For those amongst us who remember:- "When I was a boy"!

[Bealman]

Talking collectors cards, I had the complete set of Mars Attacks! cards... until me old man came home from the pub one afternoon and decided they were too violent, and threw them on the fire. Never did forgive the old so & so for that. Probably worth a bob now.

[Komata]

Joe

Been there, experienced that, with the same end result as yourself.  Sadly, and despite all the modern talk about 'equality' in schools and that 'everyone is friends with everyone else at school', rest assured that the process still exists, and that the 'duffers' are still being humiliated...

Some things don't seem to change.

[railsquid]

One of the things I hated as a kid at school in England in the sixties was "games". We had to play rugby and football in winter (from September to April for those overseas) and cricket in summer. The "teachers" used to let the two best kids pick teams, which involved them choosing the best players one by one until only the duffers were left. I was one of the duffers, and I have to say that this was the most humiliating experience in my life. Since then I have always hated sport. I wonder if this system of picking teams was something that was taught in teacher training college, or whether one individual sadist invented it ?

Ah yes, fun times (albeit in the 80s). I very quickly stopped giving a damn and spent all of my time wandering around the bits of the pitch furthest away from whatever ball-type object was the focus of excitement. I have some stunningly low marks on my report cards. OTOH I did get the best GCSE results in my year (hah, showing my age here) and they were very miffed that I chose to go to a 6th form college elsewhere which did not share their ambition of trying to emulate a public school.

[Michael Shillabeer]

One of the things I hated as a kid at school in England in the sixties was "games". We had to play rugby and football in winter (from September to April for those overseas) and cricket in summer. The "teachers" used to let the two best kids pick teams, which involved them choosing the best players one by one until only the duffers were left. I was one of the duffers, and I have to say that this was the most humiliating experience in my life. Since then I have always hated sport. I wonder if this system of picking teams was something that was taught in teacher training college, or whether one individual sadist invented it ?
Joe

I like the quote marks Joe! Pretty certain the games teachers were the ones who failed teacher training...

Those immortal words "do we have to have him on our team"

I too hate sport and any form of exercise!

Best regards
Michael

[Malc]

I got plenty of practice forging my mam's signature on excused games notes.

[Bealman]

I remember chips at that price. We used to ask for scraps as well. The bits of batter that floated off the fish as they were frying. All fried in lard. Fish was a bob. When I stared drinking in the 60s, you could get a pint of exhibition for 1s 9d at the local club. A good night out with fish and chips on the way home for 10 bob. Plus you got to read yesterday's news for free.

I must have started drinking around the same time as you, Malc - my first pint was 1/9, too. It was Exhibition!

Mind you, me first schooner when I arrived in Australia in 1974 was 32 cents as opposed to the $5.10 I paid in a local pub yesterday.

[silly moo]

I'm another one who hated sport as a child. I had and still have very bad hand eye co-ordination later discovered to be due to poor eyesight. I always hated gym class because we seemed to have really sadistic gym teachers.

I wasn't very good at maths and science either, I wish I'd paid more attention to electricity in science class, it would have been useful for model railways.

The only thing I was remotely good at was drawing and painting which comes in handy for scenery.

[Sprintex]

I very quickly stopped giving a damn and spent all of my time wandering around the bits of the pitch furthest away from whatever ball-type object was the focus of excitement.

Ah yes, a technique I also perfected

I did get the best GCSE results in my year (hah, showing my age here)

Showing a LACK of age I'd say, GCSEs hadn't been invented when I took my 'O' levels Maths teacher refused to talk to me for the last 8 months of school once she found out I wasn't staying on to 6th Form - one of her three star pupils


Paul

[railsquid]

I did get the best GCSE results in my year (hah, showing my age here)

Showing a LACK of age I'd say, GCSEs hadn't been invented when I took my 'O' levels

Literally showing my age... I was an early adopter.

Maths teacher refused to talk to me for the last 8 months of school once she found out I wasn't staying on to 6th Form - one of her three star pupils

Such a let-down

I blatantly ignored most of the academic/career advice I was given, such as "don't bother continuing with German, your marks aren't very good", which is how I ended up living in Germany for 15 years 

[Sprintex]

Similar case to Tim Martin who was told by his teacher that he would "never succeed in business". When he later founded a company that now has 920 pubs to its name he named it after that teacher to prove a point - JD Wetherspoon


Paul

[Bealman]

Yeah, I think that is one of the awesomemost and funny stories to come out of Pommyland and a franchise that I took great delight in visiting on me last couple of adventures. 

[colpatben]

Sounds like a Blue Peter Project !
Whatever did happen to Val Singleton & Christopher Trace ??

What about 'Six-Five Special'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Five_Special
Sounds railway related (well loosely).
All together now, sing along with me.

[Bob Tidbury]

Regarding duffers One school I went to started teaching ballroom dancing .
They got round the problem of boys like me with three left feet by boys in one room girls in another then giving the boys a numbered tag ,the girls were also given a numbered tag , you then went into the hall one by one and you had to dance with the girl with the same number. No swapping allowed but I got one or two half crowns if I'd been paired with one of the best girls, I think the girls must have been richer than the boys, they paid me to go with someone else
Bob

[steve836]

Sounds like a Blue Peter Project !
Whatever did happen to Val Singleton & Christopher Trace ??

What about 'Six-Five Special'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Five_Special
Sounds railway related (well loosely).
All together now, sing along with me.

I remember the opening sequence showed trains

Also what about Juke Box Jury

[colpatben]

I remember the opening sequence showed trains

Also what about Juke Box Jury

'Oi'll give it Foive' (I'll give it Five)

Attributed by many as from Juke Box Jury but in fact from 'Thank Your Luck Stars'

http://www.foive.co.uk/

Check out the photo gallery, (I'll give it ten).