1960 - 1961

Mr Tozer, being the PE teacher had in this year arranged for some of the local schools to challenge ours on a cross country competition. On the day of the event, he took his form around the course, leaving a couple of pupils at strategic ponts to guide the competitors. When he got to the farm he unfortunately chose me to stay. He crossed the stile and disappeared through the farm. A while later he reappeared higher up the field, leaving yet more people, and headed back to school. Eventually the competitors arrived at my station and I faithfully pointed them over the stile. They seemed to take far too long to appear higher up the field, then they started appearing back at my stile asking where they should be going... It was chaos. I should have been pointing them straight up the field. Presumably Mr Tozer had merely been informing the farmer what was going on, the course was not through the farm at all. I made myself scarce after the race.

Pottery lessons were interesting. Whenever pupils were caught talking, they were stopped from doing pottery and made to write out their tables. For about a whole term I only managed to get my hands on the clay once or twice because I was always caught talking. I owe this man a huge debt as in the years since, I have never needed to know how to make a pot but I have had to multiply things quite a few times.

The highlight of this year was a trip to Cuffley Camp. Hertfordshire maintained a permanent campsite and local schools were invited to spend a week under canvas and frolicking in the woods.

Then of course there were my classmates: