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<\/p>\n
Chisholm said he took up school unusually young, albeit enthusiastically, to help reverse the dwindling headcount of students at Specimen Hill at the time.<\/p>\n
To set the scene, in 1951 it had two teachers and enrolment numbers were falling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lived in an area where everyone knew everyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was quite a sense of community, which revolved around the school and the Specimen Hill Methodist Church – they were the two local institutions that most people belonged to.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it was likely that the school would lose a teacher if enrolments continued to decrease.<\/p>\n
\u201cWord went around the district that 4-year-olds could be enrolled to boost numbers – no need for the child to attend school every day, just one more enrolment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he never missed a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to sit on the wooden floor in front of an open fire and practise writing letters and numbers, which were easily erased with a damp piece of cloth,\u201d he recollected fondly.<\/p>\n
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