Chapter 5, Schooling Summary and Analysis

The train to Sydney was long and full of observations. City life was unfamiliar and there was a serious question about where they would live. Towards the end of the war, the city had built no new housing. The city was a staging point for thousands of Americans in the South Pacific. A housing black market had arisen. They eventually found an upstairs portion in a nearby suburb, Mosman, to live in. It was near the ocean. Conway enrolled in Queenwood School. The small world of school was alien and intimidating. Conway did not know how to play with other eleven-year-olds. The routines were foreign and physical education was bizarre. Conway's preferences for conversation were different from most other places. No girls from the bush were there. Schoolwork was very easy.

As time progressed, Conway's mother adjusted. Her body...