MEMORIES OF MY TIME AT PIESSE BROOK  
Dicky Engelberts (Mrs. Schook. Ruchti)

I began teaching at Piesse Brook School in April 1953 until the end of that year. Not long, but it seemed much longer because I loved the school and the students.

I had recently arrived from Holland, a rather flat country. Then all of a sudden I was teaching at a quaint school on top of a hill in the middle of the bush.

The view from the back door of the classroom was beautiful as it looked out over the Piesse Brook valley inundated with orange tree orchards. I had never seen an orange tree in my life. The smell of the orange blossom was delightful.
 

I had taught previously in Holland, classes as big as the whole school, and here we were with the headmaster Mr. Rose and myself. My word weren’t we a cosmopolitan bunch! The children came from many countries including me as a teacher.

How was I going to teach Nature Study? I didn’t know one Australian tree from another. Obviously Australian flora and fauna were unknown to me. The children taught me as I took them for a walk to Robbie’s Tea Rooms (now Chalet Rigi Restaurant) telling me ‘we may see kangaroos and emus’. I don’t know who was more excited – the children or me!

As we walked along Mundaring Weir Road we came across plenty of flora and fauna which the children so enthusiastically showed me.

The bridge over road from the school was a great attraction. We did our drama and poetry lessons there. On one side of the brook ‘the audience’, on the other side ‘the actors’ performing.

We often had barbeques with all parents participating. It was wonderful!

It wasn’t all fun and play, we did reading, writing and arithmetic!

My teaching time at Piesse Brook was a very happy experience and the memories have stayed with me until today.

Article:           Dicky Engelberts (Mrs. Schook. Ruchti)

Copyright : Gordon Freegard  2008 - 2023