I started school in Coombs in 1950. My sisters Virginia, Ramona and Loretta and brother Dale also attended. My favourite memory was our sheepdog Scotty walking us to school, going back to our home on Station Rd, then sitting at the end of our driveway waiting for us to return from school. The lady that loved next door to the school, Mrs Hylek, would get upset because we would climb the fir trees to make a ladder. There was also boards going from tree to tree to make a board walk. This upset Mrs Hylek. She was afraid we would fall so the school cut down all the large trees. I think she felt bad because she brought large pails of grapes to the school. Mrs Williams brought homemade soup to school on certain days. My favourite was tomato macaroni. To take a shortcut to the school – we lived next door to the fairgrounds – we had to cut through our pigpen. We would have to get a big stick, scratch their backs until they laid down and then we’d run fast so they wouldn’t chew on our dresses!