Statistics: Posted by kilts away — 11 Nov 2011, 06:19
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Statistics: Posted by Epykat — 19 Oct 2011, 11:54
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Because of the teachers strikes, extra curricular activities were reduced.Football in particular suffered...there was a team, but given the quality of footballers available in the school, never really did as well as it should have done.There were some outstanding footballers, some of who went onto have terrific careers as pros...Jackie Macnamara Jnr being the most famous (son of Jackie snr...I always wasted jnr to play for The Hibees, something that never transpired) And Peter Cormack jnr (see a pattern here, son of Hibs/Liverpool legend Peter snr) who was taken on by Newcastle United only for injury to force an early end to his football career.
Anyway, I digress from the sports that occupied my time at PHS.As mentioned briefly, rugby was driven by Mr Cuthbertson of the art department and the ever-sound Mr Reid of the science dept and surely an ambassador for Benson & Hedges.His intake of tabs was impressive.The rugby team at the time was impressive, especially the group of boys 2 years above me.A collective of muscle,brain and unrivalled aggression that made for some spectacular sights on the rugby pitch.As we gradually got integrated into the 1st 15 we felt compelled to raise our own game to a level we thought the current players would find acceptable.I'm pleased to say they were suitably impressed with certain acts of barbarity acted out of the opposition...Preston Lodge in particular always being a savage encounter.I'll not name names on an open forum just in case these young dandies have matured into pillars of our community, but to this day, some of the acts of team violence dished out have stayed with me...as has the tremendous skill and team-bonding we achieved.I was never really that into rugby anyway and played because my pals were,Cuthbertson demanded I did and the access to cheap tickets for 5 nations rugby which could be sold on at extreme profit to visiting fans from the opposing teams.We did go and stand on the clock end of the old ground and try and cadge a swig of the whisky being handed round.Heady days.
From the end of 3rd year I got involved in Basketball, a sport clearly less violent,but one where you had to keep your wits about you.Mr Tony Szfris was the man behind the drive to make PHS a force in Scottish Basketball and I think he achieved more than he expected.The school team won the league and scottish cup for the last three years I was there and provided the majority of the Edinburgh team we became involved with, St Thomas' making up the rest.The original gym hall was where we trained almost every night of the week.Not only male success but female too, the kool kats dominating the scene at the same times.Along with Tony was Mr Connell, an Australian with shoulders as wide as Uluru and a calm demeanour hiding the clearly obvious ability to deal with any nonsense.A quiet guy but an outstanding teacher. Extreme credit must go to Sandy Sutherland too, although not a teacher at the school, vital to the success we managed to achieve.I was never the best (or worst) player and some of the better players managed to go and obtain scholarships in America.Tremendous times, tremendous people.
Mr Bell for the techy department ran the school ski club, alongside Mr Laidlaw(?)We would go up to hillend on the number 4 bus (5p jnr single!) and fall and scrape our arms and arses on the artificial turf.all this was leading up to the main event...the 3/4th year school trip to the Alps.Montgenevre on the French/Italian border in the milky way ski complex was our destination.My main problem was that Mr Bell knew my dad thru his work as a draughtsman and I got the feeling they disliked each other,I'd need to be on best behaviour to avoid the wrath of the tache sporting,vertically challenged boss of the trip.The trip in itself was brilliant,and Mr Bell only had to sanction me once (with good reason) during the trip.Me and three of my pals decided to take ourselves of one evening to sample the delights of the neighbouring town of Sauze d'Oulx on the other side of the border in Italy.We settled down in a pizzeria and ordered unknown toppings and Fanta Limon.The pizzas came with raw eggs on top, a new and surprising addition for us all.Anyway, we scoffed it down and started sauntering back to our hotel a few miles up the road, only to be met by a very concerned Mr Bell, who it transpired I had forgotten to tell of our plans.The local copshop had been contacted and we were in serious trouble.One day off the slope cleaning everyone's rooms was our punishment and it felt like the most unjust sentence carried out in the history of teacher/pupil punishment.Mr Bell accepted our apologies and allowed us to take part in the night ski with torch carriers.Hindsight is always 50/50 but I reckon this was another example of me leaving a teacher no other option but to punish me for my actions.I met Ian Bell recently and had a laugh with him about all the things that had happened, he was a nice enough bloke and without his trademark tache, someone I was happy enough to have a beer with.
Statistics: Posted by Franck — 29 Sep 2011, 10:20
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During my stint at PHS, three teachers in particular stand out as being the strictest.Top of the pile was the head of Geography, Mr Lauder, a man with facial moles to rival any world champion in that particular category.A strict discpilanarian who gave the impression that he had a dislike for pupils verging on the unhealthy, he was possibly making up for his colleague Mr Marshall, a man so meek and unable to control a class that even in my teenage years you felt sorry for him and the abuse he had to take constantly from the more disruptive elements of the class.Mr Marshall was a lunchtime visitor to the Coach house alongside the cycling and unkempt maths teacher Mr McPhail (famous for his games of head down thumbs up in 1st year) and biology(?) teacher Mr Harry Hood ( famous for having the most impressive sideburns this side of arthurs seat).They used to play boulle outside the bar and on occasion in 6th year, would allow us to join them.The same welcome was not ever available from Mr Lauder.
Next up was head of Maths, Mr Taylor, a man who could handle any kind of riotous child and teach any child the basics of maths through extreme fear.The difference with Taylor was you could tell he enjoyed his work and if you had even the slightest interest in his subject, he'd make sure you did better than you were expecting.Fearsome, but an outstanding teacher.
Finally, Physics teacher Mr Ranald Donald MacDonald, newly aquired from the western isles and sometimes forgetting that presbyterian views were not shared by the masses of Portobello/Magdelene/Niddry & Craigentinny.I think he married a teacher from the economics department, which caused surprise amongst me and my friends as we thought of him as some sort of asexual android.Children and be unkind and dismissive of teachers and we were probably exactly that of Mr MacDonald.A fine teacher, to this day I can recall the right hand rule.
Actually, thinking a wee bit more, I think Mr Lauder rose to the rank of assistant head teacher, and I pity the pupils who came after me if that is indeed the case.
Statistics: Posted by Franck — 28 Sep 2011, 16:56
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Statistics: Posted by Franck — 28 Sep 2011, 16:06
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Bob, It's purely a matter of resources. I've started trawling through the Archives again for info on Porty in World War One and am finding it difficult to keep both threads going while I do that. Expect the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in the not too distant future.
Statistics: Posted by rathbone — 27 Sep 2011, 07:31
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