‘Progressive dinners, cracker nights and cards, I had some great times with my neighbours’

Neighbours played a big part in my life. As a young girl we were blessed with good neighbours. One was an elderly lady whom my mother was very fond of. The others were young families with half the amount of children we had.

I can’t remember visiting in one another’s homes, but more talking in the front yard or over the side fence. I think my mother was too busy with her brood to socialise too much. As I got older I babysat for a young family across the road, which was very handy to earn a little money and as I was an avid reader, I know the money was well spent on books.

As a young parent moving into our first little home, I also recall having had the best neighbours. They had older children so I had glimpses into the future of what living with teens would be like through their family. They were the ones who delivered tragic news to me one Easter Saturday, after the police had rung on their doorbell by mistake to say my husband had been in a fatal car crash and had passed away. I moved away a few years later after remarrying and it was my fault I didn’t make the time to keep in touch, something I regret.

A whole new neighbourhood world awaited me with an eclectic group of people in my new housing estate. The land had been subdivided after horses had grazed on it for years. We bought a block of land and proceeded to build alongside new homes and quickly met each neighbour as the building progressed over six months. Lucky for my children the next door neighbour’s had a pool long before we did, so it didn’t take long for all the neighbourhood children to congregate at the waterhole.

Many good times were spent at each other’s homes. A few of us played cards, too soon it was midnight and time to call it a night as children’s activities awaited us in the morning.

Progressive dinners were popular in the 1980s. I remember fondly how each family had to choose what dish was their speciality and prepare and serve that dish in their home before walking to the next house for the next course. About six families took part. The family that put on the last course would have everyone stay on. We thoroughly enjoyed the companionship and were busy planning when the next one would be held. The best thing was no one had to drive.

In the days when cracker night was popular and before it was banned, the plans were in place for the neighbourhood communal bonfire. An ever-growing stack of bits and pieces were added over the weeks before cracker night to eventually make an awesome fire. Lots of memories made. We made our own fun and we were glad we did.

I had a family day care business, one neighbour had their young daughter enrolled with me so she was handed over the fence every morning and didn’t have far to go back in the evening. As the years went by, some neighbours sold up, some marriages broke up. We moved after 23 years, the last of the ‘original ones’. I have stayed in touch with a few families. We all now have grandchildren so our families are making their own memories.

I now live at the end of a street near the bush with only one neighbour who I never see, but I like it like that now I’m older. Isn’t it strange how my needs have changed.

Do you remember the community spirit of your neighbourhood? Have times changed for you? What activities did you take part in as neighbours?

Do you have a story to share with Starts at 60? We want to publish it. Sign up as a contributor and submit your stories to here. Stories written by over-60s go into the draw for some great weekly prizes. You can also join the Starts at 60 Bloggers Club on Facebook to talk to other writers in the Starts at 60 community and learn more about how to write for Starts at 60.