Ardrossan Academy

[down south]

No wonder you associated them all together, Jane. I did know Joyce Curwen a little as well, when she got to the Academy stage; I nearly mentioned her before, thinking she would be about the same age too.

I certainly remember both Donald and Alistair; though they wouldn't have ever known each other, because Donald's family moved away just before Alistair arrived at the school. Donald and your brother were best pals back then,so It must have been quite a disappointment to David when he left. I was rather disappointed too... because I have to confess I had a bit of a crush on Donald and his gorgeous chestnut-red hair, back then when I was seven. And I was certainly cross with Andy Stewart when he came out with that silly song, making fun of someone called Donald !!

Alistair I knew for longer. He always had a great interest in faraway places...so I wasn't surprised to see from his profile in the former pupils list on Ardrossan Academy website that he made a career with A T Mays !

If you haven't already seen them, my class photos with all the names are on 3T : Donald is in this one from Primary 2 :

http://www.threetowners.com/images/Scho ... 0prim2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and Alistair in this primary 5 one :

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 925#p85925

and of course David is in both, and Sheila ( and me... ); and perhaps there will be others you know as well.

Susan

[jane]

Hello Susan
I just had a look at the photos, the older one I had seen before, the other one I had not. My brother probably has these. I have a class photo for most years in the primary as well. You will see me as well. Don McCall had such a lot of bright hair, they were very mischievous little boys, Don lived in a big white house round the corner from us on North Crescent, we were in Eglinton Road. They were always found out because people would say there was a little boy with ginger hair, they were only 4 or 5 at the time and the things they got up to!! After Don moved away, Alistair moved into the bungalow round the corner to us on the way to the shore and he and David spent a lot of time together. He had an older brother John, a year older than me. Don had 2 sisters in senior school older than me. I remember the Ward twins, also Douglas Orr, Florence Macvicar rings a bell as well. Iain Wotherspoon I think lived in Parkhouse Road, my mother was friends with his mum, I think they had been to the academy together and my mother always used to exchange xmas cards with them, they moved further up the coast from Ardrossan. I did actually exchange e-mails with Alistair some years ago on the academy web site and caught up on old times.

[down south]

I don't think I ever knew that Alistair had a big brother; but then I didn't know back then that David had a big sister either ! I had seen you in the class photo that's on here; I think I'd have guessed you were related even if I didn't know, because of the likeness.

I recognise two other older siblings of my classmates in your class too; Martin Farrer and Ann Kilpatrick. Also Andrew Bryson, a near neighbour of mine...a very rough tough big boy he seemed when I was a timid little girl, but I daresay he was no worse than average really ! I lived far away from your area of town, just over the border with Saltcoats in Ardrossan Road ; I sometimes wonder how I sneaked into the Academy primary at all, there weren't very many of us there from those parts.

Class photos are a great aid to memory; I'm sure I'd have forgotten Iain Wotherspoon without mine, because he moved at the end of Primary 2. Near enough to come back to the Academy to do Highers , but I'd moved down south by then, so I never got to see how he turned out. The Ward twins made a memorable pair, especially David. They had very similar talents and interests... used to both win prizes for their model-making at local shows in their teens; but he had quite a quirky individuality of his own.

Susan

[linda stevenson]

oooh memories of miss mckelvie lolll i used to be into HOCKEY AND BADMINTON at the academy but the memory that still lies on my mind is the day that miss mckelvie LOST IT and belted all 40 of us in the gym for CHATTING!! luckily i was at the end of the line so she was a bit out of PUFF when she got to me lollllllllllllllllll only time in my school life THAT I GOT A TASTE OF THE BELT ..

[down south]

My goodness Linda, I didn't know that Miss McKelvie even had such a thing as a belt; you must all have really annoyed her...

I was just a couple of years behind you,and in my experience of Academy life the belting of girls was vanishingly rare. I'm not completely confident about what happened in the primary, but in my memory nobody in our secondary class of girls was ever so much as threatened with it . Even Mr Parker ( contrary to what's been implied in a certain other source ) contented himself with a little dusting-up of the inattentive with the tail of his gown....

I expect you may already have seen it , because it's also on the Academy website, but for anyone who hasn't here's a terrific likeness of Miss McKelvie in caricature form from a school magazine of the early 1960s:

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 597#p82597

Susan

[linda stevenson]

My goodness Linda, I didn't know that Miss McKelvie even had such a thing as a belt; you must all have really annoyed her...

I was just a couple of years behind you,and in my experience of Academy life the belting of girls was vanishingly rare. I'm not completely confident about what happened in the primary, but in my memory nobody in our secondary class of girls was ever so much as threatened with it . Even Mr Parker ( contrary to what's been implied in a certain other source ) contented himself with a little dusting-up of the inattentive with the tail of his gown....

I expect you may already have seen it , because it's also on the Academy website, but for anyone who hasn't here's a terrific likeness of Miss McKelvie in caricature form from a school magazine of the early 1960s:

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 597#p82597

Susan

yes SUSAN...... IT WAS QUITE THE TALK OF THE SCHOOL ...we had obviously GOT HER KNICKERS IN A KNOT THAT DAY! Another episode that caused a scandle in those days and the whole school heard about ..was when a lad in my year ACTUALLY PUNCHED MR. BROWN (the english teacher) and got the belt from the rector in front of us all at assembly... but the belt was def on the go in my 1st and 2nd year at the academy !!

[linda stevenson]

Hello Hugh
Sorry not quite right try this one
http://www.atlanticnetworks.com/jessie.htm

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS LINK JANE !!!!!!!!!

[ardrossanrentboy]

There was a Robert Bonner who was a science teacher locally, maybe at the academy? Probably would be in his mid to late 60's now.

Morag, there was a Mr Bonner at Stevenston Higher Grade. Mid to late 60's, taught one of those boring subjects but he made it interesting by relating the subjects to everyday items. Well, I use that term loosely, it was usually bits from his motorbike. He wasn't there long, I'm sure he went off to travel the world on his bike, seen him some years later on the telly, I think it was one of those debating programmes.

I remember Robert preparing his Norton International as he bought a lot of spare gear for his world trip. I think about 1962 his plan was to ride the Pan-American Highway southwards. He had an arrangement with the A&S Herald and I think the Glasgow Herald to provide a travel journal so you could check their archives. I met him many years later as he took a class of school pupils on a tour of Glasgow University. I'm still searching through Dennis J Nelson's collection of photos and will post an album as soon as I can ... slainge !

[lancing35]

Hi Lesle, I am Tom Smith and we were in the same class throughout primary school. Was trying to remember what Miss Banks married name was? I recall you were good friends with Lynn Maxwell who stayed on the High Road. I followed in your Dad's footsteps for a while and often was across in Ardrossan.

[Meg]

Hello Tom, and a warm welcome to the 3t forum. The topic you've posted in hasn’t been active for 8 years, so maybe re-establish contact with Lesley using the ‘contact’ link underneath her avatar and location information. Come back if you need any help.

Cheers
Meg

[down south]

Miss Banks' married name was Mrs Jack.

Susan