The Best Days Of Your Life.

[PH005]

There is a song that has a line similar. Don Henley. Viewing some of the images posted here kinda takes me back to what I think was a better time in my life , as far as some things go. Seeing photos of old country cottages reminds me of places that I have been. Now I'm older and looking back I think of how simple life was, and now, how complicated the world has become. To me the 70s were probably the most enjoyable. Buying a panelvan with a couple of mates and traveling right across this great country. Not a care in the world. What fun. I hope that the younger generation do not look back to now with the same view. I hate to think what a terrible state the world will be in if that is the case.
So what decade or time do you remember as " The" time ? Also. Where have we gone wrong ? I blame a lot on two things. 1. No dicipline in schools (to a degree), and 2. The pressures put on young families that make Mothers have to bring in a 2nd income just to make ends meet. Dont get me wrong. There are plenty of things in this era that I am very happy with, ie, camera gear :D. I remember that I had a small Agfa 110 in the panelvan days. Still have some photos from the adventure. Look forward to reading your thoughts. Paul.

[William]

:D I have 6 Decades to choose from Paul :eek: The best would have to be the 60's, 70's and the 80's , The sixty's for the way the times were changing and the invention of the "Pill" was a bonus, 70's cause everyone had money life was fun, 80's Disco's and girls, There's a whole lot of other stuff , I'd probably have to agree with you on the 70's, IMO :th3:

[PH005]

:D The sixty's for the way the times were changing and the invention of the "Pill" was a bonus, :th3:

:lol::lol::lol: Thats the best reply I have read on this site yet. :th3:

[William]

Just a second thought Paul, The 60's , The music changed, We were in our teens , Conscription for Vietnam !! Bra's were thrown away , The Beatles , The Stones, Jimmy Hendricks , Was all happening , It sort of smoothed out in the 70's to a nice life style ;)

[PH005]

So whats your view on " Now " William ?

[Tannin]

It gets better with every passing decade.

[William]

So whats your view on " Now " William ?

:( I worry for my kids and their children , We had the good times I think , Remember I was a baby Boomer, I was born only 4 yrs after W11 Finished !! , But I'm not sure about the future, It's a harder World we live in now , Things were a lot simpilar than now , But life goes on , Generations come and go and they don't know any different I guess :)

[PH005]

Yes William , I guess its evolution. But at what price ? Photos and memories are great to have.

[ameerat42]

Your question reminded me of Charles Dickens' assertion...

...It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
fully quoted here. (http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/29595.html)

The thing is he was right. I guess we all just have to give up:(

One thing about the present though, we have got "more choice". And "more is better" goes without saying.

Imagine it! More choice...
about things you don't understand
about how to be ripped off
about how to be scammed
about how you use, or don't use (their redundancy) your car
about sharing your day with a headache
...and so on.

Now, as to the best days...:rolleyes:

[PH005]

I like that quote ameerat42. Thank you .

[BecM]

What a great thread. Do you think that in the 60's 'the oldies' were despairing of what the world was coming to? Does each generation think that?

I am 45 and for the first time in my life I am really, truly happy. I love my life. Sure I'd love some more money and bigger house etc. etc. but this is my time, right now.

PS LOVE the pill quote William, you made me laugh out loud!!

[William]

Do you think that in the 60's 'the oldies' were despairing of what the world was coming to? Does each generation think that?

Life goes on Bec, I do think each generation thinks the same as we did , But I did like Steam Trains, Short Wave Radio, Dialing the phone and asking the Operator for the number , Laying in front of the Big Radiogram listening to the Afternoon serials , Sitting by the Log fire, Feeding the Chooks in the back yard, Bird egg collecting , Making Slingshots, Exploring the bush , Myself and all my mates had .22 Riflels , If not a Slug Gun , No one got hurt !! , Dad used to complain about all the Cowboys killed on the TV , He said he needed a a tray to catch them all ;), Speaking of TV , My Friend Flicker, Leave it to Beaver, Bonanzer, Mickey Mouse Club Etc ;):)

[BecM]

William you are making me yearn for a time I never had!! I loved the Brady Bunch, Mr Ed, the magic roundabout . I love if I hear a really old song I often know all the words, even though I have no recollection of hearing it before, my mother loved music and had it playing constantly. I could play outside till it was dark, then the whistle blew and I would hear it blocks away and have to come home.

