This Site Was Last Updated on Saturday, 29 March 2008
Site Owner - Stephen Smith
Remember Christine 'Shoby' Shobrook
Christine 1964
Shoby 2006
When did you attend Priory
62(?) to 64
Who were your most memorable teachers?
Mr Fowler - the only teacher who ever
made me understand what maths was all about. Later on when one of my own
children was diagnosed as learning disabled and number dyslexic, I
realised then that I had the same problem. So it was entirely due to Mr
Fowler's efforts that I passed the Cambridge Exam with a Credit in
Maths. Apart
from that I remember him for things that have stayed with me all my
life. Like his 'Quo Vadis' address for those who were about to leave the
school and start out in life, and this assembly prayer: O God,
we thank Thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and
its riches, and for the manifoldness of the life which teems upon it and
of which we are part. We
praise Thee for the arching sky and the blessed winds, for the driving
clouds and the constellations on high. We
praise Thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting
hills, for the trees, and for the grass under our feet. We
thank Thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the
morning, and hear the jubilant songs of love, and smell the breath of
the springtime. Grant
us, we pray Thee, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save
our souls from being so steeped in care or so darkened by passion that
we pass heedless and unseeing when even the thorn-bush by the wayside is
aflame with the glory of God.
Who were your best friends at Priory?
In my last year they were Georgeanna
Andrews, John McNaught, George Cummins, George Shilletto, Evelyn
Epps, Robert Goodman and Terri Hall
Georgeanna Andrews
Who are you in touch with today?
George Cummins and George Shilletto
Who would you like to track down?
Georgeanna Andrews and Robert Goodman.
George Cummins told me that Johnny McNaught was
killed in a car crash a couple of years after we all
left Priory, which was a total shock to me as he had
been my best friend at Priory. Not
boyfriend/girlfriend but friends.
He always looked out for me like a big brother. I
stayed in touch with him for a long time, but after
a while my letters weren't answered and now I know
why. I know he's been dead for 40 years but I
feel as grieved as if it had only happened
yesterday.
What was the wildest thing you ever did
at Priory?
We stole the clapper from the bell, so it
couldn't be rung for class change overs. Mr Fowler WAS NOT AMUSED!!
Who was the craziest person during your
time at Priory?
Whoever it was who answered Mr Fowler's
phone extension on the lunch porch with "Harry's Morgue - you kill em,
we chill em!!"
Where do you live and what do you do
nowadays?
I live in Taupo, New
Zealand. I used to work on the Administration Team of a busy medical
imaging practice (13 outlets) in Auckland, but now I'm semi-retired. I
do a few hours a week for the local McDonalds organising the children's
birthday parties, which is a lot of fun.
Tell us about any significant others
I'm married to Geoff Harris have two
grown up daughters, Jennifer and Joanna, and our adored grandson Angus.
Shoby and Angus
Tell us about your
most unusual meeting with a Priory person
Have never run into anyone from Priory.
What do you think
of the Priory Website?
Great idea.
Click here to e-mail Stephen Smith Published on the Priory Website Sunday 18th June 2006
© Stephen Smith 2006