LEAPING THE FISHPOND

anD other aDventures… BoarDing house life, 1882-1971

'My parents drove up to the front door of a very large house and took my suitcase out ofthe car. My Dad carried the case to the hugedoor and rang the bell. I felt so small andinsignificant. A woman answered the door, and I could see behind her a large staircase leading up to another world …' Those words belong to Pam Lambert (Tiller 1972), remembering the daunting experience of arriving at Ruyton’s Boarding House in 1969. She was one of hundreds of girls who lived at Ruyton for some of her education, during the 90 years that the school’s Boarding House operated. By today’s standards, their life was one of strict schedules and spartan living conditions, where meals were plain, showers were short and ringing bells structured the day from dawn ‘til after ‘lights out’. However, overseeing it all was the firm but benevolent eye of the live-in Principal and her residential staff. Their warmth and wisdom while caring forup to 35 girls at once meant that the boarding experience was usually a positive one,where laughs and adventures were had, a sense of independence gained, and lasting friendships forged. Founding Principal Charlotte Anderson was thefirst to welcome boarders to Ruyton in 1882, justfour years after the School was founded. The addition of a Boarding House hadbeen enabled by moving Ruyton to its second premises, the large house and grounds of ‘Edgecomb’ in Studley Park Road, Kew. Boarderswould remain a significant sector of the School community for the next nine decades, until, in a vastly different educational and social landscape, the School Council made the difficultdecision to close the Boarding House inHenty House at theendof1971. Fifty years have passed since the last boarders vacated their dormitories, and the School was turned over entirely to the ‘day girls’ that were once the boarders' friendly rivals. Though boarding may have ceased, Ruyton is fortunate that many boarders have generously shared their memories and photographs with the School Archives, so that their stories will notbe forgotten. Here we share a tiny portion of their adventures.

Cathy Dodson School Archivist

'An important event as far as the [visiting Trinity Grammar] boys were concerned was … to jump across the fishpond onto the island, often ending in disaster. This was to the great delight and encouragement of the girls watching from the balcony.'Margaret Allchin (Hand, 1940) 'There were canvas awnings to keep the weather out when necessary. At night we would see a few possums sitting on the railing. We were not allowed to feed them, but they did enjoy the bits of apple that "happened’ to fall to the floor." Margaret Allchin (Hand, 1940) [Describing the north balcony dormitory.] 'The girls who slept on the balcony and others from inside rooms had pillow fights after lights out…'Eunice Malon (Eagle, 1945) 'Every so often we would have a midnight feast!! We didn’t think the staff heard us, but they must have because we crept down the old back stairs out to the little music room in the garden giggling and telling each other to keep quiet. Dream [Miss Daniell] never let on she knew.' JoanBrayshaw (Capp, 1951) 'Boarders’ Picnics – travelling by furniture van and singing Ten Green Bottles’on the way.' June Lee (Evans, 1955) 'Creeping down to the cellar… to explore thesecret passageway under the house. Cubbiesbuilt with grass down at the back fence – wonderful! Climbing the Moreton Bay Fig andnot being able to get down – horrors!' Lindy Tagliabue (Callander, 1960) 'I slid down the banister at every opportunity!' Belinda Burke (Hardie, 1970)

ghost night

One cold, blustery evening of howling windsin theearly 1920s, Principal Hilda Daniell found herself required to invent a ghost story to entertain some ofher boarders. Desperation proved to be inspiration andthe cobbled-together, fictional story of an argument between two Henty brothers over land and money spiraling into murder was born. The poor victim was buried under the Moreton Bay Fig, hisspirit doomed to roam Henty House for evermore. The story was a hit and became annual Boarding House tradition, helped along theatrically by senior girls hiding outside to rattle chains and make suitably ghostly moans. 'So very scary when you were little!!! Afterwards we would toast crumpets by the fire and then have them with honey and cocoa.' Mary Maughan (Zillman, 1953)