I`m part way through writing the story of my adventures growing up in the Valley. Here`s a taste or two of the school section.

Valley School

I went to the Fortitude Valley Primary School and had a variety of life-shaping experiences there. Sport was almost compulsory, although never guided by teachers. We all knew the rules and woe betide any infractions. The older lads soon brought you down to earth if you stepped out of line. Being an argumentative bugger, I had many a battle with fellow classmates as well as the older lads. One I remember well. Keith Farnsworth (an older lad) and I had a disagreement over something and, each lunchtime, we waited till the teachers disappeared into their restroom, circled each other, fell into a mutual Indian Deathlock, rolling on the ground for the rest of the lunch break, ringed by a crowd of onlookers till the school bell sounded. This went on for a fortnight till we lost interest in whatever the squabble was about and went our separate ways. Can`t remember what the point was, Farnsy, but I was definitely in the right.

Football was rugged at most schools as the centre of the field was occupied by a regulation cricket pitch---in concrete. Trick was to avoid getting tackled there. The tackler usually cooperated as HE didn`t want to land there, either. The field was lush in places and 50/50 grass and dust elsewhere so we tended to look like little grubs back in school. A washup at the troughs installed under the school didn`t help much as the taps were equipped with spikes to discourage lip drinking. Wonder who thought up that bright idea? Since nearly everyone went barefoot except at cricket on Fridays, we were just about immune to bacteria. One time I ran a three inch nail through my big toe while walking through an abandoned lot, and the nursing sister at the Royal Brisbane Hospital broke two needles trying to give me a tetanus injection through a leathery sole.