Caravan of Selves 4: 22-28 years 1966-1973

After my PA year I continued to teach at Henderson Intermediate for two more years 1967-1968. This time I had Form 2 classes of mixed ability - 43 students in each class! That was normal, it seems. They were often challenging children but I loved them and loved teaching so I was happy. I do remember coming home some afternoons feeling totally exhausted and sure I couldn't do another day - but of course I always did. Every year I read CS Lewis's Narnia books to the children at the end of most days. I enjoyed that as much as they did!

Form 2 1967

In 1969 I taught a standard 4 class at Ranui Primary school. With these younger children I could branch out a bit more into some of the creative approaches to teaching that my final year at TColl had allowed me to explore. Very satisfying! One memory is of making the children's creative writing into a book - laboriously copied on the Banda machine and stapled together.

Standard 4 1969

One Easter during these years Dad was speaking at an Easter Camp at Ngaruawahia. In his love of walking he went out exploring one afternoon and got lost in the bush. When he did not return for the next meeting search parties went looking for him. The police were called in when he was not found by nightfall. He was out for two nights and the police warned the searchers they may no longer be looking for a live person. But amazingly he walked out - on the other side of the ridge he had climbed. A farmer noticed him and alerted the rescuers. They said his hand knitted thick wool jersey helped him to survive the cold winter nights.

Family celebrating Dad's return. He is wearing the jersey Mum had knitted!

During 1969 I started thinking about doing theological training. Bible College of NZ was the obvious choice as Dad was a lecturer there. I think in my family preparing for some form of "Christian service" was a given. Not that it was in any way expected - it just seemed natural.
So I applied and was accepted for the following year.

Over the next two years I completed a Dip Theol and a Dip RE (religious education). No degrees were available at that time - which became significant later. I enjoyed the study and made many good friends.

Student leadership team

As women's president I had a larger room with a telephone - note its antiquity!

Obviously it was not all hard work!

One of the things I was most concerned about was that God would call me to be a missionary! I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to "go to darkest Africa" (or anywhere else) as a single woman. I prayed a lot - telling God I was willing to serve him anywhere in NZ but please don't send me overseas. But... in a series of ways that are too long to elaborate here, I knew that "going to darkest Africa" was indeed what God had in mind for  me. Now I can see that facing my greatest fear was the very best thing to free me for many other challenges in the years to come. But at the time it just felt terrifying.

I applied to SIM hoping to be placed in a school for missionaries children in Nigeria. However, the need was greater in the Education Department to work on curricula and other educational resources. So that was where I was expecting to work. Shortly before I was to leave a NZ teacher  (Anne Power) in the mission school had to resign as she gave birth to twins, one of whom died. That very sad occurrence meant that in the end it was to a school for missionaries children that I went! I can't remember who said "God's guidance is usually easier to see in hindsight"!

Before my farewell in Glen Eden Baptist Church I had jokingly said, "They'd better not sing that awful hymn: 'So send I you, to labour unrewarded...'" But you guessed it - there it was on the
programme. It really is a terrible hymn!! Here's the first verse and there are four more equally dire verses! Click here if you can bear to read them!

So send I you to labour unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for Me alone

So in 1972 I set off in much fear and trepidation. I was warmly welcomed by fellow NZers Helen and Gordon Stanley who were based in Jos where I was to live. Here is my first accommodation - a flat in the Guest House. I lived there for some months until an apartment was available.

My first home in Jos, Nigeria

I remember huge cockroaches and trying to work out how to use the bucket shower and the small gas stove. But I was kindly looked after during the early months of culture shock.

Caravan of Selves 3: 15-21 years 1959-1966

I am realising that every seven year period covers so many major events! Not surprising of course, but a salutary reminder to make the most of every year... every day.

The wedding that nearly wasn't!

1962 was a particularly momentous year. In April my sister Merrie got married - just! She developed viral meningitis the day before her wedding! She was able to get out of bed, put on her wedding dress and she and Marty Heaslip said their vows in our lounge with close family present before she went back to bed. Marty bravely went to the reception on his own. There was no time to cancel anything.

