The Weekly Guardian...Children's Corner (1934) (Part 2).
This blog post is a continuation of the previous blog post titled 'The Weekly Guardian...Children's Corner (1934) (Part 1).'
The Weekly Guardian was a local newspaper that was published from 1933 to 1934 and circulated through Subiaco, Wembley, Hollywood, Nedlands and Claremont.
On June 29, 1934 the newspaper began a Children's Corner. Children were encouraged to enter various competitions for the best essays, share stories and paintings. The best essays were published. Books were awarded to the best entries for a boy and girl under the age of 15 years and games for second prize. The entries had to be in their own words and and the mother and father had to sign the coupon. The column was run by Uncle Arthur and the children were known as nieces and nephews. The competitions were judged by the Rev. Oliver, Rector of St. Andrew's Church, Subiaco.
The entries published provide a wonderful insight in the lives of children including hobbies, the games they played, their favourite toy, what they wanted to be when they grew up, their favourite books, and what they did on the weekend and during their summer holidays. The children also wrote about issues that impacted on them and their families such as the mosquito plague.
The articles and photographs are from Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia. No copyright infringement intended.
Weekly Guardian 29 June 1934.
MY HOBBY.
Miss Yolande Johns, aged 9,
of 111 Rokeby Road, Subiaco.
My hobby is collecting series of labels of products made in Australia. In my collection I have several labels of products made in Tasmania, such as Cadbury's Chocolates and Bourne-Vita, which is a very nourishing food beverage. I have also a soap and Charmosan cream label which are considered quite good and pure. There is a jam and fruit label, and as some of the finest fruits are grown in Tasmania, we get excellent jam and tinned fruits. Wonderful progress has been made during the last few years, thus enabling people to buy things much cheaper than when they had to depend on imported goods.
Master John Moody, aged 9,
of 135 Rokeby Road, Subiaco.
Reading is my hobby, of which I am very fond. I have a nice collection of book's, including two Tiger Tim's Annuals, Peter Pan and Wendy, Schoolboy's Annual, Nelson's Jolly Book for Boys and others, too numerous to mention. I also enjoy reading comics and children's pages in the papers.
Weekly Guardian, 6 July 1934.
MY FAVOURITE GAME.
Betty Bowden, aged 9
of 149 Derby Road, Subiaco.
My favourite game is shopkeeping. Because my sister and I like to see the little people coming into buy. I only imagine these little people, because there are only two of us. I have a cubby house on the end of the verandah. There is a box in the doorway for the counter. The interior is where I keep the stores.
The verandah is where the people come to buy. In one part of the shop I sell meat, chickens, milk, eggs, butter, cream, which comes from our own imaginary farm. In the gro-cery part of the shop I sell tea, flour, jams, sugar, pies, cake, etc. For the money we have shells. I have an account book in which I enter people's goods. Adding up the accounts and giving out the change helps me with my sums at school.
John Ramsay, aged 12,
of 138 Onslow Road, Shenton Park.
Perhaps the most popular game a boy can play is cricket, but some like football better. The game of cricket is played by two teams, each comprised of eleven men, and their aim is to make a score, which is done by trying to knock the ball past the fieldsmen. If he is able to do this he runs to the other end of the pitch, and as many times as he runs the length of it, it counts as a run. He might even run two or three times which are added to his total. The opposite team have to stump, catch, run or bowl the batsmen out.
The game is played in summer be cause if it were played in the winter the rain would cover the field with water, which would stop the ball, while in the summer there is scarcely any rain. Sometimes it does rain and play has to be held up until the field is suitable for them to continue. At present the fifteen players who were picked to go to England, are playing the Test matches and county games, in which I am very interested, and eagerly await the latest scores in the morning paper in which I hope, that some day my name will appear. I am so interested in cricket and always play when I get a chance.
Weekly Guardian, 7 September 1934.
Eunice Nelthorpe, aged 7 3/4,
of 15 Cross Street, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants' School,
LAST WEEKEND.
Last Saturday I went to a nice party. There were about sixteen boys and girls, and we had a lovely time. If you remember, last Saturday was rather wet, but in between the showers we played cricket, and had a peanut race. I dropped mine and by the time I had got another one I was last home.
