MR.B.BLOWERS
TEACHER AT ELMBRIDGE
This page created using photo's and memories sent to me by Mr Blowers
and His daughter Anne (Angela) the first baby born at Elmbridge.
Mr, Blowers, Anne, Mrs, Blowers and Carol outside their house in Australia.
Anne, her son Ben, and Mr, Blowers circa 2000
**********************************************************************
My First 2 years in Australia
by B. Blowers.
We arrived in Adelaide on February 6th, 1959 after a one month sea journey. The South Australian Education Department had houses and teaching positions waiting for us, their being 14 teachers and their families on the boat. It was late on a Friday, so we decided to shop on the Saturday to equip the house with essentials. That was the first mistake of many!! Promptly at 11 a.m. the shop assistants donned their hats and walked out, leaving us and other customers standing at the counter to be served. Football was more important to them!!
We then decided to seek out our house, but had to rely on public transport. The bus was very old and crept along very slowly. When the driver needed to turn right, he pulled a lever and out shot a metal hand on the end of a stick, to indicate his intentions. Having endured this uncomfortable journey, we reached our new abode only to find that the key had been left with the neighbour who had decided to go out for the day, so we had no choice but to go back to the Guest House where we had been staying.
We finally moved into the house on the Monday, the same day that I had to start teaching, leaving Mrs. Blowers to shop for our furniture. She was promised faithfully that it would be delivered that day but by almost 5pm it still hadn’t arrived. She rang the store and spoke to several people until the General Manager finally spoke to her and agreed to send the mattresses out by taxi that evening. An uncomfortable nights sleep was had by all sleeping on the floor. The next day, the beds, table and chairs etc all arrived, much to our relief.
We lived there for 6 months when I was asked to move to Moonta to teach. I said Yes, not knowing where it was or anything about it. We were given a big old house with 9ft ceilings which all had pressed patterns on them. It was a little way out of town. Sometimes Anne would have to walk home from school. It was not too pleasant walking past long stretches of salt bush on a hard road surface. It was worse when it was the nesting time for magpies as they would swoop down from the trees and try and peck her head. They were so vicious she soon learnt to put her bag over her head for protection and run as fast as she could.
There were no cupboards in the house, so the first night we put our clothes on chairs. The next morning, Mrs. Blowers picked up her clothes and was horrified when a mouse jumped out of them. That was not the only mouse we had!! As we sat at the breakfast table in the huge kitchen, mice were running around us playing chasey!! As you can imagine, the first available free time I had was spent plastering up holes in the walls and nailing pieces of tin over holes in the floors.
Moonta was an old copper mining town started by Cornish folk, but they gradually left when the mines became flooded and unworkable. It was pretty dead when we got there with a lot of shops boarded up with only a few remaining to service the community.
I spent 3 days at Moonta Mines School and the boys from Moonta came there 1 day a week and 2 days at Wallaroo School that was 10 miles away. The school at Moonta Mines originally catered for 350 pupils but had dropped to around 55. Several classrooms were unused and were occupied by pigeons, leaving their trade marks everywhere.
The days I went to Wallaroo I ate my packed lunch at the beach. It was a lovely big flat sandy beach and cars could drive on it. One day I fell asleep in my car on the beach and to my surprise I woke up to find I was surrounded by water. Fortunately, I was able to drive off and back to school, and in time I might add!! It was at Moonta that I had my first experience of a local Aussie football match. The spectators sat in their cars around the oval and at the slightest attempt by their team to score, everyone honked their horns sending out a deafening noise.
I had some good times at Moonta, especially with a farming family we got to know. They lived near us and ran a big sheep station a few miles outside Moonta. They would organize fox shoots at lambing time and invited me to go. We would travel around in a truck, 4 on top and 2 in the cabin. Two had lights and 2 had guns. The lights would show the sheep with green eyes and the foxes had the red eyes. When we saw any red eyes, we sped off at great speed until we were near enough to shoot. On a good night we would collect between 10 and 15 foxes. On one occasion I said I would not mind having a hare to cook as there were lots around. To my amazement, 4 of the fellows jumped out of the truck and ran around the nearest hare in ever decreasing circles until the scared animal eventually tried to make a break for it, the idea being that one of the fellows would pounce on it as it tried to get away.
