Tom attended school in Mirranatwa with his best mate, Sid Field, who was Miss Turner’s nephew. Getting there was a five mile walk in rain, hail or shine. Discipline was very harsh in those days and teachers ruled with strict authority, so both Tom and Sid were no strangers to the dreaded “strap” or “cane”. In fact, they were accustomed to receiving a few good ones across the hand or backside most school days for their mischievous ways. The boys would put handfuls of pine needles down their trousers to soften the sting of the leather, and on one occasion, Sid upgraded this for a piece of tin. The other attractive alternative was to just wag school and go 'rabbiting', which Tom did more often than not.
Derelict remains of the old Victoria Valley State School
At the age of 13, Tom left school. He decided he could educate himself in whatever he needed to know and rebelled against what he felt were heavy-handed, stand over tactics from the teachers trying to tame him. He resolved to do it his own way or no way at all! Despite his lack of attendance, and what was perceived as often difficult behaviour, Tom’s teacher was impressed by his intelligence and found him to be a very diligent scholar.