The quadrangle. The tower with the badge on it is a lift! It’s for disabled kids and only works if you have a card. The left side and north side as far as the lift were built after I was was there. © PJ Croft 2014

I went up to Northam yesterday with an old school mate to take photos of our old high school. It was a perfect day, 25C and almost windless.

The school is the same, but different if you know what I mean. It felt familiar, but there are so many new buildings! You can see them in this aerial shot, courtesy of another school mate, Norm, who went ballooning for the Avon Descent.

Looking west from a hot air balloon. Our old school colleague Norm Liddelow was there last Saturday for the Avon Descent. © N. Liddelow 2014

The two storey school and the manual arts complex are pretty much the same (although the manual arts block seems to be expanded. I don’t remember that quadrangle in the middle). But all those buildings to the right are new, as is the massive new development in the left foreground.

A nicer view, looking West. © N. Liddelow 2014

The domestic science block at the upper (West) side has also been doubled in size and includes a large, modern cafeteria, used to train restaurant chefs and staff.

The old boys hostel, St Christopher’s House, can just be seen in the upper right corner. We drove past but it’s completely fenced off, no entry. I could see through a window to a burnt open roof in the old rec hall. Someone set it on fire a few years ago and there it lies, decaying, abandoned. Very strange. Surely it could have been used for something? Refugees come to mind.

My old home room in my later years (18). That fire hose wasn’t there. I got the cuts in that room.

Some more shots –

Looking across the Avon River, with the weir in the left foreground. © N. Liddelow 2014

A closer view of the old flour mill and the hotel at the left where we occasionally got an illicit bottle of Swan Lager. © N. Liddelow 2014

The quad. © PJ Croft 2014

This hasn’t changed in nearly 100 years. © PJ Croft 2014

Aaaah, this is our kinda car. It’s a 1964 model too. The EH Holden, oft remembered as the best Holden (of those times) ever made. © PJ Croft 2014

We came back via Toodyay for lunch. I don’t think I’ve ever been there except maybe passing through once. It’s a very nice little town with some really old and interesting buildings.

Then back to Perth on the Toodyay road. All in all it was a great day, especially riding in a big BMW X6 on leather seats with climate controlled air con and a great stereo system.