As always at the monthly meeting of the Friendship Club, lunch is an important part of the social gathering. However, last month’s theme of the Depression years meant simpler fare than usual. Soup in a mug was followed by a plain scone – no jam this time – and a cup of tea. Connie Taylor (far left at the front of the photo) said that golden syrup was suggested because this was a common alternative to jam during the Depression, but even this was rejected in favour of the very plain and simple.
Connie remembers from her childhood that in those days almost every family had a vegetable garden and mothers all knew how to turn a collar on a shirt and mend a pair of socks. It was a time when people had to be as self-sufficient as they could be and waste was frowned upon.
Connie recalls her father, who worked in the public service, being very late home one evening and her mother was extremely nervous. She was afraid that he had lost his job, as so many did at the time, and couldn’t face his family. However, when he did arrive home it was with the good news that he had been celebrating because he and a few other colleagues had been kept on. Although their pay was cut in half, it was still cause for celebration compared with the total loss of income. As Connie said, “We’re a very spoilt population these days and we don’t know how good we’ve got it”.
The Friendship Club meets in the Presbyterian Church Hall at noon on the last Monday of the month.
Rachel McCahon
