St Bonaventures school.

[DannyGill]

Hi Everybody,
Just wanted to mention wee Bonnies and big Bonnies, I attended wee Bonnies 1954/9 and have great memories of the school and my classmates, Jacky Doyle, Brian Donnelly,John Doherty etc and Maggie Cryans,Georgina Sweeney etc. Our main teacher was wee Jimmy D'Arcy and a great character always cracking jokes like=what is an anorak= a shelf for hanging bananas on. Smithy was in charge of the football team and we played our matches on Glasgow green on Saturday mornings, Mr Breslin and Ms Martin also spring to mind , oh and an awful frump of a bad tempered teacher called Ms Henrietta , can anyone remember these teachers. I went to big Bonnies but after a year was transferred to Holyrood, I remember Mr Vaughn [Frankie as we nicknamed him], Mr Morgan [who was a ringer for Steve Chalmers the Celtic player], Mr Lees, Mr Scanlan who had egg shaped bumps on his bald head. I'm sure other readers and the girls can remember other teachers or events. I wonder when Bonnies was demolished, I remember getting the free milk in the morning and then playing frizbys with the lid. Strange thing was when I served my apprenticeship as a bricklayer I was working beside an older Bricklayer called John D'Arcy who's brother was Jimmy my old teacher and we all met up at a Celtic match and we had a good laugh about the school that day, yes happy days when you look back now.

[Granny911]

Hi again Danny
Oh my the memories you're stirring up for me is amazing. I didn't go to St. Bonaventures (but could probably name every priest that was in the Chapel, and I also played netball for a club out of there ) but I do remember a couple of folk you mentioned. Jacky Doyle (knew his whole family) Georgina Sweeney (she had an older brother Suede, not sure what his real name was) and I'm almost sure I remember Brian Donnelly. Jacky Doyle lived with his Gran in the house above my Gran in Elmfoot St. He used to send love notes down to my cousin out the bedroom window on a thread or a string, she would take the note off answer it and tie it back on the string and he would hoist it back up to read it. She would read out to her pal what he had written and I would listen in and promptly report the contents to the family in the living room. Guess I was the spy that came in from the cold! I have not thought about this in about 50 years so had a good laugh thinking about it. So thanks for that Danny. Sheila

[JosieStuksis]

Hi Danny, I went to big bonnies but a bit later than you. 1968 when I started. Mr. Vaughan was still there when I was there he was our French teacher, in fact he was the only male teacher we had. In our time the boys and girls didn't mingle. Was that the case when you went there too? He was on the upper corridor away along at the end in the boys side of the school. Mr. Lee was there too, not sure if it was him we called Scud. The name Scanlan rings a bell too but not sure if I remember the name from somewhere else.

If it is big Bonnies you were wondering when it got demolished then it would have been very early 70's. We were shifted to the school on Craigie St opposite the cop shop during my last year at school while they demolished the old place, although they did keep and utilise the centre building of the school into the new build. Just sorry I never got the chance to attend the new place. Almost all the shops in Victoria Rd banned all the pupils from their premises for fear of shoplifting and trouble.....as if we would....

The new school John Bosco didn't last too long for a school, I am sure it was demolished mid 90's and it would have been ready for occupation early to mid 70's it didn't last too long. All the kids were integrated into Holyrood when it closed.

[DannyGill]

Hi Danny, I went to big bonnies but a bit later than you. 1968 when I started. Mr. Vaughan was still there when I was there he was our French teacher, in fact he was the only male teacher we had. In our time the boys and girls didn't mingle. Was that the case when you went there too? He was on the upper corridor away along at the end in the boys side of the school. Mr. Lee was there too, not sure if it was him we called Scud. The name Scanlan rings a bell too but not sure if I remember the name from somewhere else.

If it is big Bonnies you were wondering when it got demolished then it would have been very early 70's. We were shifted to the school on Craigie St opposite the cop shop during my last year at school while they demolished the old place, although they did keep and utilise the centre building of the school into the new build. Just sorry I never got the chance to attend the new place. Almost all the shops in Victoria Rd banned all the pupils from their premises for fear of shoplifting and trouble.....as if we would....

The new school John Bosco didn't last too long for a school, I am sure it was demolished mid 90's and it would have been ready for occupation early to mid 70's it didn't last too long. All the kids were integrated into Holyrood when it closed.

Hi Josie again,
That's right the boys and girls were segregated and Mr Vaughan was in that same classroom when I attended Bonnies too, did you ever have a photo of Bonnies Josie the nearest I got was an aerial shot showing the school and wee Bonnies at the back, it actually took in a good view of the Oatlands area but from afar. Allison st did you ever use the Unique chip shop at dinner time ?. That John Boscoe didn't last too long then Josie did it, I remember when new boys came to big Bonnies the first week they were thrown "over the wall" which was about 6 feet high and backed on to my tenement in Fauldhouse st.

Danny

[JosieStuksis]

I think I may have the same aerial photo, I did crop it but it still looks a bit small. but when I zoomed in on it, it did become a tiny bit clearer. But I'll post it anyway.

[DannyGill]

I think I may have the same aerial photo, I did crop it but it still looks a bit small. but when I zoomed in on it, it did become a tiny bit clearer. But I'll post it anyway.

Hi Josie,
Yes that's the same photo that I have too, you can see wee Bonnies in the background and on the other side you can see the annexe [metal fabrications] that's where I got Technical drawing taught to me and I think that was Kilbride st it was on ?

Danny

[redscot]

Hi again Danny
Oh my the memories you're stirring up for me is amazing. I didn't go to St. Bonaventures (but could probably name every priest that was in the Chapel, and I also played netball for a club out of there ) but I do remember a couple of folk you mentioned. Jacky Doyle (knew his whole family) Georgina Sweeney (she had an older brother Suede, not sure what his real name was) and I'm almost sure I remember Brian Donnelly. Jacky Doyle lived with his Gran in the house above my Gran in Elmfoot St. He used to send love notes down to my cousin out the bedroom window on a thread or a string, she would take the note off answer it and tie it back on the string and he would hoist it back up to read it. She would read out to her pal what he had written and I would listen in and promptly report the contents to the family in the living room. Guess I was the spy that came in from the cold! I have not thought about this in about 50 years so had a good laugh thinking about it. So thanks for that Danny. Sheila

Hello Sheila
Did Brian Donnelly no live in Rosyth St? You dae know him Sheila I'm sure of it....my mammy used to call him 'Noddy' he had a bit of a swagger and he hung his head tae one side when he walked. One night at the youth centre they opened at big Bonnys...he whipped my wig off at a wee dance they had there...and my brother saw it and...well you know the outcome I'm sure

Rosemary