I can’t write the Reflections post without telling you what happened next.
I first met Will seven months after his return to Australia. He was not teaching in a one teacher school in Western Division but to his mind the Education Department was still run by despotic, authoritarian and twisted minds as he had been appointed to his hometown of Wollongong. He was living with his parents while he saved some money for his own place. If you want to find out more about Will (from a different point of view) you could check out my 2018 A to Z Living in the ‘70s.
Meanwhile Phil could not believe it when he was again posted to a remote small school. The only light on the horizon was Beth, who was flying to Australia to join him at Christmas. I met them several times before they returned to England.
As you will know if you read this blog, Keith married “Miss Port Albernie”. A couple of years later they arrived in Sydney, but the pull of home and family was too strong and they relocated to Vancouver.
Now the “Green Seals” have all turned 80 and can’t believe where the years went. Will and Phil became School Principals, while Keith left teaching and became a Town Planner. They (and their wives) all now reside in Sydney and Wollongong, Australia.
Will begged me to write about the demise of the “Fairsea”. That is a story that needs a whole post. Maybe in the 2026 A to Z?
Now for Reflections.
Did you finish the challenge? Yes, before it started but still needed to do a lot of editing during the month of April.
What was your favourite post to write? I liked writing the early ones (A,B,C,D) on the ship and arriving in London. I also liked the last one Z for Zigzagging back to Australia.
What was your favourite comment posted by another A-Z participant on your blog this April? Again, Josna wrote the most detailed and elaborate comments as she genuinely seemed to relate to much of the content.
Feeling quite sad as this adventure is drawing to an end. So many points of connection for me! To go out rambling over Hampstead Heath and to use their public swimming ponds was a such a gift for my mother and her brothers in their youth, as working-class kids. Love the film and the song “To Sir With Love;” before I was born my mother was briefly a supply teacher in London’s East End. I loved the photo of all the children about to take the barge on Regent’s Canal to the Zoo. I remember The Scaffold’s” Lily the Pink” was a hit while I was in London in 1969, and my mother saw Paul McCartney crossing the street in front of her bus as it went through St. John’s Wood. What a great reference? I hope they appreciated him at his next job in NSW. One of my old schoolmates taught, then became a school principal, and then headed up the education department in NSW. I wonder if they know each other? Really admire the fact that “Will” arranged a working holiday and not only supported himself but did useful work while having a whale of a time.
Did you feel supported by the A-Z team? (The Team: Arlee Bird, J Lenni Dorner, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, and Ronel Janse van Vuuren.) They are legends the way they work behind the scenes to make the A to Z possible. It is one of the highlights of my year and I would be sad if it didn’t happen. Some also visited and commented on my blog.
Did you like the graphics for this year? I love the colours and designs. They really livened up my posts.
Did you like the A-Z blog’s theme? Being grateful for our blogging community does not directly relate to what I wrote but Will and Phil’s list of What is Happiness comes close.
Did you have a theme on your blog? If so, how did you come up with it? When I met Will he regaled me with the stories you have read in this A to Z. For years I felt they should be recorded for future generations so here they are.
Did you learn anything new because of the A-Z Challenge? I learnt that dictating aerograms into Word was much easier than transcribing them.
Will you consider doing the challenge again next year? I’m tossing around a few thoughts. Doing A to Z’s in my head helps me fall asleep at night.
These are the links to each post in this year’s A to Z
Thank you to all those who read and commented on my topic “The Swinging Sixties”. I tried to comment on as many blogs as I could. Sometimes the comments just vanished or appeared as Anonymous. I will aim to visit everyone I’ve missed on the Road Trip. Hope to see you all again in April 2026!
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
The Carnival Is Over. The Seekers • 1965 Say goodbye my own true lover As we sing a lovers song How it breaks my heart to leave you Now the carnival is gone
Tuesday 5th August to Tuesday 12th August1969
We rang the Australian Embassy in Athens to enquire about disposal of the car. Because we were flying out of Athens we had to sell the car but it had to be to a non-Greek person. The Embassy said to take the car to Boomerang Motors, owned by Spyro, who had spent a few years in Brisbane. We parked it in the street outside Boomerang Motors and made arrangements for him to sell it.
That gave us time to catch the 3.30 pm ferry to Mykonos. The sea was rough and around us were women dressed in black, some holding chickens tied at the feet. As the waves increased they all started praying which made us think they knew something we didn’t know.
We were glad to arrive at 11pm. Found a room for 30 drachmas at the Youth Hostel with five of us squeezed in together. Mykonos had only just been discovered by the Jetset apparently but everyone we saw was a backpacker. We were directed next morning to a nearby beach where about 200 people had rolled out their sleeping bags on the boardwalk after a night of dining and cheap wine. The wine was called Retsina and was particularly unpalatable as it had resin added. The Ouzo wasn’t to our liking either but they had good cold beer called Fix so we regularly decided we “needed a Fix”. We dined on souvlaki and fish and chips and spent our days on the beach and in the water.
Sleeping on the beach in Mykenos
After three nights in the Youth Hostel we joined the sleepers on the beach. Eventually we erected our tents for a bit more privacy. There was constant conversation on the beach as to the best places to go so Jean and I decided on Ios and Milos.
The 9 o’clock boat to Ios finally left at 11.30 pm on Tuesday, 12th August, arriving at 2.30 am. Phil and Beth had departed to other islands as Beth had been very seasick and didn’t want to travel too far. Jean and I slept in our sleeping bags in the square near the harbour of Ios. The next day we travelled by donkey from the tiny port village up the steep road to the main town. Behind us were small children with sticks to encourage the donkeys. I apologised to my donkey at the top as I thought I should have been carrying him! I enquired about accommodation in amongst the whitewashed cottages decked with red geraniums. A couple vacated the main bedroom in their home for us and charged us a ridiculously small amount for bed and a breakfast of goats’ cheese, figs and bread.
Ios was very much off the tourist track with the only car on the island being an early 1950s Chev taxi. When you asked for a coffee you were presented with Turkish coffee, thick and sweet and for us, undrinkable. We had to ask instead for Nescafe (Instant) as there was no espresso coffee on that island. We swam in the crystal clear water and sunbaked on the beaches.
On Friday, 15th August we caught the MV Kanaris to Milos where we camped on the beach with a few others but nothing like the number of people on Mykonos. I bought myself goggles and snorkel and spent my time swimming, talking, sunbaking and eating steak and chips for dinner.
Will snorkelling in Milos
My plan to visit some ruins by bus didn’t eventuate as I developed Gut Rot, so slept all day in between runs.
However the next day we saw an ancient theatre and old catacombs. It was all very interesting but scorching hot. I survived on a diet of cold rice pudding and yoghurt until I was able to eat properly again.
On Wednesday 20th August we left on smooth seas for Piraeus (on the mainland) in the ferry Marylenia. It was a long trip starting at 9.30pm. We arrived at 8am the next day, had breakfast in a café and read the news. I also rang Spyro to see if the car was sold but to my concern no progress had been made. We only had a few days before we were flying out of Athens. It had to be sold or we couldn’t leave! At 11 am we took a boat to Aegina and camped near the beach. Here we hired bikes, swam in the warm water and ate free melon.
Will and Jean on a bicycle built for two
On Friday 22nd August we caught a bus to Agihia Marina Beach where we hired floats, snorkelled and swam in beautiful clear water, eating souvlakis and fruit.
Agihia Marina Beach
Regretfully we returned to Athens, met up with Phil and Beth and set off to see Spyro. We were disheartened to see the Morris parked where we left it, covered in dust. While we were arguing with Spyro, a newly arrived Aussie walked in the door looking for a car. I grabbed him and convinced him that ours was the car he needed to get to London. I still had a stamp on my passport to say I owned a car (it was in my name) so Spyro took us to the Customs Department where a long, snaking queue indicated we were not the only people in this predicament. A loud American voice was complaining about the inefficiency of the Greek Customs Department. Spyro moved to the front of the line with a brown paper bag which he placed on the counter and was served immediately. I walked past the astonished American and had my passport sorted in no time at all.
Unless you read Greek the only recognisable writing is MORRIS and the dates 2/8/69 and 27/8/69
Jean and I moved into the Hotel Grand Britannia for a little bit of luxury after roughing it for so long. It was much newer than the Olympic and had proper bathrooms and showers. We spent the last few days exploring Athens, enjoying tavernas, watching the changing of the guard and of course climbing the Acropolis and posing in front of various parts of the Parthenon.
On the last night before the girls flew back to England the four of us ate at a rooftop restaurant in the balmy air, the meal starting at 10 o’clock, as no one ate before then. The next day I moved out of the Britannia and back into the Olympic with Phil. We must have talked late into the night because it was with alarm that I woke around 9 o’clock the next morning, realising we were flying out at 11 am.
