Toy Train

Last night I was watching Bargain Hunt and I saw a memory from my childhood.  It was a Hornby (or maybe not) Tin Clockwork Train set.  I have searched the internet for a photo, but can't find one exactly the same.  Mine (although if the truth be told it probably belonged to my brother John) had a black steam engine, a coal tender (also black?) and a red and a green carriage with silver /grey roofs.  It might have also had a smaller guardsvan, I'm not sure.  I loved that train - to the extent that I feel extremely nostalgic every time I see one similar on television!  Wonder what happened to it?  This image is the closest I can find to what 'our' train looked like.  From memory though the cabin of our engine was higher, and the engine and tender were both black.  How I wish it was still around.

Riding An Elephant

Yesterday I had the District Nurse here to flush my Port - she brought a student nurse with her, who originally came from South Africa.  We were discussing native animals and the nurse asked the student if she had ever seen an elephant (among other animals) in the wild.  She replied she had, but to answer another question, had never ridden one.  I said I had - at the Melbourne Zoo.  When I was a child I clearly remember having a ride on the elephant.  An internet search provided the following information:
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Park received its first elephant in 1883 from Calcutta, a year after opening an institution modeled after the London Zoo. The female Asian elephant, named Ranee, died 21 years after her arrival. The zoo’s most famous elephant, Queenie, arrived in 1902 and gave rides for more than forty years until she killed a keeper in 1944 (possibly by accident). The following year she was put down by zoo management due to a food shortage stemming from World War II. In 1962, the zoo discontinued elephant rides. The two oldest residing elephants at the Melbourne Zoo, Bong Su and Mek Kapah, arrived in 1977 and 1978, respectively. They would remain together until the import of three juvenile females from Thailand in 2006.
Elephants at the Royal Melbourne Zoo
It may be that I had a ride on Betty or Peggy.  These were two baby elephants who arrived at the zoo in 1939.  Betty died in 1973 and Peggy in 1988.

HELLO BABY  

(Click on this image to view a video of the baby elephants)

I can't find a photo of either of these elephants giving rides, but here is one of Queenie.  I remember that when I had a ride we sat in a seat just like in this photo.

Sunday School Picnics

Thinking of the "Robyn Rae" reminds me of Sunday School Picnics.  I may be wrong, but I seem to remember one involved the "Robyn Rae", although I'm not sure how as not everyone would have fitted on it.  Most picnics seem to have been held at Mossvale Park near Mirboo North.  We sometimes went in a furniture van - although that seems a rather precarious way to travel.  My good friend Pam Ratten and I used to climb a tree - perhaps this one - and pretend it was The Wishing Tree from Enid Blyton's stories.
There were also three-legged races, sack races, potato races, egg and spoon races to be enjoyed.

The "Robyn Rae"

Can't mention the Shillings - Harry, Iris, Peter, Wendy and Robyn - without mentioning their boat the "Robyn Rae".  Unfortunately I don't have a photo of "Robyn Rae" - named after Robyn, and Wendy Rae.  She was moored in a berth beside the Raymond Island Ferry.  Not sure how big she was, but she was a metal boat, painted aqua blue with red trim if I remember correctly and as well as the Captain's cabin had sleeping berths for about 8 other people in bunks aft.  We spent several holidays on the boat at Paynesville with them.  I well remember a trip to the Grange, where we caught lots of eels and I lost my sunglasses off the jetty, shrimping with nets from the marina jetty, swimming near Progress Jetty, trawling for skip-jacks.  I also remember Harry broke his arm one day when he was doing something to the engine.  I know we used to have some photos or slides - goodness knows what happened to them.

The jetty at Ocean Grange

Josie the Joey

Not really our pet, but we once babysat (or should that be roosat) for our friends the Shillings.  They were caring for an orphaned baby wallaby, and when they went away we looked after Josie for a couple of weeks.  She was gorgeous and it was so special to have her in our back yard.  Eventually Josie was taken to Healesville Sanctuary where she lived out her days.

