My brother Neville and I went to Ostend Primary School on Waiheke Island. The headmistress, Miss Ponsonby was a middle-aged spinster with permed hair and a sour face. I never saw her smile. She strutted around abusing and accusing. She used sarcasm and a heavy leather strap to keep the children in line. My brother was always being accused of doing things he had not done and would get ‘six of the best’ although he protested his innocence. One day,…..

Read more