It was frantic! We grabbed bags, hailed a taxi and said, “The Airport”. We happened to get a taxi driver who couldn’t speak English so eventually he pulled up beside another driver and spoke briefly. “Domestic or International?” asked the other driver.
“International”, we yelled in unison. The driver did a “Uey” and headed in the right direction this time. We flew through the airport doors, saw the Qantas office and breathed a sigh of relief. I waved my passport but noticed Phil was searching through his bags and pockets with a worried look on his face.
“Must have left it in the hotel,” he muttered.
“What is the name of the hotel?” asked the Qantas officer.
In a panic Phil said, “Olympus, Olympic, I’m not sure”
The officer calmly rang a number, spoke in Greek, presumably asking the hotel to check the room. We could hear “Bravo” on the other end of the phone. They found not only Phil’s passport in the drawer but a pair of trousers as well. They put it all in a taxi and we waited anxiously at the steps of the airport. I said to Phil, “Don’t worry, if we miss this one we can get another one tomorrow” but our hearts were beating wildly.
A taxi came careering around the corner, a pair of trousers waving from the window. The driver was rewarded, doors were held open, the steps moved from the plane the minute we reached the top. We hadn’t finished buckling our belts when the plane roared down the runway.
We both ordered a cold Fosters, a chess set and sat back, relaxed at last.
Phil said, “What are we doing mate? We are leaving the best life we have ever had!”
It was too late to turn back. In the unknown future there would be work, further study, promotions, marriage, mortgages, children and responsibility. There would never be another time where life would be so carefree and wonderful again.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“Goodbye” Mary Hopkin • 1969 Please don't wake me up too late, tomorrow comes And I will not be late Late today when it becomes tomorrow I will leave to go away
6th August 1969
It’s about 10 days since I last wrote from London and a lot has happened since then. We took the giant hovercraft from Dover to France. We then drove and drove through Belgium, Luxembourg and France arriving in Strasbourg at 11.00 am on the 28th. Then on through the Black Forest, camping near Munich.
The southern part of Germany was very pretty around Bavaria where we camped one night on a site near a large lake. As the weather was very hot we had a few stops for swimming. In Munich we visited the famous Hofbrauhaus, a huge beer hall which serves litres of beer. There seem to be lots of works going on around the city as preparations for the 1972 Olympics are underway.
From there we drove through Salzburg in Austria, reaching the Yugoslav border at 2.00 am. We kept driving to 5.00am. Dawn was by a river where we lit a fire and cooked savs and beans.
Austria was just the way I had imagined it with its high mountains and fertile green valleys, green lakes and the chalet type houses. The roads were very good all the way except when we decided to make a diversion from Zagreb in Yugoslavia down to the coast which I had seen before but the other three hadn’t.
Phil and Jean cooking by the roadside in Yugoslavia
We arrived at the beautiful Plitvice Lakes in a thunderstorm. We then continued over mountains on bad roads to Kavlobag on the coast where rooms were 9 shillings each. The roads just about disappeared eventually and a bulldozer had to remake part of the road before we could get through but the old Morris carried on regardless. The next day we set off along the bad coast road to Zadar.
I have never seen so many smashes in my life before as we saw along that 500 miles of winding mountainous road, some caused by rock falls and some by the road but others simply by careless driving. In parts there was no safety rail and a 400 foot drop to the sea. We were beginning to wonder when our turn was due. We struck some particularly rough roads as we climbed back over the mountain ranges at almost 7000 feet and it was no fun meeting a huge lorry with a four wheel trailer behind. Nevertheless the car survived that too except for shaking the exhaust loose so that we had to wire it up.
Arrived 1pm at Split and camped in the car. Heavy rain proved that the tent leaks! Passed Dubrovnik at 5am over the mountain pass to Titograd (now called Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro Ed.). Swam in fjord (the Bay of Kotot Ed). Drove all night on rough mountain roads 6,600 feet high. Got lost but found Pec, Yugoslavia eventually. In the town market we fascinated the locals as they had rarely seen tourists. The central southern part of Yugoslavia around Skopje where the earthquake wrecked the city and killed all the people a few years back had a very strong Turkish influence. However, none of the women had the veils covering their face as the communist regime has made this illegal.
We got a blowout in a tunnel not long before the Greek border so drove the last 500 miles on the spare.
We arrived in Greece at 5pm (Thessalonika) and drove all night along the motorway through Greece. Short sleep, breakfast and a swim in the Aegean. Arrived in Athens at 10.30am.
The last two to three days we’ve spent in Athens which seems very interesting. Fortunately many people seem to speak English which is just as well as this Greek language is very difficult, not to speak, but to read and write because of the different alphabet. Our hotel there was quite OK, nine and six pence a night and the food in the restaurants is good and cheap. Peaches, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers etc are very low priced and the beer is excellent.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“To Sir with Love” Lulu • 1967 The time has come For closing books and long last looks must end And as I leave I know that I am leaving my best friend
Tomorrow is the last half term of teaching in England. Rather a sad thought in many ways. There are five weeks of school now and then I go to camp for a week which I’m rather looking forward to as camp is great fun and very comfortable. Then only two weeks more school and we shall leave on the following Sunday for the continent.
Our kids from school boarding a canal boat to take them to the zoo.
We have already booked our flight across the channel on the hovercraft which carries 32 cars and 180 passengers in seas up to 12 feet high taking only 35 minutes for the crossing. It’s reasonably cheap as well at only £2.15 shillings each including the car amongst 4. Hope to take a little less than a week pottering down to Greece. I shall book my flight out of Athens about the 27th of August and can have two stops before Sydney probably one of either Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Baghdad, Kuwait or Bahrain. Which would you choose? I think I’ll steer clear of Israel and the Arab countries. Don’t feel like getting in the middle of a war.
As I’m applying for a teaching position in NSW this week I may know my appointment before I arrive back as NSW House in the Strand here deals directly with Bridge Street Department of Education. I will finalise flight bookings this week as well.
Have you seen any good home units on the South Sydney side around Cronulla or Port Hacking way? That should do me fine.
I witnessed the Lloyd’s Register of Shipping for the Deputy’s NJL last week signed and sealed. Would have been a regular crew for him if I’d stayed in England for the launching on the 27th of July. Too bad. Tell Jack to write and tell me what’s a good buy in new cars and Australian prices. For example MG. What deposit? Expect I’ll have about £600 to £800 deposit to put down. What price also Cortina1600 over there?
Raining here now but I’m off to bed anyway. Stag party tomorrow night for ex-flatmate who gets married on Saturday so will need all my energy as there’s a pub crawl of some West End pubs. I think I’ll surrender after two or three, and save on it. Keith now married (in Canada), rest his soul. Shall close. Hope all’s well. Write soon.
I haven’t been to school this week, a forced holiday this time as I haven’t been too good. Not sure whether it’s flu or tonsillitis. Any rate I’m on penicillin and feeling a bit better today. Maybe back to school tomorrow. I enjoyed looking at the pics of the Fairsea again- brought back some happy memories and good to read the Sharpie Newsletter to get up to date. I’ve got Phil ginned up on sailing here now. He wants to get a boat when he gets back or crew at least.
Jean and I took some kids from our classes up to the Heath on Saturday for a picnic and a swim. The kids loved it. Half of them have never ever been allowed to run on grass before. Some of these underprivileged London kids grow up without half the things that other kids take for granted. The Deputy Principal here will be boss in August as Heppel retires and the word is I would have got to be Deputy or Assistant Principal. (Surprised me a bit but reckon I could maybe run the place a bit better than it is at present). However, I’m resigning all the same and have applied for the NSW Department for September.
Boys playing football after school
Had a pleasant weekend a short while back when four of us drove out of London down to the coast in the car. It was a bit cool for camping so we dropped in for a beer at a pub that Jean’s cousin owns not far from Battle (popular with visitors since 1066). The Three Cups it was called. It was so nice and we were made so welcome we stayed all weekend giving a hand to run the place and all. The pub was built about 1520 and has oak beams just above head height and is full of antiques and old fireplaces. Really a great spot in the country.
The Three Cups situated between Heathfield and Battle. Originally at the junction of three streams – a cup being an old Sussex word for the source of a stream- the Inn is noted for its wealth of oak beams and original chimney corners with Duck’s Nest fire baskets.
Last Friday I played squash with one of the blokes from the rugby club who is a research chemist at the Cancer Research Fund, one of the largest centres in the world for research into cancer and he showed me around. Very interesting. We played squash in the Royal College of Surgeons next door. All very snobby, complete with a little Porter to usher you in, welcome and farewell you and all that.
