Jokes & Humor - Growing up downunder...

I'm talking about hide and seek in the park. The corner milk bar, hopscotch, billy carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin and inviting everyone on your street to join in, Skipping, handball, handstands, elastics, bullrush, catch & kiss, footy on the best lawn in the street, staying out late during daylight savings, slip'n'slide, the trampoline with water on it, hula hoops, stepping in puddles, mud pies and building dams in the gutter. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.

'Big bubbles no troubles' with Hubba Bubba bubble gum. A choc-top. Mr Whippy cone on a warm summer night after you've chased him round the block. 20 cents worth of mixed lollies lasted a week and pretending to smoke "****" (the lollies) was really cool & Maison would get you pissed! or so we were told..

A dollars' worth of chips from the corner take-away fed two people (AND the sauce was free!!). Being upset when you botched putting on the temporary tattoo from the bubblegum packet, but still wearing it proudly.

Watching Saturday morning cartoons: 'The Smurfs', 'AstroBoy', 'He-Man', 'Captain Caveman', 'Archie', 'Jem' (truly outrageous!!), 'The Wizard of Oz', 'Banana Man' and 'Heeeey heeeeey heeeeeeey it's faaaaaaat Albert'. Or staying up late and sneaking a look at the "AO" on the second telly. When 'Monkey Magic' with fish face & pigsy had a cult following. Miraculous Mellops. & who could ever forget Degrassi Jnr High?

When around the corner seemed a long way, and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Where running away meant you did laps of the block because you weren't allowed to cross the road??

A million mozzie bites, wasp and bee stings. Sticky fingers, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, riding bikes and catching tadpoles. Marco polo in the neighbours' pool ("fish outta water?!""NOOOO"), (with the kids next door watching in envy over the fence),drawing all over the road and driveway with chalk. Climbing trees and building cubbies out of every sheet your mum had in the cupboard.

Walking to school, no matter what the weather. When writing 'I love ...?..' on your pencil case, really did mean it was true love. "he loves me? He loves me not?" Running til you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Pitching the tent in the back/front yard. Jumping on the bed. Ghosts stories with the next door neighbours. Pillow fights, spinning round, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Footy cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Eating raw jelly, making home-made lemonade and sucking on a Funny Face, Paddle Pop or red Icy Pole.

Remember when there were only two types of sneakers - girls and boys. Dunlop volleys with the green 'n' gold or blue and the only time you wore them at school was for "sports day." Bloomers in primary school & Scungies under netball skirts.

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents! It wasn't odd to have two or three "best friends" & you would ask them by sending a note asking them to be your best friend. You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve and pretended to sleep for the tooth fairy.

When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When 50c was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 10c. When nearly everyone's mum was there when the kids got home from school. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at the local Chinese restaurant with your family.

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! Some of us are still afraid of them!!!

Remember when decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo" or dib dib's-scissors, paper, rock. "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly". Terrorism was when the older kids were at the end of your street With pea-shooters waiting to ambush you.

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was boy/girl germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.

Where bluelight disco's were the equivalent to a Rave, and asking a boy out meant writing a 'polite' note getting them to tick 'yes' or 'no'. When there was always that one 'HOT'guy/girl. Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot. Your biggest danger at school was accidentally walking through the middle of a heated game of "brandies".

Nobody was prettier than your Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant scoffing orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C's, or swallowing half a Panadol. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Going to the beach and catching a wave was a dream come true. If you actually lived there boogie boarding in the white wash made you the next Kelly Slater. Abilities were discovered because of a 'double-dare". Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

Now, didn't that bring back some fond memories??
If you can remember most of these, you're an downunder legend!!!

Pass this on to another downunder legend who may need a break from their "grown up" life...

I DOUBLE-DARE YA!!!!!

How things have changed. Some good memories there!

That's brilliant Chris, the best thing I have read for a long time. Here's a few more. Buying Cobbers 2 for 1¢. Getting Dad a "coldie" from the fridge and taking the first sip. Eating Fantales and Minties while driving across the country. Using a paperclip to (steal) free credits to play free Space Invaders at the caravan park. Neon Zinc-cream. Good memories, seems like a long time ago, and I am only 33.

CHEERS.

Mark

I remember getting excited when I found an empty 1L glass bottle. Return it to the corner store and get 20c. 5 bottles = chips for you, a friend and the seagulls.

Peeing in the pool without feeling guilty... oh hang on, lets not share that one... ;)

I'm still young and know most of those things. It's great grownig up downunder. We are a lucky bunch.

Another one, walking to school at Werris Creek belting out my eight-minute rendition of "When Will I be Famous?"

Gee, that might just ruin the whole ambience of the thread.

Ahhhh, the soothing sound of nostalgia.

Every kid in the neighbourhood had a bike and we'd all gravitate towards the school ground after school and build ramps and see who could jump the furthest. Or we'd see who could ride the furthest along the netball court with no hands. The first guy that learned the trick of turning and made an entire lap was accorded legendary status.

Or Thorpie and me'd ride up Surrey Road (forbidden) to the milk factory and pilfer the out of date Big M's left behind the back door - miraculously we never got sick, although we soon learned which one's not to drink.

Spending my bus money in the tuck shop on Chomps or Redskins and walking home instead.

Living in dread of the Nolan brothers, the local bullies. The youger one, who was a nutbag of truly epic proportions, put me down a stormwater pit once. I wonder what prison he's in nowadays.

Tim the weird but harmless older guy. He was in his early twenties then and lived with his parents. Never did find out what his story was, I think he was a bit slow, but he was one of the gang, and had a cool bike with three speeds. He's still there in my parents neighbourhood, and still hangs out with the local kids.

Summer holidays meant playing cricket in the driveway or at the nets for hours on ends. On a good day we'd get twenty or so kids up at the nets. Tip 'n' 'e run meant everyone got a bat. Nevin Shakespeare was a wicked fast bowler with a tennis ball even then - I hated facing up to him. The elation of taking a flying left handed catch.

The weird feeling on the first day of school of putting on long pants and shoes for the first time in a couple of months.

Thanks for prompting this little trip down memory lane.

Awesome, Chris. I remember far too many of those.

Also, wearing a hat with fake eyes on the back for the walk to the bus. It was worth it to not get swooped by the magpies!

Also, wearing a hat with fake eyes on the back for the walk to the bus. It was worth it to not get swooped by the magpies!

That never used to work for me.


Tim the weird but harmless older guy. He was in his early twenties then and lived with his parents. Never did find out what his story was, I think he was a bit slow, but he was one of the gang, and had a cool bike with three speeds. He's still there in my parents neighbourhood, and still hangs out with the local kids.

Geez, how old would he be now? I never did get to Burnie over Christmas -- perhaps I should be relieved. On the other hand, he might nearly be old enough to be seen up here during Schoolies' Week. :eek:


A couple of other things I remember: Entering a school talent quest with a song called "maggots" (would you believe I can still remember the chorus?).

Building a "space station" out of lego with a mate of mine before school, walking to school, then entering through different gates because we were in different "gangs" and couldn't be seen together. Then getting together after school and playing games on the old Commodore 64 computer.

Sneaking out at 5.30am one winter morning to play said games on said computer.

The old scout camps on those freezing winter mornings at Werris Creek, sometimes wearing up to four jumpers.

The oval surrounded by kookaburras where we used to play cricket on Saturdays. The sledging that resulted from the presence of those same kookaburras -- "they're laughing at you" everytime someone mis-fielded.

The time when my mates took pity on the most unco-ordinated kid in Werris Creek and taught me how to ride.