Richard Bush YHS 1955 “Must be part of the uniform “ It’s well worn but in good shape. The badge is pinned proudly to the front. The stripes around the edge are as straight as the yellow band on Elaine Verey’s marching tunic. The lining is worn silky smooth - a sheen derived from years of coal dust and Brylcream (or was it Californian Poppy). The brand is “Tee Dee” – probably the initials of a small manufacturer from the days when clothing was made in Fitzroy or Collingwood. Inside it says “Size: six and seven eights” which was supposed to be a large size. To look at it now you’d think it wouldn’t fit a primary school boy. Put it on and it’s like a shrunken appendage sitting far to the north of the brow. It may have worked for a cub scout but not for a teenage boy worried about his bodgie hairdo. George Ellis decreed it must be worn whenever one was in uniform and outside the school boundary. Making us wear it just meant we tried to look ridiculous – which wasn’t hard. Even in its day, it looked out of place on an Australian schoolboy and didn’t serve to keep the Australian sun out of the eyes. The girls were better off with berets. They could even look stylish in a soldierly sort of way. Headgear with a brim would have been better.
