Last post I promised that I would post
any comments or memories from those of you who were able to identify the “curious object” pictured there and below. As
expected, all of you recognised it as a rubber bag or a gaiter bag. The following are some of the comments received on
said “curious object”!
 |
| THE FAMOUS 'RUBBER BAG' |
Anonymous
“Oh, the gator bag....I
haven't thought of one of these in years. When you think about it these things
made a lot of sense.”
“God help you if in Sister
Immaculata's class, your rubbers were thrown outside the door, which she
watched everyday! Some of us called it a rubber bag.”
Carmelita Hearn
“I remember it well....and I
remember running back home as fast as I could because I forgot my 'rubber
bag'.....it was just as bad to be late. Sister Immaculata would stand by the
front entrance of the school on Patrick's St. and check if you had your bag,
you could be sent home to get it if you forgot. I also remember mopping the
second floor corridors outside our Grade six classroom when we were in her
class, anyone else remember that? She was a real 'sergeant major' but we sure
learned to do as we were told.”
Frances Noseworthy “That is
a gaiter bag.....in winter you wore your boots to school, carried your shoes in
this bag, changed in the front porch and carried your gaiters to the classroom
in your gaiter bag. I'd say most moms made these for the kiddies, I know mine
did.”
Catherine Altini “The dreaded boot bags.
All the Moms had to make them for the girls. Carrying book bags, then boot bags,
traipsing thru the snow, and then walking home uphill or downhill. No wonder we
turned out strong as bulls.”
MARY KENNEDY “Of course, I was in Sister Immaculata's
class!!”
CARMEN CATTLES “Who could forget Sister
Immaculata at the front door of the school making sure your boots never touched
that floor.”
CAROL DUGGAN “Someday I'm going to walk on that floor with
my wet boots on in her memory---- and in memory of "rubber bags" as
they were called.”
JACINTA DOYLE “She (Sr
Immaculata) had eyes like a hawk....watching the back door and the front door
at the same time...all the while doing her crocheting.....like Madame defarge.”
GABRIELLE PAFF “I'm not a St.
Patrick's girl but we had those bags at Mercy Convent also - they were called
shoe bags. Same difference.”
DOREEN (McALLISTER) HEFFERNAN
“ In the late 40s and early
50s I was a pupil at St Patrick’s on Convent Square, the real ‘old school’. The entrance was on Convent Square, the doors
by the auditorium. Even way back then,
dear Sr Immaculata stood at the top of the stairs waiting to see if you had
your rubbers/gaiters in your rubber bag and NOT in the sleeve of your
coat! Occasionally pupils would forget their
rubber bag and try to sneak their rubbers into school in the sleeves of their
coats. When Sr Immaculata asked where their
rubber bag was some would pretend that they hadn’t worn any rubbers and had
walked to school in their shoes. Of
course with the snow possibly up to your knees and dry shoes, Sr Immaculata certainly didn’t
fall for that one! She would know
immediately that the rubbers were stuffed into the sleeves of their coats and
she would say, “Let me see your coat”
and then check to see if the gaiters were in the sleeves. If they were, you got punished for lying AND
sent home to get the forgotten rubber bag!”
Well
everyone, this has been a fun post for me and I hope it has been for you
too. I certainly remember the famous
(infamous?) rubber bag days. Like most
of you, I remember Sr Immaculata doing sentry duty at the ‘new school’ on
Patrick St. I know that all that you
have said in your comments is fact because I too remember attempting to smuggle
rubbers in coat sleeves, being sent home to get a forgotten one, and being told
to leave the ‘bagless’ rubbers
outside the front door. Gabrielle, I am
very pleased to learn that you girls at Mercy had to suffer the rubber bag
ordeal too. It is great to hear Doreen’s
story of her days in the old school on Convent Square. It just goes to show that, as the saying
goes, “There is nothing new under the sun”.
Thanks everyone!”
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