David Wright: Education Director Extraordinaire

As you may have read in previous posts, Dad spent most of his adult life in the Education Department of Western Australia.

Our childhood was spent moving around the WA countryside every 2 years, while Dad was promoted.

He went from teacher in 1956, to deputy, to Principal, to Superintendent, to Regional Director of Goldfields, then of the North West, then through most of the regions of the metropolitan area.  His last post was as Director of Operations in Silver City (education head office) in East Perth, retiring in the late 1980s.

Here's a shot of the graduating class from Claremont Teachers' College, Perth, in around 1955...

And a closer view...

In 1982, during one of his stints as a director in the metro area, Dad wrote a paper entitled "The Superintendent and Teacher Development".

It was also known around the traps as "A Taxonomy of Teacher Development".

He wrote it to present at a conference in Hamilton, New Zealand.
I have scanned all the pages and they are below for your reading pleasure.


As far as I can tell, this work is quite unique and original, not to mention still very relevant to today's teaching environment...

Rose Wright: A Teacher Extraordinaire...

I have been tidying up....

No stop it...


I have...


I'm just going to ignore you and carry on...


I came across something in my excavations that Mum wrote to support her application to be classified as an Advanced Skills Teacher.

This was something that teachers could apply for in the late 1980s and early 1990s - and it allowed them to climb on their pay scale.

It's a wonderful reminder (for all who knew her) just what an amazing woman she was.  And it's a great insight for all her grandchildren, and beyond.


Such a legacy....


I'll let the document speak for itself.


Enjoy....

More on WIndy Harbour

My Attic Addicts blog continues to be updated with Windy Harbour photos, so make sure you have a look...


I have 2 more posts to make...

Windy Harbour

I have recently spent a week at our place in Windy Harbour...


Joy...


Bliss...


Peace...




In that week I did a lot of creative type things, and have written several posts on my "Attic Addicts" blog about Windy...  The posts seem to fit over there rather than here on the Wright Family Story Blog...


I've included posts on:  


the naming of cottages...


my favourite cottage...


the range of cottages in the settlement...


the creativity of the cottage owners... Part 1 (others yet to be posted)




Pop on over and have a look-see....

More info...

News to hand...


Costas (perhaps the son of our grandfather, Victor Varnavides) date of birth was.....

March 25th, 1921.

Bappou left Cyprus in 1924...


So nothing disproved, and nothing proven.




But still a potential....

Rumour and scandal...

They always say that every family has a skeleton in their closet....


And this may be ours...




So- to set this up first...


As you know, I have been discussing a certain family photo with our Cypriot relatives....


One of the things I also asked was whether anyone knew why Bappou (my Grandfather Varnavas Varnavides- known as Victor Varnavides- let's call him VV) came to Australia in 1924.


The Cypriot relatives discussed it...


The most obvious reason was the poverty gripping Europe after World War 1.  As Cyprus had been a British Colony since 1878, a lot of people were migrating to UK and Australia.  Bappou (VV) decided to emigrate to Australia with a few of his friends.  


Then Constantinos HadjiDemetriou, one of our Cypriot cousins, went to talk with Constantis Violaris' granddaughter Andriana who still lives in Kokkinotrimithia, and this news popped into the mix...




Very interesting stuff....




Prepare yourself...


In addition to the photo in the previous post, I had sent this photo over to Constantinis and his father... I sent it over just thinking it might be interesting for them to see Bappou and Grandma Vic at an early stage of their marriage.


Little did I know what discussion it would spark!

Photo: 1931; Varnavas (Victor) Varnavides, Eva Varnavides, Chrissie Varnavides )nee Comenos)


... and what emerged from all that discussion was this....


I have quoted from Constantinos...


"There were rumours in the family that the reason behind (your grandfather's) decision to emigrate was an affair he had with his brother's wife.  This possibility was known within the family but was a well kept secret...  Actually, I also didn't know...  But these past days and while discussing family history as a result of the photo you sent, this possibility was made known...  When I looked at (your grandfather's) photo today with (your grandmother) Chrissie and Eve, it becomes apparent that my Bappou Costas looks exactly like (your grandfather)...  My Grandfather Costas was probably  your grandfather's son, and that's why he went to Australia."


Does that make sense to you all?


Anyway- if that is the case, we are more closely related to our Cypriot family than previously thought!


I am now in the process of cross checking birthdates, immigration dates and documents with the cousins/uncles...


I have also asked for a photo of Costas which I will then post...




Wow, huh?

