We Survived

This collection of fascinating reminisces captures the school days of those girls who attended the Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) in Armidale, New South Wales during the period 1936 to 1964. Were their experiences to occur today they would surely cause gasps of horror. Not that there was anything immoral or illegal happening, the standards of accommodation, meals and uniform requirements were simply of their time; a time which included the war and post-war years with its attendant shortages, rationing and family losses. Despite the strictures, what shines through is the abiding emotional attachment the Old Girls have for their school and the friendships made, as well as the school's emphasis on encouraging individual strengths and talents, its stress on the belief that women should pursue a career and its complete lack of social snobbery. There are tales of girls 'getting up to no good' and as well as being amusing, these forays into naughtiness indicate that spirit and risk-taking cannot be extinguished, whatever the prevailing conditions. Ultimately it was these very conditions that provided a test of character and resilience. Ask PLC Old Girls of the 1936-1964 period what they think of it all and they'll laugh, give a shrug and say, as they do in some of the memories within this book, 'We survived.'