Then we had lovely cakes, jellies and lollies, and each child was given a balloon. After we had eaten all the nice things we had a treasure hunt. I couldn't find mine anywhere, so Bobbie's daddy (that is the boy's name who had the party) told me to look in the garage on top of the step ladder, and I found wrapped in brown paper a pussycat rubber. The hunt finished about half-past five, and of course we all had to go home feeling very tired but happy.
I love parties and wish there was one every Saturday. On Sunday morning I went to Sun day School, and in the afternoon I wrote my essay, but although I like the week-ends, I am always glad when Monday comes so that I can go to school again.
Jack Duncan, aged 8,
of 94 Rupert Street, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants' School,
HOW I SPENT LAST WEEK-END.
As last Saturday was very wet I couldn't go out very far. So after getting the messages for my mother I had a glance over my lessons and back verandah. The dog kept running away with my ball, so I had to give it up as a bad pob.
I then went to meet my Dad. After lunch time I helped him to carry in the wood for the fires and in between the showers we pulled out some weeds from the garden. As the evening was very wet I just had to listen to the wireless for a time; then I had a read of a book until bed time.
On Sunday morning I rose early and after breakfast went to Sunday School and Church. After I had dinner I went around King's Park with my father and mother. It started to rain again so we had to hurry home and content ourselves in doors for the rest of the evening. I had a glace over my lessons and went early to bed so as to be fresh for school in the morning.
Weekly Guardian, 17 August 1934.
Don Stringfellow, aged 8 3/4,
of 161 Hammersley Road, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants' School,
MY FAVOURITE SCHOOL LESSON.
My favourite lesson is nature study because you may find things out about living things, flowers, animals, insects, and so on. Besides, if there is a reserve near your school your teacher sometimes takes you there on a nature study lesson. Then you can run about and get cocoons, different shaped leaves, and also curious bits of bark. Your teacher mostly keeps caterpillars, and sometimes snails and cocoons. You can find out things about fishes, birds, and beasts, and also about the tropical seas, creeks and valleys. There is no end to the interests of Nature.
Gordon Hugo, aged 8 3/4,
of Barker Road, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants' School,
MY FAVOURITE SCHOOL LESSON.
My favourite lesson is Geography because you can learn different things about the world and names of other lands like Canada, Europe, England, Africa, Austria, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, which is only an island. There are other countries named Victoria, Tasmania.
But in Canada there are mountains and hills, also plains and rivers. In the rivers are salmon and sardines. There used to be cowboys and Indians and they always had fights. The plains that are there are called prairies. Now there are farms there.
Also we learn about Japan and China. They grow in Japan rice, and they also keep silkworms, and they get the silk then they send it to the silk factory, and it is made into silk clothes. That's all I have to put in this week.
I might have more next week, so good-bye.
Beryl Jeffs, aged 8 1/4,
of 58 Lawler Street, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants' School.
MY FAVOURITE SCHOOL LESSON.
My favourite lesson is sewing, because it is so interesting and helpful to girls when they grow up. For you can make your own, dainty clothes and earn a living, too. If you tear your clothes, you are able to mend them. You can help in many ways by making babies' clothes and making warm clothes for the poor.
You can have more pretty dresses when you can make them yourself, and you can help others that do not know how to sew. At Christmas you can make many useful presents such as fancy aprons, doyleys, pillow shams, cushions and many other things made with needle and thread.
I like sewing my dollies' clothes and dressing them. I can make pretty dresses and bonnets for them with patches. So that is why I like sewing lessons best of all.
Hope Hawtin, aged 8 3/4,
of 22 Brown Street, Subiaco.
Subiaco Infants School,
MY FAVOURITE SCHOOL LESSON.
I like reading best of all subjects as it teaches me many things. It tells me of all countries and their customs. It gives me poetry, of which I am very fond, and on a rainy day when I cannot go out to play I can have a book to read, which is my delight. Of all them that I have read, I prefer Peter Pan and Wendy, because it is so interesting.
Reading a lot educates you in lots of ways, and it's very nice to be able to read well because you are then able to read and under stand what's going on in the world, and later on in life you will then be able to talk on any subject that might come up with confidence, no matter in what company you may happen to be.
In conclusion I hope that I will always be fond of reading and so help to improve my education and knowledge on many matters by reading.
Western Mail, 9 March 1933.
