Papineau
 

People and places
       					 
Amherst School and Park

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Philip:	Well Amherst school had only 3 grades.  1st grade 2nd grade, 3rd grade.  It was a green painted wooden
        structure.  My first teacher was Miss Maliss.

Peter:	Who I think you liked?

Philip:	Very very much.  She was a Jewish teacher.  The second, now, in school they had one one one two,
        two one, two two, three one three two.  For three years.  The principal’s name was Miss Stewart.   
        She was older than any of the other teachers and she always wore a black and white, like, Laura
        Secord thing.  I think in grade two it was Miss Davis.  Grade one Miss Maliss, grade two Miss
        Davis, grade three Miss Stewart, the principal.  And then, ah, Amherst Park was there and that’s
        where all the, a lot of the activities took place.  Baseball, softball.  That’s where we would
        go to see the Cougars and the Sepoys play.  That’s where the older guys would throw um… football,
        football. One incident I do remember was Leo Leibovitch who lived on Papineau street was older and
        working already and so on.  They were playing baseball these older guys and there was this Anne
        Nairn girl where the ball was coming right to her face and he was not far away and he went there
        and he just stopped that.  Um…  It was a very very green grass, very very nice place.  Also ice rink
        that the city would put up for, in the winter.  And this is where we used to go actually with our
        skates to skate.

Peter:	They didn’t actually have organized leagues and teams—people just went and played?

Philip:	Just went and played.  Um, I’m saying that but I’m not sure.  Others may have had leagues. 
        I have a feeling that they did.  Lovely lovely place like,  the the grounds were so big, like from
        from St. Zotique to Jean Talon—all park...  beautiful green.  Except for the green of that school
        that public school that grade three school.  It was very very, that’s the place that my aunt Perl
        bought probably my first present for me, a beautiful wine colored sweater and I went there and I
        came home without it and lost it.  And um, I did mark Amherst park, large park, school. 

Peter:	I wonder if it’s still there.

Philip:	I wonder.  I would doubt it…  Now that’s Cartier street.




The grades were called "1-1", "1-2", etc. I think the school went only to grade three. 
Miss Clark taught grade two, and the principal, Miss Stewart had grade three. She always wore
black and white. She was older than the other teachers. In grade two, I think it was Miss Davis.
Amherst School was on Cartier. 
The school was wooden, painted green and white.

Amherst Park - all the activities took place there. Baseball, softball. The older guys threw footballs.
One incident, Ann Nairn was standing with the ball coming right to her face at a ball game. Leo Leibovitch
ran over and stopped the ball.

Green grass, a huge park from St Zotique to Jean Talon, all park. A lovely place











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