A new Salem at BGS
Some familiar faces return to BGS.
When I started at BGS in the early 50s as the Junior School Art & Craft, Mabel Fairweather was the head of Junior School.
The Junior School Library fitted a single shelf in her office, every book covered with brown paper. When I left there were over 10,000 books in two converted classrooms.
The Headmaster, Canon Wilson, was a very hands-on person, and often turned up at unexpected moments. One day he appeared to find a class of Junior School boys standing on the seats keeping the cane clean as they wove their wastepaper baskets.
Art classes could go anywhere. Taking the Grade 3 boys, with pencils, paper, and drawing slates across New Street, and down Cramer Street to watch and draw the tram line being removed from outside Middle Brighton Baths was memorable.
The groundsman, Alex, had a wonderful German Shepherd, Betty, who sounded very ferocious, but before school and at the weekends could be seen playing with early arrivals, and during the Athletics season, completing a 100-yard hurdles on the oval. Alex also had a draught horse Nellie which pulled the cart which mowed the oval.
When the Memorial Hall was first opened, the senior boys put on a play for two nights, and it had to be censored. They had a very successful opening night, and the last night the complete uncensored version was played much to the concern of some staff.
