St Michael's Catholic College - Leeds

York Road Lad · Post by **York Road Lad** » Mon 29 Aug, 2011 3:17 pm

By 1970, hardly anyone wore a cap. My parents bought one for me - and I wore it on the first day. However, as soon as I saw I was about the only one, I never wore it again!

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Mon 29 Aug, 2011 7:59 pm

Wow, York Road Lad! I`ve just escaped a severe touch of the vapours at the news that school caps were out of fashion by 1970!Mind you, even in my day they were often worn balanced precariously on a huge quiff at the front, lovingly sculpted with Brylcream, with a lot of air between hair and cloth, which made falling off a good bet in any sort of breeze.Film star Tony Curtis had a lot to answer for.More ill-treatment followed after it was discovered that, folded up, caps were excellent for games of “touch and pass” rugby, with some star players demonstrating a big talent for drop kicks.Glax

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Thu 01 Sep, 2011 2:22 am

Of all the teachers at St Michael`s in my day, I suppose one of the all-time greats was Fr Culshaw, who took us for English.He used a huge store of fun and wit to communicate with us. He knew at that time we were all crazy about The Goon Show on radio, and we were always swapping funny voices and their sayings from that week`s show.Fr Culshaw was on the same wavelength and he could quote the show as well as we could. Added to that, he had a wicked vein of sarcastic humour which always appealed to us.At the same time he was a master who was always approachable and well fitted to try to cultivate in us his own love of English language and literature.A very likeable teacher, he also had a tough edge when necessary, as in his way of dealing with a school bully.He heard that a rather weedy boy was being picked on by a big lout in the class. The worst was when this young swine put a live worm into the other boy`s sandwiches, giving him the screaming habdabs in the breakFr Culshaw had a quiet word with two of the biggest and strongest sportsmen in the class. Later they took the bully aside and gave him a good thumping. Problem solved.At least one other talent was demonstrated by Fr Culshaw a few times, the gift of drawing perfect circles on the blackboard.He would stand with shoulder to the board, with chalk in his hand, then rotate that arm completely. Result, a pretty exact circle about one metre across.I don`t know if he was double jointed, but I tried it and I was rubbish.Glax

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Sat 03 Sep, 2011 10:29 am

The cleverest of the Jesuits who taught us at St Michael`s College would probably have been Fr Leitrim, who took us for Latin. In his spare time he did crosswords in Latin and wrote poetry in Greek, or vice versa.A six-footer who towered over most of us, he often slyly rubbed it in by quoting how tall people go through life “with the easy grace of natural superiority”.This mischievous claim prompted one class joker to dub him “Leitrim, the Chinese barber” but we didn`t feel it quite did the job.And anyway he got his own back with a really awful joke. At the time we were reading and translating Julius Caesar`s account of his wars in Gaul.“What did Caesar say when he saw the thousands of Gauls surrounding him?” he asked us.Answer: “Galli,” in an exaggerated American accent, making the Latin word for “Gauls” sound like an anxious “Golly!”Yes, I said it was awful.And yet, what we heard about the Jesuiit community included the importance of humility. So, we were told, if this incredibly learned priest wanted to travel down into Leeds he had to ask his Father Superior for both the permission and the bus fare.Glax

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Tue 06 Sep, 2011 11:49 am

Miss Creek, who handled music among other subjects at St Michael`s, had a strong personality, and was never backward in coming forward, as they used to say.Most of the time she was okay, but it was bit like watching a kettle to see if it was going to boil.One unfortunate day Armageddon struck. Miss Creek was at her desk on its dais in front of the class.A usually bright pupil, sitting near the front, was at his own desk, quietly toiling away trying to open up an old golf ball with a pen knife. (This probably qualifies as a lunatic Great Crime!)Suddenly he succeeded, with spectacular results. Before our spellbound eyes, the released pressure caused a fountain of liquid goo to spurt up from the golf ball, and most of it seemed to land on the teacher and her dress.Miss Creek had a good vocal range. That day her cries of shock, surprise, horror and outrage must have reached well above High F, easily.Glax

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Tue 06 Sep, 2011 1:30 pm

Last time I was near the place the inmates were taking delight at spitting on pedestrians on the path below the playground.

anthonydna · Post by **anthonydna** » Tue 06 Sep, 2011 3:02 pm

I was there '76 to '83, two nicknames I never understood Norbert Walsh and Ned Phillips. Ned moved to my brothers school in Tong and died a couple of years later, he always reminded me of George Melly. Norbert had probably the best collection of Greek stamps in the country. No doubt the nickname origins are lost in the midst of time. I remember Tony Roper dying whilst I was at school, he must have been very young.

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Wed 07 Sep, 2011 12:25 pm

Hi, Cardiarms. I think a bit of clarification is called for when you say St Michael`s “inmates” were spitting on passers-by.The building went through various phases, but you don`t specify which era or which group you`re fingering.a) the homelessb) the schoolgirlsc) the schoolboysd) the teacherse) the JesuitsMore information, please.Glax

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Wed 07 Sep, 2011 1:11 pm

Boys in the playground a couple of years ago at least.

Glax · Post by **Glax** » Wed 07 Sep, 2011 2:11 pm

Thanks, Cardiarms, for that awful and shocking information.I share your disgust.Glax