Another enjoyable time I had was at Wallaroo. A party of us from Moonta would go spear fishing at a lonely beach. We would spear the fish and put them in a sack. The wives would then drag the sacks along the edge of the water. We caught plenty of fish but the flies!! There were millions of them and they would cover everyone's back so you couldn't see a bit of clothing. It was unbelievable. Talking of flies, we had the biggest of flies come into our kitchen. They were known as blowflies. Mrs. Blowers had a knack just opening up a little of the window and letting them go between the glass and the fly wire. They ended up in quite a heap and then from the outside we would take off the fly wire and they would then fall out dead.
During those days of diving, I had one or two scares with stingrays and one day a shark came between another diver and me. A third fellow threw a bottle at it and I scampered out of the water and up the beach at a great rate of knots!!
We had lived in Moonta for 18 months when I received a call from the State Inspector requesting me to take up a position in Adelaide teaching students from the Training College.
**************************************************************************
Driscol giving Carol and Anne a ride
Carol on path leading to our house at Elmbridge
Anne at side of house at Elmbridge
Mrs Blowers, Anne and Carol with their first car
The House at Moonta
The sports pavilion
The Staff and Boys
Bringing in the hay
Hay Barn
Boys building sports pavilion
Boys building hay barn
Calf House
Inside the Calf House
Foundation of Calf House
Green house near Mr. Jacksons dark room building
Boys clearing snow
Plucking the Turkeys
YFC dinner
YFC dinner
YFC Head table
YFC Mr. Blowers presenting an award
Young farmers with an award
Young Farmers getting an award
YFC produce display
Flooding at the Young Farmers Field
YFC Basketry Demonstration
****************************************************************************
Life in Australia- Part 2 by Mr. B. Blowers.
Life settled down a bit when we moved back to Adelaide. I worked in a centre as a Demonstration teacher and students from the Teachers' College came out to me for 3 days a week to teach the children there. I would then assess them in a teaching situation. One morning a week I had a group of deaf and dumb boys from the nearby Special School. That was quite a challenge!!!!
After 4 years, the Department decided to discontinue teaching craftwork in Primary Schools so the centre was closed. I was transferred to High schools in the metropolitan area as a Senior Master. I taught woodwork and technical drawing and was in charge of metalwork, plastics, applied electricity and at co-education schools domestic science too.
One of the schools I taught at was in an area where there were mostly English migrant families, but it was a 22 mile journey for me. A group of 4 teachers arranged to meet in Adelaide and car pooled by taking it in turns to drive to school. I was unlucky in that I often had to attend meetings which meant I had to drive all the way to school as I had to leave before the others. I remember one conference I went to for 3 weeks was held in the former family home of Alexander Downer who is now Australia's Foreign Minister. It was a lovely home in the Adelaide Hills.
When we were moved from Moonta to Adelaide, the Department housed us in the northern suburbs but we weren't very impressed with the area so after about 8 months we bought a house south of Adelaide where we felt more at home. Unfortunately it meant Anne had 5 school changes in 3.5 years and Carol had 2, but we decided it would be the last move for a while.
The next year, Mrs. Blowers took up her old occupation of a legal secretary, which she enjoyed doing. She would take the girls to school and then catch the bus into town, which only took 12 minutes. Coming home she would meet the girls and walk home with them. Later when they reached High School age they cycled until the last year when they had their own cars.
In September each year we took our annual holidays as it was the coolest time of the year and we visited most places of interest in South Australia. Once we went with a group of teachers and their families to Broken Hill (Pro Hart, the artist's country), and the men were taken down a silver and copper mine. We often hired a caravan or stayed at motels. One of the places we visited was the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier. The water changes colour to a bright blue overnight once a year. Even the bath water turns this lovely blue. We have been interstate for holidays too, to Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory to see Alice Springs and Ayers Rock.
Our last holiday as a family was a cruise on the Ocean Monarch around the islands in the Pacific Ocean. We went ashore at several places including Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia. The girls were growing up now and had boy friends and we knew they wouldn't want to come along with the “oldies ” on holidays any more.
So life went on year after year. “The girls both went to Teachers” College and University then married and left home. I took early retirement and Mrs. Blowers and I bought 10 acres of land, had a house built and developed a small holding where we became almost self-sufficient. We had an enclosed orchard of 14 fruit trees with a plot in the centre to grow vegetables and strawberries. We also had a few nut trees.
I built 2 bird aviaries to house the various finches and parrots that I had already started to breed and we of course kept chickens and bees. One of our new ventures was hatching and rearing quail. One day we had a power failure which meant no heat in the incubator. I phoned the electricity company and out roared 2 large vans with generators for our little incubator!!