Pets

We always had a pet of some sort when I was growing up.  I don't think I can remember all of them, but I do remember Tiny the dog.  She was a stray that we adopted - a long-haired terrier of some sort.  I don't remember that Tiny was particularly a barker, but Mrs. Milligan obviously did because eventually we had to have Tiny put down because Etta complained about her barking.

Mrs. Evans next door always had cats, and we had at least one of the kittens - a trio of kittens were called Whiskey, Line and Soda - I think Whiskey became ours, but I'm not quite sure.  Then there was Coconut, a white kitten.  When we had Coconut we also acquired a miniature dachshund cross which we called Ruff - Coconut Ruff!  This was Ruff a few days after we got her - we went to an Aquatic Carnival at the Hazelwood Pondage.  This photo was taken by the photographer from the local paper.  I also remember that Ruff got very brave and chased a horse that day!
This was Ruff when she was older and a bit bigger.









We also had a rosella (I think) in the aviary beside the playhouse.  And at various times we had budgies.

Ballet

Going back in time now.  When I was about 6 I guess I began ballet lessons.  Actually, it was ballet and tap at first, but I soon gave up tap and just learnt ballet.  I can't remember how long I went to lessons but it was a couple of years.  I loved it, so don't know why I stopped.  My teacher was Marie Morden, and although she also lived in Morwell the lessons were held at Kernot Hall in Yallourn.  We had concerts here too.

Kernot Hall, Yallourn

I remember that Marie used to say she could always tell how far up we raised our legs when doing one position because she could see the trail of coal dust up our opposite leg.  I used to travel to Yallourn with Marie.
Aunty Joan paid for my lessons, despite living in England.  She was a dancer herself.

Playing School

From a very early age I wanted to be a teacher.  I guess it must have started after I actually went to school, but I know that a lot of my games revolved around teaching my dolls.  I was in 7th Heaven when Maisie and Harold Fullarton moved into Livingstone Street.  Harold was a policeman, and he boarded with us for a few months when he was first stationed at Morwell.  His wife Maisie was a teacher, and she joined him, at the end of the year I suppose and they moved into a house further down our street.  I used to visit Maisie all the time to talk about teaching.  She showed me what a teacher's Work Program looked like, and I used to write up my own programs just the same.
The playhouse was the perfect place to play school.

I only briefly thought about being anything other than a teacher - when John was talking about going into the Navy I thought that sounded rather exciting too.  I was in Form 4 at the time, and seriously investigated the Navy as an option.  But I also applied for a Teaching Bursary and decided that if I got a bursary I would be a teacher, if I didn't I would join the Navy.  Needless to say I got a bursary for Form 5, and another for Form 6 so I went to Teachers' College.

As a bursary recipient I was obliged to apply for each and every course that would lead to a teaching career.  In those days, Primary Teachers went to teachers' College, while those aspiring to be Secondary Teachers went to University.  There was no way I wanted to be a Secondary Teacher, nor got to Uni, so I only applied for a place at Teachers' Colleges.  I figured that if my marks weren't good enough to get me my first preferences then they wouldn't be good enough to get me a Uni place anyway, so why waste time (and money?? can't remember if there was any cost involved) applying for Uni places.

I obtained a place at Geelong Teachers' College - but that is for another post.

Kinder

I was one of the lucky ones - I went to Kinder.  This was located in Vincent Road near the corner of Churchill Road.  because it was so close I remember being allowed to walk to Kinder by myself.  I used to go down the lane, then over Churchill Road to the empty paddock on the other side, then across the paddock to the Kinder.
I loved doing paintings on big sheets of butcher paper held up on easels - just like these two girls.

 I also remember the Wendy House corner, where we dressed up and played House.  It wasn't exactly the same as this, but did have wooden cupboards and appliances.

