Great Days

I have been recalling life in the dear old 50's and 60's and feel I should Praise God for allowing me the priviledge of living through the most wonderful years on earth.

We were all equal. Nobody aspired to worldliness although it was creeping in with neighbour starting to keep up with the 'Jonses' in the 1960's.

Today I look upon a world of horror. I dare not put the news on or my BP could blow up the BP machine.

Talking to a friend in the Dr's Waiting Room, he and his wife told me how the young street people in Melbourne crowd around the back of St Vincent's Hospital and shoot themselves with drugs. Then, their chief aim is to abuse and attack the Dr's and Nursing staff who are brave enough to walk near them.

It appears the Police are always there and can do nothing about it??? I have to ask myself why these people are not rounded up, placed in a cell and then locked in a medical Institution. The way it is, these kids are often brought back to the land of the living by the very Dr's and Nursing Staff they attack and abuse only to go and do the same thing.

None of this happened that I know of during the 50's and 60's. There were people called Bodgies and Widgies who rode motor bikes and who we were to stay well away from.

In earnest, we would gather together to talk about the latest carryings on by the Bodgies and Widgies at His/Her Majesties Theatre in Hobart where they would gather, and where there were able bodied 'Boncers" who threw them out if they played up.

And, play up they always did.

The Theatre was nick named "The Fleahouse". On Saturday nights, no decent person would go near 'The Fleahouse" as there were always gang fights with knuckle dusters and bike chains and you name it.

It earned it's name as 'The Fleahouse' because there were fleas in the horsehair seats -- so they said.

The Bodgies and Widgies became too much for the Tasmanian Police so a plan was put into place to clean Hobart up.

A special Victorian Police Force was called in.

Now, this Police Force was really beaut! They wore Bikie clothes, had Widgies and the best and fastest of motor bikes of that time.

The whole gang arrived via the Princess Of Tasmania. The first Ferry from Victoria to Tasmania (I think). They landed at Devonport and news travelled to Hobart about the new Bodgies and Widgies from The Mainland.

Now, none of us knew they were Police, we only heard the roar of their bikes as they slowly made their way to Hobart to settle in and go to 'The Fleahouse' on Saturday nights. And, we shuddered. Never have we seen a more formidable lot, in fact, we thought World War 3 had started.

All we young girls were kept locked inside at night and NEVER, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, permitted to go outdoors. It seemed Tassy was crawling with Bodgies and Widgies.

I never went out at night so it made no difference to me as my greatest pastime was reading, so, I was in bed at 7.p.m. with a book.

The gang fights during that brief period were simply shocking - from what we heard.

Mainlanders were looked on as being from another planet. (Yes, the Main Land of Australia was called the Mainland by Tasmanians and I believe still is, but for Bodgies and Widgies to come from the Mainland was too much for the Resident Tasmanian Bodgies and Widgies. They would kick them off the Island stuffed with apples and ready to be roasted - - in Victoria of course.

It wasn't until Hobart Bodgies and Widgies received their just rewards by fighting with experts, jailed, had their bikes immobilised, and wore huge black eyes that these Mainland "Bikies" left the State as quietly as they had entered.

The Victorian Force cleaned up the streets of all riff raff, threw them out of 'The Fleahouse', rubbed their noses in the gutters - then, were gone.

I also recall how one of my cousins, returning home from a night Mass at St Mary's received a slap under the ear from one of the 'Widgies" and told to "Get home or I'll kick you fair up the b ... arrrrrrrr......" And, it is said she fled.

It was amazing how fast the cleanup took place too!

Not alot of people had a car in those days so those who did drove to Hobart to see if the news was correct, that Hobart had been cleared of the Bodgies and Widgies and it was safe to go window shopping again.

Ai, we all strolled the streets window shoppping once again with nodody to heckle or accost us.

'The Fleahouse' was vacated on Saturday nights - what a loss of business! Then, we learned they were the Victorian Police.


I can recall the pride in my heart when I learned they were from my Home State. I remember throwing my arms around Mum and crying "Oh Mum!" while tears flowed. It was also amazing how much more respect I was shown by Tasmanians after they learned it was the Victorian Police who had cleaned the streets of Hobart.

I also remember Dad saying "Struth! That fixed them didn't it?" when he learned what had happened.

And .... look at the cities today...... maybe we need another Police Force just like they had back then... or a few ......