Who would have thought that a mention of Gundagai (Col8) would bring so many memories? Nick Walker of Suffolk Park says, “My favourite memory of Gundagai, was in the early 1990s, when I was working on what would become the town bypass. We were staying in the Sheridan Motel, named after the street it was on. ‘Fully carpeted,’ took on a whole new meaning. Floor, walls and ceiling all carpeted in the same glorious nylon covering. It provided great sound insulation.”
Max Myers of Bargo remembers that, “The writer mentioned the wooden bridge. We have one in Picton and I was wondering if there are still any others around? His story evoked a distant memory of a sound that is only created on a wooden bridge. I, now an 84-year-old, still remember the rhythmic sounds of wooden bridges as our car passed over them many years ago.”
Now, back to the choko stories, which continue to flourish like a green bay tree. Graham Smith in the aptly named Berry says, “My middle of three sisters produces the best mustard pickles, using her ample supply of chokos, that I’ve ever tasted.”
Neil Jones of Panania put the fruit to good use as well. “My brother and I sold chokos for threepence and four pence in the 1950s for Maitland flood relief. They went relatively easily considering most of our buyers probably had their own paling fence and fruit.”
Tangentially, Mia David of Wollongong replies, “I well remember veggie maths and choko maths [Col8 Wed], as I used to teach them. While they were devoid of meat or vegetable content, they were practical courses for non-academic students, as they learnt about everyday stuff – reading timetables, repaying loans and working out their wages.”
Odd food names also continue. Sheelagh Brien of Warriewood says, “In my (English) childhood, we used to call fruit slices ‘fly cemeteries’. We still enjoyed them.” An expression that survives in New Zealand, according to Col8 connections there. Has it made it to Australia?
John McCartney of Mt Coolum in Queensland (or Kingsland, if you prefer these days) suggests, “Bunny chow, a hollowed-out half loaf of bread filled with curry, to accompany the aforementioned South African monkey gland sauce.”
And then, there are just wrong names: Kevin Hunt of Kenthurst remembers, “We encountered ‘steak with a berry tamponade’ in a restaurant in Utah a couple of years ago. Er, no, thanks...”
Column8@smh.com.au
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