We’ve had 10 days of beautiful warm sunshine but it’s gone cool again now. Have a light brown suntan from swimming in open air pools after school. Hope the weather improves for Wimbledon Fortnight which is only a few days off now.
c/- Commonwealth Bank of Australia,48 Aldwych London WC 2. 02/07/1969
I’m just discovering there are lots of things to do at the last moment and with all the farewells and social things as well I expect I’m going to be in a mad rush at the last. I have my ticket did I tell you? Leave Athens at night on the 27th of August to Tehran, Persia 20 hours there and BOAC to Hong Kong for four days arrive Sydney 9:30 am Tuesday the 2nd of September by Qantas. All of that is OK. Only have to make sure the mighty Morris makes the 2000 miles to Athens. It’s going well at present and we’ll give it an overhaul before we leave so should be alright.
I’m going to camp this Saturday with the kids for a week. Good place to save money. All free meals, waitress service, private room with shower etc so should be a good holiday and very cheap. Asked the boss for a reference today and he told me to write my own for him but that’s not my idea of clover. We have been following Wimbledon closely and went down the other day there for three hours but it’s all on TV direct so quite good to watch. The Aussies are really killing them except for Marge. Had my photo in the Observer on Sunday. it’s a large circulating newspaper, with a magazine in the middle. I’m in there, large picture and all, downing my pint. Will send you a copy.
Had dinner out in a nice little Austrian restaurant “Eidelveiss” the other evening. Very good food . Spent last Friday at the sports ground where our kids really thrashed the other schools and some of these African kids are born athletes. One kid, Sylvester Okimo (Kenyan) shattered the record and left the other kids standing.
Saw the Scaffold Group and Paul McCartney’s brother, Mike McGear (Lily the Pink), get off the train at Houston the other evening while waiting to meet someone. London is a great place for spotting famous people standing next to you often unnoticed.
c/- Commonwealth Bank of Australia,48 Aldwych, London WC 2. 15/07/1969
Hello, received your card today, Dad and your letter, Mum, just before I went to camp. All final arrangements seemed to be sorting themselves out adequately and I sent off two suitcases crammed to the brim with clothes and junk a couple of days ago. Threw out all or most of my old clothes including my duffle coat (heartbreaking it was). They will cost £12 and we’ll arrange to pick them up in Sydney. The car is having its final adjustments and we’ll give it a trial run by taking it 200 miles up to St Helens on the weekend as the girls have to get a few things and say goodbye to their families before they go.
Only just another week of school after that, break up on the Friday and leave on the Sunday morning July 27th and should be in France that night.
The weather here has been glorious for the last week, temperatures in the 80s. “London swelters in heat wave” and have a reasonable suntan. Shaved my beard into a moustache and sideburns just for laughs but after camp also shaved that off too so I’m back to normal again. Camp was a pleasant change, certainly better than school and we had a few trips out by coach but mostly by walking as there are some enjoyable country walks down there. One of them took us to a strawberry farm which was truly old England. Strawberries were one and six a pound. Never thought I’d want another strawberry again. They’re still very cheap in London even now and tasty with cream and or ice cream.
School’s fine. I have my reference and have sent it but no word yet from NSW Education Department in reply. They’re a rude lot. No wonder they can’t get enough teachers. With a bit of luck they won’t get me either.
The Reference (Will did not have to write it himself)
14th of July 1969
Mr. William Price has been a member of the staff of this school since February 1967. He came to the school on his arrival in England from Australia and very quickly settled down to teaching in what was to him, entirely strange surroundings. He found here a multi-racial school with many children who were also having to adjust their lives to working in a strange community and one with different methods from what they had known in their countries of origin. Many of these children did not even remember their parents as they had been left behind when Mother came to England. By his sympathetic handling of these youngsters, he was quickly accepted by them as a friend as well as their teacher.
Mr Price’s work in the school has been of a consistently high standard and he has been quick to adapt new methods and techniques to his class teaching. He has also shown ability to organise and to help younger teachers so that I was pleased to put him in charge of the second-year group of classes. He has assisted in the out of school activities, football, cricket and swimming and this year he organised the junior section of the school sports. He also took charge for one week of the boys at Marchant’s Hill Rural Centre where the children live together and do their work away from the school. He is a conscientious teacher, thorough in all he does and a loyal and helpful colleague. We are all very sorry that he’s leaving us and wish him every success in his career in Australia. Any school which has Mr Price on its staff is indeed fortunate. He is a most helpful pleasant and friendly member of the staff.
C/- QANTAS Cnr Metropoleos and Nikis Streets, Athens, Greece. 29/07/1969
This will have to be a quick letter as will be leaving in an hour or so. Car is loaded to brim and all things seem to be sorted out. Have had a fairly hectic week with last minute preparation and last minute drinks with all so we’ll need the holidays for the rest.
Staff gave me a great book by Paul Elvstrom on “Expert Dinghy and Keelboat Racing” worth 70 shillings here and much dearer in Australia so a good and useful souvenir.
A little worn around the edges after 57 years
Had dinner out a couple of days this week at an Indian restaurant and at the Swiss Cottage. I shall miss all my friends on the staff otherwise. The Poms are a great lot really.
Went on a clothes buying spree on Thursday night (late night shopping) and bought a new suit for 24 Guineas, a T shirt for £5 (Italian) and a T- shirt for 10 shillings. It’s a beauty, good value as all the sales have commenced in Oxford Street.
I have a job in NSW, $3,200 per annum until they recognise my service here and then another rise. Don’t know where until interview about 4th of September. That’s it for now. Write to Athens.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” The Animals • 1965 We gotta get out of this place If it's the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place 'Cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
Main news is the axe has fallen tax wise and as well I’m paying superannuation of £10 a month. I expect this will be rebated but not the double tax I have to pay. Handed in my resignation today. Dates from end of August. Will be paid summer holiday pay here almost till I start work in Aussie. Seems strange to be leaving. I’m doing pretty well on a reasonably tight budget at present but don’t expect I’ll save enough for spending money on the way home so will send home for £100 (about AU$207) in July as two of my pays won’t be credited to my account before I leave.
Will probably leave England the first day of the hols, 26th of July and drive through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Yugoslavia and then to Athens in Greece where will spend a week, more or less dispose of the car and get a boat out to a Greek Island. The girls are coming with us and we will probably camp most of the time. We may stay at an occasional pensione in Greece. Expect will fly out of Athens on a Qantas flight about the 27th of August as that is when Jean and Beth are flying back to England on a student charter flight. From there we’ll spend four to five days in Bangkok, Thailand and do a spot of shopping if I have any brass left. We will arrive in Sydney round about 1st, 2nd, 3rd of September I think. Haven’t booked any flights yet so these are all tentative dates. Will go into Piccadilly on Saturday and book these and to the Strand to NSW House to apply to the good old NSW Education Department (bless their despotic, authoritarian, little minds). School starts in NSW on the 9th of September. I may know by then which school I’m appointed to. If it happens to be a one teacher country school in Western Division I’ll just write and tell them to… and I’ll go to Canada, South Africa or some other place.
Our Beer Festival was a Rip-roaring success with about 12,000 people there. I was in one of the team races. You had to empty a pint of free beer and then put the glass upside down on your head to show there were no dregs left. It was one of our rugby teams versus some civilians. We won but didn’t get into the final (time too slow). I served on the bar for four hours (more free beer) while the brass band played in the afternoon (Royal Guards) and they were tremendous as were two pop groups later in the evening. I don’t know how much beer was consumed yet but it was all on BBC News.
Only a week and a half till our Whit holiday. Jean and I are going to the Isle of Wight and will check out the yachts on the Solent and at Cowes. Weather is definitely warming up so we’ll probably camp. It’s cheaper and also check out some people we know.
Still have my beard which saves shaving of a morning. Doesn’t look too bad at all but probably shave it off in Greece unless I have a change of mind. Keith gets married 31st of May in Canada.
POSTCARD
31/05/1968
Hello, arrived back in London yesterday with a good beginning to a suntan. Now looking much healthier after having spent a few days on the beach. Came back by hovercraft across the Solent into Portsmouth and had another look over the Victory (Nelson’s ship) in the Navy yards as Jean hadn’t seen it before. School again on Monday, unfortunately.
