Norfolk School, Arbourthorne

[DaveH]

PETER HARRISON

Pete Harrison was the school technician.

This picture never appeared on Friends Reunited and is taken from a series of picture me and Pete took while messing around with old Leica and Contax cameras, trying out old lenses like the Sonnar, Sumar, Sumitar, Hector, Elmar etc. (Only old camera buffs will recognise these names)

The school got its first technician in 1969 when we went comprehensive. This was a guy called David Paul Manterfield, nice guy, played clarinet in a local orchestra and he set up his "workshop" in the preparation room between the 2 science labs on the ground floor of the glass tower, directly below the bridge which was also our photo clubs dark room. Unfortunately he only stayed for a year.

The second technician lasted only a term, so short I can't even remember his name, Stuart0742 may remember but then again he couldn't remember that the school had a Janitor as well as a caretaker amnd a technician.

Then came the third technician at the end of 1970, this was Peter Harrison, previously he had worked in steel and was a former student of the school from the 1940's - 50's. Like us he lived on the Arbourthorne and was well known as "that guy who drives around in a 1928 Rolls Royce".

Petes knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication, along with his willingness to share these qualities attracted us to him.

Mechanics, engineering, electrics, electronics, radio and television, history, horology and clocks (including the repair work at Worksop Priory and St. Mary's Sheffield), motor vehicles (including his own Rolls Royce, VW beetle and the clapped out school bus), photography and cinematography (including work with Eric E-type Smith on "Dead Easy"), steam engines, music of all genres, musical instruments (including musical boxes and his own player and reproducing pianos) and aircraft and flying (he had done national service in the RAF) all came within his realm of interests and discussions with him often resulted in tours, demonstrations and full lessons.

He wasn't a teacher, he was the technician, but I certainly left school feeling that I had learnt more from him than I did from some of the teachers.

Whats more his influence was such that many of these non curriculum subjects he introduced me to are still subjects I follow and enjoy today.

[Guest wayneybabes]

had our first re-union last friday

great success, hopefully wont be another 19 years to the next one!!

[DaveH]

had our first re-union last friday

great success, hopefully wont be another 19 years to the next one!!

Didn't know anything about a reunion wayneybabes, but was out of the country on holiday anyway.

A lot of these reunions are for "the class of 19??" or "People that attended the school between 19xx and 19yy" which frequently rules me out.

Take it it was a good do, - where was it held? Any staff present?

[DaveH]

Didn't know anything about a reunion wayneybabes, but was out of the country on holiday anyway.

A lot of these reunions are for "the class of 19??" or "People that attended the school between 19xx and 19yy" which frequently rules me out.

Take it it was a good do, - where was it held? Any staff present?

I think only me and Stuart will be able to remember attending this event, the SCIENCE FAIR 1971 at Granville College.

Science Fair 1971

As the schools representatives we got free bus passes and free meals for a week.

Look at the exhibits we put on

THE SCHOOL ANIMAL HOUSE

A collection of animals including rabbits, doves and a snake (an African rock python)

THE MANY USES OF A COW

A large scale model of a disected cow (cut lengthwise) with labelled parts and uses for each bit.

Although made mainly of plaster of Paris and papier mache it did have a real cows front leg thanks to my dad and Sheffield Corporation Abatoir

AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF ECCLESALL WOODS

The study was done mainly by me, Stuart and "Frithy" and involved us spending several weekends walking around Ecclesall woods under the supervision of moggy Mathews marking out areas and counting trees in it.

CSE SCIENCE PROJECTS

This included a genetic and hereditary study by breeding mice. They were kept in a wooden scale model of Park Hill Flats so that we knew which were which generation and parentave. They regularly escaped, if they were lucky they made some first year girls scream a bit, if they were unlucky they were eaten by that snake. If we caught them we had to "guess" which enclosure they had escaped from to put them back without invalidating the experiment.

So all those hours of extra curricular science we put in and all those breaks and dinnertimes and Creative Activity lessons paid us off with a fun week at Granville College.

[Guest wayneybabes]

Didn't know anything about a reunion wayneybabes, but was out of the country on holiday anyway.

A lot of these reunions are for "the class of 19??" or "People that attended the school between 19xx and 19yy" which frequently rules me out.

Take it it was a good do, - where was it held? Any staff present?

It was just a get together for our year (1990) mostly but anyone was welcome. We just met in the Bankers Draft and headed up west street. I arranged it on facebook, Wasn't a bad turnout, around 25 people turned up. The next one will be around March next year.

Hopefully, will get a member of staff or two to go to one of them, Dave Pyle is a friend on facebook!!

[DaveH]

It was just a get together for our year (1990) mostly but anyone was welcome. We just met in the Bankers Draft and headed up west street. I arranged it on facebook, Wasn't a bad turnout, around 25 people turned up. The next one will be around March next year.

Hopefully, will get a member of staff or two to go to one of them, Dave Pyle is a friend on facebook!!

Great stuff wayneybabes, I didn't realise that YOU had organised it, - now that's a committed Norfolk ex-student at work.

25 must be a very good turn out.

