A pupil in the 1980s

I went to Fitzherbert School between 1982 and 1985, and went to Cardinal Newman until 1989. I didn’t start till the second year of Fitzherbert. I remember really well that the playgrounds had odd years in them with years one and three one side, and two and four over the other.

Mixed memories
I have good memories and bad ones. Some of the teachers were petrifying, Mr Finnie was the headmaster; my favourite teacher was Mrs Gregan and I still see her every Sunday at church, she looks just the same. I also remember Mrs Jolly smacking my hand with a ruler in the library, and my sister who was Charonne Allum getting a blackboard rubber aimed at her head from Mr Robinson.

Jumping off the pipe
One thing I really remember is running down the staircase on the west side of the building where all the toilets and sinks were. I jumped up to a water pipe which we used to swing from, and launch ourselves along the corridor by about ten feet. David Weir did this and kicked Mr Hoare straight in the face.

Remembering teachers
I remember Mr Hoare, Mrs Gregan, Mrs Jolly, Mr Finnie, Mrs Cropley – the mad music teacher whose glasses used to fly off with piano recitals. There was Mrs Brownlow – lives down the road from me, Mr Mitchell, and Mrs Carroll the bus lady. And last but not least the science teacher who shouted until she went quiet was Mrs Inglebret!

Remembering friends
My best friend was Jodie Arnott, I also remember Donna Crankshaw, Sharna Bailey, Tracy Wood, Emma Arnott, David Weir, Carl Guillespie, Marcus Eade, Marcus Bradbury and Richard Gilbert. I don’t remember many others and I don’t think i have any photos left of this time but I really enjoyed it while I was there. I desperately wanted to go back and see it empty but never got the time to do so.

Comments about this page

  • I remember all of this very well too, we all must have swung from that pipe at some point. I was sent to the main entrance once for flicking water from the dripping taps in the dinner queue. Do you remember the ‘ghost of Maria Fitzherbert’? Sports day was always such a great competitive event – we had such an excellent field etc. It was Mrs Copley not Cropley though, she was brilliant. Mrs Carroll is my auntie and Mr Hoare my brother in law.. ha ha will certainly get him to look at this page. I must have left there in about 1981. Happy memories.

    By Sam Carroll (12/11/2008)
  • Hi Claire Allum, I also used to study at Fitzherbert School between 1981 and 1982. Then I went to Cardinal Newman School. I remember the headmaster Mr Finnie very well. I also had a teacher called Mrs Frogett or something like that. We probably neve met, but I am looking for some old classmates like Richard Walsh, Fabian Bitzenbert, Anna Lashmar and Dominic. I also have some pictuers I will download later, If you can help me in any way, I will be very grateful.

    By Jose Luis castEllanos (06/01/2009)
  • Hi Sam and Jose, how nice to hear from you both. Funny how you hear names like Frogett and Copley and you do suddenly remember them just that little bit more. I think my sister Charonne Allum was in the same year as you Jose and i do remember the name Anna Lashmar. Very funny to see that Mr Hoare is your brother-in-law Sam! Small world. All the best to you both, hope you find who you are looking for. Very happy memories for me too.

    By Claire Northcott (29/01/2009)
  • H Claire it’s Sharna. This has bought back so many memories, some good, some bad. The PE teacher brownhil brings back the worst memories. She was such a cow. Apart from her the rest was cool. Do you remember the story of the nun (well scary) in the needle work room?

    By sharna dawes (17/02/2009)
  • Hello to everyone
    It was great reading through your comments, not sure I remember all the names but a few that have been mentioned ring a bell. I started Fitzherbert in 1984 with my brother John Connelly who probably is more memorrable than me and left there to go to Cardinal Newman in 1986.
    All the very best everyone xxx

    By Michaela Connelly (20/02/2009)
  • Hi, I do remember some of your names. I hung around with Noel Culinane and John Olocklin (I think that’s how you spell it). You can find me on Facebook. Do you remember us?

    By Darren Gordon (02/03/2009)
  • Hi all, I went to Fitzherbert in 1980-82. My sisters were also there: Helena and Andrea Hall. I too recognise the teachers above and have good memories of the school. I am now living in Australia but am trying to track down my best friend Joseph O’Mahney (I think that is how you spell it). If anyone knows him I would love to get in touch. Thanks.

    By Ronald Hall (08/03/2009)
  • Hi. I remember Sam. You were in the year above me, and I remember Ronald Hall as well. You were in my class when we were in St Joseph’s together.

    By Fiona Toner (13/06/2009)
  • Hi Sharna! How lovely to hear from you. I am sorry for not getting back to you earlier, I don’t really get a chance to get on here, I am on facebook, look me up we could have a chat! Very funny reading some of the comments on here. That blooming needle work room used the scare the living hell out of me! I hated it. I still see Mrs Gregan sometimes and Mrs Brownhill lives down the road from me and she remembers my name, aaarrrgghh!

    By Claire Northcott (21/08/2009)
  • Hi Sam Carroll, I remember your auntie Mrs Carroll, used to be in charge on the school bus, is she is alive? I used to be Bridget Dowds, and went to Fizzy from 1973 to 79.

