Brisbane, QLD


Monday, January 13, 2014

GETTING PREPARED FOR THE UNKOWN

The second year at college in 1963 was another year packed with fun, friendships, study, practice teaching, sport, parties and revues.There were only two classes in each year. More boys than girls. The boys could be posted to very remote villages in the highlands or on small islands on the coast of Papua/ New Guinea. The girls usually went to slightly bigger towns.
Class 2B ASOPA 1963.  First on left of front row.
In September it was time for our annual pilgrimage to the Snowy Mountains for a skiing holiday. We car pooled with students who were lucky enough to own cars. We drove from Sydney to Canberra and then on to Falls Creek in Victoria. As it was getting dark we pulled into a motel for the night. I can't remember where but it could have been Cooma.
The boys came to visit us for a cup of tea and some tom foolery. 
The next morning we drove into the mountains. It was foggy and slushy. 
We weren't used to these conditions so we took it slowly and carefully.
Finally we arrived in the car park and then we had to carry our bags up this track to the village.


Only one T-bar lift then. Now there are many more all over the mountains.


 The accommodation was pretty spartan. We had to take our own food and share a big communal kitchen. We slept in bunk beds and shared bathrooms. I remember ice on the floor in the showers. But we still had great fun roughing it. Some other lecturers came with us besides our Physical Education Lecturer.

It was a good year for snow. See how high up the club house the snow has reached. 
To sit outside in the sun they had to climb up a pile of snow with the chairs. 
These were the ones who wanted a rest from skiing or had twisted ankles
.

Too soon it was time to pack up and ski down to the ski hire shop and the car park. 
We returned to college and had to think about end of year exams. We were also excited about our last practise teaching assessment which was to be done in native schools in Papua/New Guinea after we had completed our exams. It was so exciting and a bit daunting not knowing what it would be like.

But first there was the end of year ball. I went with, Joe, my Italian boyfriend. I felt sorry for him as I was going to leave him  to teach in P/NG. I kept telling him from the day I entered ASOPA but he kept trying to talk me out of going. When I returned on leave a few years later I was pleased to find out he was happily married with 2 kids.

Next I was to embark on one of the most exciting adventures of my life.

22 comments:

  1. Your photos are making me wish so much that I had just a few shots of the time that I was in nursing school in the 60's... but I think I was too busy studying to take any photos. Love that shot of your car caravan heading to the mountains. What fun. That is the same thing that happened to my high school boyfriend when I was studying at nursing school. Good thing too

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  2. the colors are great considering their age and that they were with that old timey film. LOL and i love the shot of the cars

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  3. such a great life you have had/are living. :)

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  4. What great pictures. What happened to all those wonderful years! Sometimes I wish they were back.

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  5. You are so fortunate to have recorded your college life with your camera.

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  6. Technology has changed a lot in these decades. Look at those skis.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  7. Diane, what a lovely time you had back then, and still are of course.
    Slides, I scanned some and they came out rather 'green' but I haven't tried to fix them yet, plus I don't have many.

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  8. The thing that struck me was that so many people were smoking in the hotel room, can't do that today.....
    Bring your own food and cook it that is also not something you hear of today, these ski resorts like to make money and make you pay for food at sometime bloody high prices too.

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  9. Diane, you did lead a fun college life. Loved the photos, it is interesting seeing the smokers. Do you think they quit? Your old boyfriend was handsome, great shot.. Have a happy week!

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  10. You have some wonderful memories of your second year at college, and it's wonderful that you have these photos to help you remember those good times.

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  11. The pictures/slides are GREAT considering their age… I know that you have so many happy memories --and it's neat that you are getting these memories all written down.

    Love that last photo of you and Joe…

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  12. I too noticed the smoking in the motel room. And love your ball dress.

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  13. I wonder if Colin is still alive, what with all that smoking! You are lucky to have all these photos. Firstly to have taken them and secondly to have kept them all these years.

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  14. I am still admiring the quality of your old photos ! What a nice time that must have been ! and everybody smokes, lol ! Just like here !

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  15. You have such sweet memories. My first years of teaching, we spent every winter weekend skiing. The place was similar to yours--bring your own food, sleep in primitive dormitories, only a rope tow. I think I might have to look for my old slides and see if any are salvageable. Thanks so much for sharing, Dianne!

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  16. So much fun you had Diane, I love all the photos.

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  17. I really enjoyed looking back with you. What an adventurous life you've had and you have never stopped!

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  18. What fun Diane! Life seemed to be so much more simpler back then but I guess we still had similar problems to young people now.. Fantastic photos, really enjoying this series and looking forward to next installment.. don't even think about stopping now :)

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  19. Diane, I so enjoyed this look back in time. You and I were in college at the same time, both of us studying to be teachers. (However, I didn't get posted to P/NG!) Do you still ski? I didn't ski in college - only started when I was 27, with 3 kids. Of course, now it feels like I've been skiing forever!

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  20. You must always have been such a happy person. In all your pics you always have such a lovely smile.
    I too loved the photo with those old cars.
    The last shot of you and the boyfriend is glamorous.
    When's your 'My Memories' book coming out? :)

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  21. "Yes, Julie, I still smoke but have cut down. Strange as it may seem for medical science, I have no
    smoking related problems, completely confuses them! I just have a busted back - left side from so much sport in my youth - tennis, surfing, golf and equestrian events - so that is my major problem."

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  22. Don't you wish you have all the snow right now. How hot is the temperature ?

    Sorry, I had not been visiting, I have been bust=y with my books. I did stopover in Melbourne and came to the Gold Coast 2 times last year.

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