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Sharing cherished memories and morning tea with June Hania (Crase) and Barbara Stacy (Sadlier) from the Class of 1941
COFFEE CATCH UP At 98 years, June would have to be one of our oldest old scholars and I recently had the pleasure of visiting her and chatting over a cup of tea. June is very cognisant and I was impressed with her ability to recall memories of her school days, which were more than 80 years ago! Hailing from a farming family near Loxton, June lived with her grandmother on Herbert Street during term time and walked to school. She recalls with fondness the Misses Brown and amusingly described Miss Winnie as ‘skittish’ as she liked to do creative things with her hair and have a bit of fun. After leaving Wilderness, June trained as a nurse and went to work in Woomera. I enjoyed the rather romantic tale of how she met her Dutch husband, Cornelis, who was a patient in her care while she was posted there. After marrying, June moved to Toowoomba and the couple built a life in Queensland but later returned to Adelaide, where Cornelis got a job at the Botanic Gardens. Both he and June shared a lifelong love of nature and gardening. June is still in contact with her old Wilderness friend, Barbara Stacy (Sadlier) (1941) who sometimes comes to visit her. The girls grew up together in the Riverland before coming to Wilderness. June’s nephew James arrived during my visit, and it was lovely to talk about his connection to the School. June’s late sister, old scholar Hilary Rackham (Crase) was James’ mother and his two daughters Amelia (2004) and Lucy (2011) are also both old scholars. It was a delight to meet with June and I look forward to the next time there is an opportunity to connect. After our catch up, I arranged a visit with her close friend, Barbara Stacy. Both she and June were in the same year at school and have remained lifelong friends. Barbara graciously hosted me in her home and she and her daughter Jane, who was visiting
from New South Wales, laid on quite a spread! Over several cups of tea and generous slices of cake, we pored through the School Magazines as Barbara reminisced about old photos and names. According to Barbara, she wasn’t very good at sport while at school, although she enjoyed tennis. She actually went on to meet her husband Michael on the tennis court at a friend’s home (apparently, her legs caught his attention!). She also shared memories of Miss Margaret, who taught her English and was her favourite teacher. After leaving Wilderness in her mid-teens, Barbara went on to Business College and then worked in administrative roles during World War II. After the war ended, her job was no longer available as a returning serviceman filled the substantive position, so she attended university and obtained a degree in social work. This led to a career in allied health including nursing and domiciliary care, which she loved. For most of her life, Barbara has been a keen golfer, bridge player, and prolific community volunteer but has recently slowed down a little. Nevertheless, she is still full of vim and vigour, clearly shown by her enthusiasm and interest in hearing about her old school. After visiting June and Barbara, I was reminded of the oft-quoted refrain, “forever a Wildy girl”. Both of these wonderful women are a testament to the truth of this adage. Rebecca Foster Head of Advancement
Pictured: Barbara Stacy (nee Sadlier) (1941) and Rebecca Foster, Head of Advancement
