Physics was my best subject - in Form 5 we had "Mary" Scott
(David), who was considered by most to be a good teacher. We had lessons
in the lecture-theatre style classrooms of the the old science block (on
the west side) and lab sessions in the large lab at the south end of the
building.
In Form 6 (1975), "Sludge" Graham was my Physics teacher, shown
in the photo to the right, which was taken in the south-side lab of the
old science building. Sludges theory was that by just remembering a handful
of principals, all 250 or more Physics formulae could be derived as required
to the final exam. That's true, but in practice most of the boys couldn't
work like that.
Some other Masters of the time include:
- Worm - Ewen Walmsley, Form Master in 1970, who seemed to readily become
annoyed. He drove a white Volkswagon.
- Smoothy (Stan) Brown - who looked after all the New Boys in Form 1.
- Shorty Elliott - a classic teacher of the old school, and who drilled
logarithms into me during Saturday morning maths classes. I was stunned
one day when he picked my brother and I up as we walked to school (that
day we were not on our usual route). It showed a very human side to Shorty.
He had an HD Holden sedan. If your hair was too long, he said you looked
like "a woolly bull".
- Bobby Dean - considered one of the better English teachers, probably
only second on "Buddy" Holly who was the preferred English Master.
Bobby Dean said that HSC English was really a study in "growing up".
Drove a Toyota Crown.
- "Spud" McLeish - taught Form 4 General Maths.
- "Dippy" Mailes, who arrived from Sydney in 1972 to teach
Form 3 maths. People who could not do maths were "dippy" he said.
Dippy used to find Shorty Elliot amusing - he would often have a smile
on his face when Shorty Elliot was addressing us.
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Above: "Sludge" Graham and Charlie Savage
taken in a Form 6 Physics class, in the Old Science
Building, ground floor, southern laboratory, 1975.
 Left: Report Card from 1975, Form 6E
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