[My handle]

My favourite memory is how we played out doors all day especially in the school holidays and only came home to eat and our parents were never anxious or worried about us. We always turned up at dusk, ready for a bath and a hearty dinner.

 

[aquarius123]

My most cherished childhood memory is of sitting on the main road with our chairs watching tv through the window of the local electrical shop. We couldn't afford a tv at that stage but it was exciting to even just watch a test pattern. When I write my memoirs I will include this memory and I bet my grand-kids will laugh!

 

[PennyDD]

I remember the fear I experienced when the "Iceman" came. He walked around the side path and into our kitchen with a huge block of ice carried on his shoulder on a hessian bag. He never spoke - just heaved it into our ice-box and exited. I recall our meat safe and the option of an icebox instead of a refrigerator.

 

[ATDuffy]

Growing up in the 60’s was amazing. We didn’t own computers, tablets or gaming equipment. What we had was so much better. FRESH AIR.. we had a huge bush area across the road from our house. We would wake up in the morning, eat our breakfast and meet all the neighbourhood kids in the bush. Some days we wouldn’t return home until just before dark. We would be busy building forts and cubby houses . You’d be busy looking for broken branches and anything to use to dig out the sand.
Those were the days. When I look back at some of the stuff we got up to… hiding the Mormans bikes.. I’m pretty sure we were the reason for them putting chains and locks on their bikes. Hose fights in the summer.. hoses crossed the road and the water fight begun. Needless to say we had the best time. I remember one time where a few of us pretended to carry a sheet of glass across the road, making the traffic actually stop while we carried the said sheet of nothing to the other side of the road. Those certainly were the days.
Kids today don’t do any or very little outside things. They sit in front of a game station playing games, or in front of a computer or tablet. I agree times have changed. We’ve become more wary of the bad things that could happen, but I can sincerely say growing up in the 60’s was really awesome. We were very lucky..

 

[Xe]

I miss the big Christmas parties with all the family Grandparents to Grandchildren, the cricket game in the backyard, finding the sixpence in Xmas pudding, singing around the piano. Making a mess with all wrapping off presents. It doesn't get anymore Australian than that

The sixpence in the pudding is such a hallmark of Christmas!

 

[Xe]

My nostalgic memories are of the period after WW2 when all the dads came home to their families. At Christmas, we would pack up my Grandfather's truck with seats and gear in the back and approx 30 members of the family would head to Bulli Caravan Park in motor convoy. We had the use of 2 huge army tents and lots of food and drinks, made by the mums, grandmas, and aunts. We swam in the surf (I paddled with my Dad), my uncle caught a baby shark and we had lots of games and sing-a-longs. This continued till I was 5yrs old. But the memories and the photos are still in my mind

It's a pity that you don't have actual pictures. It sounds like such a precious time. We really take for granted the fact that we can take pictures of literally anything at any time.

 

[Xe]

I was a child in the 1950's. I miss all the kids in the street just running in and out of each other's houses. No doors were closed. You just went in. If the kids of the house weren't there, you still might get a cake or bickies from their Mum.

Things were so safe weren't they? You didn't have to worry about kids getting knocked over by speeding cars.

 

[Xe]

My mother used to work at least two jobs to support my brother and me. (Others had already left home). Dad had the car but was off driving a taxi and was rarely at home. So we would walk the km or so up the hill to the shops with our black shopping cart (I can't seem to attach a photo of a similar style here). I may not have loved the shopping so much back then when I was young, but I cherish this and many other memories with my late mum, now that she's gone.

I would love to see the shopping cart! Could you email it to us and I'll attach it to your comment? [email protected]

 

[Xe]

I used to enjoy hearing the clip clop of the horses coming down our street every morning with the milkman delivering our milk from the horse drawn trailer. It actually helped to get me out of bed in the mornings (well sometimes ) to run to the window to watch him go by, but if we didn’t get to the milk quick enough, the birds would peck and makes holes in the foil tops.

This sounds wonderful! Was it something like this?

 

[Xe]

We lived at the end of the street Arthur St in Fairfield. There were 2 uncles with their families and our family living within that block in seperate homes. My uncles would block off both sides of the street with their fruit trucks and they would all play bocce. The whole street would join in bring out their chairs and drinks and either play or watch. It was a Sunday afternoon ritual. Those were the days. You’d probably be fined for doing that today (for having fun that is).

