1980s
When the Summer School first started, or at least when I first heard about it, I still had children attending boarding school. They liked to bring friends home for the holidays so naturally enough I could not attend the school.
Finally my youngest son left school and on 1 January the following year he left home to spend a year in Scotland as an exchange student. And so a few days later I was free to attend my first Summer School. It was, I think, in 1980.
The class I attended was Joe Collum’s Drama class. I had been a keen member of an amateur dramatic club for some years beforehand and I was delighted to have this opportunity. The course was everything I could have hoped for and I enjoyed every moment of it.
In subsequent years I attended quite a few drama classes with different tutors and several writing classes. I feel I have benefited greatly from each and every one of the classes.
At first my husband, Digger, was not interested in attending the School. However, after a few years he decided to come with me. He enrolled in the woodwork class and enjoyed every moment of it. It amazed me that in one short fortnight he could make a truly excellent piece of furniture such as a coffee table, a traymobile, a bed head, etc. I treasure them all.
Much of the pleasure of the fortnight’s 'holiday' lay in the friendly attitude of all concerned and the lunch time and evening concerts. I enjoyed being a member of the choir which practised in the afternoon after the daytime classes and performed at the concert at the close of the School.
These are my happy memories of the McGregor Summer School in the days of DDIAE.