Stories

A Trip Around Yallourn High
David Drane YHS 1960 wrote: I was a student at Yallourn High from 1960 -1964 and have many good memories of the time that I spent in Forms 1C, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5B. I’ll try and take us on a trip around the Classrooms that we spent so much time in. I’m sure that others among us will have similar memories of time spent in these “halls of learning”.

Room 1 was the art room. Located in the boys quadrangle between the Cookery Centre (Home Economics these days?), and the Science Room 2. For a number of years, I had a locker that was just outside this… more

Andrew Spaull YHS 1955 ...from the exhibition “Yallourn Revisited” 1993 It was his own special view (of Yallourn), he claims: revealed only to me as a pubescent paperboy on my daily delivery to the reservoir warden’s home on the hill. On a crisp autumn morning, I would pause for the sun’s first shafts to pierce through the mist below and unmask Yallourn’s sharp and clear and splendid patchwork quilt of bright rooftops, edged by the green hues of trees, and beyond the chocolate brown of the open cut flecked with sliver dredges. Then I would turn my battered bike around and fly down… more

Alex McAllister YHS 1935 sent some details of his background. “I was born in Scotland & together with my parents and brother Tom immigrated to Australia arriving in Melbourne in November 1926 at the age of three. We settled in Melbourne for a time and in 1931 my father obtained employment at Yallourn during the construction period and the family, which included my two brothers Bob & Jim who were born in Australia, moved to Yallourn. I had already commenced school in Melbourne and my first schooling at Yallourn was at the primary school in Fairfield Avenue ,then in grade six up to… more

Tim Harvey, YHS 1971 You might remember Tim’s memories in the last newsletter (Part 1 - Water)....here is Part 2 - Fire: The first group of recollections in this series started with one of the classical elements - water, and it seemed fitting to move to another – fire. Yallourn was overlooked on three sides by symbols of fire and was bounded by a fourth. The first of the three was the chimneys of the power stations, or rather the series of them. The annual reports of the SEC spoke proudly of the smoke pouring from the chimneys. In the fifties, it was a sign of progress. In the sixties, it… more

Terry Heskey YHS 1955 Ex-Yallourn resident, Elsie Heskey, passed away on 20th May 2006 at Atherton, Queensland. I have enjoyed reading the YOGA Newsletters and the article from John Lewis in the June 2007 edition was of particular interest regarding the mid-1950s education system at the YHS. It is the first time I've seen any form of explanation to questions I had pondered since those school days - but it wasn't all bad. On the positive side, I learnt to be a "Tar of Pinafore" and a "Gentleman of Japan" by courtesy of Mr Pyers; the ability to think quickly and duck for cover by courtesy of… more

Steve Gray YHS 1971 On yer bike! As a kid in Yallourn, I distinctly remember standing at the front gate of our house as a very young lad and at a set time each day, a few older guys would ride by on their bikes on their way to work, handle bars turned upwards for comfort and a slow pedalling motion got them there, but not in a hurry. One or two of them used to wave to me and say G’day; I know not who they were but their old bikes carried them forward with a gracefulness and ease I don’t often see these days. My brothers had bikes and even my sister had a big old girls bike, the sort that… more

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… more

Marje Weston (Gray) YHS 1956 photo taken at mini reunion held at Bendigo last year. Left to right are: Annie Clark, Marje Weston (Gray), Jean Robinson (Humphreys), Margot Guzzardi (Teasdale) and Margaret Loft (Browitt) - all 1956ers.” Jean has been over from WA for several months firstly caring for her Mum, and after her death, finalising the estate, so they have taken the opportunity to catch up twice since the YOGA reunion dinner last March in Morwell. We have one more "meeting" planned before she returns to WA - lunch at Kyneton on July 31st. We have had such great nights, and as… more

Steve Gray YHS 1971….
Cubby huts and hidey-holes…
I guess Yallourn was blessed with practically every house having a shed of some kind and we were lucky as we had both a garage and a shed. For our family, the humble shed that was meant for wood and garden implements (after starting its life as an outside toilet) soon became the place to hang out. For us it was the cubby house, a place where stories were told, billy carts and bikes were stored, but more importantly - as a hidey hole for friends to gather.

My sister, Anne, started off having her dolls lined up on shelves… more

Richard Bush YHS 1955 wrote:-
Fathers and Head Masters My father, Jim Bush, had a connection with Yallourn High School in the 1950s beyond his three children attending (aside from me, there was Elisa 1950 and Susan 1953). He was a member of the Advisory Council.

Like many civic-minded men of this pre-TV era, Jim was busy on many committees, although I’m not sure his role on the Advisory Council was very demanding - George Ellis probably had the Council well and truly tamed...but it did mean that Jim was seated with other luminaries on the stage during speech nights at the… more