William ‘Paw’ Brown
PE teacher 1954-1984
I came to Airdrie Academy on the fifth of January 1954 after having had a spell at Uddingston Grammar. Prior to that I had the dubious pleasure of visiting ten primary schools in the week, five in Airdrie and five in Rutherglen. Many of my primary pupils I would now meet again at the Academy.
After having met W. C. Henderson I was ushered upstairs to the staffroom to meet some of my colleagues, and what a gang they were. John (Daddy) Allan reigned supreme, and no young teacher called him by his Christian name; Walter Paterson, John (Butch) Craig, Jimmy Inglis, Roy (Mighty Joe) Young, Jimmy Russell and what seemed to be a corpse lying on top of the lockers. I later discovered that this was Willie (Claude) Gibson - he was the only man I knew who would sleep on wood using the Oxford Dictionary as a pillow.
Across the landing was the domain of Kate Inglis, senior lady of the staff. Some of her brood were Meg Cruickshanks, Lana Turner, Ella Johnston. Marie Henderson, 'Flower’ Taylor and Sheila Marshall. Jenny Tait ultimately took over as lady adviser.
J. Harrison Maxwell (Paddy) kindly took me to the Boys gym as I had no idea where it was. Little did I realise that I was to spend a considerable part of my life there. The first class I took included Tommy Duncan, Joe McGowan, John Vance, Jim McDonagh, Matt Beattie, Jim Thomson and a host of other celebrities.
I then met my counterpart, Sheila Marshall, who was undoubtedly the inventor of the 'mini-skirt'. Sheila wore a blue Olympic gym slip which was naturally very popular with the lads. I also had a part-time teacher - a very good-looking young man by the name of Bill Craven. He was the heart-throb of the girls.
The most important part of the day soon arrived and I was to meet Nellie Burns, supervisor-cook of the school canteen, and never was there a better one. When Nellie fed you, you were fed! The staff had the concession of being served at the table and the whole administration was done by Bert Westwood and Bob (Tearer) Simpson. The most important day was Fish 'n’ Chip day. Nellie was also famous for her slab fruit cake.
Probably one of the most important men in the school was Willie Ballantyne, the janitor. He was reputed to be W. C. Henderson's right-hand man.
Willie conducted his famous 'sales' twice a year and all newly-married staff benefited. Having been an old Navy man he could swear for at least five minutes without repetition. When the pupils didn't hear Willie swearing, they thought he was ill!
1958 staff photograph
School assembly was a daily ritual and was conducted in the school hall (the roll was about600). When all had assembled, John Allan would go for the 'boss' and assembly began.
I recall an incident with an alarm clock which had been placed inside the lectern, going off as the rector was about to say the prayer! On another occasion some bright lad had taped all the piano keys together. You can imagine the effect when 'Claude' began to play the hymn!
The school calendar was always published at the beginning of the session and listed all the important events - even the 'Higher' and Lower dates. The school concert produced many varied items and a big proportion of the school took part.
The Christmas dances were great social events in Airdrie and many of the staff appeared in evening dress. There were the school plays produced and directed by Jimmy Inglis and Chrissie Sneddon.
​
The school magazine was produced regularly and most people in Airdrie will remember the John Brown Quiz. The staff entertained the FP Club every second year - the FP Club was very strong then.
The school sports meeting was another tradition and was well attended by both pupils and parents. The opera eventually took over from the concert and was very successful.
There was an outdoor club run by Hamish Morrison and his trips abroad were very successful. Jessie Ritchie had a very popular Christian Fellowship and there was a strong debating society.
Saturday morning games were very well-attended, and I recall very busy times because of the large number of teams. Soccer and hockey were very popular and ultimately Pat McPhail started rugby football which became very popular too. Athleticswere particularly strong in the school and three cricket teams, with regular fixtures, were fielded.
This couldn't have been done without the help of my colleagues. I remember most of them,including Mighty Joe Young, 'Stooie' Ross, Barney' Walker, John Cookman, 'Stuckie' Stirling, George Allan, Jack Heron, Bill Train, Alex Smith, 'Hook' Henderson, Ally McLeod and a host of others.
Tom Henderson was also a keen football man and was later to become rector.
One of my proudest memories of the time I taught at Airdrie Academy came in 1967. Airdrie Academy’s football team players were victorious in the final match against Our Lady’s HS in Motherwell at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
They won the prestigious Scottish Shield.
A few months later the team were treated to a European tour as a reward. Members of the school choir, Scottish dancers and the victorious footballers stayed with host families in and around Prosecco and Trieste in Italy. They also had stops in Germany and Koper in the former Yugolslavia.
The team players were:John Whiteford, Jim Glover, Andy MacInnes, John Traynor, Colin Griffin, Tom White, Stuart Ross, Ian Burke, David Smillie, Jimmy Henderson, Les Mottram, Ian Walter.
As you can see, Airdrie Academy was a scene of busy activity just as it is today.
Perhaps I'll take part in the next big Anniversary of Airdrie Academy!
Back to Top
Back to Home page