Something recent Brentonians will NEVER experience is the early years form of punishment called "Caning". If a Master (teacher) felt you had stepped over the line, he would tell you to go find a cane ( or switch ) and you were expected to go into the forest and find a suitable tree branch. If your selected stick did not measure up to the Master's expectations in flexibility and/or stiffness, he had a reserve supply of British canes, honed over the backside of our British counterparts.
You were told to bend over and given 6 strokes of the cane. Most punishment was administered in the privacy of the Heads Office ( Head of School ), but in some cases if Gil Bunch ( an early Master ) was involved, it was not uncommon for him to run the length of the top floor of Ellis House Dormitory at full speed and have the boy watch him coming through his open legs. Every student in Ellis House stood at their doorway to watch the spectacle For past few decades, touching a student could result in a teacher dismissal. Ahh the early days!
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