drafted but his hearing wasn’t good enough! Sorry, what did you say? Damn good deaf musician if you ask me!]




It was great being on the staff with Sandy Booth at Mulwala Central in 1965-6. Every morning her greeting was “I hate this place!”

Graham Roberts was no George Freeman. On his advice we backed three horses at Rosehill in about 1968. There were only four horses in the race. You guessed it. They came second, third and fourth, with a dividend paid only on the winner!

It was great seeing the crew at the re-union in Canberra in 2004. While I haven’t changed a bit, I thought some of you guys had aged a little.

Submitted by EJL.

So, do you know all these fellas? Easy eh? Four 3 year men!! Two graduated with 52%, and the other two got 51%. The reckoned they had all over studied a bit!

If there are enough other bits, send them in and we'll have a 2nd innings!