Postcard view from Royal Yacht squadron and Cowes Castle
Suntan hasn’t faded much yet and I’m still a bit surprised at having got one during our very cheap midterm holiday on the Isle of Wight. The whole trip cost only £7 for six days inclusive of everything as we hitched down then camped and Youth Hostelled. Ate well, had a few trips on boats from canoes to hovercraft and hitched back. Saw the QE 2 in the Solent. What a fantastic ship she is. I would love to go on a cruise on that. Spent a few days on the beach at Ryde and Freshwater and the countryside is very pleasant and green down there. Weather was a bit variable and we slept one night in a bus shed but the rain started blowing in about 4:00 am. Fun all the same.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“Sunny Afternoon” The Kinks • 1966 The tax man's taken all my dough And left me in my stately home Lazin' on a sunny afternoon And I can't sail my yacht He's taken everything I got All I've got's this sunny afternoon
It was Spring over here five days ago but today is the first sunshine we’ve had for a while. Not much snow or rain, just grey skies and a couple of windy days. Very depressing. However we should be on the downhill run towards some warmer weather shortly. It’s only three more school days to our Easter holidays. No work from the 1st of April to the 21st so that doesn’t sound like punishment. Haven’t decided what I’m doing yet but am a bit low on funds so don’t expect it’ll be anything too expensive and the weather not warm enough for anything too outdoorish anyway. Could do with a job but I refuse to work for £14 a week for 40 hours so that’s out. Also I may get down to Portsmouth to have a look at the deputy’s new boat. It’s a 23 foot fibreglass twin bilge-keeler four berth. He doesn’t launch it till July as he’s bought it completely fitted out and delivery dates on these are very prompt.
There has been an Aussie from Melbourne on the staff supply teaching for three to four weeks. He picks up a new Mercedes 220 in Germany in a fortnight £1340 tax free and is driving it around the continent for three months. They’re worth a lot more in Australia. I think if you send the brass Dad I’ll bring you one home or would you prefer a yacht? The prices are very low here and workmanship very high.
A 1969 Mercedes 220
I am looking forward to a few weekends down at Cowes, The Isle of Wight, when the summer comes. It’s really beautiful down there. Having a new clutch put in the mighty Morris on Monday £16 ten shillings and today we got 3 phone bills, one for 10d, one for £8 one for £11. We’re only paying the 1st of course. Well organised, the Poms are.
Next term the teacher teaching in the room next door is to be a Miss Price. Haven’t met her yet but she’s supposed to be young so the kids will think she’s my wife for sure. Have recovered from my rugby injuries after one week out. Teeth are OK now but front one is still slightly chipped – not noticeable. Last week we played Barclays Bank and won 16-3 after being down 3-0 at half time. I scored the first try – makes 7 this season I think. Injuries were a result of hard tackling, not a fight. Fights are generally quite scarce in England. Your opposition is more likely to ask if you’re OK and dust you down than punch you in the nose. Public school tradition and all that crap. Much more civilised then those rough colonials you know.
This Friday is the annual ball which should be a great show, about 500 people at least. The club is very socially active. We saw Nina Simone (I Got Life, To Love Somebody etc) at the Royal Festival last week. She was bloody brilliant. Have seen a few more live plays but one called “Brief Lives” was truly outstanding. I didn’t think I’d stop clapping at the end. Have also just seen the two films which should win all of this year’s Academy Awards. “Lion in Winter”, Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. (He lives up the street) and “Romeo and Juliet”, both of which are excellent shows.
We had a truly great party here at the girls’ flat a week back. I flaked at 2:30 am but quite a few kicked on to breakfast. Quite a few Aussies here and all mates of Phil and mine but all English girls.
Received your aerogramme and the letter containing newspaper clippings the same day. If you like you can phone me up for my birthday. No, that was just a passing thought. I may be away on holidays and eating very well. The girls are very accomplished cooks, Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, English meals, you name it they cook it. Phil and I have both decided we are not going to Canada for Keith’s passing out ceremony (his wedding).
Today was the first day back at school after the 2 1/2 week Easter hols which were very enjoyable but as usual too short. However work isn’t so bad so can’t complain. Besides it’s only 5 weeks till the Whitsunday midterm hols of one week duration.
The sad news of the month however was my tax letter arriving which means as from this month I have to pay British taxes. Oh! Woe! Can’t say I wasn’t expecting it eventually though even that wouldn’t be so bad except it appears I will have to pay double tax in order to pay back the tax-free year I got 1967 to ’68. No mention of ’68 to ’69 yet. Haven’t decided what course of action to take yet but will at least appeal and claim a lower deduction rate. Failing that I shall threaten to resign as my net pay will be insufficient to live reasonably on. I shall struggle valiantly. Failing this I shall have to resign before August as I don’t intend paying them £400 back tax plus £100 for this year. Not to worry as The Beatles would sing, “We can work it out”.
Yesterday we played the last game of rugby for the season. We can still play 7 aside games if we wish or social matches but think I may retire for this year at least. The weather is getting warmer and some of the grounds were nearly as hard as Aussie ones last week as it’s been three weeks of sunshine and no rain over here. We didn’t go out in a blaze of glory as we were thrashed 24-0 in the last match but over the season the teams I played with won 15, drew two and lost 9. I scored seven tries as centre or winger. Paul hasn’t played the last month as his shoulder has been a “recurrence of old injury” but was still wing for the 1st team at the finish and playing well.
Spent most of the holidays on odd day trips out of London into the country. Spring began with a vengeance, the warmest and sunniest Easter for 43 years. That means they get the next good one in the year 2012. The English countryside is really beautiful at present especially in the Thames Valley where we were on Sunday for a picnic up near Oxford. We spent three days with friends in their country cottages (two thatched Tudor buildings which are luxuriously furnished). I shall send some photos. They are millionaires I think.
You must see “Where Eagles Dare” to see Lloyd who had a job as an extra. A couple of Aussies who used to flat with us are Germans in “The Dirty Dozen.”
Received Jack’s card for my birthday. Thanks, mate. Enjoyed the letter. Will reply later. I got 9 cards for my birthday. How is it I get to like birthday cards now when it didn’t worry me too much before?
I went sailing last week. I hired a boat on Hyde Park Serpentine. Very exciting – brought back the old thrill of the tiller, even if compared to a sharpie it was like a bicycle to an E type. We also hired a row boat and had a picnic, chicken, beer etc out on the lake- very nice.
Knox Johnson arrives tomorrow after his nonstop (sailing) trip around the world and excitement is pretty high here already. Don’t think I’d like to try it. Our beer festival is only three weeks off and looks like being one of the important events of the year in London. They expect 3000 people and are flying in the Munich World Beer Drinking Champions with national press and TV coverage. It looks like being a great show. I have to serve beer for one hour or so. We had free beer at the club the other night while heats were held for a yard of ale (old English tradition) in the fastest time but I didn’t fancy drenching my new shirt like some of the others. You will be pleased to hear, Mum, I’ve had a haircut. Jean gave me one last night. I grew a beard over the holidays, a yachtie type one and caused a mild stir when I wore it to school today but since the boss has a moustache and the deputy has a beard it wasn’t quite so unusual.
Had lunch the other day at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese which is a really old pub of Fleet Street with sawdust on the floor etc rebuilt in 1667 as it was burnt down in the Great Fire of London. We also had a day in Kent and revisited Canterbury and saw the spot where Thomas a Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and checked out Kings School. They have the Crest of the Parramatta one there too as an old boy of Kings Canterbury founded the one in Australia along the same lines.
Looking back on our trip to Portugal Phil and I spent many hours discussing life and came up with the following definitions of “Happiness”. We have gradually been adding to it ever since.
Happiness:
is a good giggle
is a cigar, a Scotch and a White Christmas
is NYE in Edinburgh with a bird
is pizza fungi (mushroom)
is sliding down the face of a gently curling wave
is the discovery of the difference between the sexes
is a newly ironed shirt
is clean underwear neatly stacked in the drawer
is your mother
is clean fangs (teeth)
is 3 bottles of Cerveja while lying on the beach
is salt on your tomato and onion roll
is thinking of the good things about home
is the excitement of a yacht race
is any sort of sport
is being young
is 80 degrees Fahrenheit in a wispy breeze
is no shave for two days
is a shave after 7 days
is ice cream and blackberry crumble
is a carefree existence
is a Beatles LP
is a Scotch, tonic and ice
is Sunday morning’s newspaper
is Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm
is Sunday night’s BBQ (in Australia after sailing)
is a big feed, good company, 2 bottles of red wine
is a European summer
is an English pub
is an English miniskirt
is a game of squash
is a Guinness
is a game of chess
is a school holiday
is a hot shower
is a good cup of tea
is a cold Fosters
is a belly full of fresh fruit
is 2 years in Pom
is a good suntan
is a Sharpie (sailing boat) on a screaming three quarter
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
"I Got Life" Hair (Musical) •. 1967 I got life, mother I got laughs, sister I got freedom, brother I got good times, man
I got crazy ways, daughter I got million-dollar charm, cousin I got headaches and toothaches And bad times too Like you
St Helens 02/01/1969
I’m still alive and living like a king up here in Saint Helens where I spent my first White Christmas. We motored up on Christmas Eve. It’s about 200 miles from London in the county of Lancashire which is referred to as the North not the Midlands. However, it only took four hours including stops as these motorways (expressways) are really top class, very fast and very safe and even the old Morris came up at 65 mph most of the way.
