Memories of Christmas

Christmas and New Year was a stressful time for our family.  Whilst we three children wanted for nothing materially speaking, our parents were exhausted.  Serving the public meant being available and that’s what they both were.  The fifties and sixties were a time of community focus in provincial New Zealand.  The doctor made house calls and often came by our shop for a cup of tea and a cigarette.  The police officers walked the streets and often came in for a game of darts to while away the time.  I remember their names from over 50 years ago.  The telephone exchange was manual and the operators knew everyone’s business.  The town hall was both the picture theatre and the visiting entertainer’s showplace.

Johnny Devlin, Howard Morrison, Selwyn Toogood, John Mabury – we took the bookings and Mum was super efficient as the seating co-ordinator.  The pubs closed at 6pm and the town had four hotels – we delivered the regulars home.  By taxi.  Most of our Māori population lived out of town.  Motuiti, Paranui and Totara Park.  For a population of only 2,500 the three taxis were in constant demand.  The flag fall was two shillings and sixpence (half a crown – or 25¢ in today’s currency).  The local senior club rugby team often frequented our shop after practice for hot milkshakes and as a youngster I loved being taken to club rugby in Shannon, Otaki and Levin.  Saturday was my favourite day of the week.  I would watch club rugby in winter and play senior cricket in summer.  From primary school age I lived and breathed rugby and cricket.  But I didn’t go to either with my Dad.

We were the first milk bar dairy to get a juke box and to provide gaming machines for our customers.  I think there were three plays for a shilling – thank goodness Elvis Presley came along because it was pretty mundane stuff until then.  The local bands attempted to fill the memorial hall for dances and the ‘bodgies’ era meant we kids were exposed to all kinds of dress and behaviour, right on our door step.  They were wonderful times for me except, as I said, Mum and Dad were exhausted.

All my schooling and initial career in the bank commenced in Foxton.  As the male teller I was responsible for delivering soiled bank notes to the local post office for transportation to Wellington.  I carried the revolver whilst the female clerk carried the shoebox filled with old notes.  I’m not sure what I was meant to do with the revolver when and if some criminal were to intervene – but the bank maintained that practice for some years and as I moved from town to city (Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington) the revolver was part of the protocol.  We had no training, there was certainly no instruction manual – things came to a head one day when a revolver was accidentally fired whilst in the process of being cleaned.  Firing a gun off in a bank makes one hell of a noise.  I think the bank manager suffered apoplexy that day and I’m not sure a report of the incident was ever filed.  When I left home aged around 20, both parents had suffered serious health issues.  They were still young, in their fifties, but I was unaware and unprepared for their death soon after I had moved out and commenced my career in finance.

So Christmas is a particularly poignant time for me.  The memories come flooding back of Mum’s homemade ice blocks and milkshakes and Spiders (soft drinks with ice cream), the arrival of Coca Cola and Fanta to our town (to compete with Foxton Fizz).  Dad suddenly taking people to far off destinations that I had never heard of like Marton and Wanganui or Waiouru or Taihape.  Then suddenly my sisters and I had them no more.

We still celebrate how we were made to behave on Christmas Day.  Santa sacks are fine on the end of the bed for the youngsters but presents under the tree always waited until after lunch.  And after lunch back then was often well into the afternoon.  Mum had Christmas day off but Christmas Eve was always a late night.  Dad worked on Christmas day.  I can’t imagine how Mum had the energy to prepare our Santa sacks, wrap the presents and then prepare Christmas lunch (always a hot meal).

Be mindful at this time – we don’t have them forever.  Merry Christmas, I’ll be back in the New Year.  Enjoy the celebrations.

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