Awali days

The following tale is just one more “walk down memory lane”.  I’m pushing 59 and I can still remember everything about Awali School like it was just a couple of years ago. Sometimes I will smell something that brings me back to a better time and place … like bread baking, just as it always was at the house next door where Bill and Willeen Wood lived with their children, Shireen and Graham, writes Judy Cullen

MY sister Karen and I were students (Judy and Karen Winther) at Awali School from January 1956 to September, 1957.  We were from Brooklyn, NY, and my dad, Leif, worked for Caltex Oil Company at the time. 

 The school in Awali was different from the schools in the States. I loved being on one level and reaching other classrooms by going outside and under the portico that covered the walkway. 

All, but one of my teachers, were absolutely lovely. 

My favourite teacher was Miss Graham. She married a gentleman who worked in Bahrain called Pat and I remember going to St. Christopher’s to see them in their wedding finery. 

Miss O’Flynn was her maid-of-honour, and wore a lovely pink flowing dress.  I remember how excited I was.

They had a school play and I was given one of the “starring” roles. It was the Brother’s Grimm and I played a fairy princess. I remember trying out for the role and stepping daintily around the stage. The day of the play, I wore a blue party dress with a hoop slip under it and my sister Karen made me a wand out of a stick with a cardboard star covered with aluminium foil.

There were three principals during our stay in Awali.  The first was Mr Jobe, followed by Humphrey Bowler and then a Mr Thompson. 

 Mr Bowler was a rotund man with a handlebar moustache. I had to go to his office once when I was caught playing in one of the classrooms with a school mate when we should have been outside.  I received a slap to the hand with a ruler. 

I also remember his wife coming to our home to visit with their baby son, also named Humphrey.  I remember thinking even then, what a terrible name to give to such a small baby.

Mr Thompson took our cat Snoopy, a blue point Siamese, when we left Bahrain to return to the States. 

I remember crying as I saw Mr Thomson’s car pull away from the front of our house.  Snoopy quickly made her way to the back window and I just waved goodbye to her. 

Mr Thompson’s family, as I recall, were on their way to Bahrain and this was his gift to his children. 

I have often thought of that lovely little creature and pray that her new family was good to her. Mr Thompson, from what I have read from others who attended the school, remember him for his “canings”.  

He was there for a considerable period of time. I would love to know if he remembers my dear little cat.

I remember playing outside in the school yard (close to St Christopher’s) with the forerunner of the “hula hoop”, which was a hoop made of wood. 

We had swimming galas and there were two teams, red and blue. They had specific names, but I am not too sure what they were (Newman & Rhodes, perhaps?). I thought it was great going swimming during school hours to train for the galas. 

Shopping excursions into Manama with my family always included a stop at a little shop where I was allowed to buy comic books and also a stop at another shop where I would buy a little toy.  One of the items that I had for many years was a little plastic mule “Mullins the Mule” who had a jointed mouth with a magnet inside.  He came with a small carrot that also had a magnet. When you held the carrot over his head he would open his mouth. I had him for many years as I did many of the other “goodies” my parents bought me. It was always such fun to go shopping at the bazaar.

The memories I have of Bahrain/Awali are ones that are deep set. 

I have been able to reconnect with a few people that were there at the same time, which is absolutely wonderful.  It has been over 50 years and the memories are stamped forever into my memory banks.