DUNDEE'S 70'S BRAINIACS

1978 saw Dundee University win TV's "University Challenge".
The winning team above for the 77/78 series were - Tom McGhee - Isabel Morgan - Alistair Thomson - Enid Anderson.
I'm fairly sure this was the Dundee team who had a captain (so it would be Alistair) that answered every single music question that cropped up. What was amusing about it was he always supplied much more information in the answer than Bamber had written on his card, so generating a more enthusiastic applause from the audience each time!

The other quartet underneath is the Craigie High School "Top Of The Form" team of 1974.
This, however, was not the TV version or the radio version of the show, but a general knowledge contest between local secondary schools organised by the Dundee police.
In the photo, L to R - John Muir - Rab Gordon - Richie Robertson - Craig Methven.
CHS got through to the final but were beaten by those pesky swots at Morgan!
The Morgan winning team were - Kenneth Millar - Alex McMichael - Gwendoline Bowden - John Todd.
Thanks to Craig for the CHS snap.

CRAIGIE HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE - 1981

Now some pages from a 1981 Craigie High School magazine.

This issue covers the period from the end of 1980 to the beginning of 1981, and because 1980 was the 10th anniversary of the school, the first couple of pages take a look back over the decade. It refers to things like the first 300 pupils to attend CHS back in '70 (my mob) and also has a reminder of the 4 Houses that were set up in the early 70's. However, for some reason, CHS didn't retain the House system for very long.

Also news about new teacher arrivals and a couple of retirements, including Mr Higgins, the art teacher who designed the school badge.

The next couple of pages are an interview with Radio Tay DJ, Graham Stuart, the chit chat conducted by Mandy McQuire & Karen Conway.

Lastly, it's party time at CHS - 3 different parties in fact - first being a Fancy Dress Disco for Hallowe'en, followed by their Christmas Masquerade Ball, complete with visit from Santa, and finally another good night was had at the St Valentines Day Disco.

A few photos of the pupils in costume too - just click onto the pages to view the larger size.

I can tell the DJ played The Gap Band's "Oops Upside Your Head" anyway!!

Thanks to Neale Elder.

LINLATHEN'S HIGH TIMES - 1989

A few more pages to read from the 1989 Linlathen's High Times mag.

Some of the contents include a visit to Gordonstoun, word about art classes, a new photo club, charity walks, a Shakespeare class, a Christmas Fayre, tree week, and many other bits & pieces.

Also a few adverts such as for - Clep-pers, Lilibets, Hotpot, Parky's, and plenty more - including a den that sold Opium!

Give the pages a click to enlarge.

Many thanks to Dave.

LINLATHEN'S HIGH TIMES - 1988

A little glimpse into what was going on at Linlathen High School in November 1988 with a dip into a few pages of their school publication, High Times.
Front page headline tells of a major flood in school caused by a fire hose that "mysteriously burst"!
Other contents include school prizewinners, a teacher retirement, an interview with a band called Love Cats, notice of a visit to France, and a basketball match between pupils and the teachies.
The bottom image is a poster for a charity Christmas Fayre that took place at LHS in December 1988 - with guest, DJ Graeme Adamson from Radio Tay.
Click onto the pages to read the enlarged version.
Big thanks to Dave.

OLD SCHOOL BUS - 60'S

Remember these?

Well many of you who went to school in the 60's probably do.

They were the buses that used to pick up the handicapped school kids.

The minibuses were grey and had "Corporation of Dundee Education Committee" on the side.

When we went to Balerno primary in the 60's, one of these buses used to pass us daily, down Banchory Road and along Balerno Street, picking up the kids who needed special treatment.

You couldn't help feel sorry for them mind you, while at the same time reminding yourself how lucky you were to have your full health.

Not that us able bodied kids had it all easy.

I remember the pupils who wore metallic callipers on their legs. Then there were some who had the big pink hearing aid. The majority of specs worn were the wire penny roonders, which often had one lens covered up with elastoplast due to their lazy eye. When we did P.E. that's when we discovered some kids had verrucas, ganglions and chilblains. Not forgetting those who had lice or the ones who breathed with snot bubbles popping out and in. There were also guys who would regularly faint, but only when at assembly. I also recall we had our fair share of pee-the-beds and keechy breeks.

Ah yes, it's all coming back now.

And just remember - we were the lucky ones!!

MORGAN ACADEMY'S HMS PINAFORE - 1968

Dundee High School did Gilbert & Sullivan in the 60's, as did the Grove, and joining them was Morgan Academy who performed HMS Pinafore in their school hall in 1968.

Everything seems to have gone alright on the night, and along with the review of the show above, there are quite a few of the pupils named in the write-up too, so you may even be able to spot an old shipmate in there!

Click the review pages to read the enlarged versions.

DUNDEE HIGH SCHOOL'S HMS PINAFORE - 1965

Dundee High School used to (and maybe still does) put on an opera every 2 years.

