exactly - we were never bored ... no electronic games, no computers. the neighbour kids had tv - and when the three stooges was on, or "rinnie" (rin tin tin) . there was a swamp - just down the road - where we could catch carp, and gilgies etc (including a fish, about 3 inches long) - and we had a bathtub, out the back - which was full of "everything" - including some turtles, which were caught on the southern side of garrett road bridge. in summer - afternoons were spent down at ascot - where we would do "bombies" from the diving board - or maybe a longer ride to garrett road bridge, where the "bombies" were done from the bridge (no point doing bombies, unless the splash got as high as the bridge) . in winter, it was marbles, or football (kids do not play marbles anymore) - and when watso was 11, he had the good fortune, to discover linley.
there are no diving boards at the river any more .. the local play grounds are built for 6 year olds (everything has to be really safe)
guy fawkes night has been mentioned - yeah, it was a bit unsafe - but watso never saw anybody get hurt - that was a great night - all the garden rubbish was thrown into a big pile, and on guy fawkes night - the whole lot was burned. what a great time - watso would save his pocket money, scavenge bottles - and buy some "tom thumbs", penny bangers, hapenny bangers - and maybe the nuclear bomb, called the fourpenny banger.
sure, it is unsafe - but kids would make sling shots, and bows (and arrows). watso's arrows were a miniature version of the blackboy - which grew in abundance in the hills.
toy soldiers were popular and watso has to admit, that he cycled from belmont , to vic park, and nicked a few toy soldiers from coles (lucky that they did not have security cameras )...mmmm someone mentioned nicking bottles from the back of a shop, and cashing them in at the front - yes watso did the same ...on tuesday evenings, watso, on the way to a church youth group, would team up with someone - and scale the fence, and toss a few bottles over. one day, watso was a bit late, and his mate, nicked a few bottles from the store - a bit further up the lane - and he got caught... that was the end of the stealing.
male kids, also had to chop the kindling. and when older, split the firewood. watso's father would have old poles dropped off - and he and his wife, would use a massive saw (one at each end), and cut the pole into smaller sizes - women did not get fat in those days... yeah - the wood stove was used for cooking in the middle of summer and off course, the wood was used to heat the water, for the copper tub.
years ago, the undies, and the shirts, lasted more than one day. watso has noticed (these days) that if something is worn once (it does not matter, if it is only 5 minutes), then it is in the wash
watso's parents did not get a tv, till watso was 20 years old. the first show, that watso recalls being interested in, was Ftroop - on the abc.
the reality, is that there is nothing in common, between what kids did, 50 years ago, and what the kids do today..lol - the same goes for the adults
