"The twenty-fourth of May
is the Queen's Birthday.
If we don't get a holiday,
we'll all run away!"
That little ditty was an oft repeated one when I was in school. Perhaps no one chants it anymore. Even in my time at school it was out of date because the "Queen" referred to was not Queen Elizabeth II but her great-great-grandmother, the illustrious Queen Victoria. However, it was part of our repertoire of silly rhymes and we trotted it out every year around this time. This was probably the most welcome verse because when it made its yearly appearance we knew that we wouldn't have to "run away" because we would definitely get that 24th holiday.
St Patrick's girls enjoyed their long twenty-fourth weekends as much as every other Newfoundlander. These two photographs are proof positive of that!
(To enlarge the photos, double click on them.)
 |
| A Twenty-Fourth Weekend at Seal Cove |
This is a group of St Patrick's Girls enjoying a 24th weekend at Judy Comerford's parents' summer house in Seal Cove. Judy Comerford, Betty Simms and Doreen Walsh are perched on the rail. Valerie McGrath is sitting on the chair in front of them and Alice Prim is peeping out around Valerie. The other silly folks on the ground are Myra Walsh, Bernadette Grouchy, Elizabeth Meaney, Beth Anne McAllister and Diane Hawley. The photographer was Barbara Sharpe. Myra was the only girl who wasn't a bona fide St Patrick's Girl, having gone to Mercy Convent. Myra was Doreen's cousin, Bernadette's bosom buddy, and the good friend of us all, so her credentials were more than good!
The eleven jived the night away and before going to bed in the early hours of the morning, all eleven knelt down and said the Rosary. How amazing is that! The next morning the ground was white with snow. By mid-morning the hot sun was beaming down and had frightened the snow away. It was warm enough for the merry band to sit outside and eat lunch as the sun continued to smile down on them. There are a few other stories from that weekend but they are best left for another time - or maybe just best left!
 |
| A Twenty-Fourth Weekend at Lawrence Pond |
Another 24th May weekend and the girls are still together, this time at Lawrence Pond. Mr & Mrs Simms, Betty's parents, have kindly and trustingly, allowed them the use of their summer house at Lawrence Pond. This group consisted of eight or nine girls but only four were brave enough (should I say foolish enough?) to take the boat out on the pond. The intrepid sailors are Elizabeth Meaney, Betty Simms, Beth Anne McAllister and Barbara Sharpe. That weekend generated a few stories too but suffice it to say that "a good time was had by all".
There has been a lot of water under the bridge since those carefree weekends. They have left us all with many golden memories. Today, as we celebrate another 24th weekend, savour the memories but make new ones too. Wherever you spend it, have a great Twenty-Fourth of May weekend!