Phil is staying with Beth’s parents and I am with Jean’s. Make no mistake about the Poms. They don’t go without too much in this world. The standard of living here is quite high in most respects and I’m being very well looked after. My bedroom is about the size of the lounge and dining room at home in Wollongong added together and the houses generally are large and tastefully furnished. On Christmas Eve the girls had booked us in for dinner at a hotel in Southport, a seaside resort 20 miles away where I had prawn cocktail and grilled trout etc. They shouted!
I’ve certainly been doing some eating up here and can recommend the turkey, pheasant and prawns which seem in unending abundance. Aussie’s seem much rarer up here than in London and are also reasonably popular. We’ve been to some good parties- all grog supplied and some of the cocktail cabinets would put a lot of pubs to shame with their selection of French and Italian wines, spirits and liqueurs. We also did very well on the gift front much to our surprise as Christmas gift giving seems a big thing here, much more so than in Australia, so as I sipped my Cointreau and smoked my cigars (I got a box for Christmas) I reflected on the good life.
Saint Helens is built around or because of the Pilkington Glass Company which is huge. It was started here in 1850 and Lord Pilkington just about owns the town and half of Lancashire too, I think. Jean’s father worked for them for 50 years till he retired a couple of years ago. We went to see the League on Boxing Day, Saint Helens (red and white equals the Saints) versus Wigan. A great match and the standard seems very high. Many of the players I’d seen play before as five were (and still are) England representatives. The match however had to be abandoned at half time because the ground had frozen solid. The goalkicker couldn’t dig a hole with his boot in the ground. It was like solid concrete all over.
A bitterly cold day outside but beautiful for drinking Scotch in an armchair in front of a blazing fire. There’s something to be said for the traditional White Christmas, though people here always seem so envious when they hear about Christmas in Australia on the beach. Two days before New Year the four of us decided to go to Edinburgh for the Scottish Hogmanay. New Year is the big thing up there, not Christmas, so we drove the 250 miles in six hours and stayed at the Angus Hotel with our Johnny Walker White Horse, Bacardi Rum and Lager. We celebrated in fine style (soberer than most Scots) and joined in with Burns “Auld Lang Syne”, the streets swarming with happy people.
Well tomorrow we will have to be heading back to London as we play rugby on Saturday. I’ve had four wins in a row now.
Happy New Year. Will see you this year I think. 1969!
Well, Mom, received your letter this morning, the first I had since before Christmas and received your letter from Papua 3 days ago, Dad. It certainly sounded all right out there. I wouldn’t have minded it at all. I had numerous Christmas cards from lots of people but notice a marked predominance of scenes and pictures of Australia on them. Why is this do you think? Did very well on the Christmas front here. I collected some Pearl cufflinks, a Wedgewood coffee mug and Aries the Ram coffee mug, after shave, talc etc mostly from girlfriends and also received an LP recording of “The Graduate” soundtrack in the mail a couple of days ago from Cilla who I haven’t seen for a couple of months.
Christmas present from Cilla
In half an hour I’m supposed to be at the Rugby Club. We’re playing at Harpenden about 25 miles north of London. Tonight we’re going to a party near Regents Park, a friend of Jean’s. Went to the Boat Show this week and spied on “Superdocious”, the gold medal winning boat.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious or Superdocious for short, was sailed by Rodney Pattisson and Iain Macdonald-Smith to Gold Medal victory in the 1968 Olympic Games. They won a record–breaking 6 out of 7 races, and used the trapeze, a device which had in earlier years been banned as unsporting. Photo from National Maritime Museum, Cornwall.
Also saw “Lively Lady” (Sir Alec Rose’s around the world yacht). On a huge harbour built for the exhibition were floating some of the most beautiful craft. Certainly, had a better New Year this year than last. Weather still pretty cold here but no more snow thank God.
However the rugby was cancelled but the previous week we continued our winning run with a 24-3 over Regent Street Polytechnic (I scored a try). We play Charing Cross Hospital this week out in the country so now hope the snow keeps off. Phil’s team had a bad defeat but he didn’t get dropped from the firsts and plays on the wing this week instead of the centre. I’m playing centre at present which is much better than the wing but things are quite competitive these days as there are a lot of new players all trying to get a game.
Received £16 back pay last week after a pay rise and also will receive 3 rises in April making about £3 a week more pay. Have heard nothing about our tax yet and are keeping our fingers crossed. Car is going OK again now as we’ve spent £40 on a new battery, starter motor, brakes and a few other minor details and £17 on a new mud guard.
Only another week and we get a week’s holiday (9 days for midterm break). We only have one hour 10 minutes for lunch now, so manage a counter lunch at a pub once a fortnight with a pint of bitter. Nice to get away from all the noise during midday. Boss announced he’s retiring in July. He turns 60 then. Can’t decide whether to run for deputy but I’m going to camp with the kids for a week in June/ July. It’s great there in the English countryside. That’s it for now. Keep the letters rolling. See you after the last.
Hello, I received your letter this morning, Mum. It only took four days to get here so that’s not bad going. I’m just sitting around at the moment playing records as the weather looks a bit grey and cold outside. There’s no school for a week -midterm hols and I need the rest after a hectic weekend anyway. Last night there was a folk singing night at the club which was very good and the bar did good business on the Fosters Lager (Melbourne beer) which is sold for three shillings a can (expensive). It’s sort of the in drink with the Poms at the rugger club. The clubhouse is actually an old church hall once used for sea training cadets and has been fixed up along the same lines so has bags of atmosphere. On Saturday two teams from Paris came over for the international match and so we had a huge show at the club with a banquet and discotheque at night, all of which was a sensational success.
Jean speaks fluent French so I was able to have a chat with the Frogs in my high school French with Jean’s assistance.
I spent £182.00, that is $310 Australian yesterday, on a plane ticket valid from April till the 31st of August with Qantas Pace Setter flight under 25 years old. Allows two stops, one in Europe and the other in Asia. These will probably be Greece for about four weeks and Bangkok or Hong Kong for one or two weeks. Didn’t have to buy my ticket this early but figured on taking it out of the bank in case the tax man got any ideas. Bank account now looks a bit of a sad story but should recover sufficiently once these pay rises come through.
Had a bit of a shock the other evening. As we were walking up to the Swiss Cottage for dinner we heard a skid and turned to see a bloke get hurled up in the air by an MG travelling about 40 mph. I was first on the scene. He was alive but a bit bashed about the head and a broken leg, I think, so I dialled 999 for an ambulance. Then put a bit of a bandage on his head. Left Jean a bit shaken and didn’t do anything for my appetite either. Nevertheless, recovered sufficiently later to down rump steak and wine in pleasant surroundings as I came to the conclusion he would live anyway.
The snow seems to have all gone now which is a pity because it looked really beautiful under the orange street lamps and over the cars, the Georgian houses in our street and the parks with trees devoid of leaves – just looked like scenes from Christmas cards minus Santa Claus. We celebrated pancake day on Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes here at the flat- the girls’ recipe but when I threw mine in the air the first time it missed the pan and landed on the floor. Just a matter of practise and I’m as good as a veteran.
I haven’t played rugby for the last three weeks mainly due to the weather but we play on Regent’s Park on Saturday so I’m going swimming, playing squash and to football training in the next couple of weeks to get a bit fitter.
Went out for dinner at a very atmospheric little French restaurant (La Gaffe) in Hampstead. Very fashionable – was recommended in Good Places to Eat in London and had a fantastic meal. Prawn cocktail, chicken done in brandy (Poulet de Brittany Hochepot) with the good red Beaujolais wine. It was Jean’s shout. Good to spend about two hours over a meal with the little personal attentive service in pleasant surroundings. Michael Caine the actor was about 3 tables further up! It only cost £4.10 shillings for two including wine which is pretty reasonable for a first-class meal.
Our car is needing a new clutch at the moment. Looks like a bit more money. Still it’s too convenient to sell. Thanks for the letter and all the news.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“I've Just Got to Get a Message to You” Bee Gees •. 1968 I've just got to get a message to you Hold on, hold on One more hour and my life will be through Hold on, hold on
Extract from Diary
Monday 9th September 1968
Back to school class 2C. 33 in class, good kids, a few staff changes.
Tuesday 10th
Staying with Italian family in Cricklewood, comfy accommodation £1 per night bed and breaky.
Wednesday 11th
Played squash
Thursday 12th Saw movie “Wait until Dark”. Gripping. Great!
