Fred White was leaning over the table in the Staff Common Room at the Bledisloe College. He was a lean fit man in his mid thirties and held the position as Head of Physical Education. Ten years earlier he would havwe been allowed to cane students that had misbehaved in the gym, but after the act had come into force in 1989, that was no longer an option.
He was telling anyone that would listen about a student called John Nolan.
"This kid Nolan was in the shower after gym just before lunch, and was his backside beaten raw."
Bert Nelson, Head of Social Studies looked upwith a grin, "Hell Fred, I suppose you belted the kid with your sneaker."
"No way. I don't dare touch the little so an so's. I'm not going to court to argue over an assault charge. But I do know who did it."
"Who"?
"His father. I met his father at the club last night. He was a prefect at my school, and I mentioned that I had been having discipline problems with his son and a couple of his friends." Having gained the attention of the three teachers that were in the room, he went on. "Dave Nolan was a cracker of cricketer at school, captain of the first eleven, had a very straight eye as I remember. Anyway He said that he would deal with the boy by taking the belt to him, and that apparantly is what he has done. There wasn't a peep out of master Nolan today in gym. I sometimes wish that I could tickle a boys rump like I used to get at school. Hell it never did me any harm.
"It never did you much good either," fired back Ben Stroud, Head of Languages.
"Ben I would never whack a kid for nothing. It would be after all else failed."
"Such as?"
"Well............ One Hundred pushups, a five kilometre run, for starters. I usually find that I don't have much trouble after those have been handed out, but master Nolan came back pushing for more. Since it seems to have been successful I am going to phone the other two boy's fathers, that were involved in the ruckus.
"Hey Fred, did Nolan snr cane you while you were at that posh school you went to.?"
"Yeah, only once when I was in the third form. I kept out of his way when he was on the war path after that, but I got caned a few other times by my Housemaster. If you like I can tell you all about it sometime."
Later that evening the three teachers were at the afore mentioned club. They had settled down with their drinks and Ben Stroud spoke up, "Fred, you said that you would tell us about your schooldays at that school that you are always talking about."
"Do you want to hear about it too Bert?"
"May as well there is nothing much else to talk about at the moment."
"Ok then. Well I joined the school at twelve and half years old in the third form and as I may have mentioned before as well the school was run on fairly tradional lines, sort of following the great English Public schools. Even as a day boy I came under the same regime as the boarders from 8.30am until 4pm, and then I could go out from the gates and go home."
"I guess that I had been there about a month before I was reported to the Housemaster for my first caning. On that occasion I got two strokes for not completing my homework properly. Then about a week later I was awarded a double detention for fighting. At that time I didn't know that a double detention meant that you got an automatic caning from the Head Boy, who just happened to be Nolan snr."
"What happened?"
"The day after I got the double detention I was approached by one of the prefects when I got to school and was told to report to Nolan's study before assembly. So I made my way there thinking along the way that Nolan would jaw at me for fighting and then tell me what impot I had to do for the two detentions. I got to his study and knocked at the door. He told me to come in............"
"White Frederick John, you are a disgrace to the school. We don't stand for fighting unless it is supervised in the ring, nor the language that you were using."
"Sorry Nolan."
"Being sorry wont cut it. You are to report to me here at 3.35pm in your gym kit. That means no underpants. You may wear a jock strap if you have one, otherwise just your singlet, shorts, socks and gym shoes. Do you understand?"
"Yes Nolan, but I am to go to detention twice for fighting."
"I know that, you also get punished by me as a deterent not to break the more serious rules. I am told that you completely lost your temper. To teach you to modify your behaviour we have a well tried method which is most effective. It's called 'six of the best.' Now get to assembly."..........................
................ "I left the study in a quandry, dreading the time that I would have to report. The two strokes I got from the Housemaster the previous week had hurt enough, and now I was to get six."
"The build up while you had to wait all day must have been terrible," said Ben.
"Yes it was. Ofcourse I now realize that that is part of the punishment. The waiting."
"So there were psychologists around in those days, Fred?" asked Bert Nelson
"I suppose so. A master could whack us in class, but usually if the housemaster or the head did it, it was after school. And also in the case when the head boy whacked you. Anyway, back to the story."
"Luckily for me gym was the last period of the day that day, so after my shower I made my way to Nolan's study. Once there I knocked on the door. I don't mind telling you my knees were like jelly and I was just about ready to fill my pants with smelly stuff. Nolan called come in, and I opened the door and went into his room..............
.................... "Ah White, wait a moment."
"Yes Nolan." I stood there with my eyes on the cane that was laying on his desk. He finished doing what he was doing and looked at me.
"You knew it was against the rules to fight?"
"Yes Nolan."
"Is that all you're going to say?"
"Y....yes Nolan."
"God I hate parrots. All they say is yes Nolan no Nolan. At least you admit that you knew there is a rule against fighting. Do you have anything else you want to say before I punish you?"