The Kinder was next to the Infant Welfare Centre, where Mum used to go with us as babies for our check ups.  I remember going there once and playing with the toys while Mum was talking to the Sister with John.  When it came time to leave Mum asked me what I should say - meaning, thank you for letting me play with the toys.  I clearly remember saying "Thank You", and then attempting to take the toy I had in my hand away with me.  I can't exactly remember what it was, but have vague recollections of it being something made of tin cans and wood.

Li'l Bruvver

Not so little any more!  John Loring SULLIVAN was born on 27th July (I won't divulge the year in case he is sensitive!).  I was about to turn 2.  Mum and Dad took me to Nan's place for a couple of weeks while they had, and settled in with, the new addition to the family.  Apparently I didn't want to know them when they came to collect me.

This is one of the earliest photos of John and I together.  It was taken in our back yard.

This is one of the latest photos of the two of us together!  At least I can say I have more hair again now (because it it slowly growing back) - but so does John because his beard is growing back.  He had shaved it off to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation.  No more on top though!

The Kitchen

As I write one post it often makes me think of something else - this time, talking about the strap reminded me of our kitchen.  It was a typical 50s kitchen, with multi-coloured cupboard doors, a sink below the window, formica bench tops, and table and chairs just like in this photo.

We had shadow boxes just like this one (not sure if they were in the kitchen though - more like the loungeroom) and appliances and cannisters just like these.  Our cupboards and drawers were painted different colours.  But the fridge was pretty much like this one.  And we ate in the kitchen, not a dining room (or loungeroom as so often happens these days).  I only remember an electric stove and oven, but perhaps when the house was first built (which wasn't long before I was born in 1953) there was a wood stove, because I seem to remember that the oven was in an alcove under a chimney.  I'm sure there was a chimney because I remember the day a bird got into the kitchen via the chimney, frightened John and he (literally) had a fit - biting Mum's finger as she tried to keep him from swallowing his tongue.
Eventually Dad recessed the fridge into a cavity made into my bedroom, so that the door was flush with the wall and the fridge itself didn't protrude into the kitchen.

The Outside Dunny

Like all houses in my childhood, we had an outside 'dunny' or toilet.  This was non-sewered - a can placed under the wooden seat for collection of the 'waste'.  Very smelly, what with the combination of the waste itself, but also the additive that was supposed to prevent the smell but had a unique smell of its own.  Probably phenyl if I remember correctly.
Our dunny was in the back yard behind the playhouse, shed, woodshed and chook house.  Quite a hike, especially if you were in a hurry!  Of course for night time needs we used a 'potty', kept under the bed.

This site provides a good description of 'dunnies' - but don't click on it if you are likely to be offended by a bit of 'blue' language.

Dunnies by Warren Fahey

The waste was removed, not at night time as is commonly believed, by the dunny can man.  He carried in an empty can, and took away the full one - carefully covered by a secured lid!

Oh how we relished the day when our indoor, plumbed toilet was installed.  In those days - sometime in the 60s I guess - toilets had to have rubber floor covering.  This was approximately 1/4" (1/2cm) thick and very flexible.  As the workman was trimming the floor covering to fit, he created several strips about 1" (2.5cm) and 12" (30cm) long.  Muggins me suggested to Mum that one of the strips would make a good strap for when John and I were naughty.  She agreed completely, and from that day on the strap lived in the middle drawer in the kitchen.  It was used, occasionally, and threatened often!  One day it mysteriously disappeared - and I genuinely don't know where it went.

The Play House

Thinking of Livingstone Street reminded me of the play house which Dad built for me in the backyard.  Oh, the hours that were spent there playing house and school - I couldn't tell you.  It was wonderful.  Not sure of the dimensions, but it was a full height room.  Had a door at the front, and a window in the left wall, and another in the back wall.

This photo shows John and me having a tea party outside the playhouse.  It was next to dad's big shed where he had his model railway set up.  In front of the playhouse you can just see the aviary where we had a rosella (I think).

