Stories

During my last year at school and for some time after I started work each weekend and or holiday.  I worked with the local milkman delivering milk to households.  We covered the whole town by means of horse and milk cart.  Milk was obtained from Harry Wilson at the end of Lovelle Street. The rival milkman got his from Mark Hammond next door.

I worked for Viv Stephens, who lived a couple of houses down from my home.  A 4am start, harness up and off to collect the milk.  It was in two 30 gallon vats with taps out the back. To deliver to each home we carried two galvanised containers measuring a pint or quart lots.  If more was required it was placed in 1 gallon or 2 gallon cans.  I would take a couple of cans and proceed down the street while the horse and cart went around the other three sides of the block.  Carrying a quart pot only, if someone wanted only a pint we just filled up the pot on the side till the milk reached on a diagonal top to bottom, near enough to 1 pint. If someone wanted an extra bit and we looked as though we would run out before the end of the street, good milk came out of the nearest water tap.

All milk was delivered right into kitchens and if a dish was not left out we would delve into a cupboard to find something, often the cat sat licking his lips as we poured it in but that was not our worry.

Also papers were delivered to households by boys riding bikes with a box fitted to the front of the bike or two bags made from sugar bags, slung over the shoulder from which to hurl the paper into the front yard. 

As soon as exams were over I left school to work at the Post Office delivering Telegrams and parcels and sorting mail.

I had paid for all my books and expenses at school by caddying on the golf course.  We would receive 1 Shilling and ninepence per round and generally received a 1 shilling tip.  We would go round and if demand was good would often carry two bags.  A highlight of my caddy career was carrying a bag in the group when Gene Sarazen and Babe Didrikson both American world champions played a match with George McKay the local professional and Molly McLeish NSW Country Champion.[Trying to confirm year. Possibly 1936 but then it would have been Helen Hicks rather than Babe Didrikson?] The four caddies selected were drilled like toy soldiers for a week before by George.  Many of us had permanent bookings with certain golfers which guaranteed you of at least Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning rounds.  For several years I caddied for Dr King, a local dentist or Tom McCarthy a solicitor who later won a D.F.C. as navigator in the Pathfinder Squadrons during the war.

During high school and early years of the war I was actively engaged with the Junior Farmers league.  I won the local district competition for Vegetable growing and the following year the Southern Tablelands area which went from Wollongong to Vic Border up to Cooma, Goulburn and Moss Vale area. 

We had great fun and rivalry competing in district competitions at Moss Vale and Robertson shows. Clubs competing were Moss Vale, Robertson, Avoca and Kangaloon.