PIONEER VILLAGE SCHOOL GRADUATION T-SHIRT

T-shirt was a part of the school uniform at Pioneer Village School. Michelle Wylie had a lot of her school mates and teachers sign it as a keepsake when she graduated in 2002 before going on to Kelmscott Senior High School.
The sports shirts were general sports uniform for all year groups, to be worn on the one day a week we had our sports lessons. Each year group had sport on a different day, and depending on what we were doing we would either stay at school or head over to Armadale Primary School, on Carradine Road. Armadale had a much bigger oval so if we were playing cricket or softball we usually went over there. If it was running drills or other activities we could stay on our small village green. Once they built the basketball courts at Pioneer Village we also did a lot of sport classes there, but it wasnt as fun if you fell over and skinned your knees on the bitumen courts.
I was always a basketball kid. I played from Year 2 up to Year 12. In primary school I played on several of the school teams. They used to shuffle us around each year to make up about three or four different teams. We played at the Armadale Rec Centre on Friday afternoons against other school teams. They were all meant to be mixed teams, at least all the pioneer village teams were mixed, but some of the other schools used to put all-boys teams into the mixed competition. Our teams had names like Pioneer Pumas, Village Cats, etc.
The first year that I played I dont think I touched a basketball at all. I used to run up and down the side of the court, too afraid to get stuck into the middle of the game. If someone passed me the ball I panicked and got rid of it as quickly as I could. I slowly got used to actually being involved in the game, and ended up usually playing centre position because I was the tallest on the team. There were four of us girls who they usually kept on the same team as we all played really well together. Hanna Napier was the smallest, our little pocket rocket. She was super quick and agile and could get under just about anyone to get the ball. Kadiejayne Tirkot was the powerhouse, she ended up playing in the state league for a while during high school. She was a strong defender. Jess Gilbert was the most determined player, it was very tricky to get the ball away from her. And I was the shooter and defender. I was tall enough that shots and rebounds were an easy jump and I could block most other people from taking a shot. So I generally had to try and be the first from one end of the court to the other.
Dad was at nearly every one of my games for the full ten years I played. Regularly mum was there too, but Dad drove me to every game and would always stay and watch. He was very supportive, but never yelled at us and didnt interfere with the game or coach. Just sit on the side and watch and tell me if Id done well when I came off at half time. But if I ever got injured When I was playing at Armadale Rec, hed sometimes give me a bit of coin, whatever he had in his pocket, to get something from the kiosk after the game. I liked getting a Chupachup or a jelly snake. Wed also stop at the video store on the way home to get a movie for the weekend.
This shirt was the one I had in year 7 to get everyone to sign as a leavers shirt. All the year 7 students signed it, mostly on the back, and then we were allowed to go round to other classes and get friends from other year groups to sign it. Theres also a few teachers signatures on there. Ms Merrick was my year 7 teacher. Mrs Mack (real name Mrs McCrank, also nicked named McCranky on her bad days) signed it, she was my year 6 teacher. The principal at the time, Mr Doug Davies signed it too. He had only arrived at the school that year, prior to him our principal had been Mr John Green, who had been there for ever.
Hanna Napier, Kadiejayne (Kadie) Tirkot, Jess Gilbert, Ceaton Willison, Joseph (Joffy) Arnott, Alyssa Spalding, Amy Bakker, and Matt Rodgers are all names on the shirt (all year 7s).