Dictionary of Sydney

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Mrs Evelyn Chapple remembers hazards encountered while walking to school in the early 20th century, interviewed in 1986

Mrs Evelyn Chapple was born in 1896 and was interviewed in 1986 for the 'Looking Back at Liverpool: An Oral History of the Liverpool Region 1900 to 1960' project. Here she remembers hazards encountered while walking to school.
Transcript

EVELYN: We had to go to school every day, it was a long walk for us, but we used to go across a paddock where there were a lot of bullocks that belonged to the slaughter yard. I'd have to run across the paddock, call the dog first, the dog belonging to our place, and it would come and chase the cattle away whilst we ran across. The biggest trouble though was the sheep. There were rams and they go for you. I used to - because I was very strong - I used to get them by the horns and hold them, push them backwards to the other side of the fence, and my brother would jump over the fence. And then he'd catch hold of the horns of the sheep and I'd jump over then. It was a funny old life.

Contributed By
(Excerpt from interview with Mrs Evelyn Chapple in 'Looking back at Liverpool : an oral history of the Liverpool region 1900-1960' conducted in 1986 by Liverpool City Council, editor and project co-ordinator Catherine Johnson ; researchers Angela Imbrosciano, Verica Miiosavijevic, Kathleen Smith.)