Penhill Junior School

A Memory of Swindon.

Hi, long time ago when time had more meaning the teachers were pleasant and we used to have stars put on the work for good standard ,and smaller classes than today, as at the time I lived in Penhill Drive, my headmaster was a Mr R West used to drive a Morris 1000, at the time the ice cream van used to have such friendly tone and kids used to line up for the treats, where have these days gone as next month I I celebrate my 58th birthday and look back on these times, during my time in Penhill when school had finished, we walked home and my Dad had Bond mini car and I used to wait for him coming home from work, it had such a unusual sound and you could hear the tone of the engine from quite a long way. We did not have computers or other fancy things to help you do the work, just pen and paper, but life was not so strained as today's children have grown up in. Music lessons were so different with say a pair of casternets and if lucky tambourine, but again this did not matter because you managed with these items as money in education was limited I still have a school report from 1961, and class photos from this time, my interests were butterflies, moths and drawing cars and trucks, these have still not stopped as these insects are so few today, I still draw and this skill was given to me by my Dad who celebrated his 92nd birhday last week, sometimes these memories are so vivid and now as carer life is so much different as music in those days was a lunch time band on the radio and with a guest singer this gave me the interest for playing an instrument so many years later my Dad taught me how to play the drums and having played with a big band 3 years ago, this feeling for music came from basic lessons when at the junior school many years before. I would love to hear from pupils who attended all those years ago when life did not go so fast.

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