Their choice for 1965 was Gilbert & Sullivan's comic opera "HMS Pinafore".

Along with the everyday scholarly task of swotting up for their Highers, the pupils who got through the auditions also had to learn around 2 dozen songs for the show, so practice sessions actually began way back in May 1964.

Come 15th June '65, and over a years worth of rehearsals later, the real concert got underway at the College of Education.

The show was given very good reviews in the Courier and Journal, and it ran for 3 nights.

Mind you, the local reporters must have missed the final performance, because on the last night, one of the guys on stage stumbled and fell into the scenery, then one of the singers shouted out "Hooray!" during the wrong part of the song, and to top it off, during the curtain call one of the girls dresses split up the back!

Ah well, life's not always plain sailing!

BALERNO PRIMARY PANORAMA

Although this photo of Balerno Primary School was taken in the 80's, it looks exactly the same in the picture as it did when I was there in the 60's.
The headmaster in the 60's was Mr Elrick, and the jannie was Mr Bowman.
One thing I can remember about Mr Bowman was when I was helping him out delivering the milk around the classrooms one day in 1968. When I was picking up the milk bottles outside his jannie's room, he had the radio on, and a newsflash came on about the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. He told me to go tell all the teachers. So when I went around all the classes with the milk, I also had to deliver this gloomy news!
I can't recall where I was when the famous JFK assassination took place, but I always remember his brother's!
The school was demolished in the 90's and now has housing built on the site.
If you want to zoom into a bit of detail, click on the image to enlarge.
Photo by DC Thomson.

THE PENCIL PENCIL CASE

Around the late 60's/early 70's, this novelty pencil case hit the shops and proved popular with school kids.
The big, rounded, soft plastic, pencil shaped pencil case had a zip near the top for access and you'd usually just end up tipping the contents out onto your desk, a common sight in class first thing in the morning. You'd also be considered quite cool if you had one, like a lot of fads.
I couldn't find an image of an original from this era on the net, so I knocked out this computer image of one, just as a reminder.
Before that, the normal kind of pencil case was like a big floppy purse, and before that it was the traditional wooden box with sliding lid, a creation which seemed to be on the go since the 18th century! That's probably why the big pencil design looked ultra modern when it first cropped up on the scene.
The late 60's/early 70's was also the era when school kids started putting gonks and rubbery monsters on the top of their pencils!

THE CHALET - BROUGHTY FERRY

The Chalet Roadhouse, to give it its full name, opened way back in the 30's.
Located along the waterfront area of Broughty Ferry, it has always been a place to go to see bands and go dancing.
On it's opening night on 16 Nov 1933, the band entertaining was Bobby Clark And His London Band.
Forward-wind a few decades and here's an ad for a do at the Chalet for the Grove FP Hockey Club.
The dance, held on 11th April 1970, featured the resident band and a group called The Three Of Clubs.
Later in the mid 70's, the place was transformed into the Sands discotheque, and the dancing continued.

A VISIT TO ST. COLUMBA'S - 1970'S

This image is of a travelling museum visiting St. Columba's in Kirkton. I'm guessing it must have been some kind of trailer that toured the local schools. It appears to be displaying items about Scottish history.
The photo was taken around the mid/late 70's.
So those of you who have good memories - feel free to fill in a few details about it.

VIEW FROM CHS CLASS - 1982

Here's a view from Craigie High School, taken on 19th May 1982.
It was taken by Neale Elder, just shortly before leaving CHS.
However, he can't recall now whether it was taken at the Met Station or from the window of Mrs Meakin's English class. Either way, you can tell it's from 3 decades ago by the Caledon shipyard cranes and Carolina Port chimney stacks in the background.
Not that much of a difference though with the school ground and nearby area, apart from the trees being bigger now.
I have a hazy memory of using this small athletics area only once, one summer period. A bit of hop, skip & jump and some shot-put! In the main though, all our PE stuff was done around the other grassy areas.
I also remember painting a view almost the same as this image when one day we were allowed on the roof for art.

CHS DOMESTIC SCIENCE - 1970

Well here's a Craigie High School classroom I was never in - the Domestic Science room. I haven't even got a clue who the teachers were. In fact, this image is the first time I've seen inside the place.
The photo was taken on 17th August 1970, just before the school first opened, hence the bare look.
What's the "Science" in it refer to anyway? Learning how a can opener works?!!
Photo by DC Thomson.

CRAIGIE HIGH LOLLIPOP MAN - 1972

This would have been near the end of the lollipop man's stint on Arbroath Road because the photo was taken in November 1972, the same month Craigie High School's subway opened along at Monymusk Road, doing him out of a job!

I don't have the lollipop man's name, but the pupil 2nd from left is Pete Baruffati. The last time I spoke to him was in the early 80's when I bumped into him in the Murraygate. He was telling me then that he was with, or ran, an Advertising Agency and had been working on an ad with Russ Abbot at the time.