If, as in my time, in 1990 they had 5 forms in each year group of about 30 in each form thats 150 students (roughly) in the 1990 leavers year group

25 would represent 16.66% of the total year group (call it 17%)

(Can you tell I had man Everatt, pop Ward, man "E-type" Smith and man Rosenberg for maths )

I realise that some of the students may have brought along wives / husbands / partners who may not have been ex- Norfolk or not your year group as you said "mostly your year but anyone was welcome", even so I still think you have done very well.

As for the class of 1972, beyond myself and Stuart who have "stuck together" since day one at Norfolk secondary school in 1967 I think we would be hard pushed to track down any other members of our year group at all.

[Guest wayneybabes]

Great stuff wayneybabes, I didn't realise that YOU had organised it, - now that's a committed Norfolk ex-student at work.

25 must be a very good turn out.

If, as in my time, in 1990 they had 5 forms in each year group of about 30 in each form thats 150 students (roughly) in the 1990 leavers year group

25 would represent 16.66% of the total year group (call it 17%)

(Can you tell I had man Everatt, pop Ward, man "E-type" Smith and man Rosenberg for maths )

I realise that some of the students may have brought along wives / husbands / partners who may not have been ex- Norfolk or not your year group as you said "mostly your year but anyone was welcome", even so I still think you have done very well.

As for the class of 1972, beyond myself and Stuart who have "stuck together" since day one at Norfolk secondary school in 1967 I think we would be hard pushed to track down any other members of our year group at all.

That said, quite a few people who said they would turn up, didnt make it but will be going to the next one. When the idea of a reunion came up, i was voted in as the one to organise it!! so i started a group on facebook and to date there are 90 members out of which i would say 2/3 are ex norfolkers.

[Stuart0742]

That said, quite a few people who said they would turn up, didnt make it but will be going to the next one. When the idea of a reunion came up, i was voted in as the one to organise it!! so i started a group on facebook and to date there are 90 members out of which i would say 2/3 are ex norfolkers.

There you are Dave, start a Facebook group for old geezers who left Norfolk 37 years ago, we can be the 1st 2 members ( Whats Facebook anyway) lol

[Guest wayneybabes]

That said, quite a few people who said they would turn up, didnt make it but will be going to the next one. When the idea of a reunion came up, i was voted in as the one to organise it!! so i started a group on facebook and to date there are 90 members out of which i would say 2/3 are ex norfolkers.

when i say 2/3 i mean two thirds, not 2 or 3 lol

[DaveH]

There you are Dave, start a Facebook group for old geezers who left Norfolk 37 years ago, we can be the 1st 2 members ( Whats Facebook anyway)

Your daughter, knowing what we are like once described Sheffield history as "It's like Facebook for old blokes in Sheffield"

If that was true we don't have to go on facebook we can just keep posting on here.

:o

[DaveH]

when i say 2/3 i mean two thirds, not 2 or 3

So you didn't have man Everatt, pop Ward, man "E-type" Smith and man Rosenberg for maths then! lol

[Guest wayneybabes]

So you didn't have man Everatt, pop Ward, man "E-type" Smith and man Rosenberg for maths then!

Nah, i had Man Crozier (five chins) and Man Beaumont (sweaty pits )

[DaveH]

Nah, i had Man Crozier (five chins) and Man Beaumont (sweaty pits )

Both after my time I think, although my brother who is only 6 years younger than me (attended 1973 to 1978) can remember them both so perhaps I didn't miss them by much.

There was more than one Man Beaumont over the years, - we had one in the Junior school.

[DaveH]

There is some information about ex-Norfolk students who went on to study A-levels at Ashleigh in the Gleadless Thread here

From Norfolk to Ashleigh

Posts 94 to 103

[DaveH]

OK, own up, who didn't like my aunties cooking and "wagged" school dinners?

If you did wag school dinner you probably sneaked out of school and went on "the front" or "City Road front" and bought either loads of sweets and penny chews from Drury's sweet shop or you went further up the street, bought a loaf of bread, broke it in half to share with one of your mates, scooped the centre out and chucked it in the street and then went in the chip shop to get the hollowed out loaf stuffed with chips.

Both of these options were less healthy than actually staying in school and having a school dinner.

Or if you thought you were a real hard case you probably sneaked out further than City Road front and went up to Northern Avenue shopping centre.

There you would find a load of Hurlfield lads doing exctly the same at Northern Avenue shops as we were doing on the front. Only difference was, that Norfolk uniform and black white and gold tie picked you out in the crowds on Northern Avenue and was almost guaranteed to cause a fight.

If you spent your lunchtimes on "the front" these pictures may provoke a few memories.

[DaveH]

A view of the remaining part of the school taken across the field from Spring Lane.

This is the back of the old Junior School and Disabled Unit corridor, now the pupil referral unit.

[DaveH]

Man McDermott would have gone mad!!!!

Just look at the state of our old school field

Its overgrown, and look at that bank that we had to sit on to watch sports day while Curly Whitham was on the microphone, -

"It Hadfield first over the line for full points, followed by Neill and Osborne close behind, then Tyzac, just beating Balfour and way out last its Firth"

Spent many a games lesson on that field.

