November 25, 2025 • 8 mins
Year 12s have officially wrapped up their exams and headed off to leavers. Lisa & Russell shared their own end-of-school tales, with listeners calling and texting in their wonderfully wayward stories.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's a big week in the life of year twelve.
This is going to strike should we say, for me
year twelve.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
And this is going to strike you next year, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Yes, next year.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You'll be sitting here.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Sweating bullets.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
If you've done what you've got to do, you'll be fine.
Isn't that how it works? You're raising adults.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Just got to make sure I'm getting around to doing
it in time. Don't leave it to the last minute.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Oh, we want to talk about how you celebrated finishing
high school. Did you have a Lever's Week per se
when we finished?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It was a while ago.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, it was a while ago. It wasn't It wasn't, Yes,
it was. It wasn't a.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
So called leavers week per se, but we did we
tended to all go to rot Nest. Yes, and we
did all go to rot Nest and there was no
balloting of it, and then you know, having to I
just rang and booked and that's why we had about
nineteen girls in a six person.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Bungalow and no one asked any questions. It was just awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Was done and there was several other schools representing there.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
It was very busy and it was. It was one
of the greatest weeks of my life.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
The week was brought to you by the Stop Making
Sense album and Stone A Romeos. I don't think we
listened to anything else. We just listened to those over
and over and over and over. I have never drunk
Jack Daniels since because there was an incident and I
learned my lesson and it was just fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
But so how long did you go away for a week?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
We went on Sunday, We went on the Sunday on
the ferry, probably went on the Temarere too, yes, And
we came back at lunchtime on the Friday, picked up by.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Our relief.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Because it just sun burned a little bit worse for wear.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It wasn't the thing it is now. There was no
trips to Bali, in fact backward, because I was a
year after you just pointing that out, and there was
not even down south, you know, like that that whole
down south thing wasn't because I was a border Okay,
so I was from the bush and our leavers thing
from memory because I know some blokes did go across
the rotto. That was that was a thing by then.
(02:12):
But we all just congregated at a shearing shed outside
of Catanning, okay, because no one had a lot of time.
Harvest was on, you see, there were a lot of
utes and it was just like a mini BNS and
it was like a one night only thing. Big party
went all night and then everybody went home the day
(02:33):
after and that was it.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's why we could have been six hours.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Actually for me, I think it was about two hours
away actually, so, but it's very different now.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
It's very different. It's very organized, it's very control.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
It's probably a good thing. But are you currently sitting
there worrying because yours is off down down at Dunsborough
or wherever that wristbands and it's all organized.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
It is organized, I'll give them that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Or how did you celebrate wrapping up school? Jan On
the text says, I still vividly.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Remember walking home from my final exam, thinking, well, that's it.
I'll never be back to hang out with all my
friends each day. It was a very empty feeling and
still brings a tear as I write this fifty four
years later. She says, I've loved seeing all the kids
down here in Bustleton, enjoying that company for one last
week of fun.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
That's a nice way of looking at it. Jan it
is because you're right, it is such a it's a
closure in your life.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Is one hundred like the probably the most major closure
of your.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Life so far?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Absolutely, Pete, Yeah, can stereo? How did you let loose
after school?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Hey? Get Lisa and Russell has a garden? Right?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Good?
Speaker 5 (03:48):
Well, I was one of.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
These fortunate people.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
I lived over on the East Coast then, and I
actually did Grade twelve twice. I did it in eighty
nine and ninety so. But I finally remember finishing and
using out after drinking a full one leader bottle of
Southern Comforty.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Never touched again.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Lessons hard, don't we.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
It's just it's just evil stuff, that's what that is.
But we went we went to we got any cars
loaded after cars and went down to from the Sunshine
Cash we drove down to Cleveland and Brisbane and caught
the ferry across the strap Bake Island. And they had
a pretty amazing drunk filled week.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
But funnily.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
So, there was two things at the end of each
each night. Obviously there was always lots of left over alcohol.
Everybody pass out, so the next morning we'd wake up,
we get fruit loops flakes and put put them in
a bowl and then left over.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Oh god, well, no, Pete, I'm hoping you have learned
some lessons from that week, and you know you.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Wow, but I might not be wiser. There you go,
but we'd have to so we'd have to drink that bowl.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Yeah, alcohol and front loops. Yeah. And then at the
end of the week, I remember.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
In a drunken blur that somehow.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Our friends got left over bits of rubbish or something
in this caravan that was on the beach and someone decided.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
To set it on fire hole in the bottom of
the caravan.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No, oh, peace, please, this is not the week carriage.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
But take you.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Please, don't take notes. I'm surprised that Pete even remembers
this week. To be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I know you can't remember whether hes or cool flakes.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
On theses that the caravan was no good after the week. Look,
let us celebrate, yeah, let us know how you did
leave us week back in your day.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
We've got a text from Stephen who said, when I
left year ten in nineteen eighty nine at Como High,
we didn't do anything exciting. We just signed each other's
shirts and that was it.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Oh, that was that was actually a big thing, mind
you he left, that's the thing. Yeah, but that wasn't
as unusual back then, was it?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
No?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Very unusual?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Non?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
No, you went to tech.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Paul in jodle Up has said us some photos of
levers in Bustleton last year when he and his kids.
