Mrs Beverley Somerville Windmill’s Nursery Assistant and longest serving member of Staff.
It was a cold crisp winters night in December 1988, when I pulled up in a car park opposite Johns Street Hall in Dungannon, for an interview that would change my life forever. I can still remember walking in and smelling the familiar smell of a school hallway, flooding me with fond memories of my own schooling experience. The floor was made of cold stone, and for every step I took, I could feel my heart beating rapidly with anticipation. The exact same feeling a child has on their first day of school was now being repeated by my adult self. I was greeted by a parent who took me into a classroom which consisted of a large hall divided into half - making it look inviting and homely. I was then taken into a long narrow staffroom (seen as the unknown by my younger self) to await my opportunity.
‘Beverley please come this way.’ Finally, it was my turn in the hot seat.
I was warmly greeted by three ladies, whom I got to know very well over the coming years. They enquired about my knowledge of children and my experiences. But then came the question I was really waiting for – ‘How do you think you could work alongside someone of the Roman Catholic faith?’ The key point of that question was work alongside the faith, not convert to it. Today I consider many of the Catholic staff like family (and they still haven’t converted me.) This was at a time right in the middle of the troubles in Northern Ireland. On many occasions, I stood at the door of the Nursery and watched smoke billow from the town square up into the sky - an all to familiar sight.
And so the journey began, on the 1st January 1989, in a little mobile situated at the back of Johns Street Hall - Windmill Nursery was born. Martina and I (a Catholic and a Protestant), formed a close partnership which provided me with a much needed opportunity to find out about the ‘otherside.’ Questions such as “When do you…? How do you…? Why do you…?’ It was crucial we bonded well during the early days to ensure that we as a team were able to provide children with a fulfilling integrated education. I have very fond memories of those early days in Windmill Nursery – a lot of laughing was done but times were hard and on occasions we were told not to lodge wages until we got the go ahead. All part and parcel of a new school opening. I was only newly married and had a mortgage to pay, so I was resting on the stability of the school staying open - when the reality was we were never sure if the Nursery was going to stay open month to month.
But 30 years have now passed and I am still here like part of the cement in the walls. I’ve seen many teachers, Principals, assistants and of course children, come and go over the 30 years. In the Nursery alone, I have had the pleasure to work alongside and learn from four very different teachers and many assistants.
Nevertheless my main love over the 30 years has to be for the children who have come to school every day without a care in the world. For me, the greatest feeling is when a child comes along and holds your hand not knowing which ‘side of the fence’ you have came from.
In this Nursery, we are all the same. We play the same and we learn the same. And believe me, children can be the best at teaching integration in a classroom in this little school in Dungannon. I am privileged to have been part of it. So thank you to those pioneer parents who had the vision and the drive to set up an integrated education for those living in a time of trouble. You have taught the people of Dungannon how to live and work together with the best asset that you have – your children!!
Beverley Somerville
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