Growing up in the country was one of the best experiences a girl could have. We had open paddocks and hills to explore. We had family around us, and very good neighbours.
Living where I lived was a way of life we all experienced; even the parents grew up here, went to the same school. We knew our neighbours well. Our neighbours were more than neighbours, they were great friends, they were all there to help out if needed.
We met at the local football matches, we gathered at the local dances. We played sport at the weekend, be it football in the winter months, or tennis in the summer months. Tennis and football involved more than immediate neighbours - they involved people from districts all around. Each district ran successful sports days as well.
The sports days were great fun and were another way of catching up with our neighbours.
Held at the local football ground, the arena held horse events – show jumping and the like - that proved to be very popular. The arena was also where the foot races were held. I remember these events clearly as I was a keen competitor.
A man in a red jacket and black cap rode a horse around in the arena making sure things ran smoothly. His name was Mr Betts, and he had a daughter whose name was Lynette. Now this girl could run! The stage was set for a great competition between the young ladies of the districts. I believed I was a good runner and that I could beat Lynette. I didn’t always win, but was known to be there, close by, at the end. Enjoyable days!
There was also entertainment outside the arena. The spinning wheel was very popular. We bought tickets with numbers, and when they were all sold the wheel was spun. If our number came up, we got to choose a prize from the shelf, from prizes donated by the shops in our local town.
There was also a watering hole known as the bar, which the men frequented. We got to know which fathers drank more than they should, a lot more than they should.
Lunches and afternoon teas served at the grounds were organised by the women of the district, special people, our neighbours.
The neighbours around us, as I said before, were the first to come to help out in all kinds of crises, to assist as and when needed.
I particularly remember a family crisis when my mother had noticed that my father hadn’t returned from getting the cows home to be milked. He had left sometime earlier on the tractor to round up the cows and had not returned by the time my brother had come from his house on the property to do the milking. They heard the tractor still running and found it bogging itself in the swamp. They back tracked it to find my father dead on the side of the hill. He had fallen from the tractor, and it had run over him, continuing on to enter the swamp.
This tragic event was one of those times in my life that good friends and neighbours came to help out and were there for me. My mother and her family needed them, they were there for me. This was a time when we knew how important family, friends and neighbours are.
Growing up on our farm with special neighbours and their families holds great memories for me that I will never forget. I still see the children of the adults from these farms. They are still my friends today and are just as important in my life as they were on that tragic day, and other days, many years ago.
Trish Rogash
April 2023
Living where I lived was a way of life we all experienced; even the parents grew up here, went to the same school. We knew our neighbours well. Our neighbours were more than neighbours, they were great friends, they were all there to help out if needed.
We met at the local football matches, we gathered at the local dances. We played sport at the weekend, be it football in the winter months, or tennis in the summer months. Tennis and football involved more than immediate neighbours - they involved people from districts all around. Each district ran successful sports days as well.
The sports days were great fun and were another way of catching up with our neighbours.
Held at the local football ground, the arena held horse events – show jumping and the like - that proved to be very popular. The arena was also where the foot races were held. I remember these events clearly as I was a keen competitor.
A man in a red jacket and black cap rode a horse around in the arena making sure things ran smoothly. His name was Mr Betts, and he had a daughter whose name was Lynette. Now this girl could run! The stage was set for a great competition between the young ladies of the districts. I believed I was a good runner and that I could beat Lynette. I didn’t always win, but was known to be there, close by, at the end. Enjoyable days!
There was also entertainment outside the arena. The spinning wheel was very popular. We bought tickets with numbers, and when they were all sold the wheel was spun. If our number came up, we got to choose a prize from the shelf, from prizes donated by the shops in our local town.
There was also a watering hole known as the bar, which the men frequented. We got to know which fathers drank more than they should, a lot more than they should.
Lunches and afternoon teas served at the grounds were organised by the women of the district, special people, our neighbours.
The neighbours around us, as I said before, were the first to come to help out in all kinds of crises, to assist as and when needed.
I particularly remember a family crisis when my mother had noticed that my father hadn’t returned from getting the cows home to be milked. He had left sometime earlier on the tractor to round up the cows and had not returned by the time my brother had come from his house on the property to do the milking. They heard the tractor still running and found it bogging itself in the swamp. They back tracked it to find my father dead on the side of the hill. He had fallen from the tractor, and it had run over him, continuing on to enter the swamp.
This tragic event was one of those times in my life that good friends and neighbours came to help out and were there for me. My mother and her family needed them, they were there for me. This was a time when we knew how important family, friends and neighbours are.
Growing up on our farm with special neighbours and their families holds great memories for me that I will never forget. I still see the children of the adults from these farms. They are still my friends today and are just as important in my life as they were on that tragic day, and other days, many years ago.
Trish Rogash
April 2023