My 10 year old is writing her own computer programs and types faster than I can. She also plays soccer outside for hours and loves building cubby's I try so hard to find the balance between what I feel is right and what she wants to be able to do. The lovely thing is she is getting into photography THIS I am encouraging!!

I really feel this conversation should be had over a good bottle of wine or beer.

[William]

:) Yep I agree, I could talk for hours on this subject , Maybe one day , When I'm in Sydney , I could tell you some really good stories , "Over a beer or a nice Wine" :th3:

[BecM]

Done William, nice sunset shot somewhere then off to the pub.

[Lance B]

Many of us think of the "good old days" with fond memories and carefree times, but is it really the case? I am not saying they were bad, but that we only remember the good bits. I am now 50 and loved my childhood, where I grew up, my friends, my school and all the fun that I had, but I wouldn't change what I have now for what people had back then.

Paul, you made a comment about mothers needing to work so as to be able to afford decent housing, but it is the fact that mothers now mostly work is the very reason that means that they now to have to work to be able to afford to live in a city like Sydney. Reason? When a two income family comes to an auction, they have almost twice as much to bid on a house, which therefore means that they end up forcing house prices to rise and therefore the base price for housing then rises so that a second income is nearly always required. That's just market forces. You want to stop having to need two incomes to afford a house, then you need to stop two incomes being allowed to buy one.

I think each generation goes through this same thought that the kids get too much nowadays and that we all expect every convenience in our new home etc, but isn't this what we have been striving as a society to accomplish? ie, to have more and better things than out parents did. I found it interesting that Mark Latham, the infamous "almost Prime Minister" made a statement a month or so back saying that "we all want too much and that we expect a new first home, a two car garage with two cars, plasma TV and all mod cons and that we are greedy" etc. But, hasn't every generation ended up with much more than their parents? If not, we'd all still be living in the stone age and there'd be no progression.

Don't get me wrong, I think that many kids do have too much too young and that many kids show almost zero respect to adults and authority due to lack of dicipline, they do expect way too much and are less likely to do any manual labour. I also think this lack of dicipline is reflected in the many drunken fights and resultant injuries and deaths we see every weekend on the news as people just can't seem to dicipline themselves to limit drinking and mostly accept that they may be wrong, not the centre of the world and mistakenly believe that nothing they ever do is wrong, and therefore back down and walk away.

As for jobs and education, I guarantee that there are very few parents who don't want their child to go to uni, but then who becomes a tradesperson or God forbid is a cleaner or labourer? How on earth do we get people to do these less than glamourous jobs as you can't have a society with everyone uni educated? This is part why they have to allow such large numbers of immigration as many of these immigrants are more than happy to have any job.

Anyway, it's a very interesting discussion and one that I think will stir up some interesting responses as there seems to be a broad age group and cross section on this forum.

[kiwi]

August 12th, 1987, the all blacks winning the world cup rugby final :D

I think my best years were my high school years, 79-83...ahhhh, the mammaries

[William]

August 12th, 1987, the all blacks winning the world cup rugby final :D

I think my best years were my high school years, 79-83...ahhhh, the mammaries


August 12th was a good day Darren , My Birthday !!:D:th3:

[Dylan & Marianne]

I'll have to answer this when I'm a little older I think - at 35 I have had life experiences but I would be too naive to say that what has gone has been the best - I am hoping there is plenty more goodness to come from which to look back upon :)

[ameerat42]

You're too modest, Dylan.

[ricktas]

i think the 70's and early 80's for me. Probably the most memorable day would have been September 26, 1983, the day Australia won the America's Cup. The entire country was in party mode, people were walking the streets with boom boxes playing Men at Work's song "Down Under". It was an amazing day where as a Nation, we were truly One!

[PH005]

Some truely great responses folk. I'm sure thinking about this brings back some nice memories. Has the world changed too fast. After all , we have only been here for a split second really. I hear some people say " I could not get by without my mobile phone. Yes you could. We did ! And we probably communicated better back then without them.

[peterb666]

:) Yep I agree, I could talk for hours on this subject , Maybe one day , When I'm in Sydney , I could tell you some really good stories , "Over a beer or a nice Wine" :th3:

It sounds like a good excuse for another AP meet. The Turrimetta/North Narrabeen shoot last year was excellent so hopefully we may see you down here again in the not too distant future.

