I don't have a very good memory of when I was really young,,can't even remember starting school,,but my teenage years were lots of fun. We had friends on Macleay Island in Moreton Bay and spent lots of time there. The population was very small in those days..late 60's/early 70's and all sorts of vehicles could be used, with no registration and no licence needed. I learnt to drive 'on the island'. There was swimming, boating, dances, and lots of hooning around the island in dungy old vehicles. Never an accident, and no-one was ever hurt. My sister and I met our husbands-to-be there. Lots of great memories.
These days there's a huge population, bitumen roads, police, and I believe shops and a PO. I haven't been back since my in-laws moved away in the mid 70's.
I don't remember a lot from under 10 years old but then again I have trouble remembering a week ago sometimes. I do remember though that My dad was a great golfer and his golf club always put on a great xmas do for us kids, lollies, ice creams, BBQ food and games etc and the big man himself some how always managed to find us with a big bag of pressie's in tow with our name on one. Actually now thinking about it I don't remember 10-12 as well. I do remember that at 12, I got a little job in the local cinema selling "Movie News" that lead to Usher then Head Usher and finally Relief Manager, they were great times for me. I got to help out in various cinemas for Hoyts, including city ones in Melbourne. I actually got to meet a few actors and celebs as well during that time, good fun.
I still reckon though the best time for me was my mid 20's (age that is not Year). I don't mind 60 either, so far anyway.
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a) travelling from Lithgow NSW up to Mooloolaba in Qld for holidays in May since 1956, then going down to the local grocery shop (?) at Mooloolaba that used to get fresh iced finger buns in each day - oh yum! Still like iced finger buns.
b) having Christmas at the New Brighton Hotel in Kiama each year of the '50's with my sister and I the only two kids allowed to stay there because Mrs Brown, the publican KNEW we were well behaved - just a 'look' from our mother was enough to frighten the pants off you!
c)my sister and I used to go with Grandma and our Dad's Uncle Lenny, who owned Burn's Real Estate in Lithgow way back when, in his old Chev up to Mudgee, Sofala, Hill End etc to get fruit for Grandmas to make into jam - and we felt SO big when Lenny would shout us lunch at the hotel in Mudgee or Bathurst or Orange.
d) I can remember one Monday at Infant's school getting into trouble for 'lieing' when I told of going to Sydney to visit Nanna on the Sunday, AND we drove back to Lithgow - all in the one day!! Guess you just didn't do that sort of thing then, but we did!
e) Grandma used to look after us after school 'til Mum finished work, and would give us 6d (sixpence) to go up and get the local Lithgow Mercury each afternoon (cost 4d) and we could spend the other tuppence - oh, we used to have a terrible time trying to choose what lollies we would have - clinkers, cobbers etc.
For one who has more grey hair than my 85 yr old mother, the old brain ain't doing so bad eh?
Mind you, have had to edit some spelling mistakes!!!
-- Edited by Pejay on Friday 28th of September 2012 01:38:55 PM
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Pejay are travelling in a 2014 Holden Colorado LTZ Twin Cab Ute + 2013 Coromal Element van
Do you remember - the dairy delivering milk from a can into your billy? Fresh,hand made bread - straight from the oven? The ice man delivering blocks for the icebox? Watching mum make small pats of butter from a large block, with butter boards? The postman's whistle - TWICE A DAY!!!!!
Never having a locked door whenyou went out?
Gosh, I must be older than I think!!!!
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
You're not too old Jules, I remember the iceman - not at our place but next door, and I remember mum explaining to me what he was doing as I must have been very young.
I remember the bread carter with his big basket covered with a heavy cloth, and big warm loaves of bread under.
The milko came in a cart pulled by a white horse called " Blue" . Blue lived in a paddock down the road, and we used to feed him our leftover lunch on the way home from school.
Every married woman in our street called each other "Mrs" and we children never addressed an adult using their christian name either.
I remember school holidays when we got old jam tims and combed the paddocks for blackberries, wearing rubber boots to protect frm the snakes, and a sheet of tin or cardboard to throw over the blackberry bushes and then we'd all jump on top. If enough of the blackberries made it home, we'd get blackberry pie for tea.
I remember Cracker Nights, when all the kids in the street spent weeks collecting stuff for our bonfire over in the paddock. We'd be begging people for their rubbish-anything that would burn, and Allan next door always convinced his Nan to donate some of his Pa"s old clothes for the "guy fawkes". If we could manage to intercept some of the local men coming home from the pub for tea, we could sometimes get "donations" to buy crackers too.
Memories - I lived in Cairns for a year when I was young - right in the middle of sugar cane fields - used to catch the bus to school, no shoes, mum would get a small pineapple, cut the top off, and give us a spoon - yum! Chewing on a piece of sugar cane - playing "golf" with cane toads.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
Some of that, Jules and Rosie, is familiar to me. I spent my first 7 years living in Brisbane suburbs, where I have very little memory of, and then we moved to the bush of Slacks Creek. At least it was bush in those days.
We didn't get milk in a billy, but we had the milk bottle delivery, and the bakers basket of yummy fresh bread. We didn't have ice delivered so we must have had electricity. Don't remember that. But I do remember Mum bringing water up the hill from the well, to do the washing. First in a copper, then a twin tub washer.
We used to go exploring along the creek for miles! And I remember cracker nights. We'd pile up wood in the lower paddock where it was always damp, so there was never a worry about the fire getting away. I don't remember us having many crackers, but we loved the bonfire.
What about waiting for the ice-cream man on Sunday afternoon so we could have pudding - the ice-cream "brick" that we had to eat because we had no freezer. Taking sandwiches to the pictures. The playground at the drive-in. The pieman outside the school. Boring Sunday afternoons. Unfortunately most of my memories revolve around food - a sign of things to come!
