Quirky World: Life lessons from teacher, aged 101

A 101-year-old former teacher was given a standing ovation after she gave an inspirational talk to a group of unemployed people about surviving difficult times.

Annie Murphy spoke for 90 minutes without notes about Nelson Mandela, the miners’ strike, and women’s struggle for equal opportunities to a group in Gateshead. She wanted to support people who are struggling to find work by sharing her experiences, having lived through war and the worst recessions of the 20th Century.

In 1932, Ms Murphy embarked on a two-year teacher training course and then recession struck.

“So I know what it’s like when you can’t find work through no fault of your own, and that’s what I told them during my talk,” she said.

Ms Murphy finally secured a teaching position at Coxhoe, Co Durham, and, as the Second World War broke out, experienced female inequality in the workplace at first hand.

“Until the war, women teachers had to give up their jobs if they got married.”

She met her future husband Michael in 1939, and she was only able to carry on teaching as men were needed to fight. But her pay was docked by £1 a week.

She retired aged 60 in 1973, and, having separated from her husband, lived alone until just two months ago.

She has now moved in to Addison Court Nursing Home, Crawcrook and her new life has allowed her to make the connection with the unemployed people.

ENGLAND:

The skeleton of an 18ft-long woolly mammoth which roamed Earth up to 50,000 years ago has fetched £150,000 (€189,000) at auction.

A private collector sold the extremely rare Ice Age piece of natural history through Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, West Sussex.

It was sold to a UK based private collector in a telephone bid which with the buyer’s premium amounted to £189,000. At 11.6ft tall, the near-complete skeleton, which comes complete with curved tusks, was the highlight of a sale.

USA:

A 1920 wedding ring which got dropped down a church toilet in southern Oregon has finally been found by sewer workers.

Pat Hanson said the ring, which belonged to her mother, fell off her finger as she has lost weight recently due to a fall.

Rogue Valley Sewer Services sent out four workers and used CCTV cameras to inspect the pipes and eventually one of them spotted the ring. It has now been cleaned, repaired — and resized.

USA:

Police say a Maine man upset by the sound of a passing car’s exhaust threw a table at the vehicle and then punched its teen driver.

Police said 57-year-old Charles Hubbard is charged with assault, terrorising and criminal mischief. He is due in court on January 6.

Police say a 16-year-old Chesterville boy was driving on Sunday afternoon when a man threw a table into the road at his car, damaging it.

The teenager stopped and got out. Police say Hubbard then punched the teen in the face and threatened him.

Officers say Hubbard told them he threw the table because he was upset by the sound of the exhaust.

USA:

A stray puppy with a plastic jug stuck on his head has been rescued — and freed from his headpiece.

A Houston-area family says they saw the dog around the property for weeks. The jug, which was open on both ends, was part of a pet feeder in Audra Bohannon’s barn. She believes the dog they call Bucky, short for bucket, got stuck while seeking food.

Bohannon saw the dog around her property but could never catch the pooch — until a few days ago. The dog was captured and the jug cut off.