AH.......... The memories (sniff)

Myford lathe, yes, ML7. Mine gets used most days. Lovely little machine, just a necessary part of the workshop!
kesh

HEy Wolfie...was that Mike Hunts wife by any chance ?

Classic!!!

I had to read it a couple of times...

Pure Gold!

Mansfield, iirc.

Mike Harding

"around the time the V8 P76 came out"

Wow!!!

I was living in Canberra as a 14 y/o when that came out, but... more important, do remember the film they did for it on the telly? They were way ahead in the media marketing stakes back then.

Wolfie

Not only do I remember the ads but I actually drove one for a while. Unfortunately I couldnt afford to keep getting the rust cut out and the HUGE windscreen repaired. But boy was it a smooth ride :)

Used to go out on Friday night after work packet Marlboro fill the tank and way to many beers and get change from a 20
That was in about 1977
petrol about 11c per litre from memory.

all the best
Eric

I can even remember the time when a female wouldnt be seen dead fishing ! In fact I went fishing with my new wife and as I pulled a fish in she exclaimed, "it's ALIVE". "Don't worry, not for long" says I. You would of thought she'd married a chain saw murderer for a while after that.
Here are some prices from the early 70's:
425 grm tomato puree, 27c
16oz can tuna, 83c
3oz Arnotts potato chips, 25c
Colgate fluroguard, 44c
750ml Coke, Fanta , Tab (remember that one ?), 19C ea.
Spam, 79c
750ml ? Laundry detergent 67c

Hmmmm........

And if you think those prices are crook, I found an old newspaper years ago advertising new houses at 3000 POUNDS ! Which, I think from memory was around 2 years average wages at the time......

Now footlose was that docket in the draw with your first pay packet or you got a really good memory. Please exxxplaaaaine.

All the best
Eric

Four double scotches and dry for $2.00 I seem to remember before going to the dance. I could rake up courage for any girl then.......

I was going to say something about 8 schooners (NSW) for $2 with change leftover but I think you've trumped me John :))))))))

Eric, I found a slide of a shop window from that era when I went to convert all my dying slides to puter format.

John, I could never drink enough to get the courage.
My bro told me he'd show me how it was done (1970's). We went to a Sydney club, drank a few for courage and away he wandered to try his luck with a couple of femme fatals at the bar. His opening, oh so smooth, James Bond type line ? "Er G'day. Do you know where the toilets are ?"
That from Gods gift to women ! Never took him out again.........:))

I would get into too much trouble for that now of course.

Gramps, I reckon my kidney would be overtaxed with 8 schooners now unless over four hours. Perhaps a bottle of red and a bit or some scotches.

hahahahaha I remember 6 schooners per lunch hour in my callow youth. Every time I think of it I receive horrible threats from my 'chinese' bladder LOLOLOL

BTW Eric my pay as a "professional" in 1973 was a tad over $60 a week. The cleaning lady used to take home more than me. I complained and was told that my attitude was "unprofessional". Nobody worked there for the money......what a difference to today's climate !

Talk about P76's.....I remember the day my dad was told to destroy them, he drove the yard fork and i sat down out of harms was watching them being crushed......they looked nice at the time...lol...i think they were "different"...yes thats it.
Ange

You wouldn't even get a whiff of it now for 2 bucks !

Ride BMW now; costs about $25 to fill tank.

I drive 4wd now, and must spill around $2 worth of diesel when filling on a bad day :))

I also have a 4wd which I don't fill full very often.

I rode my Kawasaki 250 from Robe in SA to the Naval College at Jervis Bay NSW, left with $20 in my pocket, bought fuel and food on the way and arrived with change! That was in 1977.

I can also remember feeling ripped off paying 20c a litre in Mildura on another trip!

Pete

Hey Melissa, that is your superannuation isn't it? I think I know of a couple of bean counters there who should be doing alright ;-)

When Dad was about 12 & he's nearly 60 now they had been camping at Sorrento for a few years as a family with other families on other peoples land.

My grandfather (dec) was definately working class and sold manchester to families visiting them at home in the old chev and to some small shops I believe. Never a rich man but he worked hard and was careful with what they had.

He sat Dad & his sister down one day not a long time after TV was the new big thing, and gave them a choice:
Given the choice would they like a new TV or a block of land at Sorrento of their own to camp on - and eventually build a weekender on?

