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Steve Gray YHS 1971 - continues with his High School - the early bits - Part 2: Form 2 The school persisted with “General Studies” despite some parent’s protests about the lack of resources seeing as the “smart kids” grabbed all the good resources first. We were now in the double portable next to the basketball court; yes still 70 odd kids and yes still with a lot of noise. I have come to realise it’s no wonder I did little work, the noise was (and still is!) a big downfall of mine. I had a great year of day dreaming and my results reflected that.

Margaret Reid YHES 1942 Margaret Reid YHES 1942 Margaret Reid YHES 1942 Margaret Reid YHES 1942 still keeps in contact with Barbara Baker and Ann Griffiths. She writes: "School Days in the 1940s - I commenced in Form 1 of Yallourn Higher Elementary School in 1942. At that time, I lived in Morwell and travelled by school bus to Yallourn. Japan had just entered the war and there was a real fear that Yallourn could be attacked from the air, with the Power Station being the prime target. The SEC arranged for air-raid shelters to be built in the school grounds.

Laurel Dodson (Beasley) YHS 1956 - sent this - which would be quite funny if it wasn’t so close to the truth!!

Scenario 1 Jack goes rabbit shooting before school, pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack. 1959 Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s rifle, goes to his car and gets his rifle and chats with Jack about guns. School goes into lock down. Tactical Response called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his ute or gun again. Counsellors called in for traumatised students and teachers.

John Lewis YHS 1954: My thanks go to David Drane for his "A Trip Around Yallourn High" as it bought back some nice memories. I am surprised David forgot about the location of room 13, as it was right next to room 12! In fact, it was set between rooms 12 and 14. Room 13 was at the end of the building block opposite the boys’ quadrangle. The next block further along, and set at right angles, was separate and made of detached prefabs with two rooms numbered 14 and 15. A similar set of prefabs parallel it, making up rooms 16 and 17.

Gladys Byrne (Meadows) YHS 1940 used to cycle down to Yallourn High School once a week in the 1940s from the Brown Coal Mine State School for their cooking classes. Her son, Graeme, attended Yallourn Primary School and Yallourn Tech and younger daughter, Lynette, also attended Yallourn PS. However, it's Robyn we want to recognise today - Robyn attended Yallourn PS and started Yallourn High School in 1967. On Australia Day, she was awarded an Order of Australia Day medal for her service to the community of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne through health care and legal services.

YALLOURN SOCCER CLUB Barry Hill wrote: "Having been born in Yallourn Hospital in 1962 and been back numerous times before I was 7 (because my arm was constantly being dislocated after my brothers constantly "threw me into the turnbuckle" (our couch) while trying to imitate Mario Milano), I wanted to reach out to those of you who also grew up at this time and played for the great Yallourn Soccer club.

Valma Frost (Hamilton) YHS 1943 by Sonja Bates (Ostlund): It is with much sadness that my life long friend, Valma, passed away in Feb 08 after a battle with cancer. She lived in Yallourn and attended the State School and the High School. She had been a member of the Yallourn Old Girls' Association since it began in 1976 and as a Committee Member, contributed quietly to the running of the group.

Tim Harvey YHS 1971 the next edition: Part 3 - Earth Okay, Part 3 of the continuing series of I-Can’t-Believe-What’s-Still-In-Your-Head-After-AllThese-Years...and we continue thematically through the classical elements. This time, Earth.

Steve Gray YHS 1971: High School the early bits… For me, secondary school was a mixed bag of emotions, some of the guys from primary went to the Tech School, while the rest went to the High School. I guess this happens everywhere, but in filling out the paper work at primary school some were still undecided and many parents made the decision anyway. Day one saw me introduced to a bunch of students from Yallourn North and new-comers from wherever, for a shy kid like me it was strange to have so much to remember, and then to have new names thrown in on top was hard.

Robert Vincent YHS 1954 wrote:

May Hill (Morton) YHS 1929 by Graeme Kitney: May passed away at her daughter’s home, in Canberra, on 27 February 2008. She will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. May was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne UK on 25 May 1917 and at four years old, migrated to Australia with her parents, Alec and Minnie and brother, Bob. They settled originally in Ipswich before moving to Yallourn. May left YHS at 15 and transferred to the Tech to study bookkeeping and on the completion of her course, was employed as a bookkeeper at the Yallourn General Store.

David Andrew YHS 1949

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Anne Anderson (Alford) YHS 1952

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Tom & Maureen Pritchett 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary (Photo attached)

Tom (YHS 1947) wrote this poem for Maureen when he was 20 and had it reprinted in the local paper as a surprise for their 50th wedding anniversary on 29th December 2006:

Tim Harvey YHS 1971 - Yallourn Memories - Water

Steve Gray YHS 1971 on a similar theme: - The Pool

It’s summer, red-hot or not you went to the pool. Yes, the committee who did the fundraising etc did an almighty job, so there was no wasting the opportunity. Some weekends the pool was jam packed with people, even though other towns jumped on the pool bandwagon, people came from all over to enjoy what Yallourn’s pool had to offer.

Lynne Willis (Radford) YHS 1967 wrote:

“I am just writing to let you know of the passing of my Mum, Peg Radford. Mum had been a member of YOGA for quite some years and had been to many reunion dinners etc along with her sister Ethel (Bubs) Parry (dec).

Kate Baker (Jensen) YHS 1962 sent a note to say her father, Tom Jensen, passed away on 30th April 2006 at the age of 91. “In June 1951, Tom joined the Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria. At the end of the war, the Vic Govt was keen to use the State's reserves of brown coal to produce gas. In 1947, two German's - Danulat and Bruggemann - were brought to Australia to investigate using Victorian brown coal for the Lurgi gasification process. In July 1948, they reported it was suitable.

John Lewis YHS 1954 wrote: “Richard wrote that Headmaster "...Ellis didn't administer corporal punishments himself...", and then goes on to say how his deputy Ernie Herman [sic] acted for him in this regard. Well, I am sorry to have to destroy Richard's benign image of the Headmaster. I copped six from Ellis [three on each hand] after being sent to him by Mrs McLaren for not enjoying one of her music classes enough, or maybe for enjoying it too much. I forget which. Also, I think 'Underpants' Ernie's surname was Homan [not Herman].