Saturday 14th To Southampton with Osterley playing second grade for Magpies. Lost 22-3 Played Trojans.
Sunday 15th Saw “The Graduate” again- a very good film.
Tuesday 17th Moved into flat 29 B Jeffries St Camden Town. Unpacked.
Basement flat (below street level) in Camden Town Recent picture from Apple Maps
My biggest problem at the moment is that I’m aching from A-hole to breakfast time from yesterday’s game of Rugby, so much so it’s difficult to write. It just shows how out of condition I really am, even after all the squash and one previous game of rugger. We will start training seriously this week though, at the Swiss Cottage gymnasium, so should be fit soon as it was our first game with a new club (Hampstead).
We played down at Greenwich (0° longitude) but our home grounds will be Regents Park and Highgate where Dick Whittington turned and came back to London.
Have just come back from the cinema where we saw “Girl on a Motorcycle” with Marianne Faithful which to say the least was “broad minded”. Last week saw the film “Nobody Runs Forever” with Rod Taylor, which is about the Australian High Commissioner in London who is to be arrested by an Australian detective (Taylor). It’s a very good show and Taylor does a perfect Australian accent but a lot of the Pom’s missed some of the comments.
Cilla has finished at Essendine and starts next year as an Air Hostess with B.O.A.C. Meanwhile she is teaching English in Venice and Paris to fill in time.
Flat here is OK and we could fix it up into a great bachelor pad if we were staying but alas I suppose I must leave swinging London someday. Pleased to hear about everyone resigning from the NSW Education Department and the strike might make those silly apes up in Bridge St start treating teachers like human beings. School is all right here and I’m enjoying work. Have a good class and we’re very busy with the project at the moment called “Man, How You’ve Changed’.
Wouldn’t mind joining you in New Guinea, Dad, for the sailing. It’s supposed to be an interesting place to visit too.
Ringing home with kid’s artwork on the wall behind
Well it’s 12:30 am on Saturday morning and 35 minutes ago (Friday night 11:55 pm) I rang you up, Mum and it was absolutely great to talk to you even if for only three minutes. It only took me about 45 minutes to get through and when I heard your phone ringing and you saying hello I was very excited. The line was very clear and it’s amazing to think someone 12,000 miles away could come through so clearly. I can remember the conversation quite well but imagine taking you by surprise like that startled you a bit. I asked you what time it was over there. 9:00 am Saturday morning was it? and how you were but didn’t get a reply. Suppose the surprise was a bit much. Reckon I’d have been the same if you’d have got through here earlier in the week. What’s this about me losing my Australian accent? Not true. I didn’t have any trouble recognising you over the phone.
Extract from Diary
Rang mum in Australia £1 per minute 12:00 pm here and 9:00 am Saturday morning in Wollongong. Really great to hear mum again. Hard to convince her it was me.
It’s a bit hard imagining Dad going sailing again over there especially since every day gets just a bit more chilly here. Autumn has at last arrived and the leaves are flooding the foot paths now although it’s still not cold enough by any means to wear a coat outside.
Today Phil and I play “rugger” with the 5th grade side. We play Footscray in Kent which sounds a long way away but is only about 20 miles. England’s a pretty small place. The team we play for at Hampstead are a very enthusiastic lot being a reformed club with well over 100 players. They were first formed just over 100 years ago. They supply us with new jerseys and shorts from next week.
Will is in the back row, 4th from the left
All’s well otherwise over here in Swinging London but reckon on writing to Canada for a job beginning in the new year. Six months only over there should be enough. Had a letter from Keith who has bought a Ford van and is touring the US at Christmas. Don’t know very clearly what he’s up to after that. He seems a bit rapt in some Canadian bird, Miss Port Alberni, he reckons she is, but we should set him pretty straight when we see him.
Thursday night here and I’m just getting a chance to reply to your letter. I was supposed to be going to rugby training tonight at the gym but caught up on some sleep instead. Should have trained I suppose as I got promoted this week to the “A” team third grade side and as we have eight sides plus reserves now the competition is very keen. Played at Luton 30 miles north last week for the 5ths and were beaten 15-3. I had numb toes all the game as it was a pretty cold day. An Aussie played for us who had just flown over from Brisbane. Great to hear that unadulterated, broad drawl again. The cold weather was a bit of a shock to him. Phil is still playing first grade and going very well from all reports.
The news report just said Miss Australia won the Miss World Title – something of a surprise! It was live on TV. Imagine! Everyone dashed up after training to see it at the pub. Have been out a few times this week. Took the birds to a play called “The Secretary Bird” starring Kenneth Moore (Douglas Bader) which was a really hilariously good play. An Aussie bird played the title role.
I just discovered that the pub, the Old Bull and Bush about which the song was written is one of our locals, a nice old pub at Hampstead which is a lovely part of London on the hill near a large heath with old houses, shops and pubs but pretty expensive. On Sunday we drove out of London. Car is still running well and inexpensively down to Southend on Sea (Sarfend) for the afternoon and had dinner at the girls’ flat. They sure know how to cook ! Chicken cooked in wine with mushrooms plus three other courses and French wine! Not bad.
Bobbies certainly are a polite breed here. Pulled up outside the bank in the strand on Saturday in a “No Standing” area and the constable said, “Leave it there while you go into the bank, Sir. I’ll keep an eye on it for you”. Makes you want to co-operate with the police.
I did hear of Wollongong’s bushfires. There was a small paragraph in the papers here and a little more about it in the Australian newsletter. Must have been pretty terrible. I wouldn’t mind some Australian magazines, Women’s Weekly and even some Daily Telegraphs. Could you send them seamail? They’re sent reasonably cheaply this way.
Have been to see a few good new films lately and at the theatre saw a new play called “40 Years On” which was quite good, starring Sir John Gielgud who was very convincing. I saw the film “Till Death Us Do Part” and since I hadn’t seen any of the TV series I quite enjoyed it. Alf Garnett certainly got some publicity in the local papers over here over the Marrickville incident. The way it was reported here it made a lot of people round that way seem a bit prudish or something.
It’s the last time I’ll play Alf says Warren
Sydney Wednesday – Warren Mitchell said goodbye to Australia and Alf Garnett in his farewell appearance at Chequers Nightclub. Mitchell, the 43-year-old television star who has been the centre of a controversy following his use of four letter words at the Marrickville Returned Servicemen’s Leagues Club over the weekend finished his last show in Australia with three encores from a packed house at the downtown Sydney nightclub.
In a curtain speech he toasted the citizens of Marrickville and announced to the audience that it was the last time he would play the cynical cockney Alf Garnett. Mitchell was close to tears as he said that he wanted to forget the Marrickville incident in which he was barred from completing his contract of four days because of the language he used. Surrounded by admirers in his dressing room after his last show in Australia he said that he was sick and tired of being confused with the irascible Garnett.
“Alf Garnett is a character that I have portrayed in television. I wish to God that they could forget Alf. Tell them I am a character actor.”
He was greatly disturbed that the Marrickville incident had been reported to London. “My bloody wife read about the story in Knightsbridge!”
Hope those prints I sent arrived. The other lot looked like they’re lost. I wonder how many letters etc I’ve sent that never arrived? Suppose the Australian Post Office would blame it on that sorting machine which chews up the letters. Well, better get some Bo Peep so that I’ll be fit for school tomorrow.
Tonight I’m “sort of” babysitting. Sort of because I haven’t heard or seen “him” since I arrived with instructions to drink up, so have had a few camparis, gin and tonics, Scotch and tonics and rang up Jean to come around as well. There are some good shows on TV so have been very contentedly relaxing. I’m minding Fred for a young English couple who are friends of ours. They have a Georgian style home with very modern furnishings and very well set up. It’s their au pair’s night off so I don’t mind doing them a favour and enjoying myself too. This should be the last letter you’ll get before Christmas. Received your Aussie Christmas card yesterday. Very nice.
We have the Rugby Club Christmas party on Friday and Rugby on Saturday and Sunday to recover and Monday shopping and on Tuesday Christmas Eve we’re going to St Helens for Christmas with Jean and Beth. Will be up there for a few days and a guided tour of Lancashire and may go to Scotland though have to be back for the rugger. Played last week against Port of London Authority on a frozen rock hard ground – pools of solid ice – absolute punishment if you got tackled. We won 15-3. I scored two tries.
Saw “Hair” last night. What a great show! The best thing that’s happened since Corn Flakes. Saw three films at Australia House. One on the 18 footers on the Harbour was tremendous and won a prize at Edinburgh Film Festival. They looked great on a screaming plane.
Extract from Diary
Tuesday 26th November 1968
Record and taping session in flat. Bought “Hair” (36/9).
