“Our tuckshop was opened at the beginning of the term, the grand opening ceremony being performed over a hot meat pie. True on this occasion, no ‘birds began to sing’, but we believe there were many ‘pockets full of pie.’”
The tuckshop was staffed by teachers with senior boys on duty. As the student numbers and appetite grew, the Knox Mothers' Group took over its management.
Some of the items sold were sweets, milkshakes, ice cream, meat pies, bread rolls and drinks. Much to the disappointment of the boys, sweets were limited to purchase in the second half of lunch. There was also a cap on the amount they could buy to discourage spending lunch money on sweets.
The tuckshop was a source of fundraising for school equipment including badminton racquets, shuttlecocks, ping pong balls, a billiards table and equipment, and even a pickup truck. During WWII, 20 per cent of the profits were donated to the war effort.
An original song was written and performed by the Prep School called Tuck Shop Topics which outlined the rules one should follow in the tuckshop line. It was a favourite sung by the whole school and featured for many years in Choir contests and Speech Days.
'The Knox Grammarian' 1948 05 – The Daily Scene
'The Knox Grammarian' 1935 05 – Tuckshop Topics
Music – Les Bonnes Dames de Saint Gervais (Emile Jaques-Dalcroze)
Leave your mark and continue the legacy by donating memorabilia and photographs to the School. Email archives@knox.nsw.edu.au for more info.
