As the 40s gave way to the 50s, we were coming out of the austerity of the post war period. The first Holden had come off the production line in 1948, jobs were available and houses were being built, although building materials were still scarce.
Families, including ours, were starting to build on small acreages on the outskirts of the city. Most had teenage children so we enjoyed a whole new group of friends and activities but some old restrictions still applied. I went with a group of our High School girls for a short holiday to the mountains, but we had to take a chaperone with us! Tennis, square dancing, horse riding were all enjoyed on the week ends
We tend to forget that there were major health issues around then that are no longer a problem now – Tuberculosis and Polio for example. In 1951 we had a polio epidemic. Large gatherings of people were discouraged. A friend was to travel to play in a Queensland schoolboy’s team but all such events were cancelled to avoid close contact and crowds. Queensland’s Sister Kenny was a pioneer in the treatment of this crippling disease, and immunisation has now conquered it.
At High School, boys could join Cadets where they learned basic army skills. It seems amazing now that in 1952, aged 15, they were allowed to board a public bus carrying a 303 rifle (bolt removed) on the way to a Cadet Camp to learn to fire Bren guns and mortars. Imagine boarding a bus now carrying a real gun!
At age 18, young men were called up for National Service where they spent 3 months in Army training or 6 months in Naval or Air Force training. This ended in 1961 to be replaced by another scheme.
But on the social side, things became exciting. By the mid 50’s music changed. The dulcet tones of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby etc were being drowned out by Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” – great to jive to – and Elvis Presley with his gyrating hips and sultry looks – our parents just KNEW he was going to corrupt us . And with the music change, young fashion changed also – men with their”stove pipe” trouser and slicked back hair – girls with their gathered skirts and layers of frills underneath. The extremists were called Bodgies and Widgies. For the rest of us it was just fun – a time of feminine, pretty dresses, full skirts, tiny waists, but also some figure hugging slim skirts. Some of our family vintage dresses have been worn recently by our younger generations.
The other amazing fact is that there was no such thing as recreational drugs, consequentially cars and houses were seldom locked or broken into. My father in law used to leave his keys in the ignition. Drinking age in Qld was 21 but 18 in NSW. Although young men and their mates broke the Qld laws sometimes – drinking was just an occasional social pastime.
Of course beaches were a wonderful family pleasure. Surfing until then had been mostly body surfing, but surf boards were gaining a following. Who would believe then the incredibly athletic feats that the champion surfers of today are capable of? But that’s another story – camping by the sea in those old tents with no floor, no gauze, and sand everywhere. There’d be some tales to tell there.
I started the 50s as a 15 year old and finished them as a wife and mother. I would have to say the 50s is one of my favourite decades.
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