My parents were 9 yrs and 11 yrs old when WW2 broke out.
They now both live in Berry, NSW, Mum at their over 55’s villa and Dad down the road at a nursing home.
I get down the South Coast fairly often for work and get to stay a few nights with Mum and see Dad in the home.
Over dinner the other night somehow Mum mentioned that during the war her family shared a cow with another family and shared the milk and made their own butter and kept the butter and milk in an outdoor food safe … the butter kept for a week or so and the milk for a couple of days or so … this was South Island NZ so cooler than Oz, but I was still intrigued … fresh meat and cooked meat in the safe too!
Next day I visited Dad in the home and sure enough as a young’n during the war he milked their cow called Madge, and helped his Mum make butter and yes they had an outdoor food safe too!
All this in the span of living history.
Hands up anyone who has made butter lately, or drunk 2-3 day old milk you forgot to put in the fridge, or cooked green chops left on the bench for several days or carved some beef off a 3 day old roast left sitting on the kitchen bench?
Gobsmacked I am given I have only ever known supermarkets and every home having fridges.