Phil and I have been taking out two girls from a flat up the road. I have been taking out an English bird from school called Jean and Phil is dating her flatmate Beth. As well we have invites up to their place for the hols. They come from Saint Helens up near Liverpool (rugby league district) so we may go up for a few days if we get a few things done on the car tomorrow.
Phil, Beth and Jean outside our flat
The car’s going quite well really hasn’t cost us anything yet in the 5000 plus miles it’s done apart from the water pump in Spain. Do you know they still make and sell Morris 1000’s the same as ours over here? Stopped making them five years ago in Aussie didn’t they? We went to the 1968 Motor Show the other evening with the girls and we saved 7/6 by getting in as overseas visitors using our passports (the girls had to pay). The man looked very suspicious at the stamp date of arrival February ’67.
The central heating in our flat is great. Waking up in a warm flat, driving to school in a heated car and working in a centrally heated school is so good you don’t even need an overcoat. You may have the wrong idea from what I said earlier that the teaching standard here is low. It’s just that there’s more freedom from a lot of the window dressing and hypocrisy that goes on in Australian schools so that there’s more time to get on with a bit of work. I don’t really think they’re much better off in Canada for all the extra work. A few people we’ve spoken to have been quite disillusioned with the high cost of living and lack of social life etc there so if and when I get there next year I don’t figure on teaching. It will just be a short visit and if I ever teach there it will be after I’ve been back to Australia. Keith seems to be existing but isn’t too enthusiastic and he’s going to tour Mexico etc at Christmas to miss the winter. Anyway, apparently he’s sending a roneoed sheet out with his Christmas cards so you should get all his news direct.
Went to a party down in a studio in Baker Street the other night run by Anthony Greenwood’s daughter. He’s the Minister for Housing. What a party – a full rock band, psychedelic lighting, go go dancers, all the birds and the bods in Carnaby St gear but the police arrived half an hour after it started at 11:30 pm and very politely asked if the music could be turned down as the walls and us were vibrating with sound and the neighbours were complaining.
We saw this play “Hair” which is without doubt the most amazing and important show I’ve ever seen. It’s an American musical happening and one of the first since all stage censorship has been removed. They took the establishment and tore it apart, politics, sex, religion, race, hate, war, drugs… An amazing show! I’ve bought the LP record and we’ve booked to see it again running to packed audiences and booked out for weeks in advance.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
“Summer Holiday” Cliff Richard and The Shadows • 1963 We're all goin' on a summer holiday No more workin' for a week or two Fun and laughter on our summer holiday No more worries for me or you For a week or two
Tuesday 30th July 1968
Packed car and left at 2.30 pm. Slept in a Hayfield near Rouen, France.
Wednesday 31st July
Slept near Bordeaux in cornfield.
Thursday 1st August
Weather getting warmer. Car going OK. Slept in Burgos, Spain in a forest.
Friday 2nd August
Crossed into Portugal at nightfall and slept on a rocky plain.
Saturday 3rd August
Drove through the mountains of Portugal to Porto, home of Port wine, Henry the Navigator and Ferdinand Magellan. Modern camping area full of gum trees. I’m suffering from “Spanish Tummy”.
Douro River with traditional Rabelo (wooden cargo boat). Portugal Turistico
POSTCARDPorto, Portugal, 03/08/1968
Dear Dad, Couldn’t work out the Portuguese for “Happy Birthday”. So haven’t sent you an ordinary birthday card. Hope you have a Happy Birthday anyway. Have been travelling for five days and the car is going well despite being sandwiched by an Italian and a Frenchman in Spain. They got dented but we didn’t. Camping now in Porto where port wine comes from. Lots of free tasting. Cheers from sunny hot Portugal. Camping area is full of gum trees. Makes us a little homesick. Will
Monday 5th August
Drove to Lisbon via Fatima, site of the supposed appearance of Mary in 1917 and centre of large pilgrimages nowadays.
The Fatima Pilgrimage Place. The small chapel is the site of the appearances.
POSTCARD
Lisbon, Spain. 05/08/1968
Dear Mr and Mrs Price,
Will has told you enough about the great weather and cheap beer in Portugal. It has made us think more about home than we have for a long while. We spend many a long hour talking about it and you can rest assured that if nothing else Will just about has me signed up for the first sailing season!! Life is good here and in England and all is going well for us. One day soon “The Great South Land”. Regards and congratulations to Jack and Gail.
Phil
Extract from Diary
The camping area in Lisbon, Portugal.
Friday 16th August
Had a beer with Carole and Jane (Nottingham Schoolies) before we left Lisbon at 12 noon for Lagos, Algarve (Portugal), 180 miles away. Moved onto Quarteira camp area where we erected the tent at nightfall.
Monday 19th August
Out of bed at 8 am each morning because the heat of the sun coming in the tent is unbearable.
Tuesday 20th August
Drove on about 50 miles through Tavira to Monte Gordo, a small town on Spanish/Portuguese border.
Wednesday 21st August
Good spot but camp not much. Good beach, warm water, Surf! Miles of sand. Very few English birds however beer good, food reasonable prices.
Monte Cordo, Portugal near Spanish Border,28/08/1968
I’m sitting in the car writing this and it’s breakfast time but Phil’s still asleep so I have a few minutes before I drive up to the market and buy some food.
We have been staying here in the camping area opposite the sandy beach which even has a surf, (the first I’ve been swimming in since Australia) for about 5 days, leading a carefree existence while getting tanned in the sun.
No Slip, Slop and Slap in those days!
The temperature has been about 86°F at midday for the last couple of weeks but doesn’t get uncomfortably hot because of a pleasant sea breeze. Also, the water is an ideal temperature for surfing and you don’t get cold even after an hour or so in the water.
Collected your letter at the British Embassy in Lisbon and was good to read up on the news. I get a little out of contact otherwise during the six weeks of being away.
We’re really eating well here and have at least one meal a day in a restaurant at a cost of about $1.00 Australian. Present favourite is “Escalopes de Vitela a Madeira” which according to my dictionary is veal cooked in Madeira wine but being a busy fishing port, the fish meals are probably better value. Mussels, pipis, prawns, crabs and lobster are plentiful but lobster is expensive here too.
Fruit, vegetables, bread and wine are very cheap if bought at the markets where the locals shop and sample prices are: a large rock melon 1 penny, tomatoes large 1 penny, onions 1 penny, plums a halfpenny each, grapes 8 pennies a pound, bread rolls 1 1/2 pennies each and wine is 3 1/2 pennies for a glass of red local variety, very tasty, so you can see we live pretty cheaply on the food front and one could get ironed out for two and six pence if one drank, which is the price of a large bottle of wine.
Petrol on the other hand is 8 shillings, that is $0.84 a gallon for super- dearer in France.
The pretty little town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio where we do most of our eating and shopping has a Main Street full of open-air cafes, beach umbrellas and attractive buildings where no cars are allowed.
Card sent from Vila Real de Santo Antonio to Will’s dad for Father’s Day
It looks over the Guadiana River and Spain is on the other side.
After a big meal with wine here a couple of days back we flaked in the afternoon heat for about four hours and ended up drinking orange juice and coffee and eating ham and sausage rolls in a little cafe until 3:30 am Then not being sleepy, watched the dawn across the water and had scrambled eggs on the point overlooking the ocean for breakfast.
It’s a good life if you don’t weaken as Arthur kept saying in this book I’ve just finished reading “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” by Alan Sillitoe.
Anchors and nets. Villa Real de San Antonio Port. Early morning.
The camping area here is nowhere as good as Lisbon and while the toilets are clean they are equipped with French boggers not designed for reading the newspaper.
We were shocked when we bought an English newspaper down here and read of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia last week and have been buying papers regularly now to keep in touch.
Have been doing quite a bit of thinking about home lately as the open-air living, sunshine and gum trees are reminiscent. Missed the sailing a lot and have been re-examining future plans in view of finances and cost of fares etc but haven’t come to any conclusions yet. Will have £150 more in the bank (pay for holidays) when I get back to London so will make my account look a little healthier.
Morris has 2200 miles up on the clock since London and is still going well but the water pump is a bit noisy.
About it for now hope all is well. Heading back for London in two days and will drive for four or five days to get back.
Extract from Diary
Wednesday 28th August
Decided to move on so shopped, packed tent and caught ferry into Spain in afternoon. Drove all evening waving to Pom birds. We became lost in Seville. So did they and we hoped to catch them up when about 1:00 am the loud clunking noise from our water pump ceased. It had seized 50 miles short of Cordoba alongside a deserted road. We got some sleep but the bloody lorries in the road roared on all night.
