from Carol WaltersRichard Norris is one of the very few people I do remember from Telopea as he was involved in my first memorable confusion at the school. Probably it was day one, I was 13 years old, had never been to a co-ed school and had no idea where I was or what the rules were. I stopped in the playground to talk to Richard and some others. It didn't seem like a terrible thing to do! A teacher came along and said in a booming voice "No fraternising!!!" As I had not the faintest idea what the word meant I could only gather from his tone that I had done something wrong and should stop doing it!!! No-one had bothered to mention to me the invisible line down the centre of the school which separated boys from girls; seemed a little pointless and strange to me but apparently that was the case. Such was the remaining tone of my time at the school. I was full of confusion, no rules were ever explained. I had never witnessed corporal punishment and was now seeing young boys going off for six of the best routinely. It was a fairly daunting experience, actually it was downright frightening! I coped by attending school less and less until one day my mother noticed me spending time in some of the lovely drainage system Canberra has. At which point I was whipped off to Girls Grammar to continue my dislike of education until the earliest opportunity I had to leave. Richard Norris was one of the few friendly faces I do remember and it is sad to know of his passing. Interestingly each time I received the emails I have read them and each time I have remembered Richard. |