Does this stir up some memories?

 

[Shirleyanne52]

My best memories of growing up, back in the 60s were being able to play outside until the street lights came on. Sunday roast and my Nan's huge cream puffs. Swinging on the Hills hoist and my favourite was cracker night.We didn't have much money, but I would say I had a very rich childhood.

 

[Kadiroma]

Cracker Night, save up all your pocket money then blow it all buying crackers for cracker night. But it was good fun.

 

[Mars]

Back in the good old days. all the kids in the street and a few other streets would all meet up outside our home to play Kick the Tin. We would all go hiding some where and in other streets. The kids couldn't do that these days. We all had to go home when the street lights came on. This happened after the evening meal, we called it tea time.

 

[Hieme]

Spending time with my Step Grandfather. His family owned Kulkyne Station on the Murray River in Victoria which is where he grew up, spending much of his time with the local aboriginals. He taught me how to kill, cook and eat snake. He taught me how to fish. He taught me how to shoot and skin rabbits, foxes, kangaroos and wild pigs. He taught me how to kill and take the drumsticks off an emu (for nan's emu rissoles - yum). He taught me how to muster sheep and cattle. He taught me how to class wool in the woolshed. He taught me how to catch and cook yabbies from the Murray River, amongst a myriad of other things. All this by the time I was 17 years of age. Amazingly he was not a big, foulmouthed moron. He was very well mannered and I never heard him swear once. You might ask the question: What good are those skills today? They were relevant skills for the time and place. The process taught me to learn for the relevance of the situation. I succeeded with a couple of Degrees and a good professional career. I miss my step grandfather and his honesty and encouragement.

 

[Maz01]

I remember getting a bottle of milk each morning when in primary school, by the time we got it though it was always warm from sitting in the sun and the cream was sitting on top. We always looked forward to that time of day.
another thing was going to meet my parents on shopping day after school and having fish and chips for dinner, 2 shillings for a piece of fish and a shillings worth of chips, it was always a large feast.
just being able to play games on the road with the other kids in the neighbourhood and our parents never having to worry about us.
life was so good back then. You’d come home from school and your mum would be there with the kitchen smelling of all the baked biscuits and cakes.
there is so. Much more I could write , they were the good old days.
maz01

 

[Jenny wren]

Being part of the great excitement in primary school after hearing WW2 had ended,we were dismissed straight away and spent the day on the streets among all the very excited people, and looking back on it all never being concerned about speaking & hugging complete strangers.

 

[Dicky]

I guess we were poor when I was growing up, but I didn’t know this then. We were never without food, water or warmth. We ate what we were given without protest, and relish. In our Christmas stocking there was always an orange, along with other goodies. We had happy contact with grandparents and other family. We ran around all summer without shoes. I remember my parents with great love, and know the sacrifices they made for us. I remember it all - the love, the happiness.

 

[MotherGoose]

One of my earliest and cherished childhood memories is Queen Elizabeth's visit to Australia in February/March 1963. It was a grand tour encompassing every Australian state and territory. The itinerary included a drive through East Victoria Park (WA), the suburb where I lived, in an open limousine. I was only 5 years old and in grade 1 in 1963 but there was no school that day as most of the local population was out lining the streets to see the Queen and Prince Phillip. I clearly recall waiting to see her as the limousine drove down Sussex Street, a stone's throw from our house. As she approached, a hush descended upon the crowd and, to my mother's horror, I piped up and loudly exclaimed, "Look, Mummy, she's got a hat just like Aunty Judy's", which caused considerable mirth amongst the spectators. I've often wondered if the Queen heard me and whether she may have derived some amusement from that incident.

 

[Yamqueen]

I lived in a sweet country town called York that we locals more commonly called ‘sleepy hollow’. Sleepy hollow was nestled in a valley between two mountains (or what we called mountains!). Mt Bakewell, named by the Ballardong Noongar Aboriginal people as Walwalling or Wailing woman. The other Mt Brown known Wongboral (I think) means sleeping woman….the story that is told from this place is the sweetest and saddest of legends.
I was 8 years of age when I went to York. My memories of York are not legends like the original inhabitants but to me to this very day they are the sweetest and saddest of all!

 

[Yamqueen]

I think I posted my most nostalgic story in wrong spot sorry