schoolyard

There was a lot of bitumen there. Lots. Most of the time when we were in class it was empty, except for the crows (feathered variety) that scavenged around. The crows made it hard to keep awake in hot still summer classrooms, the way they caw-cawed in a harsh dry lullaby. <>

From 1968 till 1976 I never really felt comfortable in the yard, never belonged. And I think I really wanted to. It would have been great to feel part of the “touch” crowd but I don’t remember playing a lot. The one time I do remember playing – and scoring, I didn’t because I was so happy about it that I “touched” twice and someone on the other side claimed it was a double movement so it was disqualified as a try. <>

At the far end of the yard were the cricket nets. There must have been twenty or more. I wanted to play, to be good at, to belong there, too. The one day I remember playing there a cricket ball hit me fair in the head. I started to think I was “ball jinxed” so I didn’t play that again. No one encouraged me to, anyway. <>

There were also basketball courts and tennis courts but I’d had enough of balls in the schoolyard or almost anywhere else. Even my own balls were in on the conspiracy. <>

Between the two main school buildings was a covered area called the undercroft. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used except in connection with catholic schools. It was a pretty dismal area, actually, but not many of us were really into aesthetics then. What was amazing was that every so often the place used to get tarted up for a dance. If you can imagine having a dance in a small concrete covered car-park with similar acoustics you will get the idea of how incredibly intimate it wasn’t. But it was hot and stuffy because the place was under maximum security. After all, there were boys and girls in there together. No one got in or out, no air got in or out and when Mick D*** ate sulphur before one dance none of his farts got out either. <>

One way or another I actually spent a lot of time in different parts of the schoolyard because often enough my brother and I were the first day-boys to get to school. My father used to drop us off on his way to work and as he was aiming for the top of his profession he used to get to work early. So we got to school early as a consequence, too early. Sometimes we had to hang around for an hour and a half before school started. In the perverse way that people who have no control try to cope there was even a rivalry between the kids who for one reason or another used to get to school early. “I got here before you!” I think we though it was something to be proud of, how much time we spent at “The College”, instead of realising what poor buggers we were. <>

What’s more we (my brother and I)used to cop it at the other end, too. Until I was in Grade 8 we lived quite close to the school, but then we moved to a suburb more in keeping with my father’s aspirations. It was two buses and at least an hour each way away. It would have made some sense to change schools at that time (but then I probably wouldn’t be writing this so it’s a good thing I didn’t) but my father had apparently changed schools several times during his youth and he was against it based on his experience. After the move we still continued to come to school with him in the mornings but on the days that we didn’t catch the bus home because of football practice or something we had to wait for our mother to pick us up. She was totally unreliable and it would often be six thirty or later before she would finally appear. After having spent eleven hours or more hanging around “The College” I began to think that being a boarder might be a good option. I was practically living there already. And then I might really belong! <>

For me, it would have to be better than what was going on at home.