I attended St Joseph's for part of my third year of Primary. Sister St Pius who taught us was very low-key, but did, very occasionally, get out the ruler to chastise any pupil who had particularly annoyed her that day.
My father was seriously ill in hospital following a car accident. Each day began with prayers and Sister St Pius would ask us if anybody had a special intention. It did not occur to me that she might have thought that my father merited a special intention.
Playtimes were spent either sitting on the doorstep of my classroom which gave on to the playground, or racing up and down with the other girls, as we played 'horses'. Another day we had been promised a bring and buy sale, to begin after lunch. I, and the rest of the school, could hardly bear waiting, and soon we began chanting "oh why are we waiting" till our lungs were bursting. That made the nuns take notice, and they soon came out to tell us off.
My best memory is one afternoon after school had finished I and a couple of others begged Sister St Pius to take off her veil and wimple which she did! I felt very sorry for her, her hair was so short, perhaps I felt that way because I too always had my hair chopped, as was the fashion in 1966.
Every day two nuns took myself and my brother to collect the bus at the market place from whence we would return to RAF Hullavington where we were living at the time. We always stopped off at a Catholic church on the way so that the sisters could pray. Gerard and I took the opportunity to examine all the statues and pictures, an activity that soon degenerated into more racing up and down the aisles. As always the sisters were quite oblivious to our innocent antics.
