Growing Up in Australia

Someone sent me this years ago andI don't know where it came from but I thought I'd reproduce it for the smile factor. People who grew up elsewhere, I'm sure you can still relate.

I'm talking about hide and seek in the park. The corner milk bar, hopscotch, billy-carts, cricket in front of the garbage bin, skipping, handstands, footy on the best lawn in the street.

British bulldog 1-2-3, go home stay home, slip'n'slide, the trampoline with water on it, hula hoops, pogo sticks, stepping in enormous 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. When 20 cents worth of lollies was a meal and smoking ''Fags' was really cool.

Wait... Watching Saturday morning cartoons... short commercials, The Thunderbirds (if you got up reeeeeally early) the Smurfs, Astroboy, He-Man, Captain Caveman, Archie and heeeey, heeeeey, heeeeeeeey it's faaaaaaat albert. Or staying up late and watching a special family movie- The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins...

When around the corner seemed far away, and going into town seemed liked going somewhere. A million mozzie bites 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!") drawing all over the pavement with chalk.

Climbing trees and building cubbies out of every sheet your mother had in the cupboard. Walking to school no matter what the weather.

Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard your stomach hurt. Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles.

Being tired from playing....Remember that???? The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Cricket cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.......eating raw jelly, making home-made lemonade and sucking on a 'Funny face'or red Freeza. Remember when there were only two types of sneakers- boys and girls. Dunlop volleys with the Green'n'gold or blue and the only time you wore them at school was for 'sports day'.

You knew everyone in your street- and so did your parents! It wasn't odd to have two or three 'best friends'. You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve. When nobody owned a pure bred dog. When 50 cents was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 5 cents.
When nearly everyones mum was at home when the kids got back 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 parents.

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed her or use him to carry groceries in and nobody, not even a kid, thought a thing of it.

When being sent to the principals office was nothing compared to what you got at home when your parents heard about it. 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!!!

Didn't that feel good? Just go back and say, yeah, I remember that! Remember when... Decisions were made by saying "Eeeny-meeeny-miney-mo"or scissors, paper, rock. "Race issue"meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handles by whoever was the banker in 'Monopoly'. 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. Having a weapon in school was being caught with a home-made slingshot.

No-one was prettier than your Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable vitamin C's. Icecream was considered a basic food group. Going to beach and catching a wave was a dream come true. Hot vinyl seats in the car, stifling heat in summer, Air-conditioning was opening a window. Abilities were discovered because of a 'double dare'. Older siblings were the worst tormentors but also the fiercest protectors.

Summers holidays stretched on forever.