Christchurch Girls’ High Old Girls respond to Fay Weldon – 3

Part 3 Dorothy -22/04/03

Biddy Pollard (née Davies) wrote to The Listener expressing her concern about the publication of the extract from “Auto da Fay”.
Her letter was published under the heading, “Speak, Memory”.

“I was a pupil of Christchurch Girls’ High School at the same time as Fay Weldon and in the extract from her autobiography (“Auto da Fay”, May 18) there are gross inaccuracies. (1) Despite her statement that she watched the school buildings being demolished in 1990, they are still there. (2) There was no Form 3S of which she claimed to be a member. (3) There were only two overhanging trees, walnuts, under which we found welcome shade to have lunch; hardly a gloomy, “uneasy” area. (4) The whole playground, of inadequate size, was used to capacity, with tennis and tenniquoit courts, lawn, swimming pool and bike sheds. Cranmer Square and Hagley Park provided overflow space for extra recreation and sports. Hardly room for ghostly areas where nobody played. (5) Our teaching staff, while being strict and awe-inspiring, earned our respect as we matured. Dedicated intellectuals, they inculcated a lifelong love of learning. (6) The so-called “pash” or adolescent hero-worship was innocent and harmless, which is more than can be said of many adolescent opposite-sex relationships in today’s society.
“Naming people was both tactless and tasteless. Most pupils of that time treasure years of happy memories, as demonstrated by the huge enthusiastic reunions. I doubt if Weldon’s warped imaginings will affect the numbers who will attend the imminent 125th celebrations.” Biddy Pollard (Cashmere, Christchurch)

She has called her reminiscences “A Crocodile in the Hills”

Christchurch Girls’ High School Tramp Club 1942-1946

“Memories of the 2nd World War are vivid: many fathers overseas, long casualty lists in “The Press”, black-outs, ration books, Canterbury College students manpowered for the holidays into the railway yards and the pickle factory, with elder siblings coming home with intriguing stories of life in a previously unheard-of social class.

“School routine seemed unaffected except for an occasional air-raid evacuation practice. Having just begun a fearsome maths test I still remember the surge of relief when the electric bell sounded its continuous warning. Together with St. Margaret’s, Cathedral Grammar and Normal Schools we streamed out of Cranmer Square by the hundreds into trenches under the trees in Hagley Park. A miraculous reprieve!

“Extra-curricular activities in the weekends were limited by lack of money and transport. Very few people owned cars, petrol was rationed, so young and old rode bicycles, steering wheel to wheel in city and suburbs. Since we were depression children our expectations of family outings were not great. Of necessity the work ethic took priority, especially with more women in the workforce, and we had weekend chores.

“So it was with great anticipation and alacrity that G.H.S. Tramp Club enthusiasts sallied forth every third Saturday. Open to all pupils, outings were organised by a committee of three seniors and supervised by staff member Ruth Michel née Harris. About forty girls gathered at the station or tram stop wearing our navy box-pleated serge tunics, ties and blazers; we were permitted to remove our Panama hats when out of sight of houses. Ruth led us, with Gertie Batchelor at the tail accompanied by her dog. Other staff members occasionally joined us, including Eileen Fairbairn and Helen Hervey.

Crocodile at lunch at Witches Hill
Crocodile at lunch at Witches Hill with Miss Harris, Miss Batchelor and Sam the dog. Click here for a larger version

“The first trip of the year was always an easy 10 mile picnic to initiate the new third formers gently: the 10am Lyttelton train, Diamond Harbour launch, Camp Bay for swim and lunch. Other forays: Witches Hill from the nearly vertical Lyttelton side down Rapaki Track to the St. Martins tram, Mt. Herbert Peak where snowball fights were not unknown, the 17 miles from Diamond Harbour to Governors Bay and over to the tram at the Takahe. This last tramp is always brought to mind when I smell wild wallflowers and gum trees, which lined the quiet shingle roads round the bays. The longest tramp was a 23 mile circle from the Takahe through Governors Bay, Gebbies Pass and back round the Summit Rd.

“A favourite was from Lyttelton via Godley Head and Boulder Bay to Sumner. At that time there was a very real threat of Japanese invasion; Australia had been shelled, and Japanese submarines had been spotted in our waters. The harbour, it was surmised, would be vital to them, so guns in concrete bunkers bristled round the Heads, protected by high security fences, round which we skirted to drop down to Boulder Bay. Sumner beach was hideous with huge barbed wire rolls and an enormous ditch running the entire length of the beach as a tank trap.The sandhills disappeared, so years later, after many street floodings, rocks and a concrete wall replaced them.

“In all these delightful expeditions I don’t remember one complaint or behavioural problem.

“Through the Tramp Club our horizons were broadened both literally and figuratively:

We experienced at an early age the exhilaration of feeling part of the natural surroundings; appreciation of sea, earth and sky, in all seasons and in all moods.

Mixing with different levels and classes gave us a depth of understanding of the entire school.

We learnt that our teachers were not only human, but friendly and likeable too; we enjoyed chatting with them, and they with us. This was a valuable lesson especially for timid third formers; seniors were already enlightened as to their inestimable value. In my last year as a praefect I organised the tramps. To my shame I don’t ever remember a word of thanks to those dedicated teachers who, giving up so many Saturdays year after year, nurtured within us the priceless free pleasure of walking on the hills.

“Now, sixty years later, I stride less than nimbly over those same tracks, and a lot less mileage is covered. When I described to my walking group those joyous G.H.S. outings they gazed at me with astonishment mixed with some amusement as they envisaged our meticulously uniformed, self-disciplined crocodile wending its way up, down and round the hills that we learned to love for life.”

Biddy Pollard (née Barbara Davies).

Career planning Margery Blackman recalls how we were encouraged to set our sights high towards university qualifications and options beyond what were regarded as the usual careers for girls at that time – teaching, nursing, office work, retail ….
She recalls that when she told Miss Wilson that she wanted to train as a nurse she was encouraged to do a science degree as well as this would increase her career options.

The School’s legacy to us When the girls of our generation left Christchurch Girls’ High School most of us carried with us a belief that women could be high achievers and a strong desire to use to the full the education we had received.

Editor’s note In case the term crocodile is not widely used elsewhere I add the definition from The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Englisha line of people walking in pairs.