One of my few memories of my early days was when my mother took me to the kindergarten at the beginning of 1919. I remember crying bitterly when she left me, but I soon adjusted and enjoyed my school days. Once past kindergarten, the classes consisted of 50 to 60 students, teaching was largely by rote, the schoolyard was small and paved with asphalt, and woodwork was taught across the road. My best friend there was John Dowie, who was almost exactly the same age as me. He became an outstanding sculptor. I enjoyed school and was, by nature, a hard worker. When I did the Qualifying Certificate examination in 1926, I received top marks in the State and got my photograph in the local newspaper. In the accompanying article, I attribute much of my success to teachers Miss Vera Dawe and Mr N. Carmichael; there is also the comment that I ‘had a keen desire to be a farmer’, possibly because of the enjoyment of school holidays at the farm of the Kleinig family at Ebenezer.