LOCHWINNOCH PRIMARY - DISTANT MEMORIES
Ian Jack Robertson,
Adeliade,
South Australia.
My name is Ian Jack Robertson, the fourth child of Jimmy and Nellie Robertson who lived at 11 High St., Loch Winnoch. My family later moved to 14 Craw Place, which in those days were known as the New Houses.Rent was three pound a month and for the first time we had a bathroom in the house. My only sister, Rita, James, myself, Gordon and Tommy were all born in the High St house.
I migrated to Adelaide South Australia in 1950 with my wife Jane (Jean) Robertson (nee Quinn) and four children - Maureen, Jim, Helen and Ian. Later Douglas, Anne and Aileen were born in Austraila.
My family's history at the school began in the early 1920s and carried through to 1938 when my younger brother, Gordon Ritchie Robertson, left to start work in 1941 as an apprentice baker in the village. My oldest brother, Thomas (Tommy) Jack Robertson, went to the school from either 1922 or '23 and left to start high school in Paisley aged about 14 in the middle 1930s. He was runner-up in the Dux Medal as the top student in the school to Janet Ross in the late 1920s. My mother never forgave the head master, Mr Teasdale (I think), for overlooking her favourite son.
Tommy later became the Paisley Sherifs officer. Later a wireless opertor/air gunner in the RAF, Tommy didn't return from an air raid over Germany in 1943. He is remembered on the war memorial in the village as Flight Sargent T. J. Robertson.
My own schooling began at the ``Wee School'' in High St, like all the kids in the village, 1929 under Miss McMillan?? I later went to the Big School with people such as Ian Guy (deceased), Lin Cameron - better known as ``Curly'' Cameron - Tom Smith, Jim ?? Jameson (I think), David Henderson, Jimmy Smith, a consistent gambler who was later best known as ``Racheen'' Smith which was the name of a racing greyhound he backed regularly. Some of the girls at the school then were Nettie Beatie, Margaret Holmes,she later became the doctor's (Dr W. Gregor) wife, Cathie Robb, who became a school teacher, Maise?? Bell - the bank manager's daughter. Of course, there were many others but they are too many to mention. We were all great friends and mixed together through our teenage years. Some of them went on to Spiers School, in Beith, at the beginning of WWII, and that's when I lost touch with some of them.
My last two teachers were Mr Miller, a science teacher who also looked after the football team, and Miss Howie. With the football, we were often beaten by eight or 10 goals and I was the goalkeeper. We had such a tiny villiage there wasn't enough good players in the age group to choose from. It was always the same players; you couldn't lose your place because there was nobody to take it. But for all that, in my day four of us - me, Ian Guy, Jimmy Smith and Jay Blackwood - went on to play Junior League after the war. I was the only one of the four who joined the army during the hostilities.
By the time I reached the Big School, Mr Teasdale had retired and Mr Adam, known to all of us as ``Tootie'' Adams. He had a little ''Adolf Hitler' moustache and he was a stern type of man which was usual for headmasters in those days. Mr Dunbar, better known as ``Polly'' Dunbar, was the full-time janitor which was a good job in those days. He has a house provided by the education department at the ``Wee School'' grounds. His only daughter was also known at Polly to us although that was not her proper name. Mr Dunbar used to hound Curly Cameron and I. He'd catch us smoking in the toilets regularly and he take out packets of five Woodbine cigarettes. If my mother had a spare penny, I'd get a bowl of Mrs Gillies soup provided in the school gym at lunch times.
As I look back now my days at the Big School were one of the special times of my life. I'm not going to say I was delighted with it because I wasn't. Like all young boys, school days were something you put up with and you couldn't get out of it quick enough. I 'pluncked it' (truant) often enough and when I had to go to school it was a menace to me. But when I was at school I had a fine enough time during the day mostly because of the people I was with. I hope the pupils who come and go from there now have as good a time as I did with their friends.
Just before my 14th birthday on 26/01/1938 I started work as an apprentice blacksmith with Wally Brown. I was there for the next five years and I can honestly say Wally taught me well in the trade. I still had a link with Big School through Gordon and even repaired the iron front gates at the school several times.
I'm 80 years old now and if it were possible, I would just love to relive my days at the Big School. With the Big School's 100th birthday coming up this year, I'd be thrilled if somebody from the village still remembered the Robertson family. Also, even at 100-years old, it's still a fine building and I hope it will stand for many years to come.