Our 35mm slides have now been scanned and a theme has appeared…headlessness. With digital cameras these shots would be deleted, but I think they have a charm of their own.
I think the subject may have actually been the fish, and not me.
In this one Dad lost his head.
It was my cousin’s turn to lose her head this time.
My head was obviously considered unnecessary in the photo above. My sister appears to wearing the dress I had on in yesterday’s post…and how could you not love my brother’s bow tie? He wouldn’t be caught dead in one now.
We grew up at the beach and the seaside was a regular backdrop for family photos.
I love the next one of my brother…he went on to become a really good surfer…among other things.
Dad built several boats and went deep sea fishing most weekends, or took us out on the bay.
Eating was another theme.
In the series of photos below we were having a picnic beside a waterfall in the mountains.
I had my doll and my brother had a boat.
The boat was carefully placed into to the water, and minutes later disappeared over the waterfall.
My Dad did have a head, and he usually had a cigarette or a fish in his hand, sometimes both.
I have to show you a photo of dad and his fishing mates with a good catch.
Deb, look at how cute you were! I can recognise you even in those early photos – and you were already so stylish! 🙂
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on January 9, 2013
at 2:36 am
My mother made all our clothes. I started making my own at about 12 and have been doing so ever since.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 2:38 am
I absolutely love all of your photos! You and your siblings are so cute and it’s really a slice of life from the era when we (I’m your age) grew up! Love seeing your parents too. Thank you for sharing.
By: paninigirl on January 9, 2013
at 2:41 am
We had a wonderful childhood…we were very lucky to have had the parents we did and to grow up in such a fun place with dozens of cousins.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 3:16 am
Is that last photo your dad? If so, I think your dad and my dad must have had the same tailor, lol! Great pictures, with or without heads!
By: Diane C on January 9, 2013
at 3:05 am
Okay, I just went back and looked at your pictures again. I really think our dads must have been separated at birth. My dad built boats too (he built a 26′ sailboat in our basement) and he was always taking me down to the beach or the dock or the marina.
By: Diane C on January 9, 2013
at 3:11 am
Dad built several boats under our house. I remember watching him bend the timber after he had heated it in hot water. All his boats were called Gold Top after a brand of beer. The brewing company heard about it and gave Dad and his fishing mates a keg of beer and 6 bright orange shirts with Gold Top on the pockets.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 3:20 am
sweet photos 🙂
By: sheof108names on January 9, 2013
at 3:05 am
It is fun to look back.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 3:17 am
What a wonderful childhood you had living by the sea, such happy faces.
By: Kirsi sade on January 9, 2013
at 3:52 am
It was great. We had total freedom to play on the beach…it was quite an adventurous childhood.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 2:53 am
No doubt that you treasure lovely memories of your childhood. Thank you for sharing them.
By: mulino dominillo on January 9, 2013
at 4:04 am
The Gold Coast was a wonderful place to be in the 1950s and 1960s. We loved it.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 7:54 am
Looks like you had a happy and fun childhood. Will have to show Willie the fishing photos!
By: lisa@notesfromafrica on January 9, 2013
at 7:37 am
Dad and his friends fished off the Gold Coast. Back in those days there were lots of fish. We had a barbecue beside the beach every Sunday afternoon.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 7:55 am
WOW love those fifties style swimsuits on the ladies.
By: dianne Cant on January 9, 2013
at 7:44 am
The photo would have been taken in the late 1950s…note the bathing caps in their hands…they were horrible things, I can still remember the rubbery smell.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 7:56 am
You were a cutie! ……….and still are!
By: carolynabol on January 9, 2013
at 9:22 am
I’m a bit old to be cute!
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 2:54 am
These are beyond priceless, documenting another era that is now lost in time.
Even the quality of the film has withstood the
rigours of being in someone’s drawer for fifty years.
Incredible pictures.
Has Rob seen them?
Do you know how much those fish would be worth in London today?
Fantastic post
X
PB
By: Pete Brosnan on January 9, 2013
at 9:46 am
Some of the photos are nearly 60 years old. The fish would cost plenty today. Often George’s front yard would be full of fish. Rob doesn’t read my blog, so he hasn’t seen these photos.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 11:51 am
It’s so great to see these images. Australia must have been a wonderful place to experience childhood. And the fish . . . !
By: nuovastoria on January 9, 2013
at 10:00 am
We had a wonderfully free childhood, spent mostly at the beach. It was a very good time to be young.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 11:53 am
Ah these are so lovely. I was taken by the clothes and I see from a reply to an earlier comment that your mother made all of them – that’s special.
By: Just Add Attitude on January 9, 2013
at 11:08 am
We were always very nicely turned out when we were little.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 11:53 am
Great photos. What a super, sunny, ice cream laden childhood!
By: christopher oconnor on January 9, 2013
at 12:10 pm
I think we were eating Have a Hearts in the photo. I’m sure these don’t exist anymore.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 2:55 am
I’m impressed you have so many coloured slides! The one of the pair of you feeding your faces is hilarious!
