As the year draws to an end all that has happened in the past twelve months is nothing but a memory now.
The first “Memories” column for 2016 dealt with the meaning of Christmas and a wish for “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men”. As usual we are still waiting for that wish to come true.
The second column dealt with the holiday season. Remember how you kept kids amused in the car when travelling to your holiday destination. The games you played.
In February I wrote about the old radio “soap operas” such as “Yes What” and how the public would listen in to each episode.
Keeping on with the entertainment theme the next column was all about the local cinemas such as the “Castle Hill Theatre.”
Jim Lillis contributed a piece during March when he wrote about playing in a rock group at the Baulkham Hills School of Arts during the 1960s.
During April this column wrote about the family pets and a number of readers told of their times with the family pet and the fun that they had.
Also during April, reader Ron Schofield wrote about his time as an apprentice working in the building trade.
As we entered May, another reader, Dawn Brummer, wrote of her time dancing with the “Rookwood Rockers”.
Lisa Meuffels of Richmond also wrote, during May, of travelling on a train to Canberra and back with a chicken.
Coming into June, I was in Queensland staying with my sister, and she related some of her memories of the two of us playing together as children.
92 year old “Girlie Brown” now Mary Smith wrote of her childhood living on Seven Hills Rd, at Baulkham Hills during June.
By July the magazine had a new editorial team and in my column I wrote about my first car.
Also my second column for the month I talked about the old laundries in the homes of early settlers. Whilst in the same issue I started another, now regular, feature in the centre page of old photographs from the Hills and Hawkesbury regions.
Ron Schofield contributed another piece to the column for July about holidaying in Tasmania in 1954.
August, a topic I covered was “The Days In The Old School Yard”, remembering the games that were played such as “Hop-Scotch” etc.
“Cracker Night” featured also in this column during August. We reminisced over the old neighbourhood bonfires and the letting off of sky rockets and Catherine Wheels.
September saw this column discussing the “Teenage Years” of the 1960s; the fashions and the music.
“Bush Walks” around the Hills was a topic also during the latter part of September in this column.
October saw “Road Trips” featuring in the column What kids say was a popular piece in the October issue in the Memories column entitled “Kids Say The Darndest Things”.
As we entered November I wrote of “The Day I Got A Call From A Former Prime Minister” who had telephoned me for advice on when to retire from Parliament.
November also saw me write about using a GPS and I also wrote of changes to cars during my driving lifetime in “Driving During Days Gone By”.
The last issue of the Magazine saw me write about “That First Aussie Christmas.”
With that, I now wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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 which you will find at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ Hills.memories/ or Hawkesbury Happenings & Memories which you will find at https://www.facebook. com/groups/Hawkesmemories/