Go To Sleep My Baby

And of course Billy Blunder reminded me of an even more special song - a lullaby in fact. My mother used to sing it to me when I was little, and I sang it to my daughter and my grandchildren when they were babies. Apparently it is the chorus to a song called "Wyoming". The midi that follows is the whole song, but about a third of the way through it goes to the chorus - and these are the words:
Go to sleep my baby
Close your pretty eyes
Angels up above thee
Watching dearie from above the skies
Great big moon is shining
Stars begin to peep
'Tis time for little picaninnies
To go to sleep

http://parlorsongs.com/content/w/wyoming.mid

Still brings tears to my eyes to hear it. I hope I can sing it to Susan's children one day.

One Rainy Morning

Doing some surfing on the net this morning - well, actually, I was looking to update a couple of links on this blog - and I suddenly remembered a song I used to sing when I was in Prep grade at school, and which I subsequently taught to my own infant classes. It was Billy Blunder, although I don't know that I ever knew it by that title - I think we called it Big, Black and Shiny or maybe One Rainy Morning.
Here's the words:

One rainy morning
Without any warning
A large umbrella crossed the street
Big, black and shiny
Covering someone tiny
And all that we could see were two small feet

In and out the traffic
Dodging here and there
That umbrella went with a Don't-Care air
I said in wonder
Who is that down under
Hugging that umbrella like a teddy bear

Apparently there are more verses, and it was actually a road safety song, but these are the only two verses I ever remember singing. Tried to find an audio version, but no can do.

Games People Played

Thinking about primary school made me think about some of the games we played.  One I particularly remember was called "Two Ball".  It basically involved juggling two tennis balls in a series of manouvres.  You also required a flat vertical surface.  The inside of the 'shelter shed' at school was ideal because the wall was divided into perfectly sized spaces by the frame.  It was a game you could play by yourself, or in competition with others.  If in competition it was your turn until you dropped a ball or made some other mistake.  The idea was to see who got to the end of the sequence first.  Let's see if I can remember it:
10 = underhand throws
9 = overhand throws
8 = under / over
7 = up
6 = up / under
5 = up / over
4 = hmm - that's about as far as I can go, and 5 might not be correct.
Strange thing is, I NEVER met anyone else who had played it.  I did find a reference to it on the internet one day, but a search just now has failed to turn up any reference, except a wikipaedia page that has since been removed.  But I know I even added to the information I found so it was some sort of forum.
Aha -  I just found this:

Two Ball is a very good game. You sing a rhyme as you throw two balls against a wall.

Here is the rhyme:

   Please miss, mother miss,          

   Come to tell you this miss,        

   I miss, won't miss,                

   Be at school tomorrow miss. 

The rules are that you are throwing the balls in a sort of juggling way and if you drop one, then you are out till it is your go again.  You can have any number of people playing but it is wise to have 3 as a maximum.    

This from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-516000-294000/page/15      

We never sang a rhyme that I remember.

Real Knucklebones

Plastic Knucklebones

Another favourite was Knuckle Bones, or Jacks.  We often used real knuckle bones from the roast lamb, but you could also buy a set of plastic knuckles which came in five different colours.

The plastic ones I had were the same size as real ones, but later versions were smaller and had less weight.

 Knuckle Bones

The other favourite schoolyard pastimes were skippy, hoppy and swap cards. 

 

I had quite a large collection of swap cards - some had even been my mother's when she was at school.  I know I had (still got them in a cupboard somewhere!) the middle top card, and the bottom right card in my collection. I still regret swapping some of the cards that were my mother's.

Skippy was played with either a short individual rope, or one or two long ropes.  Most skipping games had rhymes that went with them.

Hopscotch was NEVER called by that grand name - it was always Hoppy we played.  Usually the grid was drawn onto the path or asphalt with chalk, but at school there was a favourite grid that had been deeply scored into the clay at the top of the oval.  There was always a race to get to it first. 

