My childhood - what was it like

In this first blog 'Generally speaking, what was your childhood like?

Overall, it was fantastic. We were surrounded by people who loved us and had a lot of fun.

Starting from the beginning, I was born in Mt Gambier. We lived in a small unit along the Jubilee Highway not far from Nanna Jenkins' house when I was a baby. We were lucky enough to be looked after by Nanna all the time right from the beginning while mum went to work. Nanna had lost Pop when I was two years old so it kept her busy looking after Dale and I. She was in her 50s then, so not very old at all to lose a life partner. Pop had died of cancer. Unfortunately, Dale and I don't have any living memory of him, only from photos. This has been a great loss to the family.

I remember Nanna used to really care for us a lot She made us happy for sure, really cared for us a lot and was such a wonderful mother to us. Just the little things stuck in my mind about those times, like she would make us melted cheese on toast for breakfast while we sat on the little stool at the kitchen bench and talked. At bath time she would talk with us the whole time and washed our hair, and always had warm water to rinse it out. She would dry us with a warm towel near the fire. At night before bed, she would make us hot milk. The lolly jar was always full and she would make the best sausage rolls and cream puffs you could ever imagine.

At Nanna Jenkins house, many hours were spent running around the back yard. There were heaps of fruit trees including nectarine, plum, lemon and I think there was a dud pear tree that never bore any decent fruit. Also, there was a massive big walnut tree right down the back of the yard. I remember there was a vegetable garden too and a furnace for burning rubbish. In the garden, Dale had accidentally put the the pitch fork through his foot but missed every bone and anything breakable which was lucky.

Near the walnut tree was a shade house for Pop's orchards and Mum's little cubby house where as a child she would spend hours reading books. I remember coming across Smokey the cat with her little new born kittens down in the orchard house. Nanna also had a dog called Sammy a black and white border coley, cross something dog (it actually looked like a sausage dog) and it was a well fed. We loved our Nanna so much. She was wonderful to us kids and was just like our own mother. The bond has remained strong throughout the years and Nanna and I are still great friends. Even when we moved to Adelaide we kept up the bond. We had a strong bond between grandmother and grand daughter,and she always cared, nourished and supported me financially, and emotionally. Nanna was very independent. She would always travel to Adelaide for her brothers an sisters birthdays, so we would have a big lunch with all the Lindstrom family. I remember going to Auntie Lorna and Uncle Harolds house to visit and we were a little scared of Uncle Harold.

We also lived in Monash Crescent, and Heaver Drive (dad built the house) in Mount Gambierand then moved to Adelaide when I was 11 years old to Quigley Court in Aberfoyle Park. I went to North Adelaide Primary School, McDonald Park Primary School at Mount Gamiber and then when we moved to Adelaide Spence Primary School part of the four campus schools in Aberfoyle Park.

We never went without any material possessions. Our parents and family were always giving us the opportunity to be involved with our hobbies and interests. As a small child I was involved in calisthenics, gymnastics, netball, softball, girl guides, track and field, cross country running and BMX. I remember when I was in primary school at about seven years of age wanting to play the goal attack (GA) position. I was a quick runner and also wanted to shoot goals too. Who would want to do play this exciting position. So I would spent every lunch time practising shooting my goals, until eventually I ended up being the GA. I was both competitive and determined which helped me to do anything I put my mind to.

I really enjoyed doing Girls Guides from 11 to 14 years of age. We learnt so many different things from first aid to camping skills and making stuff. I was patrol leader at one point and was very keen on getting my badges so in the end I was awarded the BP emblem. I remember going on camps, making fires, learning how to read maps and singing songs around the fire. I represented the state in the world jamboree held in Sydney New South Wales which was a massive event with girls from all the place having fun and doing a lot of interesting activties.

