Part 3 - School Life

We have seen the passing of the little One-Teacher Rural Schools, with sadness and nostalgia; and we can be sure that we will not see them again; so we salute them for their wonderful contribution to the Education of our children.

The dedicated hard-working teachers in these little schools, provided top-class education under great difficulties, with remoteness being a major problem and transport and accommodation being also of concern.

In 1925, my brother Lewis Jilbert, aged five, was boarded with our Grandmother, Mrs T.J. Stevens, at 176 Mont Albert Road, Canterbury, a suburb of Melbourne. Lewis attended Chatham Public School. In 1926 I also attended the Chatham Public School. There were about 25 children in each class. In September 1927, the infectious disease Whooping Cough, struck many suburban schools; Lewis and I were very ill. Our mother came to help Grandma nurse us, bringing our younger sister, Ivy, with her, later Ivy also developed Whooping Cough.