Tobruk Street State School

Tobruk Street Primary No. 4680
Approval for the construction of a third Morwell Primary School was given in June 1951. The school was planned to cater for the children who would be living in the 300 home Housing Commission area known as the "Hourigan Estate".
When discussing the issue of the "Churchill Road School" as it was then referred to, the Shire Council resolved in May 1952 to ask the Education Department to call for tenders for a "built on site" building in preference to a pre-fabricated unit. Cr. Hourigan believed that " a local job would be better, cheaper and completed earlier".
The Department had earlier advised that a pre-fabricated unit could be ready by February 1953. Cr. Hare stressed the need for the school to be erected as soon as possible.
Tobruk Street Primary School was eventually established on 2nd. February 1954, at a site on the corner of Churchill Road. The initial pupil enrolment was approximately 500. Meetings were held in February to establish a Mother's Club, at one of these meetings it was decided that a Father's Club should also be formed.
The following were elected as office bearers:
Mother' s Club President: Mrs. Jeffrey Vice Presidents: Mrs. Milligan and Mrs. Cummings Secretary: Mrs. Scicluna
Father's Club President: Mr. Little Secretary/Treasurer: Mr. Scicluna Committee: Messrs. Judge, Cash, Bakker, Cook and Jeffrey
The school committee was formed at a meeting held on Monday 15th March. The office bearers elected at that meeting were:
Chairman: Mr. Woolley Correspondent: Mr. Baker Treasurer: Mr. Sawyer Committee: Messrs. Cook, Bakker, Millett and McKay
The first head teacher was Mr. John Evans.
From: http://www.morwellhistoricalsociety.org.au/motmschools.htm

The Tobruk Street school was at the end Livingstone Street - easy walking distance from my home.  I remember my first day at school so clearly - as if it were yesterday rather than more than 50 years ago.  I remember wondering why some of the new kids were crying - this business of going to school was so exciting.

I completed Bubs (Preparatory) and Grade 1 in the same year (1959).  This was common in those times - 'clever' children were 'promoted' half way through their first year when a second intake of Bubs began school.  I can't remember the name of my Bubs teacher, but I think my Grade 1 teacher was Mrs. Buchanan.  In Grade 2 I had Miss Tucker, but I think she left to get married and I don't remember who replaced her.  In Grade 3 I had Mr. McQualter.  My favourite teacher was Mr. Louis Lowe in Grade 4. He was special.  We had a lovely old wooden gramaphone in the classroom and he used to play records for us.  He also put lots of things like spelling rules on the windows in window paint.  And in the middle of the top of the blackboard was a quote I have never forgotten - "Good, Better, Best.  Never let it rest.  Till your Good is Better, And your Better is your Best".

Mr. Lowe was also our Horticulture teacher in Grade 6.  How I loved his lessons.  I remember a poem he taught us to help remember the parts of a flower.  For years I could only remember the first few lines, but in about 2009 I finally discovered the rest of it.

The Calyx is outside the cup

That holds the flower snugly up;

Its sepals have been woven stout

To keep the cold and dampness out.

Corolla is the colored part

That gladdens every childlike heart;

Its petals wave on the breeze

To summon butterflies and bees.

The stamens next within the ring

Their anthers set on magic spring –

These anthers store a generous meed

Of pollen needed to make seed

The pistil’s in the centre fair,

For it must have the greatest care;

The stigma’s catch the pollen beads

Which turn the ovules into seeds

                                                         -- Ruth Chandler

(as communicated by Major Wilson)

Lucky Toffees and Umbrella Lollipops

When we went to the Rintoull Street shops we used to buy Lucky Toffees and Umbrella Lollipops.

The lollipops looked just like these, but they were different colours and if I remember correctly they were more opaque and sugar-coated.

The Lucky toffees cost 3d each, and if you were 'lucky' the one you bought had a sixpence in the bottom of the toffee.  I don't think they had coloured sprinkles on top - maybe coconut, but they were in little patty pans like these.  Oooh!  They were yummy - even if you didn't get the 6d!

Other favourite lollies - but strangely I only remember really buying them from the shop near Wattle Park in Melbourne (near Nan's house) - were Big Boss chocloate cigars and Fags.  Fags are now called Fads!  I must admit we used to pretend to smoke them - even though no-one in the family was a smoker.

