St Michael's Catholic College - Leeds

Bunkers, shelters and other buildings
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Stanton Minimus
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2019 10:26 pm

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Post by Stanton Minimus »

Guilder wrote:
Fri 01 Nov, 2013 10:23 am
I was there in the early 60s but moved away from Leeds to London many years ago. Does anyone remember, or better still have news of, Dave Farrer, Pete Toolan, John McKenna or Eddie Coyne? All friends of mine with whom I lost touch. Sadly my great pals Bernard Cliff and Paul Roe with whom I did retain contact, have died, both far too young.Fond, mostly, memories of many of the masters mentioned here: "Sister" Edwards; Jim Grady (whom I last saw with characteristic fag on in a bookies in Leeds); John McIntyre, a real gent and a great history teacher, one of the few I remember who conveyed his love of the subject; Frs Woodhall, Culshaw and Yarnold who took the 1st X1 for cricket in my time.
I suspect 'Guilder' that you were one year ahead of me. Dave Farrer and Pete Toolan are still, I believe, alive and well. I played cricket in the First XI with both of them and with 'Jasper' Cliff. I am truly sorry to hear of his death.
Of the teachers, Jim Grady had taught my older brother Michael (an excellent Latin scholar) and found me lazy, stupid and odiously precocious (not unfairly, it must be said); McIntyre was a gentleman whose lessons were meticulously planned and 'recited' - this I know because he had taught my other brother, Peter, who maintained verbatim notes that I took with me to his classes and to which McIntyre would very occasionally refer if a particular minor detail escaped him. Fr Woodhall taught maths to 2B. He was more or less innumerate but a thoroughly gentle and admirable man (who I was later to learn was an outstanding theologian). Fr Culshaw had a genuine love of English Literature but an unworthy tendency to have favourites (upon whom he would heap praise) and victims (whom he would torment). To Fr Yarnold I owed the award of my cricket First XI colours while still in the 5th form - an award that so appalled my older brother Peter that he promptly burned his own. I suspect Fr Yarnold doubted that, idle as I was, I would never clear the 5 O level barrier to the sixth and thought it was then or never.
Finally. I must record my life long admiration of and debt to the late Fr Paul Edwards - a highly sensitive, tortured but deeply decent man who did much to civilise St Michael's through his opposition to and hand in the abolition of the profoundly distasteful use of ritualised corporal punishment. I know 'Sister' was often mocked and derided - but he came to officiate at the funeral Mass for my father (who died, to my despair, when I was in the sixth) and who later (when I had drifted away from 'Scholarship Sixth with exams untaken) sent to my home fully completed University application forms that required only my signature (with a note hoping I could find the time to sign them and summon the energy to get them in the post) and thus changed the course of my life for the better. By chance I learned the intriguing and sad story of when and how he died and I do hope he has found the peace that escaped him throughout a life lived AMDG.

Stanton Minimus
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2019 10:26 pm

Re:

Post by Stanton Minimus »

Twicetwelve wrote:
Thu 11 Oct, 2012 12:02 pm
Remember - Victory Plays - Romans and Cartheginians                 - House Captains collecting House points from individuals and adding a few more to boost totals                 Fog in November and 3.15 finishes so that the train lads could catch their trains                 The massive slides down the playground when it was icy                 Carrs of Carlisle biscuits on sale at playtime and at Cookridge on Saturday                    The enamel bowls of cold, muddy water, in lieu of showers, for those who bothered to wash after football at Cookridge                    Jack Povey's bike, the biggest ever                    Herb's chalk circles                    Norbert's Old Boy blazer (What became of SMOBA?)                    O'C's stamp club. A good way of keeping indoors when the weather was foul.                    Benediction in the tin chapel and Edna Creek bashing away on the harmonium at the back, with the aroma of chips lingering from the nearby kitchen                    Those admirable lads from inner city areas who won Oxford scholarships
I suspect you were a contemporary of my brother Michael - born into the depths of poverty who (along with five or six others - inter alia, Hargreaves, Croning, the Elstub brothers - in his year) won a Scholarship to Oxford (in his case to read Greats) thanks to the tutelage of Fr Dickie Doyle. Michael still reveres him and the education he received at St Mick's in the fifties. My memories from a few years later are considerably more mixed.

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tilly
Posts: 2209
Joined: Mon 11 Jan, 2010 2:32 pm

Re: St Michael's Catholic College - Leeds

Post by tilly »

Many thanks for your post, it just goes to show no matter what cards you were delt in your early years you can reach your goals if you have the determination.
No matter were i end my days im an Hunslet lad with Hunslet ways.

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