General News
27 March, 2026
THE POWER OF “ROTE”: Unforgettable knowledge, with Brian Lennen
Maryborough's Brian Lennen passes the time writing about passing the time.
“This old man he played one, he played nick nack on my drum, with a nick nack paddy wack give the dog a bone, this old man came rolling home.”
It could go on and on.
Memories came flooding into my mind from my childhood of the childrens’ marching song and the challenges it presented.
C.J. Denis, the brilliant Australian poet, attributes the challenge of finding suitable rhyming words for the chant to opening the door on his love of rhyme.
“Ring a ring a rosie” and “Charlie over the ocean” come easily to mind along with a bucket load of nursery rhymes.
The constant repetition etched indelibly in the young minds.
Learning the words became incidental to the excitement of the challenge.
This was a valuable technique for learning the times tables (now much neglected).
The day always began with the children chanting the tables. The room would thunder with “one six is six, two sixes are 12” etc, getting louder and faster with each recitation.
After a while if asked, for example, “what nine sevens are?” Sixty-three would immediately present itself, without thinking.
Unfortunately in some quarters knowledge became a “dirty word” in learning.
I believe it is one of the essential pillars of learning. In most cases it was been replaced by “Googling it”.
Like nature study, crafts have been shown the back door.
I can still remember the excitement of my peers and myself when we successfully completed our “wicker” baskets. A symmetrical basket required uniformity.
As it was in my youth, crafts were divided. The girls doing needle-work and knitting, and the boys woodwork and metal work.
Both sexes loved leather work with the outcomes predictably being purses and wallets — I still have the remnants of my brown leather wallet, it has my initials in block capitals on it.
Wet Friday afternoons featured board games. Monopoly, chess, draughts, Scrabble, snakes and ladders, checkers, and noughts and crosses were popular.
A knowledge-based game such as Trivial Pursuit, and a packet of Fantails gave a test of Hollywood as well as a tasty treat.
For the dramatically talented, hand puppets and marionettes gave them the opportunity to express themselves.
Charades was uproariously challenging and highly innovative.
Quoits, unseen today, was a universal favourite. Counting each bracket we were able to make huge breaks often counting one by one. It was so popular at PS 404 that the hard rope rings often had to be replaced.
The much loved and wonderful human being, Maurie Clayton was unbeatable.
Looking up the “Miller’s Guide” it is staggering to find the record break is in the thousands. The same gentleman who set the quoits records was also famous for riding a child’s tricycle from Melbourne to Sydney and back.
It even outshines the feats of Colac’s Cliff Young.
Darts and Hookey featured in all the pubs and each hotel featured a team in the local competition.
The most skilled players could go “round the world” and back without a break. Players had to instantly calculate points needed.
Of course patrons found ways of wagering on these challenges. Every Friday night large groups of men gathered to play “Kelly Pool” at the VRI.
Two shillings for a marble could return a pound for your troubles. If you were potted by another player you handed in your marble and became a spectator.
Some players took delight in potting their adversaries.
On the farm after listening to the radio, Grandad set up the “bobs” on the dining table and the snooker-like game was in motion.
With the kids in bed the adults played pairs in Euchre as their pipes filled the room with smoke. The skilled players could remember the fall of the cards (where were the vowels?).
All the pursuits I have mentioned require the skill of “recall” — remembering is the best strategy — in a certain situation it is an asset. Appropriate memory loss is unforgivable.
The Australian expression “what’s his name?” is repeated in conversations all over the country.
It excuses memory lapses. Ending statements with “you know what I mean!” assumes knowledge on the speaker and listener’s behalf, which often isn’t the case.
Much to my horror Orwell’s “Newspeak” and “Doublethink” are an everyday part of our politician’s rationalisations of their decisions — although I doubt if most have read “Nineteen Eighty-Four “ — perhaps they should!