Brisbane, QLD


Thursday, September 20, 2012

SEA RANGERS

In 1961, when I was 19, my brother came home on leave from working as a Patrol Officer in Papua/New Guinea. He was home for 3 months and he bought a car, a Herald Triumph. When he went back to work he let me use his car as long as I paid for the registration and insurance and maintenance.

Well I was like the cat that ate the cream. Here I was, still a teenager and I had my own car. I enjoyed taking my girlfriends to the beach and to the Saturday night dance. Boys didn't believe us when we said we didn't need a lift home because we had our own car. If we fancied the boys we would offer to take them home. Role reversal was pretty rare in those days.

 When I was eight, my best friend, Kerrie, asked me to join the Brownies and later the Girl Guides. In our teens we belonged to the Sea Rangers. One weekend four of us went camping at Engadine. We pitched our little tent in the bush overlooking the river. We wore our camp uniforms. It was fun being independent. We went swimming and hiking.
                       
Left to right: Kerrie, Jean, Jeanette, me.
 Left to right: Me, Kerrie,  Jeanette.

The next morning we got dressed outside as there was little room for four of us in the tent. Just look at those stylish 60's knickers, no g-strings or bikini briefs in those days, at least not in my world.



Kerrie was the chief cook. It is interesting that much later in life she was camp cook for her outback fencing contractors.


I remember we weren't that impressed with the meal but we were hungry enough to enjoy it.
Left to right: Kerrie, me, Jeanette


It was a great swimming hole and we had great fun that weekend. I lost contact with Jean and Jeanette but I kept in touch with Kerrie on and off over the next 50 years. Soon I would be leaving the Terrible Teens, my awful secret and my adopted country to fulfil my dream and embark on an exciting chapter of my life.

25 comments:

  1. Wow, you must have had fun and freedom with your own car!
    [PS, you forgot to say who was who in photo number 5.]

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  2. I am always surprised to see how many old pictures you have. I don't know anyone who has such a collection. My oldest pictures are about 30 years old.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  3. How kind of your brother to allow you to use his car. I was also spoilt as a teenager a my car was in the car business!
    The Girl Guides must have been fun. David was in the scouts in the UK but I never had time somehow to join the Brownies or Guides.
    Magical memories and like me you are lucky to have the photos. Diane

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  4. What a sporty car ...I can imagine you all as young girls having a ball and feeling like the world was your oyster!!
    Great memories of fun times.

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  5. Great photos and lovely memories for you. I giggled at the knickers!

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  6. Oh dear me ! You were brazen young
    hussies" shedding clothes in the wilderness - ha ha! And not even behind a tree!!!
    Does that swimming hole at Engadine, still look like shown in your 1950's photo?? I would like to think so.
    Great shots, especially the ones showing the covered bottoms!
    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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  7. The swimming hole looks fantastic. Like Colin, I wonder what it looks like now.

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  8. "Cat who got the cream indeed!" You lucky duck!

    And the older you get, the more you lean back towards the "60's knickers!"

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  9. How wonderful, Diane! I absolutely love your photos!

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  10. good morning diane--i always enjoy looking through your precious photos.
    what fun memories! great narrative, too.
    the knickers made me laugh.

    have a great day!

    big hugs!

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  11. What a nice looking back to your youth ! What a ship this car, lol ! I saw a few but they didn't fit into the small streets we have in Europe ! Having your own car and not depending on the boys was indeed very rare ! I also had my own car but it was a tiny little Fiat 600 !

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  12. I am so envious about that car. Triumph Herald's were the cars to have. When I went to college all I could afford was a Honda 50 motor bike!

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  13. Keep tuned Fun 60 I too rode a Honda 50 motor bike later when my brother returned to take his car.

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  14. Colin I have never returned to this swimming hole. I don't know what it is like today but if it is anything like the ones closer to home at Loftus it is probably a drain in the suburbs now.

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  15. Loved this. Especially the one photo. :)

    I'm still in Oregon. So beautiful here. We went to Mt. Hood yesterday, the coast on Tuesday, Multnomah Falls on Wednesday and I climbed up it - camera broke mid week and have to send it back to Nikon when I get home. Wouldn't you know it? Bought a $59 digital one in a drugstore and trying to get by with that. Rats! :)

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  16. I think you and your girlfriends were way ahead of your time Diane!
    I was the oldest in my family but my younger brother had a car before me. Finally when I was a college sophomore my Dad gave me his old Simca to drive.
    We did have a Honda 50 too that I did get to ride before that. I think I'd like one of those even today. :)
    My girlfriends would have killed me if I'd taken pics of them in their undies!

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  17. Diane, you were lucky and your brother was really nice to let you use his car. The swimming hole must have been a fun place for the teenagers. I enjoyed the photos and the story!

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  18. What a nice sporty car to have use of when you were only a teenager, Diane! I didn't even learn to drive until I had my son. I enjoyed your photos and story and I'm curious as to what your "awful secret" was? I will stayed tuned to your blog to find out!

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  19. What fun you had in your teens. Mine teen years we are a lot like this too. So different from today.

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  20. Nice car back then...your photos are great, you certainly had a good time.

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  21. Diane, good memories of your happy teenage years and beautiful photos. You have been so lucky to have a car, I only had a bike! (I left a comment before but I think I forgot to publish it..ztzt)

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  22. Such a nice story to read. To have your "own" car so young must have been so cool.

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  23. I came back again this evening to read what I may have missed of your personal story. I missed several posts, and enjoyed the catch-up! Thanks for sharing these photos and memories!

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  24. I can just imagine how thrilled you were to have the use of your brother's car.
    Taking so many photos back then was so rare too really - I can't get over what a fabulous record you have of those years Diane. Well done!
    You look so sweet in the uniforms and that knickers shot is just precious :D)

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