Nostalgia rife for Gold Coast

IT SEEMS a lot of us want to remember the good old days of the Gold Coast – the Have You Seen the Old Gold Coast Facebook page is about to hit 84,000 followers.

Over the period of social isolation due to coronavirus, visits have jumped even further, with 146,887 in the week to Thursday that Seniors News spoke to page creator Karen Wright.

She started the page in 2013 simply to share her own collection of Coast photos and as an antidote to her husband’s passion for football, giving her an interest of her own.

She now has contributors from around the world, including a number of the Coast’s best photographers of the past, and has roped her husband in to help with the page.

“I love it – I love the history of the Coast and I’ve met some brilliant people through the page, but I never thought it would take off as it has,” Karen said.

It has become such a passion that she spends four to five hours a day on the page, including posting about six photos a day.

She said sharing the Coast’s history with others, giving them comfort, a conversation point and happy memories was rewarding.

For many, of course, the photos bring back happy holiday memories.

Karen’s family traces back to some of the Coast’s first pioneers, names like Lentz, Ryder, Hart, Zimmerman and Lightbody.

Born in 1955, she said the photos of the 1960s and ’70s were particularly special to her, but she was fascinated by it all.

She even turns detective to research the background of some photos, dating back as far as the 1860s.

She said the comments people posted also often answered questions regarding a photo’s origins or the date it was taken, as well as giving people a real connection.

She said she had received a lot of positive feedback from followers, including teachers who made history real for students through the photos, and people sharing the photos across the generations, particularly allowing people in aged care to relive memories.

“We’ve got a lot of Seniors, but also a lot of younger followers who comment, ‘I wish I lived in those times’,” Karen said. “A lot of people give me photos that people outside the family have never seen before, so I’m really honoured.”

Google Have You Seen the Old Gold Coast or email karenleewright@bigpond.com if you have photos to contribute.

Pictures: Facebook GLAMOUR STRIP: Little wonder the Gold Coast was such an iconic holiday destination. This Cavill Ave photo, courtesy of Brett Carroll, captures its easy-going glamorous lifestyle in the mid-1960s, with famous bikini designer Paula Stafford's shop behind.

COAST WITH THE MOST: Karen Wright has found at least 84,000 others who share her passion for Gold Coast history.

Picture: GC Libraries LEFT: Palm Beach from the back of a ute in 1960.

Picture: Ian Rogers Fisherman’s Wharf at Main Beach is always a favourite photo on the page.

Elephant Rock is unchanged, but the surf lifesaving club has definitely had a facelift.