WENDY BAKER nee SMITH
The 1950’s was a wholesome era. With economic and political stability, life was quite calm and steady. My mother's childhood was the time of the family car, nicely mowed lawns with trimmed edges, Brian Henderson's Bandstand and Vegemite. It also saw the graduation from the wireless to the television. It was a complete contrast to the following decade, the 60's; a decade of discovery, rebellion and instability.
My mother remembers her childhood as a relatively free and easy one. Her mother was home all the time, always there whenever needed (and sometimes when she wasn't), and my mother was allowed to roam about the neighbourhood on her bike at will, and play freely with all the neighbourhood children. The attitude seemed to be that as long as the child was happy, healthy and well behaved he or she could do what they pleased - up to a point. Children were always expected to obey and respect their parents and whatever rules were made. These rules included strict bedtimes, not talking back to their elders, eating their vegies, and doing their chores, such as keeping their bedrooms tidy and drying the dishes.
Although the society was fairly lenient towards children and who they could play with, there were certain notable exceptions. Dirty families were avoided. My mother recalls a family called the "Slys" whose children were reported to be dirty, unwashed, lice-infested, and foul tongued. In a society where cleanliness was next to Godliness, their house was in shambles, the lawns overgrown and their yard a bombsite. The neighbourhood children were forbidden to associate with such "dirty" people.
"Common" people were also to be avoided.
Girls with reputations and such were not looked upon as wholesome. Unlike my great-grandmother's and grandmother's generations, boys were not totally taboo. In high school the sexes were permitted to mingle to a certain extent, although at co-educational high schools they were segregated completely in classrooms and in playgrounds.
Before the days of television, which came in 1956 and, for a long while afterwards, reading played an important role in evening amusement. In my mother's family, they would read, draw or knit while listening to the wireless. Children were encouraged to read. All even slightly unsuitable material was prohibited, so libraries usually offered the same selection as their parents were offered as children; books by Enid Blyton, and Ethel Turner, series such as "Little Women", "Anne of Green Gables", "Pollyanna", "What Katy Did" and "Biggles" and favourites such as "The Railway Children", "Black Beauty", "The Swiss Family Robinson" and "Heidi". As the children got older, they were encouraged to read classics such as "Jane Eyre", "Pride and Prejudice" and other Jane Austen novels, "Wuthering Heights" and books by Charles Dickens.
Unsuitable reading material was kept out of the reach of children and adolescents; however young people would secretly read it whenever possible. My grandmother read the true stories which were banned in her youth and these were now banned in turn from my mother. However my mother would also hide these under her bed and read them whenever she could.
As a child my mother generally wore clothes that suited he lifestyle. These included peddle pushers and blouses, pleated skirts and jumpers, playsuits and shorts. For more formal or dressy occasions, she wore knee length dresses with puffed sleeves and sashes, bobby socks and patent leather shoes.
When she was a teenager, my mother wore the new trendy fashions such as A-line dresses, flares and tapestry suits.
All girls of my mother's generation were required to attend high school. Many however, my mother included, left after third year and trained for occupations such as office work and nursing. Those who finished high school usually became teachers, although the very elite students sometimes followed medicine or law. However the expectations of the parents for the girls hadn't really changed much from their own youth; Girls were still expected to go to secretarial school, get a job, meet a nice boy, get married, leave their job and have children.
My mother's adolescence was a time of radical change in society. TV had taken centre stage, and things like news and current affairs were taking on new dimensions. The Beatles had led the great musical revolution and together with other groups were spreading it far and wide. Radical changes in fashion left the establishment horrified and youth rebellious. During this period people were going back, re-thinking and changing their ideas. Even the Catholic Church underwent major reform. But most of these changes barely touched suburban life and did not really affect my mother until she was old enough to spread her wings and join the workforce, which happened when she was about 18.
My mother and her younger sister were delivered by a doctor at hospital, as were her own two children. My mother attended baby health centres with my brother and I, although due to a much busier lifestyle, which has occurred as a result of rapidly developing technology, it has ceased to be the social event it was when she was a baby.
My mother was raised by her mother. Her father played no part in the raising of his children. It was her mother who was always at home, who cooked, cleaned, washed and ironed for them, and who was always there when they needed her. The man was the breadwinner and my grandmother's day was based around his schedule; he would go to work early, and he would be home by 5.30, via the pub and exactly two beers. Dinner was at 6 on the dot, after which he would lounge around and listen to the wireless or television, or visit his mates and chat about "men's stuff" (guns, cars, boats) over a few beers. He never did any chores or household duties, except carving the roast at Sunday lunch.
The raising of myself and my brother is more of a joint effort. Although my mother does the bulk of the household duties, my father pulls his weight (to a point) and actively participates in the raising of his children.