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Hope4me
Senior Contributor

The Good Ole Days :-)

Every now and then you hear people talk about the good ole days.

 

Last week my family were talking about Cracker Night and having a bon fire in the back yard (early 60's) that all the neighbours came to. For weeks they'd pop by adding old tyres, furniture and anything to the huge pile that would light up like tinder.

 

bonfire.jpg

 

It started at dusk; men with a beer, women had home made ginger beer and kids - yummy creaming soda. Cheese, tomato and Jatz was a staple along with a pavlova contest among the women.

 

Our back yard was on a 1/4 acre flat block; the old style clothes line from end to end was propped up by long raw sticks from the scrub and filled with colourful flags to celebrate. It's awesome I can remember it so clearly.

 

It grew into a large firey mass throwing out unbelievable heat, crackled, popped and smelled like old rubber boots and pine needles. Crackers were lit only metres from us bursting into flame at times and put out by the appointed fire puter-outerer standing by with the hose. lolcrackers.jpg

 

 It was fun and oh so memorable. I totally understand the evolved safety laws that prevent bon fires these days, but considering the wonderful community spirit it evoked, a few people hurt by stupidity was sort of accepted due to the social aspect being so enjoyable.

 

And, any one of those people could've been called on in an emergency in the middle of the night without one complaint.

 

I've been called an idiot by now generations for talking about it. They laugh and mock as if people were ignorant back in the day. They weren't; they were driven by community, not money.

 

What are your thoughts? What are your stories? 

 

Hope Heart

 

@Shaz51 @Faith-and-Hope @Former-Member @TAB @Zoe7 @greenpea @CheerBear @Adge @outlander @frog 

 @Ant7@Appleblossom @Bel, @Faith_Hope_Love@Zoe1@PeppiPatty@Darcy@Sans911@soul @Determined @Mazarita@-Enigma-@Smc@Sherry@eth@eudemonism@Dec@lapses@Twinklelight@Whiteknight@Wanderer@utopia@lisajane@Queenie@Pepsimax@Silenus @Messygirl@Maggie@Boo13@s-jay@Lauz@Lunar, , @Jupiter@Jacques@Fee1

60 REPLIES 60

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

@Hope4me I remember cracker night - especially the parachute we used to wait to fall and chase as it fell from the sky after being launched out of a cracker. It was so much fun.

We would occasionally go to a bonfire but mostly set off our crackers at home. We had a large block also so had plenty of room to set them off. Good times!

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

Skyrockets launched from a bottle @Zoe7 re parachute?
Yes bad old days when houses cost a years wages @Hope4me we were money poor but clothed and fed as mother used to say and lived rent free in work house. No tv til age 10 or phone. Full employment and legal vices were accepted and affordable .
..Guy Fawkes Night re ‘cracker night’ ? .. we used to get them from the newsagent that also sold model plane kits and lyric books for songs on the radio. Mum used to knit jumpers and darn socks. If it was too hot we’d sleep outside. We had a hand me down portable evap aircon that was put in kids bedroom for us to get to sleep then was put in parents bedroom. No such thing as labor hire agencies or depression. Ok no medicare either. Just medicine cabinet with various concoctions .. cod liver oil, milk of magnesia, cotton wool, jasol B , and stuff from Rawleighs man. Account book at local shops no supermarkets fresh edible fruit and veg sold by by people who made a living not inedible stuff sold for corporate profit. Real milk. Homemade .. everything. Yes, ginger beer preserves, vacola fruit etc. no seatbelts, no bike helmets. No obesity No centrelink well never heard of it til 15 maybe

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

The milk used to be delivered every morning in bottles to the doorstep @TAB @Hope4me

We didn't need to lock doors or cars snd we knew our neighbours really well. That sense of community was high. As kids we would leave home in the morning and not be seen again until meal times. We would jump on our bikes, pack our fishing rods or skateboard or roller skates, grab a cricket bat and ball etc. and be found playing with the neighbourhood kids in a gme or exploring round the neighbourhood. Those were the days when being outside and amng friends was the prioirty - no screens, no comuter games, no 24/7 tv with multiple channels to flick through... They were good times!

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

Or collecting bottles re pastimes @Zoe7 @Hope4me collecting stamps reading endless books yes beach , swimming, sleepovers, going shooting god forbid , eating rabbits, doing chores, gardening, watering, weeding. Saving up for things that really appreciated when got them. Doing without as mum used to say.. I remember being with friend getting dropped off at beach on our own age 11 maybe. He knew a way to get old black public phones with A and B buttons to ring so he could ring , well ‘prank’ his mother on landline to come and pick us up when we were ready to go. Oh and could send telegrams from public phones. I got a telegram once in 80s asking me to come back to a job I’d left lol. Similar situation mid 90s , had left job , after getting into usual frustration/ too hard thinking loop. They asked laborhire for my ph no. to get me back they wouldn’t give it out tho as they would lose out. Just a number these days. Well since then

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

I used to ride to my grandparents around 7km away when I was a younger and stay there until I either rode home or Pop would throw my bike in the back of the ute and take me home at the end of the day @TAB @Hope4me 

We had all kinds of sporting equipment that we would regularly play outside with and if the weather was not nice it didn't matter - we would just get wet and play in the mud lol

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

Sometimes I’d ride heavy bike w no gears 10ks to school or into town ok not that often @Zoe7 @Hope4me ok think am getting negative and running out of positives re old days well there were crap times as there are in any time and I couldn’t avoid weaving that in with my turning it into comparisons, well in the context of my life. Sorry. I’ll try and snap out of it and think of things like home made desserts like Peach Cobbler and best bread ever maybe lol 😸 . .

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

I have been trying to think of the positives and not go down that negative road too @TAB - there were lots of negatives and bad experiences in my childhood but there were some good times as well. Those were the days when I would ply with the other kids in the street - we made our own bike track next to the shop and we would all take turns in navigating the course with it's many jumps. There were of course injuries but for the most part we would just pick ourselves up and contniue on.

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

Hi @Hope4me

We still had cracker night in the 1990's in NSW.

It was only banned comparatively recently in most states.

I've virtually never seen fireworks since then  (except in pictures).

Adge

Re: The Good Ole Days :-)

Agree @Zoe7 and nice analogy re picking self up and moving on
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