Memories – DGGTHS

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My Memory of Life at Dover Gardens Girls Technical High School by Susan Sedivy (nee Hill)

I was thirteen when I began at Dover in 1966, the same year decimal currency was introduced. I was a year older than most other students because my education had been disrupted in those early years. My family emigrated from England when I was four, and it took several years for Dad to find work and a place for us to live. My father took a job as a lighthouse keeper for a while, which required me to take lessons by correspondence. We moved around until my parents obtained a Housing Trust home in Mitchell Park, a new suburb. That was our first permanent home, by which time I was ten. When I finally settled into regular school life and made friends, I was reluctant to leave them. After primary school, I wanted to go where my friends went, mostly to Vermont Girls Tech. When my parents said I’d be going to Dover, I was disappointed. I was the only Mitchell Park Primary School member to attend Dover that year, although my sisters followed later.

Finding a huge uniform package on my bed after school one day made it clear that I’d be going to Dover, and I had to make the best of it, which I did. It took me a while to make friends, but when I did, I began to enjoy life at Dover.

What I remember most about Dover Gardens Girls Technical High School is that it was highly disciplined and organised. Regular assemblies where the school song was sung (Psalm 23). Prefects waited at the front gate to inspect uniforms on entry, and if anything was out of order, you could expect lunchtime detention. I remember the whole assembly being instructed to kneel on the asphalt and teachers going around with a tape measure to check the length of our skirts. We’d hitch up our skirts with an elastic band or belt and hurriedly pull the skirt down when it was time for measurements to begin. We’d been following Jean Shrimpton, an English model who’d worn a mini skirt to the Melbourne Cup in 1965. Hemlines started creeping up, and fashion models like Twiggy became popular. I guess the Vietnam War also made an impression on some young teenage girls, some of whom began to challenge the status quo.

There are many teachers I must thank for helping me learn new skills, which I’ve used throughout my life, like sewing and drafting patterns. In later years, I made clothes for myself and my children. I also designed and drafted patterns for my daughter’s callisthenics class. I loved home economics lessons, especially cooking, but I dreaded laundry lessons.

I have fond memories of my school years at Dover, of the friends I made, of the things I learned, and of the fun I had. There was a strong sense of belonging within the school, respect for each other, and respect for the teachers.

I am the oldest of eight children, so going to Dover gave me space to be myself and freedom from some of the expectations and responsibilities at home.

Memorabilia

Stories

Jubulent in our Defeat by Helen Hartley (nee Engst & the Goaly)

You might recall that we didn’t have an oval in the traditional sense of the word. It was a dusty, empty paddock! This is a short story about an infamous hockey match played, I think, against Seacombe High School. As it was a home game, we were to play on the dirt patch; we were up for it, yet the opposition was somewhat surprised when they arrived as they had beautiful grounds in which to play. I recall it was winter, and it had been raining, and there was a slope going away from the school into the oval.

The details of that game escaped me, with the exception that we lost 6-0, a crushing defeat. I want to say that we lost because they outplayed us; however, my goalie skills may not have been up to par!

For some reason, we were not crushed; we were jubilant in our defeat! I think we were just so pleased to have participated in the interschool sports activity!

I have never forgotten what happened after that game. You see, a large pool of water had formed because of the wet weather. Because it had been raining, we were already wet and some of us slipped as we tried to get back up the muddy slope. So, some of us decided to celebrate our loss by jumping into that pool of water in our sports uniforms, as a celebration. I’m not sure how it went down with the other team member’s parents; however, I know I got into quite a bit of trouble from mine!

We were never reprimanded for it! I’m unsure if Mrs. Roberts just let it go or never found out. Yet quietly, we were the talk of the school for some time.

Sharon Morrison (nee Trenwith)

I attended DGGTHS in 1966, the second year the school opened. Cooking classes were my favourite, and my passion is still cooking to this day. We were usually paired up with another student. I had the most hilarious experience with my partner. Firstly, she always wanted to go the extra mile. While making scones, she added too much baking powder and self-raising flour, placing the rack in the oven as high as possible. She pulled her tray out after cooking, and to our surprise, it was empty. We both looked at each other shocked. We checked the oven, and there they were, stuck to the top of the oven like totem poles.

Rolling around in laughter, she quickly removed them all before Mrs McLeod saw them. Subsequently, they didn’t make the grade. Her next experience was making biscuits, this time adding extra liquid so they wouldn’t be dry. Well, this time, when she removed the tray from the oven and they were all joined together, she panicked and tried to cut circles out, which, of course, never worked. It was once again so hilarious.

The school was so tight that in cooking classes, we were told to halve eggs and share them with our partners!

My School Years – Sharon Morrission ( Trenwith)

Our family of seven shifted to Brighton in 1957, just in time for me to attend Dover Gardens Kindy, then Dover Gardens Infant School, Dover Gardens Primary and the Dover Gardens Girls Technical High School from 1966 to 1970.
I was so tiny that my winter skirt came up to my armpits, mum made braces to hold it up. Luckily I grew about 12” over the four years. So my summer uniform started long and ended up a mini dress.
I was sports-mad and played basketball every lunch hour. I loved hockey, and we had a successful team. I don’t remember being a naughty student, but I talked too much. I was sent to Mrs. Robert’s office once and didn’t actually go in. Well? the teacher said about going to go to the office, but I never mentioned not going inside!
My favourite subjects were Art, Cooking and English. I made many great life long friends at school that I still love catching up with!
I attended the 50th reunion and had the best day ever. I was catching up with girls I hadn’t seen in years. Meeting up and rekindling a great relationship with Janice Martin (Cain). We have caught up on a regular basis since the reunion. It was great to see Vicki Riley and Evelyn Ritter, who hadn’t changed one bit.
It is very sad to hear of the girls who have passed away over the years, and I feel fortunate that I keep good health. Just my old knees have worn out after playing netball until I was 50 years old.
Meeting my husband Neil in 1971 and marrying in 1974. Celebrating 50 years of marriage in April this year. We have three great children and nearly 9 grandchildren. We’re both from Brighton and lived most of our married life at Glenelg.
Lastly, I loved every minute of my time at Dover Tech and think it helped shape the person I became.
I can’t wait for next February it’s going to be fantastic to see all those old faces again.

