School runs in the family

THE Hardingham family has a school attendance record to beat all records, with four generations of the family completing their education at the Palmwoods State School over more than half a century.

The dynasty started 75 years ago, when seven-year-old Thelma Young started school. Her daughter Lorna, who was enrolled from Year One to Seven, then watched her own daughter Kym go off to Palmwoods School.

FROM LEFT, Lorna Hardingham, her mother
Thelma Young, daughter Kym and grandson Sean.

Kym’s son Sean Nolan started in Year One this year.

Her first son Timothy completed his primary schooling at Palmwoods and her youngest daughter Tiara, is still to come. The family is confident that she will continue the tradition when she starts pre-school in the year 2000.

"There has seldom been a time when there hasn’t been a Hardingham at the school," Lorna said.

Her sisters Sylvia Clyde and Donna Kuskopf also completed their schooling at Palmwoods, as did all of her own five children.

Mrs Young, 82, then Thelma Harrison, was taught by one of the school’s early principals Pat Frawley. She has seen a lot of changes since she started. For beginners, there was only one building - the section which now makes up the administration offices - when she was a girl. The parade ground was on the front lawn.

"Mum came here when she was seven and all of us have spent all our lives in Palmwoods since then," Lorna said. "In all, there have been 10 of us to have actually completed a full seven years primary schooling at the local school."