Megan child

1976 Skiing Reminiscence

Dad had died on the Australia Day long weekend.  I had started boarding school at BGS.

I must have been home for the holidays as I recall going on the trips.

LEWIS:
We made two trips that year.  Skis from Fishwick.  On one trip a group of nice guys had to get the VW out of the perisher car park slush.

 

 

HENRY:
Mum (Grandma T) 1976, with skis on roof as we went to Perisher for skiing.

 

Frank: I assume I took the picture and would have sat in the front passenger seat.  I think my skis had KRKRKR... on them.

I think we had two red plastic toboggans that we got from the dump.  I wonder if skis were only on the second trip? Maybe we just did tobogganing on the first trip.

 

 

 

First Ski Trips

Henry :

Two are of Lewis; James is blue tracksuit; the pic of three is I think L, F, J. - all tracksuits - not even parkas let alone ski clothes. No gloves. These are undated but seem the same day. The last picture (4 of us) is different paper and has Kodak Aug 76 on the back.

Frank:

As I recall, We did two trips in 76.

I thought one trip only Henry had skiis and the rest of us shared two orange toboggans wed gotten from the tip?

Lewis:

Correct. Hired skis in Fyshwick. Henry had a lesson which is how we found out how to snow-plough. On one trip the Volkswagen was stuck in Perisher carpark and a group of men/boys passing just stopped and hauled it out.

dads funeral burial

There was a graveside service only.

The hearse drove down from Toowoomba. 

As well as a clergyman there were people from the public service, mum, Frank & Lewiz, Uncles Bob & Ken, Uncle Lewis, cousin Rod and Mary, cousin Andrew & Gran (i think).

The clergyman read appropriate prayers, did the last look thing etc. 

A bright warm sunny day. Lewis wore dad's RAAF tie. The wake was at Rod and Mary's place. 

The whole thing was delayed by a strike by grave diggers. Grandpa is said to have threatened to have Deerings get the job done. 

After the formalities the Millers drove Frank to BGS. 

Mum & Lewis drove to Sydney with Bob & Ken. Lewis ate half a chicken at a golden fleece on the way. Mum was very upset on arrival in Sydney. Nana & Grandpa actually rushed out to greet them. Biggins & Henry (who were staying at PH) were pissed that they weren't brought up for it.

Old Billy Cart Photos

 

 

 

Henry in the "110" named Billy Cart

Henry coming down Mackenzie st Hackett

 Henry and Dennis 1976

 

The big Bill Cart

The Big Billy Cart actually came in two models. The first model had no brakes and no option to install brakes as we obtained just the axle, wheels, leaf springs and the two pieces of wood that were bolted to the springs. You can see them run from front to back. Us kids then nailed and bolted the pieces of wood that ran from side to side and also bolted on the piece of wood that poked out the front to the front wheels.

We would co-opt the neighborhood kids to  push it up the hill (Mt Ainslie).
We would then hop on and career down the hill.
Nearing the bottom, everyone bar the driver would jump off.  Last the driver would bail and the cart would use the fence at the Kellaway st as a sling like the cable on an aircraft carrier.

These are the only two photos that I know of.  Taken on James's Kodak Instamatic.

I remember on at least one occasion a cluster of parents with cameras photographing us as we raced down the hill.  Maybe some more photos will one day surface.