The most recent reunion 2018

50 Year Reunion – Group Shot

Susan Sedivy (nee Hill)

Did I see you at the 50-year reunion of DGGTHS Old Scholars?

I attended the 50th reunion of DGGTHS Old Scholars with trepidation. While I didn’t know what to expect or who I might see at the event, I was keen to revisit old-school days and hear what others were doing. Imagine my surprise when I saw the crowds gathering at the Marion Club on Sturt Road. It seemed that everyone had the same idea.

What a glorious time we had on that day in 2015. We shared the excitement of catching up with old friends and sharing stories. We heard about children, grandchildren, husbands, and careers. There was much to discuss and many photos to share. It was much more fun than I could have expected or imagined.

I began at Dover in 1966 and found 20 women from the class of ’66 who I remember were close friends and some less known to me. Vicky Riley and I weren’t close friends at school, but fate brought us together in later years, and she became my daughter’s godmother. It was fantastic to see her smiling face after more years of separation. Linda Henry and I crossed paths during our years in the public sector. During those school years, she was instrumental in getting me involved in everything possible. She was a great leader and a great friend. I loved catching up with all those girls, and it reignited in me the fond memories of my years at Dover.

Phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged, and many hooked up on Facebook. Some made a pact to keep in touch and never forget each other again.

The 50-year reunion was a fantastic event, and I’m appreciative of those who decided to organise it and bring us all together again.

I’m looking forward to the 60-year reunion and to catching up with all my old friends again. I hope to see you there!

My story by Kerry Bogner (nee McBain)

I am enjoying reading about all of your experiences at Dover. My time at Dover (1969 – 1971) was not the best years of my life, to be honest. As an immature, tiny, very shy 12-year-old, I was like a fish out of water amongst most of the other girls who seemed so confident and outgoing. Bullying in that era was commonplace amongst the students, especially if you did not fit into the ‘popular’ category. A few of the teachers were also bullies, and even the headmistress, Sheila Roberts, regularly singled me out and picked on me because I was so quiet and reserved. This didn’t help my shyness one bit!

Of course, there were also some lovely students and teachers. Dear Mrs Hoffmeyer, the music teacher, was loved by so many of us. Mrs Hassan was beautiful (she looked like Cher) and was a brilliant teacher who encouraged my love of English. Not being a sporty type, I dreaded sports lessons and got out of them whenever I could. Typing was fun, I made a few cool clothes in sewing lessons, and really enjoyed English lessons, especially writing stories and poetry.

I was always one of the shortest girls in school, which, along with my shyness, made me a target. At 15, I couldn’t take the bullying any longer and left. Fortunately, I always managed to find decent employment despite my lack of education. At age 31, I became a full-time stay-at-home mum, which I loved, but that fell apart a few years later when I was widowed.

It was a struggle raising 2 children on a pension, so at age 40, I went off to Christies Beach High and completed year 12. Bullying was by then pretty much a thing of the past, I got on well with all the teachers and students, and did well with my studies. That gave me enough confidence to re-enter the workforce, and I now work in the higher education sector – so the wheel has turned full-circle. Thanks for reading, and please share your story with our group.

Christine Hobbs (nee Broadstock)

Like many who attended DGGTHS I was a local, so I started at Dover Gardens kindergarten, into the infant part, then primary and sent on to Dover Gardens Girls Tech High School in 1966. I had just turned 13 when I started high school, which was the 2^nd year of the operation of the school. Many of the other students had come from far afield, so for the first time in my life I started to mingle with new people.

The first day was indeed very exciting mingling with new and old friends, plus a tour of the school, but I recall the 2^nd day was a bit more of a challenge. I think that’s when we did our mandatory IQ test. By the end of the week the results were in. Those of us fortunate enough to have a high score and although we were very young we were expected to make a life’s decision about our future. The choices were for those with a high score 1A or 1B which was based on whether we wanted to further our education after high school or not. I opted for 1B.

In the first year I did Art which I loved, and although I was good at it I had to drop it the following year to take up typing. My favourite academic subjects were Science, Math’s, and Social Studies. I scored well in those. I also loved and did well in Home Economics and Sewing. Both were skills I carried for the rest of my life, at home the family at last got to have alternate types of meals as I experimented with dishes like Quick Spanish Beef & Tuna Mornay.

At the end of 2nd year 2Gt, that stood for General with Typing, 1967 I had turned 15 during holidays so Mum made me get a job, which I hated. After a week I quit and returned to school, much to her annoyance. In 1968 my class 3Gt it was the last time the Intermediate Certificate was offered, unfortunately I missed out on getting that but by only one subject. As soon as exams were over Mum was determined I wasn’t going to waste any more time at school as I was just a girl and education was not needed so I got a job immediately. How times have changed. I wasn’t the only one who was forced to leave school and work as soon as possible.

I had a lifelong friend, nee:-Sandra Phillips our friendship had carried on from primary school into high school and although we went our separate ways in class choices we still remained friends all through school and up until now..

I returned to studies in my adult life taking up several and varied TAFE Courses, I even returned as a casual student to complete my SACE; my years at Dover Gardens Girls Technical High School gave me a good foundation.