I am publishing this post because it is a look back into women's history and experience.
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Do you remember learning pitmans shorthand?
Posted by Starts at 60 on Monday, 28 December 2015
Brigid O'Carroll Walsh One suffers to learn but once learned it's just a matter of practice to get the speed up! Ditto for touch-typing. Y'know what bugs me? I left school at 15 with shorthand, typing, book-keeping and next day started work. These days we have rip-off merchants running certificate mills and charging thousands of dollars to people when I got skills in a little North Queensland convent school whose fees wouldn't have been much and was working productively and earning an income at the age of 15. These skills have been with me my whole life and I am sure that they - and the jobs which they have got me - have assisted my transition to the digital age in a way many people of my age have not managed. Who, these days, benefits from the current system of acquiring technical non-degree skills?
Sandra Garrett My teacher was Mrs Heyhoe, I loved her classes and learning Pitman's shorthand. I had a little blue Pitman's shorthand dictionary and there was magazine that was written in shorthand. Remember learning short forms and being tested. Managed to reach 100 words per minute. Still remember and use it.
Margaret Bovell I still have my Pitman's book and I reached 150 words per minute and received a Certificate back in 1965.
Christa Caldecott I did Pitman's shorthand. Our teacher was brilliant. Started dictating at a high speed to get our brains thinking fast, so doing 80 w.p.m. was a breeze in the end. I did 120 quite comfortably. Those short forms came in very handy.
Dianne White I have my books as well as another dictionary my mother in law gave me that was hers dated 1901 from the UK - she wasn't but the book was - I treasure it because she gave it to me.
Carmel Stafford Had all of my Pitman's books, but unfortunately lost everything in the '74 floods in Brissie. Still remember the short forms.
Pamela Bell I also use it when I don't need anyone else to read what I have written. Remember the light strokes compared to the heavy strokes and the actual positions of the strokes. All had different sounds. Quite revolutionary really but absolutely taken over by technology.
Ann Bradley I still have the little blue dictionary too & the little pink training book. I use shorthand every day.
Nola van Klaveren We were taught Dacomb, l never used it as l went into teaching. Typing has been very handy though!
Christa Caldecott Anyone remember: Pa May We All Go Too (long vowels) and That Pen Is Not Much Good (short vowels). Above the line, on the line, and below the line. No time to put the vowels in when taking fast dictation, although I used to put them in if the phone rang and my boss had to take calls, as he always asked me to read back what he'd said before being interrupted!
Dee Bellis I learnt it in 1973 and still use it, just about every day for phone call details, notes to myself ...... very handy when you don't want anyone to read what you've written down!
Peggy Shelton Sure do! Still use it daily for notes to myself , and when I answer the phone, I always have pen and paper to write down whatever the caller is saying. I did 150 wpm at Business College with 99% accuracy in theory. Still have my shorthand dictionary...See More
Diana Ridley i used to be really good at shorthand, I even made up my own sign for certain terms that were used a lot where I worked. I remember carbon paper, how I hated that, I remember Remington typewriters (clackers) and I remember being in a secretarial pool. Those were the days, you were deafened by the 50 typewriters all in the same room and being operated by girls who could type really fast. I still have that skill, never regretted doing a commercial course (as it was called back then), it made me a lot of money during my working years.
Maryna van Eeden I started off learning Pittman's shorthand but after changing to a private boarding school learned the Gregg's shorthand method (American) which until this day I still remember and can still use. Greggs - no lines necessary, no hard of soft strokes - you can use your finger in sand to write! I'm almost 81, worked until 80 and still used Greggs!
Elizabeth Petty When i was doing my nursing training in the early 1960's i used pitmans shorthand to take down a lot of lecture notes which made it very easy.Sadly now nearly 54 later ive forgotten most of it.
Barbara Moller I will never forget learning shorthand. I got up to 80 words minute at Naenae College and my teacher was Miss Woolette and she was a great teacher. Can still remember some of the short forms we learnt. I too had a little blue Pitmans shorthand dictionary and still have it.
Annette Terrill I went to Miss Hales Business College Sydney and did a year learning shorthand and /typing just hated the shorthand but loved the electric typewriter- I still have the Pitman's English and Shorthand Dictionary - that was in 1957.
Pam Bodger Went to Digby's Commercial College in Christchurch N.Z. She was such a dragon, we were all petrified of her, but boy she turned us all out to be very good. 120 w.p.m.
Pamela Bell I'm a bit like Sandra Garrett in that I do use it sometimes when taking notes etc. Back in the day (1962) at Ipswich State High School, I did get an "A" for English, Typing and Shorthand for Junior (now Year 10 and all that was really required for an office job then). Times sure do change but they were great times.
Marion Larkin I was taught Pitmans shorthand at Tamworth TAFE in 1967 only managed about 60-70 words a minute, but never used it in any of my future jobs have forgotten it don't think I could even write my name now.
Jenny Hall Yes I do. Lottie Vickery was the teachers name. Never married and very strict. She was in a car accident, went over a cliff if I remember correctly and died. She was sadly missed by most.
Maria Belperio Mercorella I still remember some shorthand after 40 years at Muirden College Adelaide, it was so cool then and yes I had the Pitman shorthand dictionary, I can still read the letter on the left.....just lol..
Anne Haffenden People say they can only remember a few words but what I remember is it wasnt words it was sounds pee bee tee gee chay jay etc and positions for the vowels. I learnt at Bentley high school and use it at work in the Commonwealth Bank. Engraved in my mind is "thank you for you letter" still have a little tiny shorthand dictionary.
