Rumar Strand

Thereby hangs a tale. As the famous Restaurant Koulu in Turku, Rumar Strand started out as an establishment of learning--an elementary school, in the year 1902. For the first two years, Rumar folkskola operated in hired quarters, in a building belonging to Nybondas. Two years later, the school could luckily move into a brand-new structure of its own: a red-painted, originally light yellow, wooden temple of learning, seating seven classes. Two teachers were employed, one for the three lower classes, and another teacher for the four upper ones. From 1924 to 1951, the lower three functioned as a movable institution, in cooperation with the school in Markomby.

In its heyday, in the thirties and forties, the student body comprised an annual number of some 30 boys and girls. Where did they all come from? Some kids lived within walking distance, in Rumar. Others came from the islands, located nearby or further away: Lohm, Killingholm, Fagerholm, Granö, Aspö, Björkö. Children from distant places—including the famous future couple, Brunskärs-Maja and Aspö-Erik--had to stay with relatives living near the school. Some could go home for the Sabbath, in a boat or on skis, depending on the season; one or two may have had to wait until Christmas.

What was school life like, in the old days? Bjarne Pettersson, one of the oldtimers, from nearby Killingholm, is a treasury of memories:

‘I attended school for four years, from 1954 to 1957. My first teacher was Vera Strandberg, an elderly lady, with raven hair in a bun. In my recollection she was a kindhearted person, whereas Bertel Eklund, who taught the upper four, was much stricter, and could, on occasion, blow his top off. He never touched any of us, though. In his free time he wrote columns for the Hufvudstadsbladet, under the pen name Jimson.’

Mr. Eklund and his family were accommodated in the eastern part of the school building. The upper class room was located in the main hall, which is the present dining room; the lower classes were squeezed into a smaller room, now the kitchen. Teaching, in the traditional style, meant reaching--for Vera, three levels at the same time, with one more level for Jimson. Occasionally, there was a School Radio broadcast, which everybody took in standing, as if it were the word of God. Physical exercise often meant an outdoor ballgame. What about lunch? The school kitchen was located in the present-day sauna, by the water’s edge. There Elsa, a lady, round as a meatball, made porridge. The pupils took turns at carrying the kettle into the classrooms; sandwiches and milk had to be brought from home. On the first of May, Elsa made pancakes galore, served with mead—as if to path the road for the business-to-be.

When was the school dissolved, and why? The end came on the last of May, 1963; the reason was a gradual decrease of pupils. Only nine remained in the last year of school. This was mainly due to the changed working routines for pilots; many in the profession moved into Turku and Pargas, taking their children with them. So, in Rumar, the schooldays became a thing of the past.

Nalle Valtiala