We also bought day old calves at the market and fattened them up, and later we acquired a house cow which we had artificially inseminated. We kept ourselves, family and friends in meat!! The first 2 calves we bought caused us some trouble. One was friendly but the other was a wild Hereford. We couldn't go near it and it bolted down the paddock when we took it home. Of course it made the other calf nervous with its bellowing. We were glad when the time came for it to be sold, so I built an enclosure with a ramp and gradually persuaded them to enter the area with hay over the next couple of weeks, so by the time the lorry came for them they just walked up into it and the fellow didn't have to use his prodder at all. After that we made sure we bought day old calves even though they needed more attention with the hand feeding.
Our property was on the plains, with almond groves stretching up to the hills, turning the area white when the trees were in blossom. We were only 2 minutes from a long and sandy beach which you could drive along and watch the dolphins at play in the shallow water. There was a little township with a Post Office, Doctor's Surgery, garage, 2 churches and a General Store. All that has changed we have been told, the area being developed inland from the coast, with housing, shops, a Medical Centre and a Post Office being built nearer the beach. The little town as we knew it is dead!! Shame but such is progress.
We had good times at the property with BBQ's and get-togethers with craft teachers I used to work with and other friends. The thing that got me down the most was the wind. It would blow continuously day after day. One day we had a “willy willy” which lifted up dirt and dust and just twirled it around. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Our neighbour's horse became so frightened it gashed itself on the side of the stable.
As Anne and her son had moved to Queensland by this time, we decided to pack up and join them. We lived with Anne until we found this place which was big enough for 2 families to live separately. It is situated on 4.5 acres and since we have been here a shopping centre has been built only 10 minutes away which is very handy. Development is going on everywhere. One minute there is a block of land, the next a house or units are built on it. We wonder how long it will be before they will want to take over our little area.
I suppose the next thing for us will be a retirement home. Ghastly thought but I guess it has to come.
Incidentally, Carol and her family have moved up here too, and live just 11/2 hours away.
That's all for now folks. I will be glad to hear any news of Elmbridge boys and staff who knew us.
We are planning to concentrate on our Elmbridge experiences some time in the future if we can muster enough energy between us!!
Good luck to everyone.
Best wishes from Bryan (Bert) Blowers, Mrs. Blowers and Anne
**************************************************************
Pesent day photos of Mr. & Mrs. Blowers
**************************************************
The Elmbridge years
Elmbridge School memories
By Mr. B. Blowers.
I joined Elmbridge School staff after a stint in the Navy and 2 years at Teacher's College in London.
Mr. A.E.Clarke was headmaster at that time and I started as a dormitory master in Roding as part of my out of school duties.
My first experience of Elmbridge boys 'fun' as I recall was after a staff vs. boys cricket match when some 'dear little boys' fetched a stretcher from the hospital and as teachers walked back from the sports field offered them a lift but instead diverted towards the pool. When I was caught, (unprepared I might add), I managed
to get my watch off and hand it to someone before I was tipped unceremoniously into the pool.
I also remember being encouraged or was I forced, to try out the rope swing over the canal. Unbeknown to me, the boys had twisted the rope so that as I swung it sent me into a spin and instead of landing gracefully on the other side of the canal, I was twirled around and around in ever decreasing circles finally having to drop off in the middle of the icy waters of the canal. All jolly good fun, but I don't know who enjoyed it the most.
Guy Fawkes Day was fun too and made quite a spectacular event, the whole school walking along the drive with lighted torches. The boys and I made the torches with rags soaked in paraffin tied around a stick. Unfortunately, some boys used string instead of wire and consequently their torches collapsed!! When all the boys were in a circle around the bonfire, a signal was given and they threw their torches onto the huge pile of wood. One year a teacher was late in getting down from the wood pile and had to quickly escape from being Guy Fawkes himself! When the excitement cooled down, the boys roasted potatoes for themselves.
Some boys for fun, would go out and catch snakes that they were not supposed to keep in the dormitories. On one occasion when a maid was cleaning a dorm, a snake slithered along the bedrail and looked her straight in the eye. You couldn't see her for dust and small stones as she fled out of the dorm and did a high jump down the steps. She forgot about her arthritis and lumbago!!
Hands up those boys who were hit by a piece of chalk in the woodwork room! No one found out how I could see so accurately when I had my back to everyone while writing on the blackboard. Well, I will tell you now that I had a secret eye mirror and could see exactly what was happening behind me.
When Mr. Whiskar resigned in 1951 to become Headmaster of Cranleigh Primary School, I took over as leader of the Young Farmer's Club. We had some good times in the YFC although being a member wasn't always fun. Getting up early in the mornings and tending the animals before breakfast especially on a cold frosty morning was not to everyone's liking but it was a taste of what farming was all about.