This is a great thread. I think most of have some great memories and certainly I have a great fondness of the late 60s, 70s and early 80s. Thinks like the pub music scene (Jimmy and the Boys, the Angels etc) , some of the great TV shows - for me - Dr Who, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, The Prisoner (I am not a number, I am a free man), Monty Python, Star Trek (now referred to as "The Original Series") and strolling the streets with my Nikon F and Nikon FM.

Only one point Bill, if you can remember the 60s and 70s, doesn't the saying go "you weren't really there"?

I trust the future will always be better. I have too much to do in too little time. I am probably more content with myself than I have been in the best part of a couple of decades and I put it down mainly to returning to photography and re-engaging with the world after a period which could best be described as my "hermit" days.

Memories are great: but tomorrow is another opportunity.

[ashey]

Memories of the 60s and 70s what a great time was had buy my mates and myself growing up along the Swan River, if they had of filmed it i,m sure they would of called it Smiley and his mates. One thing I will say about today is the lack of respect that a lot of the young ones have today. But all in all I don,t think I would change to much it,s been an enjoyable ride thus far.

[JohnRA]

One thing that everyone seems to have in common & that is the "best years of their ilfe" was that time when they were growing up.
My take on the matter is no different.
A bit older than most here I was 13 when WWII ended & the years 1940 to 1955 were great years.
No problems with employment.
Even as kids we could walk home alone after the movies on Saturday night without any fear whatsoever.
My mother was always at home when I got home from school & "child care centres' were unheard of.
No need for supermarkets as the local grocer would come to the house every week & take your order & deliver it the next day
The chinese market gardener would sell his produce from the back of his his horse drawn wagon.
The ice man would call a couple of times a week during summer.
The milkman would deliver daily & the milk, when left to settle for a while would have a thick layer of cream on the top.
The baker came every day.
The rent man, the insurance man & even the doctor made house calls.
We were free of much of the restrictions that are placed on us nowadays. no such thing as political correctness & people were not overly offended if they were called a name or names that one dare not mention aloud today.
Postman would deliver twice a day & Saturday mornings & the Salvo's band playing hymns on the street corner would wake you up on Sunday morning.
There is much more but you have probably heard it all before ....... Those were the best years of my life growing up in Ballarat.

[PH005]

Well said John. Yes the fight for the cream on the top of the milk bottle. And yes, walking home from a movie. That brings back memories. Thank you.

[William]

One thing that everyone seems to have in common & that is the "best years of their ilfe" was that time when they were growing up.
My take on the matter is no different.
A bit older than most here I was 13 when WWII ended & the years 1940 to 1955 were great years.
No problems with employment.
Even as kids we could walk home alone after the movies on Saturday night without any fear whatsoever.
My mother was always at home when I got home from school & "child care centres' were unheard of.
No need for supermarkets as the local grocer would come to the house every week & take your order & deliver it the next day
The chinese market gardener would sell his produce from the back of his his horse drawn wagon.
The ice man would call a couple of times a week during summer.
The milkman would deliver daily & the milk, when left to settle for a while would have a thick layer of cream on the top.
The baker came every day.
The rent man, the insurance man & even the doctor made house calls.
We were free of much of the restrictions that are placed on us nowadays. no such thing as political correctness & people were not overly offended if they were called a name or names that one dare not mention aloud today.
Postman would deliver twice a day & Saturday mornings & the Salvo's band playing hymns on the street corner would wake you up on Sunday morning.
There is much more but you have probably heard it all before ....... Those were the best years of my life growing up in Ballarat.

:) Hey John, You forgot the Dunny can man !! Remember the old saying "Flat as a shit carters hat" , I'd forgotten about the Man we called the "Fruiter're who would come around a couple of times a week , Free milk at school morning tea break , If you got into trouble with the Local police , You got a kick up the Backside, Most times they would'nt even tell your parents , Remember the "Saturday Matinee" at the movies , A "white Knight" and a packet of "Panda" potato chips, "Jaffa's , What about Cracker night, "Guy Falkes" night 5th Nov, Canons with a Penny bunger fights , I remember it was a day trip to Brisbane from the Gold Coast, There is still a place called "Halfway Creek" where you would take a break and have a picnic during the trip , No servo's in those days on the Highway :D

[PH005]

Great memories William. :):th3:

[Wayne]

Gee, I look at some of the "bets days" noted by the slightly older than I, and think thank god I wasn't here then. I'm truly a man of convenience, modern tech and all the ease with which many things are taken care of these days that would have been a headache back then. Of course what I would give to be 21 again, growing up, the girls, the mates and with few cares in the world, but like Dylan, I'm hoping there are still many years of good to come. Life has been fairly kind to me, and I am very happy with it.

