Sepia Saturday 551 : Christmas & New Year 2020

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Alan from Sepia Saturday says, 

So here it is - Merry Christmas. S in the Sepia Saturday alphabet takes us to Seasonal Greetings ... and Powers of Waterford for Seeds and Trees. This is our Christmas and New Year prompt for 2020, so you can add your contributions at any time over the next couple of weeks.

Short and sweet from me today. Here's a great photo from State Library of Queensland's collection 


Christmas celebrations in Cribb Island, December 1928.
A community Christmas tree, strewn with toys and gifts, is mounted on top of a cart. One of the residents of Cribb Island is dressed up as Santa Claus. Available online at https://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/108347 Out of copyright.  State Library of Queensland


At first glance, I thought this was a very odd picture.  What were all these adults doing under a very odd Christmas tree? Then, when I looked closer, I realised that it is the equivalent of our modern-day Men's Sheds.  I play bridge at the Kenmore Bridge Club which is situated near the Men's Shed.  In the week's leading up to Christmas, I looked longingly at very similar toys crafted by the men at the Men's Shed.  Our first grandchild was born in October but I knew he was far too little for the little wheelbarrows and diggers that had been crafted.  Maybe next year.

While I have lived in Brisbane for many years now, I did not know that much about Cribb Island.  Mostly because it has been taken over by the domestic and international airport.  But back in the day, it was a very popular seaside area.  You can read all about Cribb Island here.

These newspaper articles give a sense of what it was like at the time.


The Post Office (1928, December 14). The Week (Brisbane, Qld. : 1876 - 1934), p. 2. Retrieved January 2, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article181127505




CHRISTMAS ATTRACTIONS AT CRIBB ISLAND. (1927, December 24). Daily Standard (Brisbane, Qld. : 1912 - 1936), p. 4. Retrieved January 2, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183071163


Cribb Island's greatest claim to fame, however, is the Bee Gees. I was never a great fan of the BeeGees but they did provide the soundtrack for much of my youth.  Here is an article about their early career.






Early TV start for three boys (1960, June 29). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 7 (Teenagers' Weekly). Retrieved January 2, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46234125


If you live locally, you will probably want to go and see the Bee Gees Memorial at some stage at Redcliffe.




If I had to pick a favourite song from the era it would be How Deep is Your Love which seems appropriate for Christmas.




Happy New Year to you and yours!

Did you have a favourite Bee Gees song?

Do you have memories of Cribb Island?

Comments

La Nightingail said…
I was out of high school by the time the Bee Gees came along. I had favorite solo singers, and some favorite songs performed by groups, but was never much into the groups themselves - even The Beatles. I was mostly into musicals, operettas, and some operas, so I didn't own many 45 records - although I did have and still have several 45s of "Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass". :) Whenever I see a picture of folks dressed in summer clothing gathered around a Christmas tree I have to remember it's summer 'down under' when it's winter up here. I had a pen pal in Australia years ago who wrote about taking their presents to the beach to open. What?? She explained which made sense. You don't see the Nativity set up in the snow! :)
January 3, 2021 at 6:32 AM
Alex Daw said…
Snap to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. I have many fond memories of their music in my childhood. Yes, Christmas in Australia is certainly different. It is a relief if it is a cooler day for those engaged in preparations in the kitchen. Our Christmas is made more fraught in terms of preparations because our son's birthday is on Xmas Eve. I never seem to get the preparations just right in terms of timing. Never mind.
January 3, 2021 at 6:53 AM
Anonymous said…
All of this is new to me - well, except for the Bee Gees. Coincidentally, there was an interview of Barry on CBS Sunday Morning today. I've certainly never heard of Men's Sheds and the traditions on Cribb Island. The photo is fascinating to look at and the newspaper articles helped me gain an appreciation of a lovely tradition. I'm still curious about Men's Sheds, though.
January 4, 2021 at 3:50 AM
Alex Daw said…
Kathy - Lovely to hear from you again. Men's Sheds seem to have become popular in the last 20 years or so. Although maybe they have been going forever and I've just been unaware of them. Anyway, I think the idea behind them is to foster community and battle loneliness. I have a tinpot theory that women find it easier to make friends than blokes. Blokes seem to need something "to do" before they can open up, as it were. Parallel play and all that. At any rate here's a link to the Kenmore Men's Shed called Shed West. The photo gallery gives you a good sense of what it's like too. https://shedwest.com/photo-gallery and https://shedwest.com/ Ooh and I found a link for AMSA - the Australian Men's Shed Association founded in 2007. There's even a Men's Shed week. This little video gives you a great idea of the wonderful transformation in men's lives and the community that can take place. https://youtu.be/Bdws0rrfK6I. The last library service I worked at asked the Men's Shed to build us some little libraries or book boxes and they were beautiful.
January 4, 2021 at 6:03 AM
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the explanation, Alex. I just got around to watching the video. Great organization that really seems to benefit the men while they benefit others.
January 11, 2021 at 5:22 AM
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