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What a wonderful thing are our memories. In NZ things were pretty much like here, blackberry picking, lucky if any of them made I it home. Going to the pictures and buying a twopenny iceblock at halftime. Guy Fawkes, wheeling the 'guy' round in the wheelbarrow to get donations for crackers. Having parties and the whole neighborhood coming. What a wonderful childhood we had.
I did not know we had valcano's in australia love this big land of ours
Have a look at the Glasshouse Mountains. They are a good example of Volcano Cores. Probably have more, in fact I think there are some up around Rocky too. I think most of the Great Dividing Range was Volcanic millions of years ago.
I remember Yankee Soldiers and Sailors here during the war. Searchlights in the night sky. [ We were 50 miles away from Brisbane, but you could still see them from home]. I remember ball-lightening in the sky too, from that period.
Used to love going down to Golden Beach at Caloundra and swimming and canoeing where Pop had his Oyster Lease. [Where Gemini Towers are now.]
Used to love seeing who could see the Whales first every Christmas from Pops' house. I remember collecting Petrified Wood from over the road and down the track to the beach from the house we were renting for a while one year.
Loved playing in the Sand Dunes at King's Beach. They were high, and had tracks, and good climbing trees all through them. Great for kids, but probably would not be a safe area these days.
Found a Pic. of the Sand-dunes at Kings' Beach Caloundra. This is what they were like when I was a kid. [Far right- hand side of Pic. Over the back there were trees you could climb and play in. It was like a mini jungle back there.]
I grew up in Brighton-le-sands and remember when there were sand dunes all the way along the beach it was great fun sliding down on an old car bonnet, I can also remember going to the local pictures with six pence once a month and with that six pence buying movie ticket a drink and hot chips wrapped in greaseproof paper and old newspaper, I also remember when I first started driving in my Austin A40 and paying two shillings for a gallon of petrol, Those were the days but in reality I dont think I would like to go back to them.
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I remember that at Christmas we used to always have a leg of ham, when ham actually tasted like ham, also it was the only time you had cherries, apricots and plums, and watermelon tasted great then too, nowadays these fruits are in the shops all year round and it doesn't seem as exciting to eat them.
I remember that at Christmas we used to always have a leg of ham, when ham actually tasted like ham, also it was the only time you had cherries, apricots and plums, and watermelon tasted great then too, nowadays these fruits are in the shops all year round and it doesn't seem as exciting to eat them.
Nothing is "special" any more.
Hot cross buns are in the shops just after christmas, you can almost buy easter eggs all year round.
Mum had to save up for our leg of ham, and order it at the butcher- you can get them any old time in Coles or Woolies, despite the crappy taste.
I remember the "Rabbito" coming down the street, Coles have rabbits now, and of course the fruito has long gone.
Christmas was the time for stone fruit and cherries- mum sometimes got me a handful of cherries for my birthday in december if she could, but it was NEVER an everyday thing.
We got fish on holidays, when dad or his brothers went fishing, but Coles and Woolies have that covered too.
Its probably good for our health, but it doesn't taste the same. Stored too long, or frozen, or sprayed with preservatives.
here here Rosie.............all the fun has gone out of it, gee we really are getting to be grumpy old people, probably should just be grateful we are still here.
I can remember walking on the street with my grandparents whenever a funeral cortege passed ..... grandfather removed his hat (men wore hats in those day and they polished their shoes) stood silently and bowed his head.. that was in sydney
I can remember walking on the street with my grandparents whenever a funeral cortege passed ..... grandfather removed his hat (men wore hats in those day and they polished their shoes) stood silently and bowed his head.. that was in sydney
Me too.
..and cars used their parking lights to signify they were following the hearse....AND no one cut in on funeral procession.
I remember that at Christmas we used to always have a leg of ham, when ham actually tasted like ham, also it was the only time you had cherries, apricots and plums, and watermelon tasted great then too, nowadays these fruits are in the shops all year round and it doesn't seem as exciting to eat them.
Nothing is "special" any more.
Hot cross buns are in the shops just after christmas, you can almost buy easter eggs all year round.
Mum had to save up for our leg of ham, and order it at the butcher- you can get them any old time in Coles or Woolies, despite the crappy taste.
I remember the "Rabbito" coming down the street, Coles have rabbits now, and of course the fruito has long gone.
Christmas was the time for stone fruit and cherries- mum sometimes got me a handful of cherries for my birthday in december if she could, but it was NEVER an everyday thing.
We got fish on holidays, when dad or his brothers went fishing, but Coles and Woolies have that covered too.
Its probably good for our health, but it doesn't taste the same. Stored too long, or frozen, or sprayed with preservatives.
As i remember, Xnas was the time for stone fruit in Bne. I can remember Dad coming home one Xmas eve with a sugar bag full of stone fruit and watermelons he got from a mate.
Only had ham at Xmas because it was a premium price. Can still buy ham that tastes like ham but you will still pay a premium price.
Chicken was also only Xmas and Easter. No battery hens then. One chook would feed a family of seven (good appetites) and still have leftovers.
I remember once Dad telling me of a time in the fifties when he had some chooks in the backyard surplus to requirements for Xmas. the local butcher asked him if he had any spare as he didn't have enough for Xmas orders. Dad sold the spare eight for ten bob each plus got ours dressed into the bargain. Dad thought that exxtra four quid really was Xmas.
The good old days are nice for nostalgia but I know Mum would gladly have swapped the copper and mangle for an automatic washing machine. Not to mention all the other labour saving devices.
Old days great for kids, not necessarilly so easy for Mums.
