'50s Ned Kelly

The local fair at Tuggerah where we'd 'docey do' at the barndances

"Have a banana luvvy", old Ted Kelly whispereds he passed the piece of fruit through the fence.

"May I go to Uncle Ted's, Mummy?"

 

I loved to explore Ted and and his wife Mary's home. 

In the pantry, located under the stairs hung Christmas puddings and cakes  resembling white Christmas lights; bottles of Passiona beckoned me when I ventured there.

The kitchen had many strange contraptions; I delighted in my role as Mrs. Kelly's assistant.

Passing the sheep's tongues to her as she placed them into an 'offal press' and squashed them into  shape I wondered whether the hapless piece of meat felt any pain.

Mrs.Kelly also prepared her own mince meat from scraps of discarded beef , the 'cast iron mincer' was attached to the table and I handed her the bite size scraps as I watched  the red and white strips exit from underneath, elongating with each turn of the handle..

"May I have a go, Mrs Kelly?" I said, anxious to be upgraded to handle turner.

If I wasn't underfoot in the house, I was out in the dog kennel with Uncle Ted pedigree fox terriers. They were groomed and paraded each year  at the Easter Show (The Royal Agricultural Show). They all had fancy names, my favourite being Duke someone or other, I simply called him Gookie.

Edward (Ted) and his brother Bernard worked in a gambling establishment in Kellet Street (brought to our attention in the Robert G Barrett collection).  Everyday after school Uncle Ted would drive me to Centennial Park to feed the ducks, detouring at Kellet Street, he disappeared into a doorway and returned carrying a box of stale bread.

In the mid 50's The Kelly's purchased land at Toowoon Bay in Tuggerah. Ted went there regularly to supervise the building of their new home. On these occasions my mother would pass me throught our front window at dawn  and Ted would bundle me into the old Ford. How I loved this huge old leather seated car with running boards.

Tuggerah Lakes soon became our regular holiday destination. I was not impressed with the chooks running around the yard without their heads - 'they' - the heads, were in the garbage, squawking! I did not like the 'smelly' toilets. I did, however, love the huge garage 'chocker block' with old furniture and clothes from yesteryear. 'Dressing up' was the day's order. .

Tuggerah Lakes was an ideal spot for prawning. The beach ran either side of a length of sand. One side was 'people friendly', the other was dark, foreboding and looked like 'shark territory'. A stroll in yet another direction took one into deep bushland.

The Kelly's new neighbours owned the first theatre in Gosford so I was treated to many a Superman movie.

"What's that, Uncle Ted?" I'd asked, pointing to the gadget on the dashboard.

"A wigwam for a gooses bridle," would come the swift reply. The 'wigwam' I later learned was a match box holder!