I started at the Collegiate in 1946 and was known then as Pat Atkinson. The year I started there was also a Beryl Atkinson and Joan Atkinson in the same class. You can imagine some of the reactions by the form mistresses when they got to me-#3 on the form list.
I remember Miss Robinson well! I was hauled up in front of her a few times in my seven years.
So many memories! Pork pie hats, the tuck shop, "holy joes" behind the high brick wall, order marks, detentions, the houses Bowland (mine) Pendle and Longridge- I can't remember the fourth though it will probably come to me in the middle of the night! [Ed:-PARLICK?]
In spite of my unruly youth I did make it to prefect and played on the house netball and hockey teams. Oh those cold days and short gym skirts! School dinners were something else again- does anyone remember "swede-aters" and going potato picking because of the shortages? I can also remember Miss Robinson telling us that there was an opportunity to go "rice picking in Persia" but it was her Scottish accent that fooled us and she actually was announcing "rasp picking in Perthshire"
I remember a few names-Suzanne Puddefoot, Dilys Parry -Jones, Miss Sylvia Astle (geography) Miss Jo Parton (games and health.) I'm also in touch with Betty Pickering (Haworth) who started at Collegiate about three years after me. She has a school photo from that era and when I see her in a couple of weeks we'll go through the photograph and pick out more names and hopefully she can also add to the site.Also my daughter Susan Banton came over from Canada for six months about 1971 or 72 and went to Collegiate. There were still some staff who remembered me, much to her chagrin.
Thank you for working on this site and I hope to hear from anyone who remembers me and those halcyon days (at least from this distance) at Collegiate.I am living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and have been here since 1967 but I still pay many visits to England.
Pat Banton (Atkinson) click here to e-mail:-Pat Atkinson
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