Continuing my adolescent journey and how I was led, this section describes my finishing high school in Australia. It is another part of an upcoming book or website section entitled Divinely Led.
Part 2: Maturing in Australia
Finishing High School
Arrival in Melbourne and First Impressions
My parents and I left Sweden at the end of 1967 and spent a week in London, visiting the traditional sights, like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, etc. We rode a double-decker bus and saw an Englebrecht Humperdinck theatre performance.
When the week was over, we took a very long flight to Australia with brief refueling stops in Hong Kong and the Philippines. It was our first time flying, and Quantas airlines provided very good service at the time. The food was excellent and the two stops interesting. I still remember the very warm and humid air in Manilla, even though it was night.
My arrival recollections of Australia are a bit vague, but my father told me that we first landed in Perth and then changed planes to fly to Melbourne. We were met by someone from the ABC as dad would work for them as a principal oboist in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. They put us into the Turf Club Hotel in Malvern. This was January 8, 1968, and started an 8-year chapter for me in Victoria, Australia.
Not much later, we found a flat in Caulfield which was one of four or six in a two- or three-story building. Initially it was empty as we waited for our furniture to arrive by a ship from Europe. We rented a TV to hear and therefore become familiar with Australian English. For a time, it was the only piece of furniture in the corner of the living room. I can’t remember what we slept on – perhaps inflatable mattrasses.
The summer was very hot that year – in fact there were record heat waves with the temperature often around 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C. It was not easy to get used to coming from wintery Europe. Also strange were the upside-down seasons – summer at Christmas-New Year’s time and winter in July-August.
Eventually our furniture arrived and we were able to get settled. Apparently, it was cheaper at the time to bring furniture from overseas than buying it in Australia. Some of what my father had in his house at his passing came in this shipment – including books that were mailed from our bookshelf in the Prague house by my grandmother.
We spent two years in this apartment, after which my parents were able to put a deposit on a house in McKinnon. It was a nice house with a garden, and a tiny fish and water lily pond in the backyard.
School Experiences
My parents enrolled me in Caulfield High School, which was within walking distance of maybe 20 minutes. I was placed in Form 4 (later Year 10), math/science stream. Most of my fellow students were a year younger.
I found the school super conservative compared to Europe. Before I even got there, I was shocked by all the rules and prohibitions – no make-up, no jewelry, and the PE uniforms for girls had skirts! There were also school uniforms and they were really old-fashioned as well. Girls had to wear hats, and the winter uniform consisted of a pinafore, shirt, tie, a jumper or cardigan, and a blazer. The summer one was a rather old-fashioned dress.
I had no uniform for a time and felt a bit bad. My parents did not consider the importance of belonging, the peer pressure, etc. at that age, so buying me a uniform was not a high priority for them.
My Swedish PE outfit, that was in the style of what gymnasts wear caused a big shock and reaction from the deputy headmistress! As mentioned, Australia in the late 60s was super conservative. I also hated to wear the school hat and was every so often told to put my hat on. One time that I remember, I was walking to school and the deputy headmistress and another teacher passed me in their car, stopped and told me to put my hat on!
At that time, French was the foreign language Australian students learned, which I had never studied. So instead, I was allowed to do German by correspondence and did quite well in it. Later I was even invited to a gathering in Melbourne of selected students to meet each other and the teachers. I met my teacher, Adam Weiss, and I believe he even drove me home.
The first few weeks and months of school were hard as I had trouble understanding English with the Australian pronunciation and accent. Some teachers were harder to understand than others. The science teacher, Mr. G., was particularly hard to understand and the last one that I got used to. I became friends with Jenny K. and remained in contact with her for many years after we finished school.
I had three years of high school to finish and the standards and expectations were high – much higher than in Europe. The second year was slightly easier because of my English proficiency having grown but still challenging because of the material. I passed all my classes, but had to work very hard. As a result, I had no social life.
As is often the case, I resonated with some teachers more than with others. In Form 5, I liked the chemistry teacher, Mrs. S. and the English teacher, Mrs. H. The rest don’t stand out in my mind too much, except the physics teacher, Miss C., a grey-haired spinster with a loud voice, whom everyone feared.
In the last year, the English teacher, Mr. C., stands out a bit, mainly because of one situation. The class was assigned to write an essay on a topic of our choice. I reflected on the two years prior when Soviet-led Warsaw Pact armies invaded my birth country under the Presidency of Alexander Dubcek, on August 20, 1968. I analyzed what had led to it, what happened, and what followed. Thankfully my family had left the country well before then, but understandably the situation was still recent and close to my heart. The teacher brought back the corrected essays and before returning them, named the three best ones. After the first two names, he asked: “Who wrote about Dubcek?” I raised my hand and was very encouraged to get an honorable mention after only just over two years in Australia. Looking back, I believe that was one of the first signs of having a gift of writing in English. This gift has become clearer and more developed over the years till the present time.
Having studied very hard for the last three years of high school, I really didn’t want to continue onto university. My parents more or less made me go, and on reflecting back, it was good in the long run.
At that time, there was a great teacher shortage, and the government encouraged students to go to either a Teachers’ College or university and become teachers. The incentive was quite powerful – a generous financial payment called a studentship, which paid the tuition and was enough to cover basic living expenses, even living away from home. In return, the graduate was obligated to teach at a government school for three years or pay the studentship, or a part thereof back. If a woman got married, she only had to teach for one year. The government required a surety, often the student’s parents, to help ensure that the conditions would be met. One of my parents acted as the surety on my behalf.
Our Own House and Leaving Home
Often teenage children are involved in family decisions or asked for opinion, but I never was. In early 1970, my parents bought a house in McKinnon, where I ended up living for about four years before leaving home.
I finished the last year of high school commuting by train from the McKinnon house, as I didn’t want to start at a new school, even though McKinnon High School was just around the corner.
My memories of this home include befriending a fluffy cat from next door, which took liking to our little backyard fishpond and injured one of the fish. I had my own room where I spent a lot of time studying for school. Later, my parents also acquired a Scotch collie puppy which was named Tommy.
While at home, I had never lacked anything of physical importance. My basic needs were always satisfied. My parents provided food, clothing, shelter, and all the things I needed for school. However, I lacked purpose in life, felt insecure, and was often frustrated, and at a loss what to do in what felt at times an oppressive home situation. My parents took good care of me physically and no doubt loved me but didn’t know how to show or express it. Through circumstances beyond their control, they had not themselves experienced a loving home environment. Not being sure of their love, lacking unconditional acceptance, and being criticized much of the time by my mother even though I was a good student and never got into trouble outside the home, I found life difficult – often to the point of despair.
After graduation from the university and one year before finishing my teacher training, as I was embarking on my graduate Diploma of Education course, the time felt right to leave home. I was led to a two-bedroom flat and a lady of similar age who was happy to share it with me. More on that later.
For other information on divine leading, see Spirit Helpers and Guides
Here is a short reflection on being divinely led.