Coney Weston Village Website
Coney Weston
When I left Australia in June 1952 seeking adventure by travelling to England little did I realise how things would plan out. As for Coney Weston, I had never heard of the place and yet as events transpired it was to occupy much of my time in Britain.
I had been teaching in a small country school by the name of Widgee State School in a rural area of Australia ( Widgee is an aboriginal word meaning Spirits of the Dead) when the wander lust took hold and I resigned to travel overseas in the company of a fellow teacher from a nearby school. We had been advised that teaching positions at that time were fairly easily procurable in England so we two lads set out with high hopes. Our optimism was well founded as after consultation with the Ministry of Education we applied for teaching positions. We were rewarded with invitations to submit for interviews. Mine was for a position at the school at Coney Weston.
My interviewing panel consisted of Mrs Dann, the principal of the school, a representative of the Education authority, and Rev. Morgan the local vicar. There was one other applicant for the position, an Englishman. I was thrilled to be offered the position and was informed that I could start in October, 1952. My diary records that “the school stands in a lovely setting of trees and nearby the neat white cottages with thatched rooves stand.” I trust that the scene of my memory is still as enchanting.
I was given the older class to teach while Mrs Dann took the younger ones. A lovely lady, Mrs Lovett, assisted with music and crafts. She it was who aroused in me an interest in English birdlife and we spent happy times stalking nightingales and identifying the different birds and recognising their calls. As a farewell gift when my time as a teacher there finished, the school gave me a book of English birds and it still occupies a place on my bookshelves.
School life was so different from what I had known in Australia. I had to get used to the different accents of the pupils and I daresay they had to get used to mine. There they arrived on their bicycles whereas at my Australian school many came on ponies. The provision of school meals was a new experience for me as was the snow and the early onset of evening in winter. However children throughout the world have much in common. Some were quick to learn while one or two struggled. In all they were a delightful group and I grew quite close to them. They enjoyed it when I joined them in outdoor activities and the older lads relished trying to dismiss me when we played cricket. They were gleeful when Australia lost the Ashes to England in the year I was there.
These were exciting times in England and in Coney Weston school as well. 1953 was the year that Mt Everest was finally conquered and England won the ashes after twenty years. The highlight of the year for England was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Mrs Dann and I accompanied by some of the parents took the pupils to London by bus to take in the coronation decorations. For many it was their first trip to capital.
During my stay there I lodged with Mr and Mrs John Jolly at Hopton Road in Barningham. I cycled to and from school each day. I loved the journey through the English country side, an experience quite new to me. However on one such trip something caused me to take a spill and in going over the handlebars I gashed my knee badly. I was laid up for a few days but was able to watch Wimbledon tennis on television during my recovery.
At the end of 1953 I resigned to return to Australia. But I left behind some people I had grown quite fond of. I recall how Mrs Dann, a lovely lady, became somewhat upset when we made our farewells. Ivor and Joan Clark, both teachers on the staff of Barningham school, had been very kind to me and I kept in contact with them for a long time. I often wonder what became of their two children, David and Margaret. There are others too who showed me great kindness and now sixty years on I recall how much enjoyment I experienced so long ago.
I was thrilled that my daughter and her husband quite recently took time out of their busy schedule to try to retrace some of my wanderings. At Coney Weston they experienced the same warm hospitality that I had found when I was there.
Too much water has passed under the bridge and too many changes have taken place for many to recall my sojourn in your lovely area. But I recall with fondness the pleasant experiences that were mine and the many kindnesses shown to me. If there are any who remember their teacher from the antipodes pass on my best wishes and thank them for helping to make some precious memories. My hair is much greyer than it was then and my steps slower — I shall reach my ninetieth birthday next year. My health is good and my mind alert. It was great, Coney Weston, to have lived and taught among you.
Leo Cuskelly, Australia.