[PH005]

Aww Wayne. Nothing was a headache.

[JohnRA]

Gee, I look at some of the "bets days" noted by the slightly older than I, and think thank god I wasn't here then. I'm truly a man of convenience, modern tech and all the ease with which many things are taken care of these days that would have been a headache back then. Of course what I would give to be 21 again, growing up, the girls, the mates and with few cares in the world, but like Dylan, I'm hoping there are still many years of good to come. Life has been fairly kind to me, and I am very happy with it.

But Wayne ...... we did have all the high tech stuff for the times.
The radio was just as popular then as TV is today, & a gerater choice of programs too.
We didn't have a car but I had a bike to take me wherever I wanted to go.
A trip down town was a penny 'hapenny .... (3 cents) for the round trip.

Of course there was the down side too .... Just as there is today.
Baths once a week because that's when the copper was lit to do the weeks washing. My mum worked very hard to keep us & the house clean, but we didn't appreciate what she did until later .... Sound familiar ??
Water was bucketed into the bath from the laundry ...... no, that's wrong, it was the wash house then
Winters were cold in Ballarat & so was the house except for the kitchen.
Money was scarce which made everything you got worth protecting, no throw away society then.

William: I didn't mention the dunny man because our place was sewered. But sometimes I spent my school holidays with an aunt who lived in Greensborough. She had an outhouse at the bottom of the yard & the nightcart arrived once a week to take away the can, he was known locally as "Violet" ... :rolleyes:

[fillum]

The older I get, the better I was...:D

[peterb666]

:) Hey John, You forgot the Dunny can man !! Remember the old saying "Flat as a shit carters hat"

Or for those of us from the slightly posher end of town, the Sanno Man or "Piss Pumpers".

Frank Hardy wrote a harlious book about the exploits of the garbos and the their companions who looked after the cans and sanno tanks called The Outcasts Of Foolgarah set in Foolgararh Shy Cancel.

BTW, I have turned my retrenched concrete sanno tank into a garden bed. It was too hard to demolish.

[Bennymiata]

Compared to when I was young, life is far more difficult today.
From the age of 5 up till I was about 12, I walked about 3km to school and back every day, and I would occasionally meet up with friends and walk together, or I'd walk alone.
No-one thought that I might be picked up by a wierdo, and I never was.

I lived very well without a mobile phone until 1988. In fact, I wish I didn't need to have one now!

The late 60's/early 70's were the best years for me.
I did my HSC in 1972 and every trip to and from school was a dream of lovely young ladies wearing short skirts, and flirting with girls from different schools.
In case you can't remember back that far, if a schoolgirl didn't have her panties showing from the rear, her skirt was too long!
Respect and good manners were something everybody practised and people were "nicer". Not so much in a rush, prepared to help out anyone and be pleasant about it.
Kids actually stood up in a crowded bus to give a pregnant or elderly lady a seat and didn't even think twice about it, because it was the norm.
There were no terrorists, and to board a plane, you just walked on with no security checks etc., because they weren't needed.
Young girls were sent to June Dally Watkins during their school holidays, so they could learn to be a "lady", and you would never see young women drunk out of their minds, sitting in the gutter and chundering to great applause from their friends.
If a young girl did that 30 years ago, everyone would think she was absolutely disgusting.
Tatoos were only on the arms of sailors or prisoners, and any female with one was considered a #####.

Ah yes, it's a pity some of our youth can't be put back to those times.

Probably more important that thinking back to what was, is what it's going to be like in another 30 or 40 years.
Is everyone going to be covered in tatoos?
Will public drunkeness and street chundering going to be the norm on every street corner?
How will people live when no-one has any respect for others, and how will people get along with each other if there is no respect or civility left and everyone only thinks about themselves and not others?

I'm sure it won't end up that bad, but it is certainly food for thought.

[PH005]

Some good points there Benny. You're definately right about the manners and common courtesy. It is hard to find these days. I can remember my mum making me stand up for a lady on a bus. Didn't think twice about it from then on.

[Lance B]

Good post Benny. I too walked to school from 3rd class to 6th class, a journey of about 2kms each way.

[BecM]

Benny you made me think of another thing. I grew up calling every single adult I came across Mr or Mrs (insert surname), if it was a close family friend they were an honorary Aunty or Uncle. All kids these days call adults by their first name. Still doesn't feel right.