My Kindergarten (happiest ) years were in this church.

   

Prinsep Street Prebytarian Church and Kindergarten 

During 1966 and 67, my parents sent me to this Presbytarian Church and Kinderdarten. I have strong recollections of this and I am amazed that with so much urban development of the city, the Church and Kindergarten are still around!

I remember having a lot of joy and fun playing with the kids and I was like the 'prince' of the playground (see below behind the shutter gates). There was a sandpit to the right of the picture below, and I recall wrestling some 3 other kids in the pit and my Dad was watching and gently admonishing me.Sadly, my behaviour was tantamount to some small time bully - which I will put to my young, thoughtless and carefree nature, having been brought up in the streets  (Sophia Road, Adis Road and Mackenzie Road were the neighbourhood which I grew up in) with the neighbourhood boys and had a thoroughly rough and tumble early life full of scrapes, near misses ( I almost got blind in one eye and almost fell off the 2nd floor another time), catching spiders, getting bitten by our dogs, fights, generally being the scrappy slightly plump boy with the thick glasses. 

It was so fun and carefree. Today's children have it totally different but I would NEVER trade my childhood with anybody else in the world !   

 

Courtyard of Prinsep Street Presbytarian Church and Kindergarten - still the same look 50 odd years on ! 

The kindergarten was where I had my push racing car, and I recall fondly having wrestling matches with the other boys, having the racing car being pushed by the young Caucasian kids sitting in there for the longest time and feeling like this would go on forever. A little prince or thug who 'controlled' the playground ! 

But then again, what did I know ? I was only 4 or 5 years old and life was just one big party. No stress,In the morning only play, fights, catching spiders, flying kites, eating lunch and  going out and doing the same in the afternoon till our parents came home.

The mid to late 60s were really such carefree and happy days.  I truly enjoyed them.