We are beginning to appreciate how important it is to look after things from the past. Orkney is so full of wonderful evidence of it's Norse heritage. This will form the main part of our history investigation this term.It is so easy though to let the recent past slip by, talking and listening to older family members...It is most important to value , record and preserve the past that is within people's living memory. An old picture of St Magnus cathedral was found recently in the attic at the school. Staff and pupils could remember it hanging on the wall near the dining room until a few years ago but had no idea who had made it. The frame was hanging off and it was tired and dusty looking. It had been beautifully made from different coloured fabrics which matched the soft red sandstone of the actual cathedral building. We decided to restore and preserve it so future generations of Glaitness pupils could enjoy it.
Our restoration advisor throughout this project has been Marion S.
As soon as we looked at it closely, we found evidence which helped us discover who we think made it and when. On the back was a handwritten label that listed the names of class 4 pupils in 1979. We then discovered that the school was opened in 1979 and they were the first P4 class ever at Glaitness! Amazingly Joe said, "That's my dad!" Alanah's auntie who now lives in Australia was also on the list! The name of the teacher was not on the label but we now have people who we can ask, Why was it made? Who made it ? Who was the P4 teacher at the time?
We might want to invite them in to talk about it ... Can they remember? ...Will they be happy with our restoration?
We hope so...
Wow! What a great project - you are making real history. The links with older family members are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting thing to find and restore. Well done Class 4/5.
ReplyDeleteMiss Falconer
I was amazed to see the Cathedral picture again – I almost didn’t recognize it with the improvements you’ve made. It looks enlivened and ready to be enjoyed again. A kind and lovely project to save something our class worked on.
ReplyDeleteWe were the first P4 class at Glaitness after it was built and our teacher was Ms Logie. She was a fun teacher – to make the Cathedral picture I think we dyed the cloth to give it a variation of colour and look more atmospheric. I liked looking at the photos of you all working on the picture. And I can’t guess who Joe’s Dad is although I went to school with him!
We liked our new school – it was smaller than it is now. Everything was so new and peaceful near the Peedie Sea. We had pets like Bianca the baby goat. Alanah is hoping the school might get a Demon Duck of Doom. If you haven't heard of the Australian megafauna she'll tell you more about him.
Thank you all for your hard work!
Lorna Johnston
Thank you very much for your great comments!
ReplyDeleteWe are delighted that you have responded in such a positive way to the work we did on the original picture.It is really interesting to hear about Glaitness 30 years ago.You were so lucky to be able to have animals like goats!
Alanah has been telling us about the Demon Duck of Doom! We will put a post on the blog to share her information about this unusual creature from 15 million years ago!
Thank you once again for taking the time to post a comment on our blog.
class 4/5
that look's good well done
ReplyDelete