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Jean and her 1930s Tasmanian childhood.

© Allyso

Today, we're going to visit Jean, who was born in the 1930s. Jean is brisk and friendly, one of those rare people who is pleased with company and equally contented alone. We'll park the car in the shade, then it's just a short walk round the back. No hurry, we have plenty of time to look at the flower garden.

Ah, Jean has spotted us from her kitchen window, and she's putting the kettle on already. She's a tall woman, strong and sturdy, with a broad, kindly face and thick, casually styled hair. She's wearing one of her cheerful dresses with a cardigan over the top because the weather's getting cool.

There, you say hello while I get the cups out. Jean won't mind. I often drop in for a yarn and a cuppa with her. Now, while the tea draws, Jean will tell you a bit about her Tasmanian childhood...

Jean says;

"My most vivid memory of childhood was a time when I was cheated out of sixpence. I was about four or five and attending the local town fair in Railton with my older siblings.

Lo and behold, I saw the most beautiful doll ever! I was shy and I whispered to the lady "How much?" and she told me sixpence. Clutched in my hand was, would you believe it, sixpence! I handed it over and started to take the doll but of course the money only gave me one chance to guess the doll's name. Our family left that town soon after, but that's what I remember most about it.

When we moved west, I went to a one room school. About sixty pupils were the most at any time. I walked to school rain or shine. I have a certificate for six years unbroken attendance presented by Sir Hugh Binny and I finished another three years of school life with unbroken attendance. Many of the children walked much further than I.

My hobby was reading. I think I read every western ever printed until about age sixteen, and then I realised the stories were basically the same except for names. I still read, but no more westerns...

I had a horse and on weekends a girl friend and myself would head off to open country riding to the coast. We used to go flat out and jump ditches. Nothing terrible ever happened, but it ould have and we were many miles from help. The idea of two young girls of twelve or fourteen alone in these times and places would be a bit scary."