Page 78 - She's One Crazy Lady!

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I hope that“
Home where Emma volunteered to tell the staff and the residents what had happened and spending time with them to talk through what Emma meant to them. That was hard. I hope that by reading a tribute about Emma at her packed funeral showed how special she was to me and to everyone who knew her. Emma was just eighteen. They were very dark days.
No doubt you will understand when I say, Whitefriars played such an important part of my life – it really was a very happy time. But, having had experiences in other areas of education, I had itchy feet and felt the time was right to explore options
Whilst at Whitefriars, I left home, having saved solidly for two years to place a deposit on a one-bedroomed maisonette, not far from Mum and Dad. It was time and I was the last one to fly the nest. Some 45 years later, I’m still there! Shortly after moving into my flat, I’d had a strong desire to join the RAF as a teacher. With Dad having been in the RAF he always said it was the best service to be in and they were desperate for qualified primary teachers in Germany. In addition, sporting provision and opportunities in the RAF would have been brilliant and the pay would have been tempting too, so I sent off for details and spoke with recruiting
by reading a tribute about Emma at her packed funeral showed how special she was to me and to everyone who knew her. Emma was just eighteen. They were very
officers in Bedford. I was told I would be eligible for officer training. Did I want this? I saw no harm in seeing what it was all about. With application forms filled in I attended several interviews and was thrilled, yet somewhat dubious, when they said my qualifications, aptitude and reasoning skills were good, as were my sporting experiences. To my surprise I was accepted but had to think hard as to the reality of it giving up all that I knew and all that I had. It would have meant signing up for a nine-year commission. I asked myself the question again: Was this what I really wanted? Was I ready to give up everything? Was I brave enough? Friends joked about me having to learn how to drill and march saying they couldn’t see me taking it seriously. Would I be disciplined enough? Summing everything up – no! I wasn’t ready. My current life was good, life was going well, so making the decision to decline was not hard and, I have to say, I felt chuffed I had passed all the requirements.
dark da”
With the desire and the urge to move on, I applied for various deputy head posts and was disappointed not to get some, but glad I didn’t get others. When I saw there was a position going at Victoria Junior School, I felt compelled to apply and somehow, having been invited to attend for interview, I felt, for the first time, that this was the job for me. The interview was so relaxed, and I was made to feel so welcome. Later I was told that, apparently, I was like a breath of fresh air! I was delighted to accept the post and eagerly awaited working with Mavis Blackman.
ys.