I was born in the first half of last century (that makes me feel old) but it was fun growing up in the early 50s. No TV, but we used to come home after football training or playing with your mates and settle down in front of the radio to listen to our favorite serials like the Smokey Dawson and Jingles show, Biggles, The Goon show, Yes What with Greenbottle,stanford and Bottomly, Life with Dexter a bit later in the evening. Sunday night was Police File followed by CID - great shows at the time but a bit corny today except for Yes What, still love that show.
No computer games but I would have loved them as well if they had existed. Our animals never went to the Vet the old man would give the dogs a dose of Sulphur and the cats got some olive oil birds got cuttle fish backbone to peck at, bought home from the beach after our annual Christmas holiday. Cracker night was a big deal, Sunday lunch was the whole family for a baked dinner and we would get an icecream brick from the local shop if the old man had a win on the horses. The baker and the iceman both used horse drawn carts. The washing was boiled in the copper and rung out by hand or with an old ringer if you had one and nobody locked thier doors.
Going to the pictures on Saturday arvo with 1 shilling (10 cents) to spend that was 6d for entry, 3d for a bag of tidbits (broken bits off crisps) 3d for a mixup drink in a large cup. When I got a bit older about 10 or 11 I think a small bottle of Coke cost 10d and you got 3d back for the empty bottle. When the medium bottles came out they cost 1/4d (about 13 cents) and a pkt of Viscount or Craven A cigarettes was also about 1/4d.
My first bike an old AJS and I don't know what model, only that it went and it cost me 10 bob. All of these paid for out of the 12/6d a week I got for my paper run 7 mornings a week. My first real job was in 1964 as an apprentice Moulder and I received 4 pound 16 pence a week.
What about some of you old blokes or even you younger fella's what do you remember of your childhood?
Zane
