Catherine Downie

Catherines's dad was a cattleman who worked at Falklandwood Farm (between Dunshelt and Falkland) as did her husband James.  Both dad and James were awarded long service medals at the end of their working lives. 

Catherine attended Falkland Primary School and Bell Baxter High School. Catherine and her older sister, Ruby, would cycle into Falkland and leave their bikes at Walter Peggie’s in West Port before catching the bus to Bell Baxter. When they were at Falkland Primary, Catherine and Ruby would walk into the school and then go to Walter Peggie’s for their midday meal, cooked by Mrs Peggie. Mrs Peggie and Catherine’s mum would get together to do their baking. They made the most wonderful cakes according to local stories!

Catherine remembers happy times at Falkland Primary with Mr Purvis the Head Teacher. She recalls sliding on the ice right into Mr Purvis’s school house and the happy times she had playing poldies in the playground. The worst winter of her memory was the winter of 1947.   Using their sledge Catherine and her sister took a bag of coal through mountains of snow and along almost  impassable roads to her Granny and Grandad’s at Newton of Falkland.