Toongabbie Christian College

CHRISTINE BECKETT Parent 1981-1991 Grandparent 2006-Present Staff Member 1981-1985 Board Member 1995-2010

On the first day of Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School (a bit of a mouthful, especially when answering the phone in the office), I took my two children to start school and I offered to help in the office. It was a privilege to work there for the next five years. I have many wonderful memories of those times. As the Office Secretary I had many different duties such as playground duty, helping with excursions, library work, typing and producing the Meeting Place on a manual typewriter and copying it on a Gestetner, arranging hot dog days and many others. During heavy rain the area where the office was would flood. The school acquired the property in Octavia Street with a house on it, the P&F and other volunteers worked very hard to clean the house at a working bee on the Saturday then a few nights later it caught fire. All that was left became my office. When we moved from the Toongabbie Baptist Church site to the school site in Octavia Street. It was great fun to chase the magpies with a broom to keep them from annoying the students. We used to have fetes to raise money for the school and my small office would be packed with items for sale with not much room to move. It was also the staff room. The enthusiasm of Lynette Hester (the first Head Teacher) was contagious and it was thrilling to see the students come back from eisteddfods and festivals with rewards for their efforts. It was a great time of community and all families were involved in helping at functions. Moving into the new buildings was a real blessing as we had room to move. It was a wonderful time seeing how God answered many prayers and blessed us all as we worked together for His Kingdom. In 1981 there were thirty-seven students in the school, including Infants and Primary. Primary students were together in one classroom at the former Toongabbie Baptist Church building. Infants were in another room with our beloved Infants teacher, Miss Libby Taylor. We had workbooks for our grade level, and would all sit at desks doing our own work. I was in Year 5. Mrs Hester was my teacher. She taught me to play chords on the piano, for which I am forever grateful. I remember one day Mrs Hester sat us all in a circle and asked us, one at a time, to sing. This was the audition for our Noah’s Ark musical. I was so embarrassed that when it came to my turn I didn’t sing. Two years later, in Year 7, I was playing guitar, singing and leading worship for Chapel. What a turnaround! Music always featured at TCC, or TBCCS, as we used to call it. When we got to high school we called it TBCCHS, TCC is easier! We used to go to Girraween Oval at lunch to play, as we didn’t have a playground at the church. One lunch time, I was standing on a low tree branch, leaning against a tree and I slipped. A jagged part of the tree branch went through my leg. I was taken to hospital in an ambulance. My lovely friend, Alison, was so worried but after many stitches and some TLC, I was fine. When I was in Year 7 in 1983, our grade was the only grade in high school. In 1984 I was in Year 8 and the High School had Years 7 and 8. Each year a grade was added. Our year was always the eldest. We were situated at Dunmore House in Pendle Hill. We enjoyed our time there. I remember walking past a petrol station on the way to school from the train station. Petrol was 39 cents a litre.

ADELE WAKELING (née O’CONNELL) Student 1981-1986 Parent 2011-Present Staff Member 2012-Present

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