Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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9 OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 1953-54 President Mr. J. H. Kerry Secretary F. R. Snape COMMITTEE W. Hanlon, R. W. Horsey, J. M. Berridge, S. A. Williams, J. H. Tucker, and the ' Secretary. The Good Old Days, or: A Bermudian Childhood I was born on February 14th. 1938, in a little pink cottage on the South Shore, near Coral Beach. I was the second child, having an elder sister. I do not remember that cottage very well, but after a year we moved to my grandmother ' s house on Ord Road. Here after six months my mother presented us with a young brother named Allan. In my opinion, I was the best-behaved and quietest of the three. One of my earliest memories is of the time when my father and my Uncle Philip were visited with inspiration and placed me on a high chair in the back yard and cut off all my pretty curls. My mother was distinctly annoyed. After my brother and I had started to walk, we used to go to the nearest pile of mud and get some twater to make mud pies . We enjoyed this very much, the only unpleasant part being that we had to have a bath afterwards. When the war started, I vaguely remember my two uncles walking out of the front door to go to England. A little later we moved to Alton Cottage in Pembroke, because my father had to live near town. I distinctly remember the Easter of 1941, because we searched the house for Easter eggs. Allan was, as the saying goes, a gluttonous little boy and always used to say Nice dinner weddy . In 1943 we moveH over to Edgehill where we now live. There were about four and a half acres of land, entirely covered with trees and bushes, and Allan and I, with the help of three Smith cousins, Anthony, Henry and Winston, used to build tree houses and forts. As we were all very nautically minded, we thought of building a boat, so we went down to Burrows Corner Shop and obtained a packing

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8 damages to the plaintiff in the sum of fourpence, and required the defendant to lead his dog in the forthcoming Easter Parade wearing a placard inscribed, Public Enemy No. I — Bantam-killer. Among the debates held during the season were these: — October 1st. — Bermuda is too small a place to live in. Proposer J. H. Kaufmann Opposer W. Hanlon Third F. R. Snape Fourth „...R. W. Horsey The motion was defeated by six votes. October 22nd. — ' The boy of to-day is thoroughly idle. Proposer J. H. Kaufmann Opposer R. W. Horsey Third W. Hanlon Fourth ... S. A .Williams The motion was defeated by two votes. November 26th. — Hat Debate. Impromptu speeches. Among the subjects picked from the Hat were these: — Is man descended from the ape? What do you consider your three most valuable possessions? What I saw on the day of the Royal Visit. Why does a wheel turn? Is parliamentary government the best form of government? Could we do without schools? January 21st. — Unrehearsed speeches under these heads: — The most awkward situation in which I have found myself. Why I enjoy life. What I want to do when I leave school. February 18th. — The scientist is the villian of the 20th. century. Proposer F. R. Snape Opposer F. I. B. Williams Third S. A. Williams Fourth J. M. Berridge The motion was defeated by seventeen votes. The final meeting was devoted to the Visitors Debate, on March 25th, when the ♦Society was pleased to welcome the Rev. Paul Cory. There was a spirited debate on the motion, Newspaper reporters are too nosey , which was carried by the narrow margin of two votes. Proposer J. M. Berridge Opposer F. R. Snape Third Rev. Paul Cory Fourth Mr. M. R. Stevens At the conclusion of the debate tea was served in the Assembly Hall. The Society is grateful to Mr. M. R. Stevens for his constant ' interest and invigorating contributions and to Mr. J. A. Stubbs for his helpful co-operation in the Mock Trial.

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10 case for the purpose. We had been told that wood swells when it is put in water, so we did not worry too much about the numerous cracks and splits. After it had been overboard for a week, we came to the conclusion that it would not float. So we went to my grand- mother ' s house and ' borrowed ' a piece of linoleum; it kept the water out for a while, until it began to rot. When the time came for school, I was anxious to start. I used to watch my sister go off in the morning and 1 wanted to go too. But I soon found that life at school was not as good as I had thought and I began to regret going. Apparently I was not the little angel I was thought to be. I was involved in several fights m the first few weeks and had my mouth washed out for saying — bother . At first I went to school in the mornings only and so I used to spend a considerable portion of my time at the beach. In those days fishermen often used to go fishing off the South Shore and we were able to have some trips with them. My first deep-sea fishing trip is still clear in my mind. A friend had a birthday and he decided to take us all fishing. Unfortunately, it was a rough day, half the boys were sick and only one fish was caught. I remember also, all too clearly, one of the good ' lickings ' I received. ' Someone at school had the bright idea of taking the ends of matches and putting them in the end ol a hollow key; we would then strike it with a hammer and nail. I placed a big charge in the key of my mother ' s cedar book-case and blew it apart. Afterwards I was made to regret it. At this time, we had a coloured gardener, named Israel, who used to cut bushes in the back land. One day my mother did not see him and found all the tools lying in the dirt. In the evening, coming across on the ferry, my father found him working for the Ferry Service, tying up boats; he had evidently tired of gardening. Those were the days, all play and no work worth mentioning. I don ' t think that a child now would have as much fun as we had in those days. For one thing, the children are too spoilt; also the number of motor vehicles makes it dangerous to travel on the roads, when the children are going to the beaches in the summer. A PAGETONIAN .