BICYCLES

            The large majority of this school has, in one form or another, a bicycle. For if one cares, to walk round the racks behind the Shooting Lodge, one would see what is meant. Here, one would see a considerable number of various styles, shapes and colours. Of both old and new. One can see the very old type, the modern, the cared for, the uncared for, the racer, and the roadster. Some are bought new, some sec6nd-hand, some inherited, some given and others made up out of bits and pieces that were available.

            A bicycle, as most of the pupils at school agree, is almost essential. This is because of the scattering of the buildings, which the school consists of. But also one finds it a great help in the summer in helping to save pocket money which would go on bus fares, and giving more time to do other things. It is a great help in the winter when it is very cold or wet.  The one with a bicycle transports himself far quicker than walking and stands a smaller chance of catching cold.

            There are the conditions to consider which the bicycle has to go through here at school -through rain, snow, frosts, fog, hot sun-all of which are hitting at one’s bicycle. Not to mention the rough roads which the Government have so kindly supplied for us. Yes, the con­tinual jogging and bumping causes the nuts and bolts to come loose and parts to wear.

            During the winter term it is essential that one’s bicycle must have efficient, working lights, We have had in the past the odd individuals try to ride in the dark with inefficient lights, or even none at all. We have the story of one of the foreign boys (who spoke English) who was riding a bicycle with no lights and was stopped by a policeman. When the policeman asked him why he was riding without lights, he replied in Pidgin English  "Sorry, I no speak English" after which he continued on his journey.

            Just recently we have had the individual who has tried unsuccess­fully to mechanise his bicycle with a, small two-stroke engine, most of the school hope that some day it will go.

In the last two years we have been very fortunate with having accidents on or with our bicycles. We have the unusual story of the boy who hit a cat while riding his racer, but the, unlucky part was that he buckled his wheel, and the cat, which was, lucky, just got up and ran away, looking as if it had never been, hit. But there have been the odd unlucky drivers who have had the gruelsome thrill of ruining some­one's bicycle, but this is rather rare. Because there are few accidents, it stands to reason that the riding, on the whole, is quite good, and one hopes it will always be so.

C. J. MAYES, Vb.