Merrie and Marty walking into our lounge. Bridesmaid Miriam behind.

Bridal party and close family. I am middle bridesmaid. Andrew with folded arms on right!

Adventure or Nightmare?
A week later Mum, Dad, Andrew (12) and I (16) set off for what was to be a wonderful world trip to accompany Dad as he spoke at various mission events in India and Africa. Then on to England and Wales to visit family. A whole book could be written about this trip - but not for the expected reasons. I endured agonising pain in my ears on the first two legs of the journey and ended up with a hospital appointment in Singapore where a specialist decreed that I shouldn't travel by air because my ear drums may rupture. (Hadn't they invented grommets by then???) Apparently I have extremely narrow eustachian tubes.

My poor Dad and Mum!

The whole trip upended and hard decisions to be made. I'm including their photos as a tribute to the wonderful parents they were. Sadly I have no photos at all of the trip itself.

Dad continued the trip as planned as he had important speaking engagements. Mum, Andrew and I stayed in Singapore (mostly accommodated with missionaries I think) until a cargo ship was available to take a few passengers to England. The boat obviously wasn't designed for the entertainment of passengers - only twelve of us on board. But it was adequate. The very first night en route the ship collided with another cargo ship and had to return to Singapore for major repairs! We were accommodated in the Railway Hotel (pretty basic) and given a set amount of money for each day's food. My wonderful mother made it a game to see if we could eat for less than that amount and save some for doing other things. We didn't know how long it would take for repairs to the ship to be completed. It ended up being close to a month!
Finally we were back on board and on our way. We were told there would be no stops until Hamburg where cargo was to be unloaded. I can't remember how long that took but we were glad to have a day to go ashore and wander round. However, it was a cold wet day! When we got back to the wharf where a taxi boat would take us to the cargo ship we looked across and saw smoke billowing out of the boat!! Yes, our boat was on fire! Apparently some of the cargo had caught fire (crew smoking in the hold?) We had to stay at the wharf for some time until we were told the cabins were not affected and it was safe to go back on board to pack up and retrieve our belongings. They assured us the company would fly us to England!

Another very hard decision for Mum. She tried to get us on a ferry but it was school holidays and no immediate spaces were available. In the end we had to fly and with great prayer and nervousness I agreed to get on a plane and hope I survived the pain. Thankfully I did - and my ear drums stayed intact. In all of this I don't remember ever being made to feel it was "all my fault". Of course technically it wasn't - but looking back I'm so grateful I didn't carry the weight of it all.

Strangely I have very little memory of our time in England and Wales. I know we visited Dad's parents and Mum's Dad and Aunty Freda who lived with him and looked after him.

We got back to NZ in time for my older brother, Peter's wedding to Gwenyth Conway in December. That wedding went as planned!

Peter and Gwenyth 15th Dec 1962

In 1963 I went back to Epsom Girls for my 6th form year. It was a bit strange being with a class of people I had not gone through school with but it was fine and to my surprise I was made a prefect.

Prefects EGGS 1963. Me centre back.

Beginning My Teaching Career
1963-1964 I was at Auckland Teachers' Training College. I had always wanted to be a teacher. No other job had ever appealed to me. So those years were wonderful. In the second year about a dozen of us were offered the opportunity to be in an experimental group with one lecturer (Mr Slane) to oversee our chosen study. It was quite adventurous for the college to do this, I think. We could each choose which lectures to go to, what special areas we would research and how many "sections" (weeks out in a school classroom) we would do.

I've never been a "hoarder" so I have no record now of the research projects I did although I know they were around the philosophy of a creative/alternative way of teaching. AN Whitehead and Carl Rogers writings were significant. I was awarded a cup at the end of my TColl years - I honestly don't remember why! I know the big cup had to be returned after a year and I was given a small "tinny" looking replica - which eventually got thrown away - so I can't even look to see what it was for.  I was obviously not interested in fame!

1965: My P.A. (first) year teaching was at Henderson Intermediate. Here are my lovely children! I relished every bit of that first year. No doubt the children were chosen as well behaved and co-operative - which they were.

Form 1 at Henderson Intermediate 1966