Contrary to previous custom at Verdala, it was decided this year to combine the Infants and Juniors into one concert, giving two performances for parents and friends and one for the School. The only difficulty which this presented was that of traffic control behind the scenes. Fortunately the weather stayed fine so that the crowds of "actors" could move between classrooms and stage without trouble and there were no traffic accidents.
The programme consisted of a fine mixture of varied items -varied in actors and content - so that the two audiences gave every appearance of having enjoyed themselves. We are particularly happy that this is so since all of the concert material was developed from either class work during the term or from the Activities Sessions. Only the final rehearsals required extra time away from more academic work. In other words it was rather in the nature of an extra Open Day when what we might describe as the lighter side of School work was on show.

The following items were produced by our Infants under the heading of "When I Grow Up". The only editing that has been done is the correction of spelling mistakes in the big words.

I am going to be in the Air Force and I am going to go on a plane to different countries Wales. America, Africa, Gibraltar and see the things they've got. I will see the mountains when I go over them in my plane and see the sea and ships and the snakes in Africa.
Julian Brownridge

I will be a nurse and give inoculations and when they have got cuts I will bandage them up. When they are sick I will help them and when people get run over I will help them to get better and help the poor people if they have chickenpox.
Denise Hennion.

I am going to be a soldier in Kenya because they have guns and I'm going to fight the black terrorists there with swords and guns. I'll grow gum trees there and I'll have a factory to make the gum into rubber and I'll sell the rubber in England afterward. I'll get a lot of money and with that money I'll buy a real tank.
Guy Stevinson.

I am going to be a teacher and teach girls. I do not like boys because they fight too much. I am going to live in Ireland and teach in Ireland as well as England. I'm going to marry. In the holidays my husband and me will go to New Zealand. I'm going to play tennis and go to balls in the evening.
Alison Page.

I will be an African because I like to climb trees and pick fruit and eat it and I will climb trees and send spears at animals and chop trees down and swing on branches and ride elephants and be hot.
Peter Thomas

I am going to be a fireman and when a house is on fire I will put off the fire with the hose pipes and get people out of their houses into their friend's houses and get cool by having a cup of cold milk.
Andrew Hudson.

I am going to be a lady and work hard. I am going to wash up the clothes make the beds sweep the floor. I am going to have two children a boy and a girl.
Heather Briard.

I am going to be a scout and save peoples' lives and try to capture crooks.
David Harding.

I would like to be an engineer of a big ship because I like to see all the works.
Paul Tanton.

Jan.14
Last night I bought a three funnelled ship with my pocket money. My old ship is a two funnelled ship and it is no good. I went to the factory where they are inventingspace ships and I saw some men just beginning to build them.
Andrew Hudson.

Jan.19
We have a big new hutch for our rabbit and we give it lettuce.
David Sarli.

Jan. 21
We have been learning a new hymn. I went to the Marsa Club to play football with my daddy.
Robert Hack.

A BIBLE STORY RE-TOLD

The Prodigal Son" - is reproduced exactly as it was written by a boy of seven -
- no corrections of any sort have been made:

The Prodigal Son.
Once there was a fammer who had two sons. One day the youngest son went to his father and said I am tired of this farm I want to go away. You give me some of your money. I want to go to a town where I can work and live happy. His father felt sorry for his son begged him not- to go. But at last he let him go to the town and live happy. He got redy to go to the town. His father gave him some of his money and he set out for the town He traveled a long wae. At last he came to the town. He found a place to stae he found some friends. He spent all his money on his friends. He lived n a big house he was happy. Each day his money groo less and less as he spent his money on things he didn't wont verey mutch. He froo away old things he didn't wont that were some good. Some people piked up some of the things he threw out of the window. Wen all his things were old he had threw them out the window and he had no money he coodnt pay his rent he had to move from the big house. And two days later he was satching abowt the street looking for work. At last a rich farmmer said to him you can work for me if you can feed the pigs. He hated pigs. He was so hungree he aet some pigs food. Soon he wished he hadn't gone away from the farm. He began to fill sorry for himself. up his mind to back to his father. His father was wuread. He thout his son woud never come back. He set of along the roed. He saw his son a long wae along the roed. He run to him. Wen they got home his father told his other son to kill the best coff. His son was verey jeleso. He thout wie shoud you kill the best coff just for my brother. His father said son I want yor brother to think I have forgivn him so the son went and joind the feest.

Michael Webster.