We achieved quite a lot in the farm field even if I do say so myself and built several buildings including pig sties, calf shed, chicken rearing house and store, hay barn and the glass house in the garden. The boys did a marvelous job and were justly proud of their efforts. We reared a selection of animals to give a varied interest to members and bought and sold as well.
In the poultry section we bred and reared chickens and turkeys. Nearing Christmas time boys were involved in plucking and dressing chickens and turkeys, getting covered in feathers and looking like snow men. Some of the birds were used for the Annual Harvest Home Dinners and members were able to purchase at a nominal price and take home one for their Christmas Dinner tables. One year we had a pig killed and smoked so members were able to take home a piece of ham.
In the garden boys tended the vegetables which were eaten and enjoyed at our Harvest Home Dinners as well as sold during term time to the kitchen for chef to cook for school meals. We also experimented with various fodder crops for the animals to supplement our hay crop.
Harvest Home Dinners held annually were great occasions and started on the 26th November 1951. All members of the club attended together with staff and friends connected with the club. A guest speaker was chosen from either the Education Department or someone from the farming community.
Members of the YFC were also proud achievers of many awards and trophies, some of which were won over several consecutive years. Awards were not only won for farming activities but Public Speaking came into it as well, as we were not out to rear farmers but to give members a solid basis for their lives after their school days.
A few incidents came to me concerning the animals but not directly connected with the club. One was during a school holiday period when the cows got out and roamed down to the canal where the bank was very steep. One of the domestic staff fellows helped me get them back and we thought the only way we could do it was to cut the wire fence on the other side of the canal and drive them around to cross at a more accessible place.
While we were busy with our wire cutters Mrs. Blowers came along shaking a tin of cow pellets which she had seen the boys do and to our amazement the cows scrambled up the bank and followed her. It was difficult for her to go very fast with a child in one arm and the tin of pellets in the other not to mention the muddy ground. She managed to reach the cow shed and gave a sigh of relief when the cows went inside and she quickly shut the door.
Another funny thing I can recall to do with the YFC animals was one day when I was teaching a class in the workshop I heard squawking outside. On running out to see what all the fuss was about, I saw my youngest daughter, Carol, holding a gosling up by its neck and holding and stroking its head, with the rest of the body dangling in mid air!!
Another unfortunate incident comes to mind when a boy misunderstood my instructions and put an oil stove in the chick rearing hut to keep them warm and the whole lot caught fire. I forgive you if the boy concerned reads this!! I purposely haven't mentioned boys by name as there were so many in the club and unfortunately my memory for names was not my best point and it certainly hasn't improved with age.
Also you were all wonderful groups to work with year after year and I would hate to miss anyone out. I feel very fortunate in teaching at Elmbridge School and I enjoyed my time there immensely. I always felt I had the best of both worlds being interested in craft work and farming not to mention the extremely capable and intelligent boys who attended there.
I hope I helped to develop your lives and steer you in the right direction after you left school. I thank you all for helping me along life's path and making my time at Elmbridge School so important to me.
Good luck to everyone. Hope to hear from you soon.
B.Blowers
I would like to thank Mr., Mrs.Blowers and their daughter Anne for the effort they put into
writing these memories down for us. I hope they can be prevailed upon to keep on writing for us.
Click here to return to home page
**************************************************
The Elmbridge years
Elmbridge School memories
By Mr. B. Blowers.
I joined Elmbridge School staff after a stint in the Navy and 2 years at Teacher's College in London. Mr. A.E.Clarke was headmaster at that time and I started as a dormitory master in Roding as part of my out of school duties.
My first experience of Elmbridge boys 'fun' as I recall was after a staff vs. boys cricket match when some 'dear little boys' fetched a stretcher from the hospital and as teachers walked back from the sports field offered them a lift but instead diverted towards the pool. When I was caught, (unprepared I might add), I managed to get my watch off and hand it to someone before I was tipped unceremoniously into the pool.
I also remember being encouraged or was I forced, to try out the rope swing over the canal. Unbeknown to me, the boys had twisted the rope so that as I swung it sent me into a spin and instead of landing gracefully on the other side of the canal, I was twirled around and around in ever decreasing circles finally having to drop off in the middle of the icy waters of the canal. All jolly good fun, but I don't know who enjoyed it the most.
