@johobbit: I love that one of the older girls took the privilege and responsibility of readingLWWto you younger gals. I wonder if she know now, decades later, what an impact that had on you.

When it was against the rules to have our belongings in the actual dormitories - they were supposed to be in lockers or cupboards - I don't think Betty (her name) would have read the book sitting up in bed. She paraphrased it from what she, herself, already read, & I don't remember her even finishing The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, which was why I made an effort to find out the rest of the story, when I finally got to join a council library. When I thought the council library (and the librarian) was nicer than the teachers I had, I preferred to be a librarian, rather than a teacher. The sad part about it, after so many years, I wouldn't even know where Betty is, or whether she would be still alive, or her younger sister, who was my friend some seventy years ago.  

@Courtenay: (for those who don't know, look up Aussie folk singer Ted Egan's song "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga")

Nice to see you again, Courtenay, , & I look forward to hearing how you are getting on in England's bleak weather, or so we hear on the news. We have a lovely thread for doing so in The Spare Oom, where members can discuss weather in their part of the world. 

For those who don't live in Australia, we do tend to speak English a bit differently from other English-speaking places around the World. Wagga Wagga, derived from the Aboriginal Wiradjuri name for a place of many crows, is a regional university city in the Australian state of New South Wales. We also have a popular games thread here for learning geographical names around the world. 

@jo Thanks for the warm welcome 

@courtenay I would like to thank you as well for making me feel so welcome here. 

Welcome members, new and old!

I enjoyed reading your entry, wagga. (I think I learned the pronunciation of your name either from one of your posts, or hearing it casually mentioned on some YouTube video (perhaps in an intro to "I Am Australian" or another song).

@Courtenay: (for those who don't know, look up Aussie folk singer Ted Egan's song "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga")

That's a fun song, and a catchy tune!

Thank you for your kind words, stargazer, and I'm happy to welcome Aryen to Narnia Web as well.  

1. Name (please avoid your real full name):  WhiteStag (aka Oliver)

2. King or Queen of Narnia (guy or girl):  King

3. Family (single/married/kids):  Married (April 2022)

4. Occupation:  Trainee Pastor

5. How you learned about NarniaWeb:  Been browsing since 2004!

6. How old were you when you first read the Chronicles:  14

7. How many times have you read the Chronicles:  2 or 3 (avid FOTF RT listener/BBC series watcher)

8. Favorite of the Chronicles:  The Silver Chair

9. Hobbies and/or interesting things about you:  Live in London, UK. Very involved in church. Big HP nerd. Spurs fan. Frequent Israel visitor. Love spending time with friends/family.

A warm welcome to NarniaWeb, @whitestag! Good to hear a bit about you. Is your wife a Narnia fan too? We're glad you have joined the forum after having browsed the site since shortly after its inception (nearly twenty years!).

Thanks very much, @jo . Yes indeed, I'm a long time Narnia obsessive! My wife is not a fan though, I'm sad to say! I've tried to convert her but no luck so far 😆 

@whitestag Hello and welcome, Oliver!  Good to see someone else from the UK! I lived just outside London (in Kent) for nearly 10 years, but I now live in Cheshire. (I am in fact an Aussie who's "gone native" here — I have dual citizenship now.)

Great to meet you and I hope you enjoy being part of the community here!