"No Nolan."
"Very well. You are a plucky young fellow. I admire you because you haven't tried to blame someone else and you are ready to accept what ever I dish out. This morning I promised you six of the best, and that is what you will get if you are before me again for fighting. However I have made a few inquiries and found that you were provoked. The boy who provoked you will also be punished. So instead of six strokes you will get four. We will wait for Master Blackwood to join us."
Mark Blackwood was the boy who provoked the fight. I hadn't told Nolan why I had been fighting, but apparantly Blackwood had been overheard boasting to one of his friends how I had been dragged off while he had got away after causing the fight. There was a knock on the door and Blair Wallace one of the prefects came into the room with Mark.
"Here he is Nolan. He is already in his gym kit. I supervised to make sure he didn't put on underpants."
"Thanks Wallace. Blackwood, stand over by the wall with your hands on your head. Now White I want you to bend over and touch your toes. Keep your legs together and straight. If you try to stand up or cover your bum while you are getting whacked, you will get extra. Do you understand."
"Yes Nolan." I bent over as instructed and waited. I felt the cane tapping against my bum lightly and at the edge of my vision I saw Nolan adjust his stance a little. Then there was a loud swoshing followed by a crack. At first nothing and then hot pain radiating from the line where the cane had landed."
"Fred, you are not the only one here to be caned," said Ben. "I got it a couple of times myself you know."
"That's nice to know Ben. Why are you so against whacking?"
"Well at my school we had a sadistic bugger that enjoyed lambing into us for whatever excuse he could dream up. Some of the kids in my class got caned at least once a week. It certainly didn't make them better boys. They just kept on misbehaving and disrupting the classes. In fact it became a status thing. They used to put notches on their belts to show how many strokes they had. One guy had notches halfway around his belt by the end of the first term."
"I guess that is where whacking doesn't work then. But, at my school when you were caned, which wasn't often, you knew you were caned. They caned to hurt. Any way........there I was bent over waiting for the second hit. I seemed to wait for ages, though I guess it would have been ten to fifteen seconds, then the second stroke landed just under the first. The third and the fourth landed just above the crease. I was about to stand after the last stroke when I remembered to stay down until I was told to stand up. I must have waited another 15 seconds or so when Nolan told me to stand.
"Right White you may stand."
I stood up trying to hide the tears in my eyes, rather proud that I hadn't cried out. My backside was in agony. The two strokes from the housemaster the week before were a picnic to what I had just been through. I reached around behind me to rub my burning bum.
"White, well done. Stand by the wall with your hands on your head. Blackwood come over here." When Blackwood was standing alongside Nolan, Nolan went on, "You are a disgrace to the school. You are a year ahead of White, taller and heavier. So I suspect you were bullying. However I can not prove that you were doing so. Do you have anything to say."
"Nolan he made some smart remark and I wasn't going to let him get away with it."
"Blackwood, you absolutely disgust me. You were overheard boasting how you had picked a fight with White and had gotten away with it, so that makes you a liar. I have good mind to report you to the Head and that means an automatic twelve stroke caning, which is what you deserve." Blackwood's tanned complexion paled significantly. "However I will punish you myself. You will receive six of the very best that I can give you. Bend over."
Mark Blackwood bent over with his hands on his knees.
"You are not going to get away with that. Bend right down touching your toes, or better still grab your ankles. If I see a hand leave your ankles, I will stop the caning and report you to the Headmaster and you will have to face the consequences. Do you understand Blackwood?"
"Yes Nolan."
"Well Nolan laid into that backside as though he was trying to slice right through it. The cane practically disappeared into Blackwood's bum at each stroke and after the third stroke, Blackwood yelled each time. He just about let go of his ankles after the fifth stroke, but grabbed tighter just in time. Fifteen seconds after the sixth Blackwood was told to stand and we were both told not to fight again, and were dismissed. Outside, Blackwood who was wipeing his eyes invited me to the toilets to examine the damge inflicted, but I thought that he may try something funny and start bashing me up again, so I declined and went home."
"And that is why you think that the cane is the answer to your problems," asked Bert
"No, if you use it carefully and as a last resort, after trying other methods such as the fore mentioned 100 pushups or a five kilometre run, then I think yes, it may have its place."
"Were you caned again," asked Ben Stroud.
"Yes several times and once by the Headmaster, an eight strokes hiding for forgetting to be a sportsman when I was in the fourth form. I got a bit carried away in a rugby match and threw a punch which unfortunately for me was seen by the ref, and I was sent off."
"Whatever made you become a physed teacher?"
"Actually I have a degree just about as good as yours Bert, but I have always liked sports and so I decided that I would do something positive about it."
"Look guys I hate to spoil the party, but I've got to go or my wife will throw out dinner and I'll starve," said Ben.
"Yes I better go too," said Bert.
So the three teachers left the club....................
Comments welcome Ted B eddybear@xtra. co. nz