My brother and I shared commons interests like BMX. When I was 14 years old and Dale started around 11 years old, we spent at least five years competing in state, national and international BMX events. We raced at the Happy Valley and Hallet Cove BMX tracks on weekends and would train at gate starts, riding our bikes and weight training during the week. It was a great time. We spent all our weekends racing BMX and making new friends from all over Australia, and keeping fit and active. Mum and Dad really enjoyed it too. I think Mum wasn't that keen on me doing it at first because I was a girl but in the end she really liked it. I also really like it because I was at that age where I liked boys. I was lucky enough to be ranked first in the state for three years running and fourth in Australia. We used to travel from Queensland to all the other states to compete. It was such an adrenaline rush to be racing around the track, over jumps and around berms, trying to get in as many pedals as possible and using skill at every turn. At around 18 years I was no longer interested in BMX and started to pursue a career in socialising with my friends.

When we lived in Mt Gambier, we were close to my Auntie Marie and Uncle Tom and cousins Shane and Donna on Mums side. I really looked up to Donna who was about 1 1/2 years older than me. It is always remembered about funny times, when Donna and I drew on the wall in Donna's room. Auntie Marie never scrubbed it off, and it was kept under the wall paper for years afterwards. Donna had a cat called Cindy. Donna and I got along pretty well and are great friends now. Auntie Marie was so lovely to us kids. She would cook the most delicious meals and finish things with the sweet dumplings for desert.

We used to visit my grandparents who lived at Lucindale. Pop was the manager of a farm so they spent many years working different farms around the area. As a small girl I remember visiting them on a farm, and in the big shed where there were hay bails we played with kittens.

Overall, my child hood was happy. Mum and Dad were good parents although a little crazy at times like most families. They were very young when they had us, Mum 21 and Dad 23. They used to socialise a lot with friends, and liked moving around a lot too. Dad built us a cubby house at the place at Heaver Drive and Quigley Court, so that was a hit especially the one in Quigley court because that was two story and had insulation and real windows and a lockable door. A early memory that always sticks, I remember making jam tarts with mum with pastry and jam. That was so much fun. Around this time, I remember collecting caterpillars from trees and making homes for them in jars, and at Christmas time climbing through the servery into the kitchen to access the lounge room to see all my presents from Santa before any one else woke up that day.

In my next blog: What are one or two stories you remember most clearly about your childhood....

To treasure my memories - introduction

I am in my 37th year and many people say to me they are surprised I am interested in family history because I am so young.  I don't feel that young maybe they think this because they are a little older than me.  I've realised how short life is by looking back into the past of my ancestors. 

Don't get me wrong.  I don't find this depressing or anything like this.  I love to hear the old stories and look at old photos of people loved by my family.  I'm guessing but I'm like this because my Nanna Jenkins' talked about her family so much to me from a young age.  She talked about the Mayos up past Hawker along the Old Leigh Creek road, and all the fun she had with her seven sisters and two brothers.  Some of the old stories were a complete crack up, so funny, they didn't have much in material posession but they were rich in laugther.  This has been a starting point for my passion of the past. 

I'm writing my own childhood memories to to help recall the good times, something to keep for myself and my future descendants.  One day my great children may ask questions about me so it will be easier for them to find out more.  I wish that some of my ancestor's had done the same but I've had to rely on the memories of my great aunts and nanna and some them aren't here anymore so that makes it hard to find out about the past.

I'm hoping it will be passed down to the right person in my family who has a genuine interest in the history of our past - where they came from, why we are the way we are, who we are, family resemblances, the old stories and photos.  These may possibly answer some questions for them, and realise how precious their life is and how precious the life of their ancestors was!

So I'm trying to make my life as fun as possible and always trying to follow my dreams.  The things I love to do for fun like painting, yoga, websites, and so on.  There is a secret yearning to learn more about Buddhism and do beautiful paintings too and write good blogs.  I love my family and friends heaps and heaps.  I really love my Nanna Jenkins the most.  In this life, I want to develop strong relationships with my family and friends.  That is very important to me.  I feel so fortunate to have a beautiful partner Jamie who I love dearly and we are best friends and adore my beautiful children Charlie and Owen.  How lucky am I! 

Please enjoy the stories about my life.  Its important to me "To treasure my memories."