Dorrie drops a line - Miss McLaughlan has sent in her resignation.

299 Darling St

Balmain

January 6th 1918

21 FEB 1918

Dear Norm,

Your Christmas cards came safely to hand some little time ago. We were very pleased to hear from you. Glad you had such a good time in Leicester. I wish I could have been there too. We had a letter by the same mail from Aunty saying you had called; in her letter she said they all thought you a very nice young man and of course told us all you aid and done. Dad especially was so pleased you were able to go to Leicester, he thought such a lot of it. It is nice to be able to send someone you know so well. He said he's glad you gave such a good account of him.

I have just came home from church. We had a beautiful service tonight - special War Litany all day today for peace. Mrs Tring resumed duty today for the first time since Stan's death and did splendidly. No doubt you will have heard full particulars by this time so will not dwell on it except to say we all felt it very keenly. I think his going under was the hardest blow of any, it cast a terribly gloom over everything for quite a long time. However everything must go on no matter what happens.

We held our "Bazaar" and did splendidly, the takings amounted to fifty pound, everything went off without a hitch. Clarrie Orr was simply splendid the way he organised everything, then we had our prize giving night on 20th December of course. I will leave you to imagine that night. Had our usual teachers meeting this afternoon, nobody had anything to 'bring up', only Clarrie and that was that we have decided to have our picnic on the 17th April, so think of us all going down Cove St to catch the boat to Clifton Garden, on that date. What a day, can't you imagine what we will all be doing.

Miss McLaughlan has sent in her resignation. She left us about 3 weeks ago. The family have moved to Drummoyne. The teachers gave her a book as a parting gift on the night of the prizegiving. We can ill afford to lose teachers just now, the loses have been so great this last year, but I suppose somebody will turn up to take their places, lets hope so.

I am taking my class down to the gardens on Tuesday for a day's sport. I hope and trust that it will be fine. The weather is simply lovely just now, so perhaps it will favour us. I trust you are doing well in your new sphere of work.

Well Norm, I fear I must draw this inky chat to a close as it is getting late, of course we had to have our little chat out at the front gate and that made me late getting home. So now it is time for bed o'. Mother and Dad wish me to thank you for their card and to convey to you their best wishes for the New year, trusting this will find you in the best of health as I am thankful to say we all are just now.

heaps of good wishes

from yours sincerely,

Dorrie