Subjects We learned Maths and
English.
I liked Maths,
I wish I’d learnt more
about reading and writing
Teachers I remember William Ford from
Oenpelli.
Culture Culture was taught at
school. A teacher from Oenpelli Mission was like a brother to me. We went to a
culture dance at Katherine and we won it.
Discipline Discipline was harsh. We
followed the rules like no smoking, no alcohol. We got whacked on the bum if we
were caught.
Language We used English in school.
After school we used Jawoyn first and Kriol.
Friends My friends were Eddie
Farrell, Jocelyn and Barry Robinson. Barry and I grew up together. He respects
me and I respect him as a brother.
We did things together
like play marbles.
We talked about the
past and told jokes.
Clothes We wore ordinary clothes.
After a while we had a uniform to go to
Sports and games There was football, basketball, soccer
and tennis where the ha is with a net across. We
played tennis with sticks. I liked basketball first, then football and soccer.
We used to go up to
Me and my brother Danny Jentian were the best runners and good at basketball.
Excursions and Entertainment We went to
Buildings and Equipment There was no computers. We used chalk, pencils and paper. There was a building with one classroom down the bottom for the preschool and upstairs there were 2 classrooms. To keep cool we had fans and open windows.
Reflections When I was at school me and
my family worried about being educated. My family didn’t have hot water. They
boiled water to scrub us down. Now, I worry that youg
fellas should continue with their schooling to be well educated.
I remember a time when one
of my brothers got caught smoking and got into trouble.
My advice to They should continue
with their schooling. I would like to see this young people place go up, not down but I don’t know
how things will go.