Caption: 16-year-old Isabella Leaney from PLC has learned a thing or two about school life back when 88-year-old Betty McEachern went to school at PLC when it was located on Brown Street in Armidale, which is now her home at Bupa Armidale care facility.
NOW more than 120 years old, the Armidale Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) has a very long history.
In 1943, the school was located on Brown Street where it remained as the main school building until 1963 when it was remodelled to become an aged care facility.
Bupa Armidale is now home to more than 50 elderly residents, including former PLC student, Betty McEachern, who often has a giggle when she reminisces about her school days!
“We used to call the headmistress ‘bin’ because she was shaped like a garbage bin,” Betty recalls. “We would say ‘look out, here comes bin’.”
Betty loved school and in her final year, was awarded Dux of her year. She enjoyed her school years so much, she then went on to become a teacher at the college.
“I taught English, Latin, ancient history and music,” she says. “Some students were more studious than others, but I loved teaching them all.”
At 88 years old, Betty now happily resides in the same building where she spent her younger days teaching dozens of young women.
“The building is quite different to what it used to be,” she said.
“It’s much nicer and more comfortable now!”
Maintaining the historic connection with the Brown Street building, current students from PLC are regular visitors to Bupa Armidale, including 16-year-old Isabella Leaney, who is doing a week of ‘prac work’ at the home as part of a health services course.
“It feels like the boarding house with all the people around,” Isabella said.
“I have seen lots of photos of the old PLC and it makes me wonder what it was like to be at the school back then.”
She doesn’t have to look far for the answers. Unfortunately the walls can’t talk but Betty can and has been happily re-telling Isabella all her old school tales.
