In 1964 I was teaching in Port Moresby, P/NG. I had made a bunch of friends at the Judo Club and on weekends we would go on day trips together. During the week we worked hard and on weekend we played hard. That was the 60's.This day we went to Idler's Bay. Most of us on our motor scooters but Bob drove his Mini Minor.
It was a small sandy deserted beach with corals on the bottom of the bay. I was sitting there imagining being marooned on a tropical island while Charles was taking a photo of me, when suddenly Graham rushed in behind me and gave me a hug. None of us had romantic relationships we were all just good mates.
While the BBQ was cooking someone turned on their transistor radio and tape recorder and played surfing songs. Del and Bob enjoyed a jive. (Ahhh the 60's)
I had a room in Touaguba Women's Hostel. Sometimes I got homesick for my family and hugged my soft toy dog named "Woof Woof". It was actually a pyjama bag. It had a zip up its tummy where I stuffed my jammies. Do you remember pyjama bags, transistor radios and the Beach Boys?
i like the hug and the dancing scenes and that beautiful beach... and you know i would have loved to heat a can of water on a FIRE... woo hoo. such a wonderful life you lead
ReplyDeleteOh the 60's Diane, such great times, seems you had a ball. The first thing I bought when I started working was a tape recorder. Quite big and bulky if I remember correctly.
ReplyDeleteLovely memories Diane, and great photos from your slides.
ReplyDeleteYes, remember those days well!
ah yes; I remember all those things - great days (I loved rock 'n roll)
ReplyDeleteYes I do remember pajama bags, transistor radios and the Beach Boys - very well! It seems like such a different world, and a long time ago!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember pyjama bags, never had one but the music of the 60's is edged in my mind. Always when I hear this music it remembers me of great happy times when we were young. Those 60's years were so special for everyone I think.
ReplyDeletetoo cute. :)
ReplyDeleteYou and your friends certainly made the most of your time there. Lots of fun and, yes, I do remember all those things. Called my radio the trannie :D)
ReplyDeleteFun memories. Your girls (and the grandsons someday) are going to love reading these!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your narratives very much Diane and the flashbacks to the sixties. The images are superb!
ReplyDeleteHow could I forget. What a great bunch of friends you have there.
ReplyDeleteOh such fun times you really did have it good.
ReplyDeleteDiane, you do have fun memories of your teaching days! The beach photos are awesome. I think they still sell the PJ bags, shaped like animals.. Cute! Have a happy week!
ReplyDeletelovely photos as usual of the beach and happy times. times were less complicated back then. yes, i remember pyjama bags, the beach boys and my green transistor radio. every time you post these remembrances i think of my scooter and the simple happy days of the 60s. :)
ReplyDeleteAh ! the sixties, the best time of my life ! Different as yours but so much fun and dancing and going out ! We were so free at that time, not like the girls today who risk to meet somebody with a knife or being raped when walking alone.
ReplyDeleteYour images really do tell the story of the time so well. The Beach Boys were on the sound track where we were having lunch on the weekend and my hubby and I were discussing the times. He had a radio when he was a kid but I didn't ... we had just one wireless in the house and Dad controlled the dial ... no Beach Boys in my youth but I did have a PJ bag.
ReplyDeleteI, too, had a pajama bag but can't for the life of me think what it looked like. That photo on the beach with the palm trees and dancers is just so joyous and perfect. Thanks for sharing.
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ReplyDeleteJust catching up on last two posts Diane,, good times hey! Yes I do indeed remember pajama bags, transistor radios and definitely The Beach Boys..
ReplyDeleteGosh you must be devastated to have lost all those photos Diane, is there definitely not any way they can be retrieved, I know they can do remarkable things these days, I hope so!
Oh, yes, I had a pyjama bag dog named Dougal, and a transistor radio, and loved the Beach Boys. My parents drove a Mini Minor. I also remember heating water on a fire, but we didn't have a "Billy" — just an old kettle.
ReplyDeleteIdler's Bay looks like a great place for a group of happy youngsters to spend a day. Much more exotic than British Columbia to my eye.
K
Great photos Diane, and yes I do remember pyjama bags. My first car was a mini, I loved it. I love reading about these wonderful adventures of yours.
ReplyDeleteYou had such a golden tan back then, Diane! It all looks so idyllic, but I guess it was easy to get a little homesick. I do remember all you mentioned -- those were the days! :)
ReplyDeleteAll my friends had pajama bags! These look like such fun years for you and your friends. These photos really are treasures!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stories of your younger years, and I remember having a transistor radio, the Beach Boys music, but didn't have a pj bag. Have you re-visited these places since?
ReplyDeleteYAY, I knew there were corals or rocks (or both) at Idler’s Bay.
ReplyDeleteOr nearby. Where I’d sustained coral cuts and wore sandshoes the next time (s).
Judyth remembers the name as she’d visited there with friends from the very same Tuaguba hostel many times as a single girl.
But the name— Idler’s Bay — is all she remembers. Not how the beach looked, or anything.
I’ll show here the beach pics and see if that jogs any memories.
We single blokes stayed at Ranuguri Hostel (I think that’s how it’s spelled) in the administrative HQ suburb of Konedobu.
There’s a saying that if you lived through the Sixties and remember them to this very day you didn’t have much of a time.
I know it was the decade of LSD and Timothy O’Leary’s influence and the like, but that saying is a bit over the top.
Yes, the Beach Boys were good in the Sixties.
But more importantly it’s when the Stones emerged — Mick, Keith and Charlie Watts!