Sepia Saturday 504

The theme for Sepia Saturday is all about childhood, children at play  and the things we used to play on. Looking through my old family photos, I did not come across much to fIt the theme exactly, but I found some interesting shots of children at play which I am happy to share.

 This first one - not very clear shows my uncle (in white on the right) with some of his school mates with a decorated goat cart. Taken around 1916, I would guess.

 Not from my family photos,but cute nevertheless.  Two little girls in a toy cart.

My English cousins with pony. Late thirties.

My cousins Glen and Roger taken around 1944.  Pedal cars were all the rage in my childhood.

Some of my many cousins visiting grandparents.  Taken in the early forties

Our street gang. Very few candid snaps in those days - children were always posed for photos. I'm on the right with missing front teeth. Circa 1946.

The gang again, but now expanding in numbers. Taken around 1950.

Finally a swing.  My brother and I  - he in his first school uniform. He was so proud of it, he wanted to wear it all the time. Circa 1949

Even big kids like swings!

Liz Needle - linking with Sepia Saturday.

Bushfire.

Australia has recently been hit by devastating bushfires which have done enormous damage to the environment, native fauna, private property, vineyards, orchards, farms, livestock and human lives.

We watched in horror as the fire unfolded before our eyes. This is the scene from our front veranda early in the morning of the Adelaide Hills fire. An hour later as the fire got closer we evacuated.

We were able to return late that night to find that we were some of the lucky ones. Our property was safe. The next morning we realised just how lucky. The wind had changed an hour or so after we left and the fire was diverted around us, some 300 metres away on two sides.

Morning revealed the total devastation 300 metres away - burnt out paddocks, homesteads, scrub as far as the eye could see - tens of thousands of hectares gone!. I took a few photos, but my heart wasn't in it. Too much sadness and emotion.

Liz Needle  -  linking with Skywatch Friday

Sepia Saturday 502

Perfect. Just up my alley!  I have so many group photos I hardly know where to start. After 55 years of teaching, a teacher mother and numerous teaching uncles, aunts, cousins, bothers-in-law etc, my access to group photos is unlimited.

However I have decided to stick with family photos as these are more interesting to me.

My husband's great grandfather Captain Alexander Frederick Boord was a seaman and a pilot  He and his wife had a large family of 13 children  - mainly daughters - and he was known locally as 'the pilot with many daughters".

 Below is a family photo the Boord children - several of them died at an early age and do not appear here.

And Captain Boord and his brood.

And this is of a Boord wedding - circa 1914. Captain Boord is third from the left in the back row. The bride - his daughter Nellie Rae is third from right in the front row.

To jump forward to around 1948. Here we have some of the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Captain Boord. The lady in the centre front is his daughter Lydia Rosa Needle, with two of her daughter to the left of her and her grandchildren. Her son Ronald had six sons of whom my husband Don was the second.

 Here are 5 of the 6 Needle boys as youngsters

And below the 6 Needle boys as adult. My husband is the beardless one.

Liz Needle  -  linking with Sepia Saturday