I Remember When with Milton Rendell

I remember when school was finishing and we had our end of school concerts at our old primary school in Guildford. This was an outdoor event and each class used to do their performance for the parents which was a big night including doing a few carols on the night. Summer holidays were and still are the big ones, families would go away or like me and my local mates it was time to go fishing at our various fishing spots. During the day we quite often fished near Barkers Bridge which is on the way out to Caversham.

When we got a bit hot, we would have a swim and sometimes we would have a water melon in the river keeping cool for a snack. A few of us thrill seekers would jump off the bridge as part of dares as you did as a young kid growing up in the latesixties and early seventies. The odd mud fight was a bit of fun but boy did wesmell that thick black mud on the river banks had its own unique smell.

Night fishing used to be mainly at Kings Meadow (The Rec as we called it) and fish off the jetties which had lights, in those days you got the odd cobbler near the mouth of the Helena River. You could see across the river the guys from Bassendean doing exactly the same. Swimming, fishing and backyard cricket were the activities much of the school holidays in those days and the occasional trip to the city to see the big shops (Christmas lights at Boan’s store) and go to the movies. It was simple fun, imagine being able to take the kids from that era and introducing them to today’s kids would be quite an experience. Anyway all the best to everyone for the coming festive season and 2019.