MY TRIP TO GREECE

I happened to be one of the lucky people favoured with a passage in the R.F.A. Blue Ranger when this oiler took part in Exercise Weldfast" 28th September to 12th October 1953.
Before we left we had to sign on the ship's Articles as temporary members of the crew. Then we boarded the "Blue Ranger" and settled down in our cabin. The ship sailed soon after 11.30 a.m. For the next three days we were at sea as part of a 'convoy' being attacked by submarines and aircraft. On the 2nd of October we reached Suda Bay, Crete. We were able to get ashore in the ship's launch. While we were walking along we saw Greek peasant boys playing with old tin lids nailed on to rough pieces of wood, making wheels to push along. On the way we met a friendly little Greek boy named George who rang the church bells for services. He was only too pleased to show us round. The next day we went shopping in Canea, the "big" town of Crete. After a few days we left Crete and the next morning reached Piraeus the seaport of Athens.
After breakfast we went ashore in the launch and caught a taxi for Athens. When one approaches Athens the first thing one sees is the Parthenon rising up on a hill called the Acropolis. Of course we told the taxi-driver to drive us to it. The Parthenon, the temple of Athens, is over 2,000 years old and is now in ruins. While we were there I took some snaps with my camera.
After we had looked round we went for lunch at the British Club and then went to the Palaca to see the Royal Guard. The soldiers wear a kilt called a "fustinella". On ordinary days they wear khaki fustinellas but on Sundays they wear white ones and decorated waistcoats and a fez with a tassel. Afterwards we had some delicious ice-cream in a little cafe. As it rained most of the afternoon we caught a taxi to Piraeus and went on board Blue Ranger. At about ten o'clock that evening we sailed. My holiday in Greece was over.

Michael Hodges - 2AJ

I have a little birdie,
He is a cheery chap,
If he was not so timid,
He would sit upon my lap.
Judy Wheeler - 1AJ

I have a little Teddy Bear
Who sits upon a stool,
He waits for me so patiently,
Till I come home from school.
Carol Todd - 1AJ

I have a little dicky bird,
And I have called him Micky,
He cannot sing a single note,
But oh! he is so tricky.
Elaine Colebrook - - 1AJ

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN A FLOWER AND A WEED

"Lovely day", said the tulip, spreading out her petals in most beautiful manner. She was one of the tulips that often showed off.
"A-tishoo", sneezed the weed, who grew in the tulip bed ."Don't sneeze on me", said the tulip, "you nearly blew my beautiful petals off."
"Don't show off", said the weed, feeling rather hurt "Huh! what are you but a common old weed?" said the tulip. -
But at that moment a look of fear came to her eyes, the gardener was coming along with a pair of scissors in his hand.
"A nice bunch of tulips for my wife", he said happily as he cut down the tulips, and last of the tulips to be cut down was the proud tulip.
"That's the end of her", said the weed happily.

Margaret Baker - 3AJ

LYNDA

My little sister says very funny things that quite often make us laugh. She is only four and ever since she began to talk she has said these things. One day I was trying to teach her to say the Lord's Prayer. That evening when I told her to do this, she stood and said "Our Father which art in heaven. Hello what's your name?"
Once at dinner time she said "Mummy, please take the cork out of my apple." At Christmas Lynda asked for a lot of different presents, but Mummy said "Don't worry about one of those, we have one in Eng1and." When the lady next door had a baby last week, Lynda came upstairs and said "We aren't going to bother about one of those, we've got one in England."

Lynda quite often gets her words mixed up. At Christmas she said "Coronations" instead of "decorations". Once on a walk she said "Oh! my eggs lake", meaning "0h! my legs ache." Now she is getting excited about going home. She cannot remember much about England as she was only 1½ when she left. She is always saying "Look out England here we come."

David Purkiss - 4AJ

IN ROSY DELL -

In rosy dell where fairies dwell
And dance around the wishing well
Grow daisies, bluebells, roses too
Flowers to pick for me and you.
At night when we are fast asleep,
From fairy homes they softly creep
But when the sun is in the sky
They spread their wings and off they fly

Marilyn Ayers - 2AJ

THE POTTER

In a little dark cave sits the potter
Working away at his wheel
Shaping with skilful fingers
How sticky the wet clay must feel!

There's a smile on the face of the potter
As he fashions his vases and urns,
Perhaps he is thinking of flowers
As the humming wheel merrily turns.

How nice for the jolly old potter,
To look at the end of the day
And see all the things he's fashioned
Set out in gorgeous array.

J.Cobley - 4AJ

THE CIRCUS

Its always lovely when we see
The circus come to town,
The boys and girls are full of glee
At the antics of the clown.

High. above, upon the trapeze
The artistes zoom and swing,
While down below the crowd is hushed
As the lions growl and spring.

The monkeys and the elephants
Have clever tricks to do
And with the other animals
It's almost like a zoo.

Maureen Rowe - 4AJ

A JOURNEY UP VESUVIUS

During last summer holidays, my Mother, Father, Sister and I decided to spend a holiday in Italy. On the twenty-fourth of August at eight p.m. we went aboard the "Star of Malta" to Syracuse. When we arrived there we took a train to Naples. From Naples we went by coach to Rome, Florence, Venice and Trieste. We returned to the same places, but by a different route.