By: Where's Wiwi? on January 9, 2013
at 12:41 pm
There are lots more, my father loved to take photos when we were young. The novelty wore off and there are very few of my youngest brother.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 12:59 pm
I know, there is some serious eating going on there.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 1:00 pm
The Pictures are precious Debra. Like you , I had a wonderful childhood growing up at the beaches in South Australia – Glenelg and West Beach.
Not sure that it has been wonderful the last few days in Adelaide with temps reaching 113 degrees or as you say 44-45C.
Pam Proctor
By: Anonymous on January 9, 2013
at 8:03 pm
Adelaide gets very hot in summer…too hot for me. Brisbane is now too hot and I am soon heading off to lovely Italy.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 9:33 pm
Debra I just love the photo of you and your brother enjoying your picnic.
Just priceless !!!
By: Lorraine Wagner on January 9, 2013
at 9:21 pm
We had some great picnics with our large family. I have been back many times to that waterfall…time for another visit.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 9:34 pm
I did not know you had such a history, eating fresh cooked fish caught by your dad, what great memories. By the way love the ‘era’ you have captured.
By: rozmacallan on January 9, 2013
at 9:50 pm
Dad loved his fishing years, and we loved the boats he made. I am very glad my parents made the decision to move to Main Beach when I was 4. It has to be the perfect place to grow up, especially at that time.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2013
at 10:09 pm
What amazing photos! I particularly liked the one of you on the right and your brother on the left eating something that looks like a cream bun! 😀
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on January 10, 2013
at 1:14 am
I think we were doing our best to stuff in just one more piece.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 1:51 am
Great pictures – I especially like the ones where you and your brother are happily eating sweets!
By: megtraveling on January 10, 2013
at 8:35 pm
It is fun to look at old photos. I certainly remember some of them being taken.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 9:53 pm
Hi Debra,
Very interesting historical photos. And very good quality colour and clarity, for photos from that era.
Are the rocks in the background in photos #5, 6 and 7 from Burleigh beach ?
By: Anonymous on January 10, 2013
at 9:46 pm
Yes, they were taken at Burleigh Beach, on the southern side of the pool. They would have been taken in 1956.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 9:49 pm
Thanks Debra, It also looks like Burleigh point in photo #11 and perhaps Miami headland in the distance. Also, are the last three photos of Springbrook (Gold Coast hinterland) ?
By: Anonymous on January 10, 2013
at 11:01 pm
It would have been Purlingbrook Falls I think. The headland was more likely to have been near Hastings Point. You are coming up as anonymous. Who are you?
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2013
at 11:38 pm
Just catching up – these are such fun, what a lovely childhood and as somebody else said , the slides are a little potted history of that time, they tell so much. We have lots of photos of my mum-in-laws finger, she always managed to get it across the lens. Those ‘bathing belle’ suits are not far different from the clothes I see young women wearing in the street! Don’t I sound ancient!
By: Jan on January 10, 2013
at 10:58 pm
Great photos Debra. Very good idea to get them scanned to digital before the slides perish. Fantastic memories…..
By: Jim&Kerry on January 10, 2013
at 11:51 pm
Some of the slides were too far gone, and the colour in some is not the best, but it is good to preserve them.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 11, 2013
at 9:30 am
Pure Gold Debra. MLT
By: mltucker on January 13, 2013
at 3:24 am
Love this post Debra. What a wonderful, wonderful set of photos to have. Gorgeous!
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on January 15, 2013
at 4:48 am
It was fun to look back and recall episodes from my childhood.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 15, 2013
at 5:42 am
How beautiful. We also grew up by the water and had many visits to the Gold Coast and I remember taking the lift up somewhere with my grandad. And those pines! Love all the boat/fish shots, strikes a very familiar note. Ciao catinitaly
By: Catherine on January 15, 2013
at 6:45 am
Growing up besdide the ocean was wonderful. I am now paying with sun spots, but I don’t regret my years at the beach.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 15, 2013
at 8:17 am
Priceless photos, even without the heads Debra 🙂
By: Madhu on January 23, 2013
at 11:40 am
It was fun to recall childhood moments.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 23, 2013
at 12:07 pm
😆 I had to cover my mouth from laughing hard in public. 😆
The antique look of the pictures is so awesome esp. after seeing your other blogposts with modern pictures :D.
By: rommel on January 26, 2013
at 5:46 am
It’s nice to know I am an antique, so much more valuable than just old!
By: Debra Kolkka on January 26, 2013
at 7:14 am
Beautiful pictures!
By: Megan Gould on February 27, 2013
at 10:40 pm
Thank you, they were taken a long time ago…more than 50 years in some cases.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 28, 2013
at 1:27 am
It is amazing when you are able to have such detailed evidence of family history.
By: Megan Gould on February 28, 2013
at 1:34 am
My father was very interested in photography for a while when we were young.
By: Debra Kolkka on February 28, 2013
at 1:36 am