Memories Of Kingswood

A Memory of Basildon.

I went to Basildon Infant School in 1961. My first teacher was Mrs. Southgate, who left shortly after I started. I was very upset by this, but my new teacher, Mrs. Frith, was extremely kind and asked me to put the straws in the milk bottles and also take a message to the school secretary. This seemed to solve the problem and I settled back down straight away. My next teacher was Mr. Eddie, who was a little terrifying at first because he started off by showing us a huge plimsole that he would use for smacking our bottoms if we misbehaved. I also went to the junior school and remember the black and golden books that were read out to the school at the end of each week. I was not bothered about never getting into the golden book. My only concern was keeping out of the black book. I wasn't at all a badly behaved child, just worried! Mrs. Lloyd, one of the other teachers next door, once caught my friend Christine and I standing in front of a mirror comparing our heights, instead of sitting in our desks. She marched us through to her classroom and made us sign our names on some paper. I lived in dread until the next black book day... Another thing I remember was the recorder players. I longed to be able to play the recorder, but I think this may have been only for the oldest children in school, but I left after the second year in the junior school because my family moved to Hampshire to be nearer our wider family.

I remember various children in my classes. At one time there were nine Susans in the class. There was also Sheree Lunch, who lived near the school, Rosemary Cahill, Susan Wills, who said she was Sandy Shaw's cousin and I'm sure this is right because one day I went to her house and there was a photo of Sandy Shaw on the mantlepiece, David Babbage, who always chose me as his partner to do country dancing with (and have ever been grateful that someone chose me!), Tony Harris with very curly hair, Gary Curry with red hair, who I took a photograph of next to a polar bear in a museum while on a school trip to Dover Castle and Canterbury (the photo didn't come out - no flash!), and Susan and Lynette who were twins and lived not far from me. Also Susan George who I am still in contact with. However, my first friend was Mary Cutting who had blonde hair and who I met at Kingswood shops after a pre-visit to the school. Mary left the school at some point and I often wondered what had happened to her.

My name is now Gillian Edom, but my maiden name was Tibot.