He was also a pretty hot table tennis player, I recall from my CHS days!

The 3 pupils on the right of the picture I recognise but can't remember their names. Sorry guys! I know I'm gonna kick myself if someone passes the info on in the comments.

I've no idea who the the other 2 chaps either side of Pete are.

Just a reminder, I put a picture of the brand new subway, taken around the same time, up on Retro and can be found in the October 2009 archives.

Photo by DC Thomson.

MORGAN MAGAZINE - LYNN GRANT - 1970

I really like the minimalist cover of this 1970 edition of Morgan Magazine. It certainly has visual impact.

The same high standards are maintained in the magazine's creative content - poems, short stories, graphics, photos and so on.

I spotted this nice full page illustration which I thought I'd showcase as an example of what's going on inside the 78 page mag. It's drawn by Lynn Grant and was used to accompany a poem by John Nicoll called "Sitting In The Park". Great pen work on the gnarled trees.

There were 2 Art Editors involved on this issue, Gordon Mill, and Gordon MacDonald, the pupil who designed the cool cover!

EVELYN SMALL - MORGAN MAGAZINE - 1974

I have a few arty items I thought I'd cobble together over the next few days to present a wee showcase of amateur and professional art associated with Dundee.

So to get the exhibition started, here is the 1974 Morgan Magazine, a school publication made by the pupils. The mag's content is an assortment of poems, graphics, short stories and academic updates. Although there is a wide variety of work to choose from, I've plucked out one contributor as an example to use here, namely, Evelyn Small, who as well as being the mag's Art Editor, also designed the cover and supplied many of the illustrations inside. Her graphic above, of an abstract burst of ink accompanies a neat little piece of creative writing by Alan Stewart.

The magazine's material does display a surprising maturity for school kids, so much so, it got me wondering if any of the pupils from this era went on to make a living as artists or writers?

You may need to click on the bottom image to read the large version.

MYSTERY SCHOOL PICTURE #2

This photo was taken in November 1972, when the new Craigie High School subway at Monymusk first opened for use.
However, after a wee bit of detective work, I reckon these kids are not from Craigie High. Here's the clues -
1- I don't actually recognise anyone (I was at CHS in 72).
2- That's not a CHS blazer.
3- The boy on the left is wearing short troosers (highly unlikely at secondary).
4- They have carrier bags which I'm guessing contains wet towels.
So my theory is that they are from a primary school in Douglas on their way back from a swimming session at the CHS pool.
Hopefully, someone may be able to spot which school/class they are from.
To help with the face ID, click on to view the large version.
Incidentally, easy to see the subway is brand new - no graffiti.!! By 1974 the whole place was covered!!
Photo by DC Thomson.

Since writing this caption above, the mystery has been solved. The class is from St Andrews Primary School in Banchory Road, Craigie. You can read some of the pupils names in the comments.

MY 60's NECK-WEAR

Here's 2 examples of neck-wear I used to have as a primary school kid back in the 60's.

The top one is of course, my old Balerno school tie.

I remember 3 variants that used the black & yellow stripes theme - the one above, then a black version of it with thin yellow diagonal stripes, and there was also a chunky horizontal striped version, resembling a bumble bee!

The other item, a Paisley pattern cravat, I didn't wear at school, this was only for after school hours and weekends.

I felt like a pop star with it on at the time because many of the groups on Top Of The Pops wore them!

You had the choice to wear it tucked into your open necked shirt, or have it dangling out as a scarf, like the 60's Mods did!

THE SCHOOL FORTUNE TELLER

You'll all remember these paper fortune tellers from your school days. Place your index fingers and thumbs underneath the 4 segments then flip back & forwards.
Here's a reminder of the sequence involved -
FT OPERATOR "Pick a colour"
CLIENT "Blue"
FT OPERATOR "B-L-U-E"
FT OPERATOR "Pick a number"
CLIENT "Three"
FT OPERATOR "1-2-3"
FT OPERATOR "Pick another number"
CLIENT "Eight"
FT OPERATOR lifts flap and reads out what is written underneath the number 8 segment.
At primary school in the 60's we usually had silly things written like "You fancy the teacher" or something. In secondary in the 70's it was the same kind of thing...only X-Rated.!!

PLANT A TREE IN 73

Just to make sure the woodwork class didn't deprive the planet of too many trees, Craigie High was one of the schools who got involved in the national tree planting campaign in 1973.
Quite a few of us mucked in, with different classes allocated their own planting space around the school. Being a brand new school CHS had rather a lot of open ground just ready and waiting to be filled. The area where my lot planted ours was on the grassy bit of the school nearest to the Kingsway circle. Looking down at it now on Google Earth, 36 years later, I'm pleased to see all the trees in that area are now fully grown.
The images above are taken from a First Day Cover and show that they issued a stamp to mark the occasion.