Fags

Big Boss Cigars

 Also liked Choo Choo Bars!  Don't think the wrappers were exactly like this though - think this is a more modern rendition.

And while I'm on treats - something else I loved when I was growing up was a Lime Spider!  Nowadays they are usually just not the same - they should be made with lime flavouring, lemonade, and icecream.  But today they are usually made with lime flavoured softdrink and icecream, and they are just NOT the same.

6 Livingstone Street

My childhood years were all spent at 6 Livingstone Street, Morwell.  Ron and Val Hardy and their children Yvonne, Sharon and Dale lived across the road, Mr and Mrs Locock (or was it Laycock?) and Patricia lived next door on one side, the Pointers lived on the other side.  Etta Milligan and her husband, whose name I can't remember, lived across the road next to the lane.  There were the Junkers down the street, next to the Smiths - Harry and ? and their children. The Junkers had twin boys - one, Shane, was tall, dark and solid - the other, Dennis, was much shorter, thinner and blonde.  They didn't look like brothers, let alone twins!  Mrs. Chaffey lived across the road between the Hardy's and the Hendersons - Aileen, Jim and Jane were the children.  Mrs. Chaffey was very old and frail - she had LOTS of cats.  I remember Mum often had to go over to help Mrs. Chaffey find something she had 'lost', or to ring the police because there were naughty men in her roof! and there were cats everywhere.  I guess she had dementia.  On the other side of the Henderson's were the Shanklands, and further down on our side were the McPhee's - the wife was a Milligan daughter, sons were Robert and Ross.  The de Lange's, with daughter Helen and sons Kees and ? were right on the corner where the road curved down towards Churchill Road.  There was another family, German I think, with a name something like Merkel.  I think they were either between the Hendersons and the Shanklands, or perhaps next to the Shanklands.

This photo of the house was taken in November 2006.  The front fence, the garage, shed, playhouse and it seems the room Dad added on as my bedroom have been removed - but it also appears that there have been other extensions at the back of the house.
The 'hill' behind the house is the wall of the reservoir - still as tree-less as when I lived there.  The house was always white when we lived in it.

Next to the Pointer's house (I think the people who moved into it later were the Kearns's) - just visible to the right of our house here - was an empty block.  This was an SEC easement I think, and where we used to play, and have bonfires on bonfire night.  Across the road from the empty block was 'the lane' - again, a block wide but it went right through from Livingstone Street to Churchill Road.

Here's the lane - no concrete footpath when I was a kid, in fact we walked down the middle.  Milligan's house is on the left, Hardy's on the right.

The lane was the access to the Rintoull Street shops, which were off Churchill Road, also to the bus stop - turn left when you got to the end of the lane, up the hill to the bus stop.

My goodness - Montague's Pharmacy is still there, after all these years.  But the newsagency used to share a door with the chemists, and be on the right.  They were also the last shops in the block - I see now there are a couple of extras.  The greengrocers has gone, and so has Trevorrow's bike shop which was the first shop in the block.  There's still a butcher's I see, and a mini mart.  We used to have a little shop that sold some groceries - maybe it was the greengrocers too.  I can't remember - but I know we used to go there to buy our lollies.  Especially 'umbrellas' and lucky toffees.

In the beginning!

This is going to be a random collection on reflections on things that have happened to me during my lifetime.  I said random, because they won't be in chronological order - rather, just as I think of them.

I was born in Yallourn Hospital on 12th August 1953.  My parents, Yvonne Valerie (nee GOOD) and John Rees SULLIVAN had waited some time for me to be born.  I think there were several false alarms before I finally decided to make my entrance into the world.

This isn't the earliest photo of me, but it is my favourite.  I was 6 1/2 months old when it was taken.  I'm not sure if the toy I am holding was mine or the photographer's.  But the dress still exists - I think Susan has it in a bag of baby clothes.