At the recent annual luncheon of the Old Hilarians' Association at Bishop Anstey High School, Esla Morris was alone for the first time ever and we all wondered what had happened to her six or more peers of the 1920's era with whom she would normally sit at the same table each year. Some had passed on, others had gone away while others were too sick to attend.
We were honoured that this very witty lady chose to sit at our table. A lady whom I had known as a seven or eight year old when I was a student at the old Diego Martin Government School in Greenhill Village, and most of my peers find it hard to believe when I tell them that Esla "with the 's' before the 'l" was a teacher at the school because they have only known her as an employee of T Geddes Grant Ltd for more than forty years.
At a time when only eight government exhibitions were granted, Esla Morris and her friend, Lenny Young-Yeates, with whom she remained best friends until Lenny's death three years ago, tied for sixth place and in 1928 entered BAHS from Tranquillity Girls Intermediate School. "How else" quipped this very matter-of-fact woman "my mother couldn't pay for me to go to High School." With a crystal clear memory, she remembered that the late Justice Garvin Scott was one of the eight winners.
Esla went to BAHS when Madam Amelia Maria "pronounced Mariah" Stephens was principal. The panama hat, which should have been worn at all times outside the school, says Esla with a twinkle in her still very bright eyes "never touched my head unless we were with Madam, it hung on my bicycle handle. Those were the days of the navy blue skirt and we had a choice of style, my mother being a dressmaker had my skirts properly pleated, and with this went the midi blouse to just below the waist."
She remembers a most unusual happening "Grace De Montrichard (now Siung) was given special permission by Madam to be engaged to her late husband Dr Siung while still in school." So you see a recent BAHS Island Scholarship winner who came to collect her award accompanied by her husband, might not have been a first.
On completion of the Senior Cambridge examination at age 16, says a feisty Esla "we were supposed to wipe our feet and go home as there was no Higher Certificate Class. Madam decided to keep Mavis (Leacock), Lennie and myself to help with the small ones." Esla was the only one who stayed, the other two made other choices. After a few terms, Madam appeared at the door of the classroom where young Esla was teaching and peremptorily instructed that she immediately go to Eastern Girls' Government "still in my uniform" to teach.
"The first pupil I spoke to was Evelyn Moyou, who later married Dr Eric Williams. She sat in the centre, centre and was very quick to cry" says Esla, who at the end of one year went to the Government Training College to do a special course where almost all of the participants were headmasters. And it was then that she went to Diego Martin and stayed for three years.
Esla was busy doing the many things planned by her late mother, "a lady that anything you must know she usually told me, anything else you will find out as was the case when she informed me 'I have arranged with the Dean for you to have organ lessons.' I stammered 'well when' to which she replied 'right away and better be in the morning before you go to work."
It was the done thing in those times for youngsters of various religions to attend Sunday School at Greyfriars Presbyterian Church and also Dean Holt's at Trinity Cathedral, because explains Esla "you see it was at Greyfriars that we learned about the Bible, at Trinity which was and still is my church all you learned was cathechism. This used to have Dean Holt annoyed." Esla had already taken piano with the late Mr Nothnagel while at BAHS "I was always rushing on my bike at the last minute, but then Mr Nothnagel arranged for you to play a chord to let him know wherever he was that you had reached." There were typing and elocution lessons as well. She was a member of the original Lydian Singers founded by the late Joyce Rawlins, a former BAHS singing teacher" "Joyce Rawlins brought us together to sing for the Music Festival."
It was while at Greyfriars that the late Mr Willard Grant found out that Esla wasn't too happy teaching in Diego Martin: "the town school had spoiled me", and started making arrangements to fit her into his firm. Meanwhile she worked with the late John Rawlins at 19 Chacon Street for one year. Then Mr Grant sent her to the Food Control Department where his brother Fred Grant was Food Controller during the days of World War 11.
The Food Control took people from all the main offices in town to man the department and Esla was placed in Accounts. "I remember the office was arranged just like in school and I did not think an office would look like that . I sat in the front row, with next to nothing to do and I felt I am wasting my time, as only now and then there was something to type."
At the end of six weeks Esla joined T Geddes Grant Limited where she stayed for forty odd years retiring as Foreign Accounts Supervisor. Now enjoying her retirement in the comfort of her Ariapita Avenue home where she has "always lived", in spite of back surgery Esla attends every BAHS event to which Old Hilarians are invited, and not only every concert staged by The Marionettes but repeats each night of the recitals.