In the 1970s, I was the Principal (then called headmaster) of Warburton Ranges School in remote Western Australia. The funding we received was minuscule to the point of being peanuts.

When I, admittedly as a young and quite neophytic school leader, sought additional support from the WA Education Authority, I was more or less peremptorily dismissed (from conversation, not the school, at least not at that time).

We were funded with a few dollars for each child every year. With the help of supporters, we started a ‘donate clothing to Warburton’ program.

Donations of second hand clothing were sent to us, carried gratis by TNT. With staff help, the clothing was sorted, and every fortnight, we would hold a second-hand clothing sale.

Four classrooms were used, one for ladies, one for men, one for girls, and one for boys. At each end of a connecting corridor was a receptacle for money collection and supervision.

As people left, they contributed 20 cents for each clothing item. Over a year, we earned several thousand dollars appropriated to purchase school resources.

From this base, we graduated some children who went on to do well as leaders in life.

Memories.