    By Bridget (13/10/2009)
  • Hi everyone. Those names ring a bell. Claire, I must have been in your year, I remember Donna Crankshaw, wasn’t she friends with Rebecca Haywood? And Carl Gillespie is another familiar name. As for teachers, they were great. Does anyone remember Miss Wildman, she was lovely and Mrs Copshaw? I think we had Mr Robinson in the 4th year. I have fond memories of the old Southdown buses lining up outside waiting to pick us up at the end of the day; in the mornings we would come up Wilsons Avenue on the Whitehawk/Kemptown bus and would try and beat the bus coming along Warren Road from the Elm Grove area. Does anyone remember the name of the lady on the Whitehawk bus? Lovely to hear all your memories -  such good times.

    By Janine Deakin (27/11/2009)
  • OMG, wish I was back at fizzy-sherbert, what an amazing school. It was such a shame they knocked it down. I see some names here that have brought back memories – good and bad. HEY SHARNA! Look me up on facebook!

    By Donna Crankshaw (04/03/2011)
  • Hello all, especially you Janine Deakon as I used to fancy you like mad! I was, and still am, Michael’s brother and I remember most of the names and all of the teachers. I should think that the teachers are still trying to forget about me.

    By John Connelly (15/01/2012)
  • WOW, just found this page. I was at ‘Fizzy’ early 80s and remember Carl Guillespe and Richard Gilburt. Me and my twin sister (Michaela) were there together and absolutly loved it. Had my first kiss with a girl called Hannah and remember doing some home econimics in the cooking/ sewing rooms upstairs and found the secret door that led to a flight of stairs down to the playground (haunted apparently!). Played football for the school and we were rubbish but got aftenoons off school to do it – FAB. The school bus was probably my best memory Mrs Carol (I think her name was) the bus monitor, made me wash my mouth out with soap (literally) for swearing on the bus while trading football stickers. If anyone remembers me or my twin sister (she had a big afro of hair then) then contact me at treakle2@sky.com.

    By Scotty collins (27/04/2012)
  • Hi I loved this school. I still see Mr Hoare and he has not changed one little bit.

    By Tony Parsons (15/09/2012)
  • I remember you Scott Collins and your sister Michaela too. Wasn’t your dad a police officer who came to our school to give chats about safety on the roads? I think you were in my brother’s year which was 2 years below me.

    By Fiona Toner (06/01/2013)
  • Hello Fiona, I’m Scott & Mikki’s dad. Yes I was the Police School Liaison Officer who used to visit your school. Have a look under the category headed ‘People’ within this site, then look down through those listed under ‘Local Folk’ and you should then see someone you may recognise. Happy New Year.

    By Geoff Collins (07/01/2013)
  • Hi, my name is Keira (nee Davis) and I was at Fitzherbert at some point in the 1980s. I remember lots of teachers. Mrs Ingelbrecht was great at getting us to do experiments, making clocks was one I remember. I remember learning how to use a scratchy italic pen and blotting paper - lots of ink spots everywhere especially in the math’s books. I think I was in 2D, Mrs Dillon’s class, she was very nice. I enjoyed Mrs Copley’s classes and I remember doing ‘T’was the night before Christmas’ one year. I loved getting blackjacks at the tuck shop during break and my best friend was Anna-Lisa Navarro. I also remember Marina and Antony O’Malley, I think he was in my violin class. I remember the scary sewing room and Mrs Gregan’s classes doing patchwork and macrame (things I’d never attempt on my own.) I was always in trouble and in Mr Finney’s office. Once I threw a shoe in a tree, I also threw chewing gum in David DeLuca’s hair and I had a fight with Anna-Lisa, which resulted in me getting a scratch on my face. Mr Hoare told me to wash the red pen off when he saw me in the corridor. Does anyone remember singing ‘Fight the good fight’ and ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ a lot? 

    By Keira (nee Davis) (17/05/2016)
  • Hi everyone. I went to Fitzherbert school and one of my fondest memories is of Gaviston hall school trip 🤗 I was in John Conellys year and remember him well. Also Christopher Bolingbroke, Sean Cummings, Colin Barriff, Marina Brigginshaw, Kiera Davis, Anna Lisa Navarro, Candia Trugunna, Vicky Pope and more… 😊

    By Tania Podsiadly (13/10/2020)
  • Oh my God. What fond (and some not so) memories of a great school. John Connelly the legend ,and friends with Christian Allcock if I remember. Remember a party at Andrew Haney’s House near St Mary’s girls school, where snogging was involved or some such like. Slept since then! Gaveston Hall was the best though. Anyone remember the goat?

    By Angela Rosevear (clark) (19/12/2021)
  • Ahhh hi guys!! I also went there from 1982 to ’86 and remember Michaela Pignuyguy, Dawn Coleman, Miranda Francis, Collin Barriff, Georgina, Hannah McMahon, Marina, Peter Green, Vicky Pope, Paul Wilkinson, John Connelly etc! Yes Gaviston Hall was so fun hey! Remember nicking dinner trays from the kitchen and using them as toboggans when it snowed! Would love to get in touch with you guys, email me rebeccaharlow@hotmail.com. Rebecca (Harlow) now Prinsloo! 😊

    By Rebecca Prinsloo (11/02/2022)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.