When we arrived back at Naples, we took a trip up Vesuvius. We caught a train which took us to Pugliano station, which is at the foot of Vesuvius. The station was very dirty and small children were actually playing on the railway track. We got on a coach which took us round hair-pin bends up one third of the way.

From there we were taken in a small electric train to the Observatory. Inside were a lot of chairs attached to an endless steel belt We were strapped into a chair, which took us with a swoop high into the air. It carried us in this way till we reached the top of Vesuvius, where the guides met us. Our guide showed us where the lava had streamed down the mountain side when it erupted in 1944. He took us down a cinder path into the crater, where the steam was escaping from between the big boulders of lava.

By the time we reached the station again I was very tired, but happy to think I had been inside an active volcano.
P. Skinner - 4AJ

OUR SCHOOL BUS

To get to school we take a bus,
A yellow coloured one
It kindly awaits along the road
For quite a lot of us.
The driver Is a jolly man
With face all wreathed in smiles,
He starts the bus and off it goes,
For miles and miles and miles.
Christine Levis - 4AJ

NIGHT

In winter time when nights are cold,
We sit around the fire and tales are told
Of witches and goblins and pirates bold,
In their hunt for treasure and hidden gold.
We rush to bed and put out the light,
Dive under the clothes in trembling fright
When the hooting owl takes his hungry flight
Through the awful darkness of the night.
J. Tibbits - 4M

JENNIFER AND THE FAIRIES

Jennifer had always believed in fairies, for, as she was born on Midsummer's Eve, fairies had always given her one wish. It was rather a sad time for Jennifer and her mother for her father was away.
The next night was Midsummer's Eve and as the clock struck twelve there was a pattering on the window pane. Jennifer quickly opened the window and the fairies flew in.
"Tonight, I'll wish for………. began Jennifer but the fairies cried, "Not here! Not here! In the garden, the Fairy Queen is there."
When they reached the garden there was the Queen who spoke in a soft voice to Jennifer: "So, you have come, my child.
Tell me, for what do you wish?" "Oh! I wish my father was home" cried Jennifer. "So be it," replied the Queen. Then she vanished and Jennifer found herself in bed and soon she was fast asleep. When she awoke the first thing she saw was her father's face. Her wish had come true.
Sophie Marshall - 3AJ

MY GARDEN

I have a little garden
Which is my very own
And everything that's in it
Is just what I have sown.
There are daffodils and violets
And other pretty flowers,
And I always tend my garden
Right after my school hours.

Marianne Tottman - 4AJ

In previous years Verdala's Swimming Sports had been held in conjunction with Tal Handak's. The number of Juniors at Verdala has now grown to such an extent that a separate Aquatic Sports Meeting was held for them at Ricasoli on 22nd July. The top Infants classes also joined in.
A long programme was completed in record quick time. The afternoon was memorable for the high standard of swimming shown by all competitors, and for the determination shown by even the youngest in completing the 30 yard course. On conclusion of the races, medals and certificates were presented to the winners by Mrs. McManus

An informal prize-giving was held at Verdala school on 23rd July - the first - in the postwar history of the School. Mrs. Bellamy presented the prizes to the successful children who were as follows: -

Class 4 1st Peter Shepheard
2nd Hardre Fenn

Class 3a 1st Jeremy Mathers
For endeavour and progress David Larner, Penelope Miller

Class 3b 1st Barbara Greenslade
For progress Anthony Willoughby, John Maynard

Class 3c Ann Kerry, David Gower and Janet Shepherd

Class 2a. 1st Jennifer Cobley
2nd Sophie Marshall
3rd John Merriman

Class 2b 1st Marjorie Roe
For effort Sandra Trundle and Wendy Shilson

Class 2R 1st Anne Reeman
Progress Janet Taylor, Richard Ogilvie

Class 2C 1st William Messenbird
2nd Patricia Simpson
3rd Ronald Milton

Class 1a 1st Michael Hodges
2nd Brian Keech
3rd Cynthia Brown

Class 1b 1st Nadine Northam
2nd Melvyn Philps
3rd Barbara Iles

Class 1c 1st Brenda Martin
2nd Stephen Johnson
3rd Jacqueline Hockliffe

Class 1d Endeavour and progress Verina James, Roy Banks

In a short speech. the Headmaster congratulated those children who had won prizes. The prizegiving also marked the end of Mr. Benton's three year stay in charge of the Verdala Juniors, and the Headmaster thanked him on -behalf of everybody for his work for the School. Mr. Benton was presented with a model of a Gozo boat as a momento of his stay at Verdala School. The 400 Juniors present then joined in three hearty cheers to speed Mr. Benton on his way.

Printed in the Office of The Commander.in.Chief, Mediterranean