The joke? Actually, there was no joke. My wife had simply told old kids about the fact we used to have typing lessons when we were at school.

“You had to have lessons to learn how to type?,” the eldest cackled. 

The thought we would have school lessons designated to do something her and her sister do as naturally as we did riding a bike when we were young just tickled her funny bone to the core.  Typing lessons? How ridiculous?

Looking back on it now it does seem a little odd The reflection on our time at primary school some err, um, *cough*, 40 years ago came after attending a couple of events to celebrate our kids’ school’s 60^th birthday. How times have changed.

Sure some of the basics and the principles are the same, but an awful lot is different. This editor fondly remembers once a week we were allowed to buy our lunch at primary school. “What’s different about that?,” I hear you say.

Well, we didn’t have a school canteen, we’d all walk, unsupervised, down to the local fish and chip shop in the main street of town a few blocks away to grab some greasy fried lunchtime fare.

Chiko rolls were the most popular closely followed by potato cakes. Or do we call them potato scallops here? Maybe that’s a debate for another time and column.

What is certain now, in this day and age, kids of that age certainly wouldn’t be allowed to leave school ground by themselves to grab lunch.

Certainly not when perfectly good Nori rolls, garden salad, fresh fruit cups and pasta bolognese are available at the school canteen.

Happy birthday to the little school in Shellharbour. Here's to your next 60 years.