Riding to school

A COMMENT on an article in The Chronicle’s sister paper the Sunday Mail

(02/08), on the dangers when riding push bikes on concrete pathways and bitumen.

Having rode a push bike to school, in another era, three miles each way daily for almost seven years, I, well, to say the least, found the article reference interesting.

The road was gravel, rocks and dust in dry weather and rocks, mud and gravel in the rain.

We rarely missed school, hot or cold, wet or dry. We arrived there either dusty or muddy, but who cared, we were all the same, except the two families who rode horses cross country daily.

So what’s so dangerous about that other than getting dusty or muddy depending on the weather at the time?

All during those years there were 70odd trucks, single and double axle and semis carting coal from the Callide coalmines to the Gladstone port.

Most did two loads a day and return which meant a lot of heavy traffic to dodge on the way to and from school.

But we survived, without mishap. Which can’t be said for the truckies as occasionally one would come to grief.

At times, there was a good chance on the weekend to take our 30cwt 1949 Bedford and load it with lumps of spilt coal to fuel our Rayburn stove.

In 35 years that stove wasn’t burning for two days each time, only twice, to re-cement the fire box with fire proof cement.

Otherwise, it burnt on coal day and night. Direct from the mine pit, two loads of coal at two quid a load was all it cost for permanent hot water, warmth when needed, cooking, and baking.

The warming oven was often used on cold mornings to warm our clothes before milking. Don’t tell Mum. I guess she never knew.

Those were the days.

RAY HARCH, Toowoomba