Pollock’s School – The Early Years

It was 60 years ago, in urban Dwarakanagar, Mrs Glenda Pollock had a dilemma with the demands of bringing up two young girls and an infant while working at a nearby school. The solution was simple; she started an English Medium elementary school in her home during the day, educated her girls, and realised an ambition to provide low-fee education to children in the neighbourhood. She supplemented her costs with tuition in the evenings.

Diamond Jubilee Pollocks School, Vizag Street hoarding.

Foundation students recall her Drawing Room and Bedroom converted into small classrooms. There was a piano in the corner on which she taught them to sing nursery rhymes, and the cashew nut tree under which they played. Local pre-school-aged children, whose mother tongue was Telugu, learnt to confidently converse in English and rhythmically sing an old English ditty…  ‘This is the way we go to school… On a cold, frosty morning.’ This was during 1966, 2nd Lane, Dwarakanagar was in the recently established New Colony, single-storey homes were affordable, the population was young, hardworking families and the demand for a good English education was highly valued. The school’s reputation grew, as did her family, and she rented a covered, open-sided shamiana in a nearby neighbour’s compound near Diamond Park to meet the demand. Though she had a ‘low fee’ business goal, there were times when people had difficulty paying the fee and instead would barter with chickens, baskets of mangoes or vegetables. Husband Arthur Pollock had his own chickens in the back compound, so the domestic staff that helped clean, feed and play with the children would benefit from the extra food that was donated.

Mrs Glenda Pollock was a practitioner teacher; she loved her children, and she loved teaching them. Tragically, in 1968, she lost her young daughter, Cindy, aged 5 years, in an unfortunate accident in their Dwarakanagar home. This led to Glenda Pollock deciding to seek a lifestyle change, and the family, consisting of Glenda, Arthur, Cheryl, Debbie, and Denis, migrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1968. The administration of the school, which included a Nursery and Standards 1 & 2, was left to Mrs Pauline Pereira, a family friend who decided to honour her long-time friend by keeping the school’s name – ‘Pollock’s English Medium School’. 

Pollock’s School, Dwarakanagar, c 1989

The Pereira family administered and developed the school over the next 20 years, firstly with Pauline (1968 – 1971), then her mother Kathleen Pereira (1971 – 1974) and then Vivienne (nee Pereira) and her husband Joe Honeyford (1974 – 1989), who collectively developed the school to Standard 9. The school facility was always rented space in adjacent streets, the teaching staff were Anglo-Indian teachers, proficient in English and experienced in delivering a junior school curriculum that emphasised the 3 R’s – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Many foundation students the world over attest to the sound basics taught to them by teachers like Mrs Rozario, Rita & Margaret D’Cruze, Heather Pereira, Mrs Glenda Pollock, and the Pereira family. The school was fortunate to gain Mrs Vijayalakshmi Chitra as a teacher in the mid-1980s, as she lived in the vicinity and became a trusted mainstay of the school.

In the mid-1980’s, the Pereira / Honeyford families approached the final plans for migration to Australia and were concerned for the fate of the school. Mrs Chitra had the vision and resources to develop the school to its full potential, and since she lived nearby, her home would become part of the growth and expansion of Pollock’s School in Dwarakanagar, Vizag. In 1989, Mrs Vivienne Honeyford (nee Pereira) and family migrated to Australia, leaving Pollock’s School in the capable hands of Mrs Vijayalakshmi Chitra, who, together with her daughter-in-law and her son, Mrs Rajini Chitra and Mr Sandeep Chitra, has developed Pollock’s School into the multi-campus, leading Vizag educational institution it is today.

Mrs Glenda Pollock (1938 – 2021)

Glenda Pollock continued to teach up to her last days and sadly passed away in Melbourne, Australia, on 18 August 2021, aged 83 years.

The help of former Headmistress Vivienne Honeyford (nee Pereira), who contributed to this article, is appreciated.

Also read: When the Sea Roads led to Vizag

Written by John Castellas, whose family belonged to Vizag for 5 generations. Educated at St Aloysius, migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1966, former General Manager Engineering at Boeing & Qantas Airways, in retirement Lecturer in Aviation Management at Swinburne University and is a Vizag aficionado. John authors heritage articles for YoVizag and Waltair Times and has contributed to Coffee Table Books for the Waltair Club and Andhra Medical College. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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