A tale of two sisters! Tracey and Jane were amongst the first BSB students who share with us some of their early memories
Sisters Tracey van Putten (nee Campbell) and Jane Campbell were at BSB from 1970 to 1974. They recount their early memories of the school first opening.
pound currency, which made so much sense to me since I didn’t know anything about the old system of sovereigns and shillings. We had trips to the Museum of Central Africa too, which I remember as being really old and dusty’. Building 1 (now Nevejean) wasn’t ready, so they Both Tracey and Jane recall calling the teachers by started in offices in Rue de la Loi, in Brussels. ‘For their first names which was quite a novelty compared playtime we had to pile into coaches and go to the to the Belgian school system they attended previously. local park. It might have even been Cinquantenaire. We would gather at the end of the day to line up for ‘Drama was important too: ‘Joseph and his mulour respective buses: it was in a big room, which ti-coloured dream coat’, Jane adds. ‘Hilary, my seventh during the day, had some sliders to divide it up for form teacher, would try to get us to write and we could classroom usage,’ remembers Tracey. either invent a story or she would read a story that we would then have to rewrite as homework’. When they moved into the first completed building in Tervuren, the far two ends of it, which were sup- ‘I remember the Maths class’, said Tracey, ‘as well posed to be halls, were also divided up into class- as working with wood, metal and having art classes rooms until the second building (now Tintin) was fin- where we learnt so many techniques including baished. ‘We then had music lessons in there and did tik and lino-engraving. Domestic Studies were in an country dancing, which I loved’, says Tracey. amazing room with small little kitchens. The first thing we learned was how to cut a grapefruit and decorate ‘We used rainbow books to learn to read’ continues it with a glacé cherry, then we moved on to rock buns!’ Jane, ‘I particularly remember the indigo and violet ones. We would go up to the teacher in turn and try Sport was important. Both remember athletics and the to read together in English: and in my case, with a long-jump. They would go to the German school by terrible French accent.’ When Prince Philip came bus for their swimming lessons. Both loved the choices to open the school in December 1970 the children and one was cross country running – running through were all very excited and dressed in their ‘best’ the woods behind the school and coming up into the clothes. park of the Museum of Central Africa next door. 50 years on, this is still happening today! ‘Early on there was a Gym Club - I simply loved it, said Jane. We even travelled to Taunton for a gym ‘I was only twelve said Jane, and yet we were having competition and stayed with families there. Trips discos at each other’s houses, in long dresses!’ Finally, were an important part of school life. I remember a they both remember fondly Alan Humphries the first trip to Normandy and the D-day landing memorials, Headmaster. Omaha beach, the Loire valley and the chateau of Amboise, Mont St Michel, (collecting shells which ‘In short, it wasn’t until years later that we realised how subsequently made my school bag smell badly for privileged we had been to be in this school, with such days)! One trip involved learning the new metric an amazing infrastructure and a modern participatory way of teaching.’ together 10 Learning inspiring success