The block of land (something like 70' by 200') and the TV were about the same price!!!

They figured they could watch the TV at the neighbours and the block would be a one time offer and took the block.

It still has a 2 b/r fibro beachhouse on it and is still in the family.

The block would now be worth something like $250,000.

These days there's no way any working or middle class family would consider dropping 250 large on anything apart from the home they live in. Certainly not on the latest tele.

Probably the nearest equivalent is low orbit space tourism. It'll get cheaper, is about $250K for a trip now and the same bit of land would still be worth more than it in 30-40 years time.

Scary comparisons, particularly anywhere around the coast. I wonder what Lindsay Fox's Portsea beach shack was worth in 1955?



Mr Fox is in....

Dave

:o)))) Geocaching takes you to some interesting locations.....

Mellissa,
it all depends on what you are prepared to accept.
father in law retired from driving interstate at 70 , lived in sydney for a few years but couldnt hack it. 8 months ago sold his caravan and bought a 2 bedroom house on a double block with a/c , evap cooling, hws and flush dunny for $12,600.only thing is he had to move to the country NSW(Gulargambone).its only 31/2 hours from sydney. there are heaps of other houses available in the town for $35-50k.
problem is today people wont accept a house unless its 4 bedrooms all with built ins, ensuite, office, ducted vacumn cleaner , double garage etc etc etc.
they deserve to have a $400,000 mortgage.
I'll stick with the house we bought 30 years ago , not the flashest in the country but its home and its been mine for the last 20 years.
what i dont spend on house payments allow me to travel when and where I please.

regards
Howard

John, I'd certainly rather be in the market right now that trying to get in :-))).

Howard, you are right to a degree. We had to leave the Whitsundays where I grew up because we realised we'd never be able to afford our own home there. At least, not without getting a stake somewhere else first. In 20 years my kids will probably have to leave Mandurah for the same reason. Many small towns in WA wheatbelt like Gulargambone such as the one my husband grew up in (his family is still there) but trouble is no work, limited healthcare, limited opportunities re good schools and special interests for kids etc. There are good reasons why properties are so cheap.

I know plenty of people who have hocked themselves to the eyeball for a flash house and basically have no life outside of work because they can't afford. It is scary what the banks will lend when it's secured by property BUT that doesn't mean you have to borrow up to your limits. My concern is that to live anywhere half desirable, those starting out now will have to hock themselves this way for a basic 20-30 year old 3x1 in need of renovation.

:o) Melissa

Melissa, it seem very much like that. We looked at investment houses three years back but at the top of the cycle it would have been the wrong time. Blocks that are barely bigger than the house have not enough room for the garaging fun for the family areas.

I remember years ago one mate was attracted to a house that had garaging for 7 cars and the wife for the pool. Yes, the house looked like a Greek palace but they bought it for their home as the kids were growing out of the earlier one. Seems the Greek or other palace is where newly partnered want to settle for their FIRST home now.

Reckon the mate mentioned above new the practicality as he had a wedding hire car business to run.

I used to give my older neighbour 50c to get me a packet of marlboro and never got any change so I figure he owes me a bit of change in 36 years if you look at the interest rates and the value of the dollar.

All the best
Eric

moved to canberra end of 72 , uni student on $27 pew week.
drove a mini and it cost less than $2 to fill the 5 1/2 gallon tank .
bottle of coke and a ice cream 10 cents.
from memory 4 of us shared a 2 bedroom flat for $32 per week.
Joined public service next year on $33 per week.Worked as a builders laborer in between cleared over $100 wer week. Good old gough days.
hell over 30 years later and I dont have any more spare change than I had then.
heers
howard

They can charge better than AWBs customers or AWB itself. That is price gouging at it's worst Melissa.

Melissa

You have fallen for the oldest trick in the journalist's book : report profit without reference to capital outlay . I took the trouble to look up the London Stock Exchange roport on Shell [ Royal Dutch Shell ] . Capital value of the company 217billion pounds , profit as a percentage , about 5.5 to 7.8 , payed as dividends to shareholders . Would I buy shares in Shell to get a dividend of 5 to 8 percent ? Possibly , especially to hedge my fuel bills , but it's hardly spectacular . National Australia Bank bank [with imputation ] pays about 8.4% .