Memories from Peter Luff from the 1940s

I have spent some time trying to remember the names and faces of students in my years at Palmyra Primary. I’m not doing too well however as I have only got to 25 full names and 2 first names. From memory there were about 53 students in my year. I started in 1945 and share fond memories of Mrs Lothian and also, the love of my life at the time, Ruth Jackson. Ruth had a beautiful singing voice and I caught up with her a few years after leaving Paly when she was singing on stage in the Perth Town Hall.

I am attaching a couple of photos that may bring back some memories to a few. Above is when we were planting a tree for Arbor Day, the first Friday in June 1948. From the right are Ross Purser, Evan Hinckley and myself holding the spade. I can’t clearly recall the other two chaps although the second from the left could be Teddy Watson.

This one  is the infants class of 1940. This was Mrs. Lothian’s class.

Peter Luff

It’s a small world

In 3rd Standard as it was known in 1950 we had the popular  Emmy George as our teacher.

Emmy was my father’s cousin and she was the daughter  of G.C. Smith the creator of the well known monumental business in Fremntle and  now O’Connor. Later in life 11years on,  I met a trainee teacher (and  married her) who did her first “prac” with Emmy over at Bicton. It turned out  that Emmy was at teachers training college with my wife’s late mother and they  knew each other. As I said, it was a small world back then…..it is somewhat  different now!

Les Smith