I think we're down there fishing and they came across
a bunch of shall we say, jolly jolly year twelves
having a good time.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
They were looking for photos with them and they were
looking to catch something, but I think it was a fish.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
It looks like they might have caught a cold.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
They looked happy though, because.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
There was a stormfront coming and they don't have their
shoes on.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
No, they looked happy. But the school's done for all
the year twelves, former year twelves.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Now they're enjoying themselves very sensibly. Right as we speak,
right now, they'll be getting open, making a bit of
a smashed avocado or toast.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Most of them are. Actually they probably.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Are because they are a kind of different breed where
we went, well, they are well, speak for yourself, yeah,
I should shouldn't know, speak for myself and Peter Cannington.
But Paul from Ball Divers on the text said I
went to northlak High.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And I left at the end of year nine for apprenticeship.
So let's buggerall.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
That's even earlier than I knew plenty that would leave
at the end of year ten. But year nine, year
nine is.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
For an apprenticeship, isn't it It is?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
And you definitely get no leavers celebration for.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The end of year job security Darren and Paul Kennedy says,
back in the eighties we did the vaseline under the
hand was on the stairs, the wily been on top
of the flat, and we picked up the gardener's Mighty Boy.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You should put it in between two ballards.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Zooky Mighty Boy, because you could do it with one
of those three people.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All classic eighties shenanigans.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But we were talking about Paul and Ball Divers leaving
at the end of year nine for an apprenticeship and
saying it's leaving for an apprenticeship.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
These days it's probably a good idea because it's a
pretty good job security.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
And he said, just a little follow up to that,
he got his trade certificate in spray painting He's currently
a Forkliffe mechanic. He's also been a bouncer for thirty years,
worked in servos, pizza shops, swingers clubs.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
He's any stune but no.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Things have gone much better than school. We love it.
It's a big week in the life of year twelve.
This is going to strike should we say, for me
year twelve.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
And this is going to strike you next year, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Yes, next year.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You'll be sitting here.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Sweating bullets.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
If you've done what you've got to do, you'll be fine.
Isn't that how it works? You're raising adults.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Just got to make sure I'm getting around to doing
it in time. Don't leave it to the last minute.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Oh, we want to talk about how you celebrated finishing
high school. Did you have a Lever's Week per se
when we finished?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It was a while ago.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, it was a while ago. It wasn't It wasn't, Yes,
it was. It wasn't a.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
So called leavers week per se, but we did we
tended to all go to rot Nest. Yes, and we
did all go to rot Nest and there was no
balloting of it, and then you know, having to I
just rang and booked and that's why we had about
nineteen girls in a six person.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Bungalow and no one asked any questions. It was just awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Was done and there was several other schools representing there.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
It was very busy and it was. It was one
of the greatest weeks of my life.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
The week was brought to you by the Stop Making
Sense album and Stone A Romeos. I don't think we
listened to anything else. We just listened to those over
and over and over and over. I have never drunk
Jack Daniels since because there was an incident and I
learned my lesson and it was just fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
But so how long did you go away for a week?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
We went on Sunday, We went on the Sunday on
the ferry, probably went on the Temarere too, yes, And
we came back at lunchtime on the Friday, picked up by.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Our relief.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Because it just sun burned a little bit worse for wear.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
It wasn't the thing it is now. There was no
trips to Bali, in fact backward, because I was a
year after you just pointing that out, and there was
not even down south, you know, like that that whole
down south thing wasn't because I was a border Okay,
so I was from the bush and our leavers thing
from memory because I know some blokes did go across
the rotto. That was that was a thing by then.
(02:12):
But we all just congregated at a shearing shed outside
of Catanning, okay, because no one had a lot of time.
Harvest was on, you see, there were a lot of
utes and it was just like a mini BNS and
it was like a one night only thing. Big party
went all night and then everybody went home the day
(02:33):
after and that was it.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That's why we could have been six hours.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Actually for me, I think it was about two hours
away actually, so, but it's very different now.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
It's very different. It's very organized, it's very control.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
It's probably a good thing. But are you currently sitting
there worrying because yours is off down down at Dunsborough
or wherever that wristbands and it's all organized.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
It is organized, I'll give them that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Or how did you celebrate wrapping up school? Jan On
the text says, I still vividly.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Remember walking home from my final exam, thinking, well, that's it.