Guy Fawkes Day was fun too and made quite a spectacular event, the whole school walking along the drive with lighted torches. The boys and I made the torches with rags soaked in paraffin tied around a stick. Unfortunately, some boys used string instead of wire and consequently their torches collapsed!! When all the boys were in a circle around the bonfire, a signal was given and they threw their torches onto the huge pile of wood. One year a teacher was late in getting down from the wood pile and had to quickly escape from being Guy Fawkes himself! When the excitement cooled down, the boys roasted potatoes for themselves.
Some boys for fun, would go out and catch snakes that they were not supposed to keep in the dormitories. On one occasion when a maid was cleaning a dorm, a snake slithered along the bedrail and looked her straight in the eye. You couldn't see her for dust and small stones as she fled out of the dorm and did a high jump down the steps. She forgot about her arthritis and lumbago!!
Hands up those boys who were hit by a piece of chalk in the woodwork room! No one found out how I could see so accurately when I had my back to everyone while writing on the blackboard. Well, I will tell you now that I had a secret eye mirror and could see exactly what was happening behind me.
When Mr. Whiskar resigned in 1951 to become Headmaster of Cranleigh Primary School, I took over as leader of the Young Farmer's Club. We had some good times in the YFC although being a member wasn't always fun. Getting up early in the mornings and tending the animals before breakfast especially on a cold frosty morning was not to everyone's liking but it was a taste of what farming was all about.
We achieved quite a lot in the farm field even if I do say so myself and built several buildings including pig sties, calf shed, chicken rearing house and store, hay barn and the glass house in the garden. The boys did a marvelous job and were justly proud of their efforts. We reared a selection of animals to give a varied interest to members and bought and sold as well.
In the poultry section we bred and reared chickens and turkeys. Nearing Christmas time boys were involved in plucking and dressing chickens and turkeys, getting covered in feathers and looking like snow men. Some of the birds were used for the Annual Harvest Home Dinners and members were able to purchase at a nominal price and take home one for their Christmas Dinner tables. One year we had a pig killed and smoked so members were able to take home a piece of ham.
In the garden boys tended the vegetables which were eaten and enjoyed at our Harvest Home Dinners as well as sold during term time to the kitchen for chef to cook for school meals. We also experimented with various fodder crops for the animals to supplement our hay crop.
Harvest Home Dinners held annually were great occasions and started on the 26th November 1951. All members of the club attended together with staff and friends connected with the club. A guest speaker was chosen from either the Education Department or someone from the farming community.
Members of the YFC were also proud achievers of many awards and trophies, some of which were won over several consecutive years. Awards were not only won for farming activities but Public Speaking came into it as well, as we were not out to rear farmers but to give members a solid basis for their lives after their school days.
A few incidents came to me concerning the animals but not directly connected with the club. One was during a school holiday period when the cows got out and roamed down to the canal where the bank was very steep. One of the domestic staff fellows helped me get them back and we thought the only way we could do it was to cut the wire fence on the other side of the canal and drive them around to cross at a more accessible place.
While we were busy with our wire cutters Mrs. Blowers came along shaking a tin of cow pellets which she had seen the boys do and to our amazement the cows scrambled up the bank and followed her. It was difficult for her to go very fast with a child in one arm and the tin of pellets in the other not to mention the muddy ground. She managed to reach the cow shed and gave a sigh of relief when the cows went inside and she quickly shut the door.
Another funny thing I can recall to do with the YFC animals was one day when I was teaching a class in the workshop I heard squawking outside. On running out to see what all the fuss was about, I saw my youngest daughter, Carol, holding a gosling up by its neck and holding and stroking its head, with the rest of the body dangling in mid air!!
Another unfortunate incident comes to mind when a boy misunderstood my instructions and put an oil stove in the chick rearing hut to keep them warm and the whole lot caught fire. I forgive you if the boy concerned reads this!! I purposely haven't mentioned boys by name as there were so many in the club and unfortunately my memory for names was not my best point and it certainly hasn't improved with age.
Also you were all wonderful groups to work with year after year and I would hate to miss anyone out. I feel very fortunate in teaching at Elmbridge School and I enjoyed my time there immensely. I always felt I had the best of both worlds being interested in craft work and farming not to mention the extremely capable and intelligent boys who attended there.
I hope I helped to develop your lives and steer you in the right direction after you left school. I thank you all for helping me along life's path and making my time at Elmbridge School so important to me.
Good luck to everyone. Hope to hear from you soon.
B.Blowers
I would like to thank Mr., Mrs.Blowers and their daughter Anne for the effort they put into
writing these memories down for us. I hope they can be prevailed upon to keep on writing for us.
Click here to return to home page