ice-cream. The farm and the family survived the Depression, but the habits of keeping everything in case it might be useful one day never left her. When Cathie had her fall a few weeks ago and I was tidying her room, I forget who it was at Kenwyn warned me about throwing anything away. I have had a life-time of experience negotiating what little I can get away with in that regard. By 1937 Cathie Matthews was going to Hamilton High School by train and had met up with the two Jackson sisters Cathie and Betty - beginning an extraordinary open friendship which was a huge support to each other, and to many many others. It was one of the most stable and important set of relationships in my life. Shortly before her 17th birthday, Cathie received a letter from the Auckland Education Board asking her to consider Training College instead of going back to school for a final year. The family overruled her tearful objections and so joining 300 other first year ATC students her course was set for life. The neat legible handwriting, still impressive at 86, got her the role of writing out monthly allowance cheques. Memories and photographs of the red-headed young woman excited by new adventures still remain, including of a boat trip to Rangitoto. An Infant Mistress on section convinced her that she might like to be a teacher after all and by the time the War had started she was facing a class