Bappou's family

I have an update for you...

Remember this post "Any Ideas?"...

Well, it's a long story but I have been in contact with our Cypriot cousins and have further information on the people in this photo...


Here is the photo again to remind you...

These are actually Bappou's (my grandfather Varnavas Varnavides) parents and sisters...  All are in traditional dress.  They lived in Kokkinotrimithia, outside the capital of Nicosia and were farmers.

The man's name is Constantis Violaris, meaning violinist.  Constantis is wearing the traditional Vraka (very loose trousers). He was from Ayios Vassilios, a village near Kokkinotrimithia,  and is my Great Grandfather.

This is my Great Grandmother, known as Violarena- meaning the wife of the violinist.  

Her actual name was Evdokia (Eve) Karakashi, and she was from the village of Kokkinothrimithia.  Constantis (her husband)  moved to his wife's village when they married.

The two girls are Bappou's (my Grandfather Varnavas Varnavides') sisters- little is known about the girl below except...  


Here is some drama for you....  She was kidnapped by/eloped with a Turkish policeman who fell in love with her and never returned to the village.

This is Eleni... 

Her nickname was Pittishikkena...

She married and had 4 children...

There are two members of the family missing from this photo:

Our Bappou Varnavas who came to Australia.  He Anglicized  his name to Victor Varnavides.

His brother Demetris who went to the holy land (Jerusalem).  He was a very good church singer and violinist.  Because of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he earned the name Hadji, and hence the Varnavides was dropped as a surname and he became HadjiDemetriou.  


This surname is still in use by our Cypriot cousins.


You may also remember this...

It was written behind the photos and is in perfect Katharevousa, a dialect spoken by the upper class in Greece before Modern Greek was introduced.


It says "Wishes that the New Year finds you in health, happiness, love and joy"...


As Constantinos, our Greek cousin notes....


"The writing proves that Constantis Violaris (Great Grandfather) was relatively literate as only a few people knew how to read and write at the time, and the hand writing is very similar to my (Constantinos') Bappou's handwriting"


Constantinos' Bappou was Costas, who is mentioned in the next post.

The things you find....

So... I'm cleaning out the study, and have a big bag of books to go to the op shop....


When I happen to stop... and look at the bag I am carting to the front door...


This book jumped out at me...












































So I decide to take it out...




To open it up...










































To find peeking behind the dust cover this lovingly written note from Mum to her "D---? husband" on their anniversary...

So of course I checked out the page referred to....

And here it is, for your edification, on the second page at the top...

Pretty cool, huh....

Rose on Gavan....

This is also from the "Grandmother Remembers" book.

Since it was dedicated to Lisa, there is a bit about Gavan as well....

So- here 'tis...

Enjoy...

In Rose's own words...

I found something special today while re-organising the study...


It's one of those "Grandmother Remembers" books- I think Anna gave it to Mum some time ago...


At some point, Mum started to fill it in.


It's written from her point of view, and is dedicated to Lisa.




Anyway- I have scanned it for everyone to enjoy before I hand it to Lisa while she is here in Perth this weekend... 


(shhh- it's a secret!) 

The road into Windy...

Driving in to Windy Harbour is really special.


We've all been going there since  the folks bought their hut back in 1960, and there is a sense of home coming whenever I go back...


I've retraced the drive-in on camera, so you can all get the same feeling I always do...


Looking back over the coastal plain away from Windy...

And the road out of Windy towards Northcliffe...

Entrance to Windy...

Beautifully maintained announcement!...

And now onto the "main" road...

First house into Windy is...

Adsy's place!

Most of the huts are named... 


However, we are still discussing what ours could be- well over 50 years later...


For the record, I favour "The Trophy Room" a la the movie The Castle...




A sign pointing to a sign....

A few of the huts and scenery on the way in...

Coming over the rise to see "The Greasy Spoon" on the right...

And "Carney's Corner"..

But wait... what's that on the grass?

There....

No- there....

Yes.... it is!!!


A speed camera!!!

Actually no....


With typical WIndy Harbour (not to mention Aussie) ingenuity...


It's really a wine bottle, a piece of black rubbish bag, a tripod, electrician's tape, a tool kit box, a shaver cord, and a chain...


But it has the same effect!




Turning down our road....

Then.....






Bloody hell!

A Smurf sat on our hut!!!!!

Uncle John didn't tell us and left it for a surprise....


Which it surely was!


Rose would have loved it.... it was the colour she picked..




Just as much as she would have loved the verandah...


Now for furniture!