Not long ago a bloke who has a house on City Road which backs onto this field used to graze his donkey / pony on it! :o

[Guest suzy]

Man McDermott would have gone mad!!!!

Just look at the state of our old school field

Its overgrown, and look at that bank that we had to sit on to watch sports day while Curly Whitham was on the microphone, -

"It Hadfield first over the line for full points, followed by Neill and Osborne close behind, then Tyzac, just beating Balfour and way out last its Firth"

Spent many a games lesson on that field.

Not long ago a bloke who has a house on City Road which backs onto this field used to graze his donkey / pony on it!

What a mess it looks

Yes, I remember many a sports day sat on the bank - I was in Tyzac

Re an earlier posting : Granville Beaumont was the Maths Teacher in Senior school.

[DaveH]

What a mess it looks

Yes, I remember many a sports day sat on the bank - I was in Tyzac

Re an earlier posting : Granville Beaumont was the Maths Teacher in Senior school.

Still had the same six houses named after local steel works then

I was in Osborne (green), Stuart0742 was in Neill (red) and our aquantance "Frithy" was in Firth, hence the reference to them coming last.

Tyzac house colour was, I think, purple.

Can't really remember a lot about sports because we hated it, never volunteered or qualified for any events on Sports day so either had to sit on that bank watching it or get given some daft job like carrying the house flag.

[Stuart0742]

Man McDermott would have gone mad!!!!

Just look at the state of our old school field

..........

Spent many a games lesson on that field.

.......

I recall many a games lesson avoiding the field, and the lesson as well

I thought Neill was green, may be wrong

[DaveH]

I recall many a games lesson avoiding the field, and the lesson as well

I thought Neill was green, may be wrong

No Osborne was green, I was made to carry this stupid green flag up and down the track when we were fourth years because I wouldn't volunteer run the 440 yards.

[Guest suzy]

No Osborne was green, I was made to carry this stupid green flag up and down the track when we were fourth years because I wouldn't volunteer run the 440 yards.

I think we may have opened up a whole new debate here about house colours

Wasnt Firth red and Neil organge?????

[DaveH]

I think we may have opened up a whole new debate here about house colours

Wasnt Firth red and Neil organge?????

It took me ages to work out which way round the white and gold were on the school tie, never mind about house colours.

As houses were used only for sports and both me and Stuart hated sports at school we are perhaps least likely ex-students to remember colours

But lets give it a go

Are we agreed that there were 6 houses in the secondary school (4 in the junior school)

The 6 houses, all named after local steel works were

Balfour

Firth

Hadfield

Neill

Osborne

Tyzac

So what were the colours? Must admit I may be wrong on a few and I can't remember all of them anyway, - what were the six colours?

For completeness the junior school houses, all named after historical local land owners were called

Furnival

Lovetot

Neville

Shrewsbury

and guess what, - I can't remember their colours either except that I was in Shrewsbury and they were also green.

Now, - am I confusing Osborn's colours with those of Shrewsbury? Stuart could be right Osborn may not have been green as I could be confusing it with my Junior school house colours.

Help anybody?

[Guest suzy]

It took me ages to work out which way round the white and gold were on the school tie, never mind about house colours.

As houses were used only for sports and both me and Stuart hated sports at school we are perhaps least likely ex-students to remember colours

But lets give it a go

Are we agreed that there were 6 houses in the secondary school (4 in the junior school)

The 6 houses, all named after local steel works were

Balfour

Firth

Hadfield

Neill

Osborne

Tyzac

So what were the colours? Must admit I may be wrong on a few and I can't remember all of them anyway, - what were the six colours?

For completeness the junior school houses, all named after historical local land owners were called

Furnival

Lovetot

Neville

Shrewsbury

and guess what, - I can't remember their colours either except that I was in Shrewsbury and they were also green.

Now, - am I confusing Osborn's colours with those of Shrewsbury? Stuart could be right Osborn may not have been green as I could be confusing it with my Junior school house colours.

Help anybody?

Agree that there were 6 in secondary all named after local steel works. I would guess the following:-

Balfour : Green?

Firth : Red?

Hadfield : ?

Neill : Orange?

Osborne : ?

Tyzac : Pinky Purple (that sounds really "girly" but it was the one to which I belonged !)

One of them must have been yellow, but I dont know which one.

You have done better than me in remembering the junior school houses, but I think I was in Furnival - as for the colour, it could have been yellow?

Memory is a wonderful thing when its clear, but when it gets cloudy its frustrating <_<

[DaveH]

Agree that there were 6 in secondary all named after local steel works. I would guess the following:-

Balfour : Green?

Firth : Red?

Hadfield : ?

Neill : Orange?

Osborne : ?

Tyzac : Pinky Purple (that sounds really "girly" but it was the one to which I belonged !)

One of them must have been yellow, but I dont know which one.

You have done better than me in remembering the junior school houses, but I think I was in Furnival - as for the colour, it could have been yellow?

Memory is a wonderful thing when its clear, but when it gets cloudy its frustrating

I think Hadfield was yellow. I had Osborn down as green and Balfour as blue