After a Sunday morning trip to church, a small family of nine, yes, that’s right nine, all head into the house to continue their Sunday routine in the quiet town of Port Augusta. A roast is served for lunch and then after, they all settle down into the living room to watch the scheduled afternoon movie. The mother is doing the ironing and the father takes his designated chair while the big kids fight it out for the remaining seats on the couch while the little kids fight for the best position on the floor, preferably the one smack bang in front of the tv. They all aim their focus to the black and white thick screen television built into a small wooden buffet unit which is adorned with doilies and family photos on top. After the movie, cartoons would be on the program most of the time or in summer, cricket was the only option. It was a relaxed day for the family letting one and all enjoy the use of the tv. However, dinner was planned perfectly that once everyone had finished eating the parents would retreat into the lounge room to watch the evening news, for which no kid was allowed into the living room, the big kids had to do the dishes and the little ones had to play in their rooms and get ready for bed.
The story you just read isn’t just any random story, this is the story of my mum and her family and her recollection of their time watching television when she was a little girl in the late 60s early 70s. My mum was considered as one of the little kids, she was number five out of seven children, so she grew up with the ever-changing technology of television and can recall it quite vividly as for her, it was quite a memorable experience.
Eventually, they got a colour television which was not a priority for their family but just sheer luck as grandpa won it and brought home for the family, which was exciting as colour television had only just been released the previous year, in 1975. For mum, she explained the most memorable experience of the new colour television was when she and her siblings got to watch sesame street for the first time in colour. They were amazed that Cookie Monster was blue, and The Count was purple and just how bright the puppets colours actually were, the way mum explained it was like she was seeing it for the first time all over again.
As mum grew older and the programs changed throughout the years and more channels were introduced, one in particular comes to her mind. A show called ‘Number 96’, according to my mum, it was a bit of a raunchy show, which aired from 1972 – 1977, and her and her sister were supposed to be in bed at the time it aired. However, they would climb out of bed, crawl down the hallway and hide behind their father’s chair just to watch it, and they had to be very quiet as they knew if they got caught they would be in big trouble.
I never realised how much my mum’s childhood influenced mine and my brothers without us even noticing, until I got told these stories. In my household growing up, Sundays were a relaxed family day, the news a time for mum and dad to sit and watch together as my brother and I watched the Simpsons quietly in another room. Even down to sneaking down the hallway and curling up behind the small wall separating the lounge room from the hallway to watch Grey’s Anatomy when I was supposed to be in bed. Sound familiar?
Acknowledgements:
Interview completed with Alison Burt
Photos Supplied by Alison Burt
LIV A LITTLE 