Thursday 29th of August
We disconnected the fan belt and moved on at dawn because of no need for lights and the cooler air and drove in short spells when the radiator stopped boiling. The only food we had was rockmelon and beer and this developed into a case of diarrhoea. It took five hours to get into Cordoba and find a BMC place who were very helpful. We checked into a nice camp area and surveyed the town in the evening.
POSTCARD. Cordoba, Spain,30/08/1968
Didn’t intend to stop off here on the way back but the water pump finally seized 50 miles before this place at midnight last night. Slept under an olive tree and limped into the BMC place this morning. All repairs completed £3 seventeen shillings. So went sightseeing today. The Romans must have been everywhere. Spain is very interesting. Madrid tomorrow.
Saturday 31st of August
Left Cordoba with the Morris now sounding healthier although a little noisy from a slipped manifold. Drove on stopping only for fuel and passed through Madrid, the capital city of Spain.
Sunday 1st of September
Drove on through Spain and reached the French border about 4:00 am so slept in car until 8:00 am when the shops opened. We spent a few hours shopping (wine bottle, wine skin etc). Drove on through France.
Monday 2nd of September
Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Photo Heartier, Rennes
Through Brittany and spent an interesting time visiting Mont St Michel, the old Benedictine monastery built on a rocky outcrop of the sea. Fascinating place. Spent the day exploring the remnants of the invasion coast of Normandy where the events of the 6th of June, 1944 took place. Slept the night at Omaha Beach.
Tuesday 3rd of September
Drove on at dawn. Passports stamped for 12 months without bother. Had a cigar and duty free whisky and felt very good to be going home to England. Phil drove up the right hand side (wrong side) of the road in Dover. We both got quite a shock to see a Jaguar bearing down on us head on! Stayed at Dover Youth Hostel and enjoyed hot shower for one hour.
Wednesday 4th of September
Good old England. Visited Canterbury, a great place with interesting cathedral. Had mudguard ripped open in Earls Court.
This is the story of Will and his two friends who sailed to England in 1967 to see the world. Aerogrammes. letters, diaries and postcards help to tell of their adventures in this A to Z.
"Shame and Scandal" Lance Percival • 1965 He went to his mama and covered his head And told his mama what his papa had said His mama she laughed, she say, "Go man, go Your daddy ain't your daddy, but your daddy don't know."
Extract from Diary
Monday 24th June, 1968
To cricket with Phil. Five shillings for last two hours play. Quite interesting. Australia backs to the wall but thanks to rain looks like a draw.
Tuesday 25th June, 1968
Two Guineas at the Abbey at 11:30 pm to preview performance of new film “The Graduate”. Excellent entertaining film finished at 2:30 am.
Saturday 29th June, 1968
Bought squash racket for £5 thirteen shillings. Went to see play “Man of La Mancha” with Cilla.
Tuesday 2nd July, 1968
The last week of Wimbledon was played in glorious weather. We went down this afternoon and ended up with fantastic seats inches away from all the stars (the Aussie’s of course) and even caught the tube back standing next to Earl Buchholz (USA) Great experience to see all these champions in one tournament at the 1st open Wimbledon.
Watching Wimbledon
Wednesday 3rd July, 1968
To see film “The Odd Couple” with Cilla – hilarious, excellent film.
Thursday 4th July, 1968
Played squash with Phil.
Saturday 6th July, 1968
Cilla’s place for breakfast, then down South by the mini to the camp for the weekend where the kids from school were spending a fortnight. I was in charge of the boys for the weekend and with Mac, Mrs Perkins and Cilla, I had a very enjoyable time. I’m sore all over from all the exercise. Actually the camp is more like a hotel in the standard of living down there as far as the teachers are concerned. Anyway, swam, played football, cricket, rounders, scaled ropes, danced, played ping pong etc until ready to drop and enjoyed it especially since the kids are changed beings when they get out in the country and can’t do enough to help. We had a concert one night where the other school (a girls’ school) sang a hymn or something similar. Next our boys put on an act. It was a calypso song about a family in Trinidad called:
“Shame and Scandal in the Family.”
In Trinidad there was a family With much confusion, as you will see It was a mama and a papa and a boy who was grown He wanted to marry, have a wife of his own Found a young girl that suited him nice He went to his papa to ask his advice His papa said: “Son, I have to say no This girl is your sister, but your mama don’t know”
[Chorus]
Woe is me Shame and scandal in the family Woe is me Shame and scandal in the family
A week went by and the summer came ’round Soon the best cook in the island he found He went to his papa to name the day His papa shook his head and to him he did say “You can’t marry this girl, I have to say no This girl is your sister, but your mama don’t know”
[Chorus] He went to his mama and covered his head And told his mama what his papa had said His mama she laughed, she say, “Go man, go Your daddy ain’t your daddy, but your daddy don’t know.”
[Chorus]
Dressed in pyjamas, with dancers and bongo drums fashioned from waste paper tins as accompaniment, they really brought the house down especially since these kids have a great sense of rhythm. Had to read the boys a bedtime story as getting 24 energetic boys to sleep isn’t so easy otherwise.
Sunday 7th July, 1968
To church with the kids and then it rained all arvo.
Monday 8th July, 1968
Cilla and I had to come back at lunchtime today however to take our classes again but it was fun down there – weather has been great.
Tuesday 9th July, 1968
Players Theatre “Victorian Evening” with Cilla, Chris, and Phil.
Wednesday 10th July,1968
Played squash against Phil.
Thursday,11th July,1968
Pizza and to film “Darling” with Cilla.
Friday 12th July, 1968
Cilla and I went to the City Arms at Stepney – entertainment and female impersonator was quite good.
Saturday 13th July, 1968
Regents Park Open Air Theatre “Merry Wives of Windsor” wine and hot dogs at half time with Cilla.
Thurs 18th July,1968
Parents evening at school 4 to 7pm. Pleasant time chatting to parents. Then to a Greek restaurant in Camden Town with Mary Lou, Fred (Canadian), Mac (Scot), Cilla,(English) and me (Aust) for shish-kebab and Cyprus wine – very good.
Sat 20th July, 1968
Phil and I bought a car, a 1960 Morris 1000 for £140. Seems in good nick but first gear is clapped. Drove home. Cilla and I went to the Kenwood Open Air Concert – Very comfy in Deck Chairs watching the orchestra across the lake in Hamstead Heath in the summer evening.
Phil and the new car
Thursday 25th July, 1968
End of term dinner with the staff at Greek restaurant. Many wines.
95 Fordwych Road, West Hamstead NWZ,London.21/07/1968
Received your letter a couple of days ago and have at last found the opportunity to write. That’s the trouble with England. When summer comes everyone is so busy going out and making the best use of these beautiful balmy days, especially since the summer is so short, that there’s barely time for anything else. It’s Sunday night at 8:00 pm and still broad daylight and I’m writing this wearing only shorts as it’s a pleasant 74°F and I have one last can of chilled long-life lager from the fridge and not a worry in this big wide world (C’est la Vie!)
Have had an easy day today sleeping in and then reading the Sunday papers. Gary Sharpe (Darryl’s older brother) came around this morning and as he only left Aussie in March, we’ve all had a good chat getting up to date on the news. We had been getting postcards from him in Japan, Southeast Asia, South America, Mexico, Canada and the US when suddenly we got one with Buck Palace on the front as he jetted in from New York. Do you remember reading of the Aussie and two Yanks taken prisoner by the Communist Chinese on a yacht in International Waters last year? Apparently got headlines in the Daily Mercury and other newspapers, TV and radio. Well, it was Gary!
Spent the rest of the day taking him on a sightseeing tour of London in our new Morris 1000. It should do us fine to take to Spain, Portugal and maybe North Africa next week for six weeks when our hols start. We have a camp stove, sleeping bags and some girls are giving us a tent so we’ll probably mostly camp, broken up by an occasional Youth Hostel or pensione (cheap boarding house).
Not going to do much sightseeing, just find a good spot on the Mediterranean with its warm water and hot, hot sun and cheap, cheap wine and food and suntan ourselves dark brown.
Had a letter from the American couple we travelled and stayed at hotels with for about a week in Yugoslavia. They have a Spanish style house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and have invited us over to stay. I’ll have to look them up when I get there eventually as they are very hospitable.
London Bridge was sold to America. The City of London put the bridge up for sale in 1967 because it was sinking into the Thames. Robert P McCulloch won the bid of $2.4 million on April 18, 1968. The bridge’s 10,276 exterior granite blocks were numbered and shipped to Lake Havasu City and the reconstructed bridge opened on October 10, 1971
Today saw Sir Alex Rose’s “Lively Lady” and drove across London Bridge for the last time as the demolition is well underway and the Poms are trying to sell 10 Downing St and its contents (Harold Wilson) to the Yanks now as well.
The Curry Apple Orchard 