Robert Lemon pictured in his garden with his lovingly restored Bus 4 sign that once graced the MPS bus stops in Derby St.
Buying a glorified piece of firewood for $210 at Murrumburrah Public School’s (MPS) Table 8 auction seemed like a daft idea to Anne Lemon, but for her husband Robert, the old Galong bus stop sign that stood at MPS symbolises years of memories. Robert drove the Galong bus, ‘Bus 4’, for over 16 years, pulling up at that very sign twice a day. With five days in a week, 40 school weeks in a year, that makes it a total of 6,400 times that Robert pulled up the bus at that sign.
But for him, it is about the memories he has of driving that bus, and there are many. “I remember Andy White, he was only in Kindergarten or First Class and was really excited about Christmas coming up,” he said. “He asked me what I wanted for Christmas, so I said ‘A new bus’. He came on the bus the next day and said that he couldn’t afford a new bus, but he gave me toy bus instead.” After nearly two decades, Robert still has that toy bus. The highlight for the kids, as well as for him, was the Christmas Bus Party that would happen in the last day of Term 4. “We would spend about $100 on it,” he said. “The kids used to get an ice block, a drink and packet of chips.
One year we ran out because some of the kids brought their friends to the party.” Driving ‘Bus 4’ has left Robert with a lot of memories, and he says he misses the kids. But for now, the old ‘Bus 4’ sign, lovingly restored with a little help of the Harden Men’s Shed, takes pride of place in Robert & Anne’s garden and serves as a reminder of those good times.