I'll never be back to hang out with all my
friends each day. It was a very empty feeling and
still brings a tear as I write this fifty four
years later. She says, I've loved seeing all the kids
down here in Bustleton, enjoying that company for one last
week of fun.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
That's a nice way of looking at it. Jan it
is because you're right, it is such a it's a
closure in your life.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Is one hundred like the probably the most major closure
of your.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Life so far?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Absolutely, Pete, Yeah, can stereo? How did you let loose
after school?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Hey? Get Lisa and Russell has a garden? Right?
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Good?
Speaker 5 (03:48):
Well, I was one of.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
These fortunate people.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
I lived over on the East Coast then, and I
actually did Grade twelve twice. I did it in eighty
nine and ninety so. But I finally remember finishing and
using out after drinking a full one leader bottle of
Southern Comforty.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Never touched again.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Lessons hard, don't we.
Speaker 5 (04:09):
It's just it's just evil stuff, that's what that is.
But we went we went to we got any cars
loaded after cars and went down to from the Sunshine
Cash we drove down to Cleveland and Brisbane and caught
the ferry across the strap Bake Island. And they had
a pretty amazing drunk filled week.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
But funnily.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
So, there was two things at the end of each
each night. Obviously there was always lots of left over alcohol.
Everybody pass out, so the next morning we'd wake up,
we get fruit loops flakes and put put them in
a bowl and then left over.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Oh god, well, no, Pete, I'm hoping you have learned
some lessons from that week, and you know you.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Wow, but I might not be wiser. There you go,
but we'd have to so we'd have to drink that bowl.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Yeah, alcohol and front loops. Yeah. And then at the
end of the week, I remember.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
In a drunken blur that somehow.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Our friends got left over bits of rubbish or something
in this caravan that was on the beach and someone decided.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
To set it on fire hole in the bottom of
the caravan.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
No, oh, peace, please, this is not the week carriage.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
But take you.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Please, don't take notes. I'm surprised that Pete even remembers
this week. To be honest with you.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I know you can't remember whether hes or cool flakes.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
On theses that the caravan was no good after the week. Look,
let us celebrate, yeah, let us know how you did
leave us week back in your day.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
We've got a text from Stephen who said, when I
left year ten in nineteen eighty nine at Como High,
we didn't do anything exciting. We just signed each other's
shirts and that was it.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Oh, that was that was actually a big thing, mind
you he left, that's the thing. Yeah, but that wasn't
as unusual back then, was it?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
No?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Very unusual?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Non?
Speaker 2 (06:05):
No, you went to tech.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Paul in jodle Up has said us some photos of
levers in Bustleton last year when he and his kids.
I think we're down there fishing and they came across
a bunch of shall we say, jolly jolly year twelves
having a good time.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
They were looking for photos with them and they were
looking to catch something, but I think it was a fish.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
It looks like they might have caught a cold.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
They looked happy though, because.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
There was a stormfront coming and they don't have their
shoes on.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
No, they looked happy. But the school's done for all
the year twelves, former year twelves.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Now they're enjoying themselves very sensibly. Right as we speak,
right now, they'll be getting open, making a bit of
a smashed avocado or toast.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Most of them are. Actually they probably.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Are because they are a kind of different breed where
we went, well, they are well, speak for yourself, yeah,
I should shouldn't know, speak for myself and Peter Cannington.
But Paul from Ball Divers on the text said I
went to northlak High.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And I left at the end of year nine for apprenticeship.
So let's buggerall.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
That's even earlier than I knew plenty that would leave
at the end of year ten. But year nine, year
nine is.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
For an apprenticeship, isn't it It is?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
And you definitely get no leavers celebration for.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
The end of year job security Darren and Paul Kennedy says,
back in the eighties we did the vaseline under the
hand was on the stairs, the wily been on top
of the flat, and we picked up the gardener's Mighty Boy.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You should put it in between two ballards.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Zooky Mighty Boy, because you could do it with one
of those three people.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All classic eighties shenanigans.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
But we were talking about Paul and Ball Divers leaving
at the end of year nine for an apprenticeship and
saying it's leaving for an apprenticeship.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
These days it's probably a good idea because it's a
pretty good job security.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
And he said, just a little follow up to that,
he got his trade certificate in spray painting He's currently
a Forkliffe mechanic. He's also been a bouncer for thirty years,
worked in servos, pizza shops, swingers clubs.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
He's any stune but no.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Things have gone much better than school. We love it.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.