Sixty and 64 Years Ago

 I remember in 1949 being so terribly disappointed because there was to be a Royal Visit when the then King George 6th and Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) were to visit Australia, not sure but I seem to correctly or incorrectly remember that the then Princess Elizabeth was also coming.  I remember my Mother telling me that the Princess could not come because she had just had a baby, that of course was Prince Charles.  I think that perhaps as a then five year old, I was simply wanting to see a real Princess and I think that excuse was given to me as a child because it was an easier one for my Mother to use rather than trying to explain the state of the King's ill health to a child.  My Mother bought a makeup mirror for her handbag that was sold as a souvenir of the 1949 Royal Visit that didn't happen, I have photographed it, not easy to photograph as it reflects being a mirror, so this is the best that I could do.

It is only about 5 x 8 cms.

  
It is sixty years ago since a Royal Visit by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh that I remember well.  It was 1954 and during the previous year myself and a number of other girls in my class at Graham Street State School in Port Melbourne were chosen to dance the floral dance before the Queen and Duke.  There had been a visit by Princess Elizabeth prior to this, I think, can't remember the previous one too well, but I do remember being taken with my brother Sid and Mum to St Kilda Road where we waited among the throngs of people to get a glimpse.
Three times a week at school, we were to go to a section of the play ground where we learned the steps to the Floral Dance that we were to perform.  I don't know how many hundred children were there to perform but there was a combination of the Floral Dance and the Maypole performed and it culminated in Spelling out the words "Welcome ER11'.  I found this old photo on later which would have been taken on that day.

Each child was given two tickets so that parents could come along and watch as it was performed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (M.C.G.), my Mother was too busy to go so I gave my tickets to Auntie Hilda who was a keen supporter of the Royal Family, she and her friend and next door neighbour came along as there was also a chance of a close up look at the Queen.

I clearly remember that jeep as it whizzed around through the children as we all stood there hoping that it would stop in front of us, but no such luck, so much to try and fit into a visit with so much to see and do in such a short time.  Each and every one of us that performed on that day were presented with a lovely shiny brass medal as a commemoration of the visit, I still have mine.  It is photographed below.

 

Picture shows both sides of the medal.

This all took place back in the days when we had school assembly every Monday Morning, we all stood at attention and the boys would salute the flag and then all children would place their right hand over their heart and repeat the following:-

                                                          I will Love God and my country,

                                                          I will honour the flag,
                                                               and cheerfully obey my parents,
                                                          Teachers and the Law.

I like to believe that we tried to live up to it. 

My Mother used to tell me a story about the 1944 Royal Visit to Australia by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.  At that time as part of the war effort Mum was working as a Tram Conductress, Men had always held the jobs as conductors until then, but as they were in short supply all being off at war, women were allowed to hold those jobs. During their visit to Australia, it was known that part of their route was to be along St Kilda Road, Melbourne which was a major tram route, and as Mum for some unknown had me with her when I was only a few months old was standing on the running board of the tram nursing me whilst the tram was halted for the Royal cavalcade.  The Royal car which also held the Lady in Waiting drew up along side the tram, with no hesitation the Lady in Waiting reached up to Mum and asked could she have a quick nurse of the baby.  Mum handed me down to here where she cooed etc at me and I gurgled in return, she then handed me back to Mum and Mum was so embarrassed to see a very obvious wet patch down the front of the Lady in Waiting's silk shantung costume.  So there you are, even though I have no memory of it, I have it on good authority that I have peed on Royalty.

The Changing Faces of George Harrod

This one was taken right at the end of 1929 when every time he opened his mouth they would shove food into it, you can tell can't you?

This one would have been taken about 1950-1951

This one was 1972 at Rosebud during an  athletic meeting

on George's left is Peter Chisnell and on his right is Gil Lockhardt

This shot was taken to appear in a Senior Scene magazine in an article on

                       keeping fit as you age, he was about 50 years old here and had just run his
                                                                         first Marathon.

This was in Bangkok April 1992 on route to England

he was 62 then.

2002 Taken at Nagoya Castle in Japan

age 73

and finally here he is at age 82 at the end of 2012

proudly showing off the Safari Suit that he had tailor made

in Singapore in 1981, proud of the fact that it sill fits.

Our Backyard

This is our cat Angel isn't she cute, spends time peeping through the cracks in the fence, the people that live behind us have two cats and two large dogs, their cats jump the back fence and spend a lot of time in the yard next door to us.  Angel has this imaginary line around the area and feels offended if any cat should come into that area.  We have added an extra two feet of trellis to the top of the back fence so that she can't jump over and some rolls of fine wire to foil any attempts, so she has settled to peep through the cracks and in cat language warn any trespassers off.

A hive of activity in the garden today, at least it was for this pollen collector doing the rounds to take back to the bee hive.

The Cattleya Orchid is showing us an early bloom this year.

It's a Tibouchina, isn't it lovely, no it's not ours,

three of them were growing together in a neighbours front yard

and their fences are in the midst of being replaced, so they have been

dramatically cut back and put into buckets to hopefully be able to replant.

Angel at age 18 years and 3 months, still has kitten moments.
Video taken on 21 May 2019.

Just when I had begin to believe that we would not have any more rain this month, a couple of thunder storms blew over, the first with it's black sky and huff and puff just kept on going, most likely to the Sunshine Coast, it only rains here at Upper Caboolture when it has no where else to go.  Half an hour later what looked like a repeat performance and surprise, surprise it rained here and parts of the lovely rainbow that followed could be seen in the north eastern part of the sky.

World Champion Octogenarians

This shot of George and his compatriots was taken at the Pan Pacific Games in November 2012 just after they had broken the world record for the 80-84 year age group 4 x 400 metre relay.

I think they were on top of the world that day, they were not inspired by Usain Bolt, the cardboard cut out was the idea of the photographer that took this picture, these old fellows being on top of the world at that time went right along with it.

In the photo it is from left to right, George Harrod, Richard  Hughes, David Carr, Usain Bolt in cardboard and Leo Coffey.  The photo was then chosen for the cover of the Pan Packs Magazine 'Masters Action' on 

Harrod's in Retirement

Here we are just past the nine year mark living here in South East Queensland where every winter is just perfect, can't say the same about summers, they don't get as hot as they can in Victoria and the weather is much less changeable than down there, but they do get very steamy. We have only had one summer when it wasn't humid and that was because we were in the grip of a drought. I am very often homesick for Victoria and in particular Pheasant Creek where we lived before we moved up here, but at the same time am now sitting with mixed feelings on that. I think that area for now is perhaps best described as paradise lost. I hope nature is good to them there and things are starting to regenerate again. I am sure they will, I remember Ash Wednesday back in the 1980's and it wasn't too long after all of that when those areas were all back to life again.
I must take a more up to date picture of our house, this was taken as we moved in back in July 2007 and those tiny plants are now all taller than four feet.

This was the two of us taken in Townsville in 2002, not too keen on taking a more up to date one, it would look too wrinkly!!!  Funny that how a photo that we once did not like much becomes more appealing more than ten years later. Perhaps I will put a 2013 photo on in another ten years.