FOR OLD TIME’S SAKE” – by Des Kelly
Think I’ve worked his name out to be Ivor de Novello (hopefully) aa the Author of this fascinating throwback that we frequently refer to, as the good old days. As usual, thank you also, Keith Bennett, for sending this story in for e’Lanka members in general. Certainly, they will enjoy reading about the past, when Sri Lanka was still Ceylon, and,as a matter of fact, many other Countries were also known by different names to the ones they are now.
Enough said, so here it is folks. Please read & reminisce.
Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) e’Lanka.
That is so true and we sure have seen a lot in our life time… recycled but some great memories
Always nice to reflect
THIS is FASCINATING! – The 1% Age Group
This special group was born between 1930 & 1947.
In 2022, the age range is between 75 & 92.
Are you, or do you know, someone “still here?”
Interesting Facts . . .
You are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900’s.
You are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can
remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war which
rattled the structure of our daily lives for years.
You are the last to remember ration books for everything from
gas to sugar to shoes to stoves.
You saved tin foil and poured fried meat fat into tin cans.
You saw cars up on blocks because tires weren’t available.
You can remember milk being delivered to your house early in the
morning and placed in the “milk box” on the porch.
You are the last to see the gold stars in the front windows of
grieving neighbors whose sons died in the War.
You saw the ‘boys’ home from the war, build their little houses.
You are the last generation who spent childhood without television;
instead, you “imagined” what you heard on the radio.
With no TV until the 1950’s, you spent your childhood “playing outside.”
There was no Little League.
There was no city playground for kids.
The lack of television in your early years meant that you had little real
understanding of what the world was like.
On Saturday mornings and afternoons, the movie gave you newsreels
sandwiched in between westerns and cartoons.
Telephones were one to a house, often shared (party lines), and hung
on the wall in the kitchen (no cares about privacy).
Computers were called calculators; they were hand cranked.
Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage
and changing the ribbon.
‘INTERNET’ and ‘GOOGLE’ were words which did not exist.
Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and the news was
broadcast on your radio in the evening.
The Government gave returning Veterans the means to get an education
and spurred colleges to grow. Loans fanned a housing boom.
Pent up demand coupled with new installment payment plans opened
many factories for work. New highways would bring jobs and mobility.
The Veterans joined civic clubs and became active in politics.
The radio network expanded from 3 stations to thousands.
Your parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and
the war, and they threw themselves into exploring opportunities they had
never imagined.
You weren’t neglected, but you weren’t today’s all-consuming family focus.
They were glad you played by yourselves until the street lights came on.
They were busy discovering the post war world.
You entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where
you were welcomed, enjoyed yourselves and felt secure in your future
although the depression poverty was deeply remembered.
You came of age in the 50’s and 60’s. You are the last generation to experience
an interlude when there were no threats to our homeland.
The second world war was over and the cold war, terrorism, global warming,
and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life with unease.
Only your generation can remember both a time of great war, and a time when
our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.
You grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better…
You are “The Last Ones.” More than 99 % of you are either retired or deceased,
and you should feel privileged to have “lived in the best of times!”
Amen! It’s great being part of the 1% Special Group
