THE DIARY OF A LOLLIPOP LADY

A sitcom writer need go no further than become a school crossing warden, claims Hazel. People made a bee-line for her with their problems. The housewife who varnished her table for Christmas, and when the postman rang, her frantic dog leapt over it, leaving varnish paw prints across the carpet. The chap who was delighted when a pal stopped in his car to save him waiting for the bus. Rover, in the car, also welcomed him in – but refused to let him out at his place of work. He was later than if he’s waited for the bus…

Hazel Wheeler was desperately hard up in 1966, with two daughters refusing to stay for ‘foul school dinners’, so she had to be home to provide a midday snack. When the local crossing patrol man packed the job in, it presented Hazel with an opportunity. And it was only at the end of the lane where she lived.
Did she dare? She was terrified of being in a storm, yet on the crossing, forgetting her own fears, she became the consoler. Psychologically, helping others helped her too. Listening to the woes of others put problems in perspective. It was far more effective than ‘popping pills’ or being alone in the house.

During her year as a lollipop lady she recorded in her diary the laughter that the schoolchildren and passers-by shared along ‘Life’s Busy Highway’. Every day was different, tragedy and comedy presenting themselves, the Theatre of the Everyday. She found it wonderful to be in a position to comfort lonely widows, and encourage youngsters to be kind to animals. One little lad took that advice a bit too far, presenting her with slimy, slippery frogs fresh from the swamp – dropping one into her Wellington boot as the bus approached.

You may have wondered what a lollipop lady thinks about, standing there in sunshine and showers. Luckily for us, through Hazel’s diary of that extraordinary year, in all its warmth and humanity, we can find out!

Hazel Wheeler has written several books about different aspects of her life in her native Yorkshire based on the diaries she has kept since during the Second World War, as well as numerous nostalgic articles for newspapers and magazines.