Life Behind the Dorm Doors: Tales from the Boarders

The Boarding House was a fantastic place where friendships blossomed, independence was learned, and comfort was… well, questionable! For those who lived it, the memories are stitched together with nylon sheets, static sparks, and the faint smell of shoe polish. Here are some of the quirks that made boarding life unforgettable. The old metal dorm beds weren’t exactly luxury, but they gave us plenty to laugh about. You’d wake up feeling a little stiff, but somehow it added to the adventure and the stories we still share today.

The Great Dressing Table Dictatorship

Five items was the law. Only five possessions allowed on your dressing table, plus a cuddly toy or two for emotional support. Anything more and you risked the wrath of the Tidiness Police. And heaven help you if your drawers were messy or your bed wasn’t properly made.

Pyjama Physics

Hours of entertainment were spent in the dorms, not with gadgets, but with brushed nylon pyjamas and nylon sheets. Rub, rub, rub and then lights out for the grand finale: a disco of static electricity sparks.

Saturday Night Spy Missions

One Saturday night thrill was sneaking out of bed to peek through the keyhole of the UIV common room in order to catch a glimpse of Starsky or maybe Hutch, depending on your taste in 70s heartthrobs.

The Table List Lottery

Every meal was a gamble. You prayed the seating list didn’t land you next to Mrs. Clanchy. Lovely woman, but let’s just say supper became a marathon of polite nodding and praying for dessert to arrive quickly.

The Hottie Horror

A queue of shivering girls snaking into the dark kitchen at Melville, clutching rubber hotties like lifelines. At the end of the line was Irish Mary, the incomprehensible gatekeeper of boiling water

The Bungalow Upgrade

Moving into the modern bungalow with Mrs.Graham and her dog, Fudgea felt like stepping into the future. It was practically luxury by boarding school standards.

Domestic Boot Camp

Boarding life wasn’t just about homework. We were trained for survival: changing sheets, polishing shoes, folding socks, doing our own washing, setting tables, and tackling the washing up.

In short: Boarding school was a mix of hardship, hilarity, and hijinks. We may have cursed the beds, feared the tidiness checks, and risked life and limb for a glimpse of Starsky, but looking back, those were the days that shaped us and gave us stories worth telling.