Rosalind Conroy Yes. Learned shorthand at Williams Business College Drummoyne. Can't remember the teachers name but she was a dragon. Hated us left handed girls. She said we would never be good. Ha! Showed her. I reached 120wpm and still use shorthand today.
Terri Williams I remember learning it at school very well and subsequently at Commercial College in Scotland - went up to 160 wpm. I still use it - I spent many years as a Secretary and took Minutes at meetings.
June Walker Learnt Pitman shorthand and typing in my last year at senior school then in my second job they had a training facility where I continued to learn and practice until I got to 120 wpm shorthand and 80 wpm typing. Learnt to touch type on an Olivetti type...See More
Lyn Walsh Yes I do. Had the best teacher of my school days. He took us for our commercial subjects. A class of about 30 girls. ..but thanks to him I passed all commercial subjects although I hated shorthand.
We had a reunion for 25 year and we invited him and he came along and really enjoyed the night.
We had a reunion for 25 year and we invited him and he came along and really enjoyed the night.
Kim Hale I certainly do but only attained about 110wpm. At my business college it was taught by a nun who was about 88 years old and daily read her Bible in shorthand. I also still use it to take notes over the phone or reminders to myself.
Julie Naumann Did typing and shorthand at High School. Typed like a maniac but I was not that good at shorthand. Fortunately my first job was in a Solicitors' firm and they used dictaphones. Didn't get an electric typewriter there until 1963. It was second hand (solicitors didn't like spending money lol).
Grace Wright I remember. It was like learning another language, and a very logical one too! I can still look at that and partly work out what it says, and I wasn't even very good at it. You never completely forget it.
Sylvia Priilaid I remember those days, I did shorthand/typing and accounting in Std 8, 9 and 10 (matric) way back in 1969 -1971 in Durban, South Africa at Mitchell Girls High. I still use it everyday at work. It's really come in handy especially for letters and minutes of meetings.
Lesley Wethers I remember it well. My first job as a Junior Secretary involved taking down letters with shorthand and then typing them up for my boss to sign. I still often write things down in shorthand!!
Jane Major Still use mine. We were trained for Hansard reporting - 210 words per minute shorthand, 95 wpm typing.
Stella Taylor Yes I remember learning pitmans shorthand i found it a nightmare iwas only 14yrs old my teacher was lovely cant remember her name now
Julie Switzer Knight Yes I sure do. Loved learning Pitmans, had a dictionary as well, plus the magazine. I still remember some outlines, only used some of them, I went nursing after and the shorthand came in handy when taking notes, got up to 90 wpm whilst learning.
Lesley Smith One more comment. Whoever wrote this shorthand must have had a lot of time because when I was taking dictation I only put in the very necessary vowels. Nice to see I can still read it though.
Maureen Brown I was taught Pitmans shorthand when I worked at Montague Burton factory. I was in the office and Burtons had its own shorthand/typing classes. I used mine a lot for writing down the lyrics to songs. I can read some now, such as dear sir lol,
Robyn Taylor Learnt shorthand at Epping Business College in Sydney after I could not continue nursing and had to find another career. Typing was compulsory at Smiths Hill Girls High School in Wollongong but I was one year too young for shorthand (they stopped it t...See More
Rosemary Mills Yes I did but when I qualified at 16 no one would give me a job as a shorthand/typist they advertised for a junior with experience. So I never used it in any jobs I had just typed, typed and more typing.
Kathy Webber I remember shorthand at Edwards Business college in the city with my mate Jan Dempster-Jones. I wasn't really good at it. Missed some classes due to my brother giving me the chicken pox. Don't remember any of it.
Robyn Marconi Sure do. I learned it at school, then became a Commercial teacher and taught it for my first four years of teaching. I often used it to take notes and still remember the many rules and short forms. As I was a kacky hander it was easier for me to use the 2B pencil, as I'd drag my hand over the ink! We even had blackboard practice at Teachers' College
Carol Otley First started Pitmans shorthand at age 14, used it mist of my working life, now 56 years later I can still use it!
Erin JP Born in 83 and forced to learn speed reading and shorthand at the grammar school I attended. Came in handy at uni but haven't used it since. The speed reading has also become a bad habit for me reading books. I skip half the words which isn't good
Helen Barrett I learned shorthand, typing, business practic and bookkeeping in the 6th form at Grammar Schooll - Highbury Hill High Grammar School for Girls. We had to accomplish all the above and do some GCEs and a language as well! Managed to attain 100 wpm in P...See More
Glenys Stephens Learned Pitmans early 70's at Brooks High, Launceston. All I ever wanted to do was typing and shorthand and sewing. Did all these subjects in high school and they have impacted my career and life since then. Secretary for 7 years on leaving school, then raised family for 20 years, but then went back into workforce... Typing and computer now instead of Pitmans but I can still type faster than I can do shorthand
Elizabeth Newcombe Yep! When I was 16 in the 60s in Sydney. It helped me to secure great positions in Government departments where I stayed for 43 years! I also taught it to adults in a computer college.
Alison Carter my aunt used to use it a lot when working for a solicitor until she left to get married at 45. When she developed dementia she started using it when on the phone or leaving messages. Fortunately I had done it for a year at secretarial college so could pick out bits of what she was saying. So well ingrained into her brain.
Maureen Cooper When first I saw this, I enlarged it to read the story about caravan holidays and communal facilities at camping grounds. I still use Pitman's regularly when taking notes from phone calls etc. Notes everywhere here! When in England 8 years ago, I we...See More
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