What is it about Memories? We all have them, good and bad. Memories help make us what we are today. The experiences that we had, shaped us for what we became.
When we see a photograph of where we once lived, what our homes looked like or where we went to school. It germinates memories of our past. We recall what we may have once worn, the playing in a park or school grounds, going to the beach or travelling on a bus; memories of favourite or not so favourite teachers and classmates, school excursions and sporting carnivals.
We remember the shops where we once bought our groceries, or maybe soft drinks or ice creams on a warm or hot summer’s day. The family picnics and ‘get-togethers’; the comics that we once bought and read as kids, the brand names of products that our parents once bought that are rarely seen today.
We think of the good ol’ days so to speak, but we also recall the hardships that we, or our parents, went through. We remember the times when money was short and the struggles to buy a home or car; the good ol’ days of unsealed road and the ‘dunny man’; clothes and shoes being patched, when you could not afford new ones; days of milk, bread and soft drink deliveries to the front door; the rabbitoh and clothes prop man; or the tinker coming to sharpen the kitchen knives.
Perhaps if you had come from overseas, you recall the trip on the ship or plane, arriving in a new country, a strange land in a different environment where you knew nobody and perhaps did not speak the language.
We also remember making our own fun by building a ‘billy cart’, of watching television in black and white. We reminisce about the movies we saw at the movie theatre and who we were with. We have recollections about the meals our parents served out. We may have been adventurous and gone riding our bikes along dirt tracks, building cubby houses, playing shop, exploring the bush or forests. Maybe playing cowboys and Indians with a cap gun; hide and seek or street cricket when there was less traffic around.
The music of our formative teen years will stay with us and you remember how great it sounded then. Going to a local dance and meeting members of the opposite sex. Later as you rediscover the music of the past you may wonder ‘what was it all about’? Perhaps it just doesn’t sound the same you may think. You remember buying the old vinyl records then replacing them with cassette tapes or CD’s. Most young people these days just listen to MP3 recordings.
We think about loved ones who may have passed on or the births and marriages of family members.
Yes memories can be good or bad, happy or sad. At the end of the day we still have our memories.
Don’t forget to contribute your memories and also any old photographs that you would like to see published in this magazine’s “as we were” section.
NOW WHAT ABOUT YOUR MEMORIES OR YOUR STORY?
You can write about childhood memories of where you may have grown up or moving into the area. Tell us about your school days. Where you worked, played or went on holidays; your first car; that first date, getting married or maybe the history of your family, group or organisation in the district. This page is about memories so tell us yours.
If you have some great memories, or perhaps you belong to a local community organisation and would like to share your organisation’s history or story with us then feel free to share your memories or experiences by writing to 17 Rose St, Baulkham Hills, NSW, 2153 or email to [email protected].
You can also share memories on any of my Facebook memories groups including Hills District Memories at facebook.com/groups/Hills.memories or Hawkesbury Happenings & Memories at facebook.com/groups/ Hawkesmemories.
-IVOR JONES AND FRIENDS
