3--2-1 .

Raf · 5th November 2015, 07:25 PM

Admit it . For some of us our obsession with ancient firearms developed as children from the romance of history and in a simple kinesthetic delight in things that go bang. . So here as nostalgia for those old enough to remember and amusement for those who are not, in memory of Guido Fawkes as he preferred to be called, is a small selection of fireworks from the early sixties.

Rarest of all the Astra thunder, or penny banger which for those of us who were connoisseurs of these things in the fifties could lift a dustbin lid 3 feet but by the sixties was a mere shadow of its former self. Superseded by Standard Cannon, which cost a pre decimalisation 2 pence or if you could afford it the 321 Zero at 3 pence. And of course the jumping jack.

Light the blue touch paper and stand well clear

fernando · 5th November 2015, 08:58 PM

This appears to be a setup to eventually post in humorous 'support' of a relative topic discussion but, starting a thread with it ...

Well, we don't all have the same tastes, do we, Raf ?

Rick · 5th November 2015, 09:33 PM

Many of them were handmade I'll bet.

And they do go boom.

fernando · 5th November 2015, 09:51 PM

As long as you don't loose a couple fingers when handling them

A. G. Maisey · 5th November 2015, 09:59 PM

Thank you Raf!

A little bit of our own culture.

As a ten year old in 1950's Oz I grew up in a pretty blood thirsty culture.

We actually killed things, and did totally unacceptable things by today's standards, things like catching rabbits, wild cats, wild dogs & etc and then killing them in various ways.

One of those ways was by shooting them with cracker guns:- length of water pipe, screw on cap with a hole, wooden stock, charged with a penny bunger, chewed up paper and a marble. Accurate enough at close range and with enough punch to terminate a cat. You lit the wick sticking out through the hole.

But now they've banned rabbit traps, banned penny bungers, in fact banned just about everything that was fun. Ten year olds today cry if they see blood, and as for a broken bone --- MY God!!! that's life threatening.

I live in a nation of wooses.

I really do hope we never have to fight a serious war.

Thank you Raf for reminding me of the Good Times.

fernando · 5th November 2015, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

... and did totally unacceptable things by today's standards ...

Meaning they were totally acceptable by then ? ... just kidding

.

A. G. Maisey · 5th November 2015, 11:34 PM

It was a different world Fernando.

Yes, within the segment of society that I grew up in, it was expected that little boys would discover pain, blood and death pretty early in life. How do you cut a pig's throat, or a lamb's throat if you can't see a rabbit off?

How do you survive in life if you can't handle a broken bone or the loss of a bit of skin?

I had my own rifle, along with responsibility for it at age 8, I'd used borrowed rifles at a much younger age, but I didn't get turned loose unsupervised with firearms until I was about 11 or 12. Thus the need for self manufactured firepower.

The whole ethic of society was different to now, quite simply if it grew, you cut it down, if it moved, you shot it.

We walked miles and miles through the bush and were gone all day, sunup to sunset. Never got lost. Committed all sorts of anti-social acts --- by today's standards.

My grandkids are supervised out of existence.

My grandkids, who are 7 through to 16 are not permitted out of their own little local neighbourhood, and they've got this touchy-feely tree hugging attitude. I gave a couple of them pocket knives --- which they were permitted to have --- under supervision. This is 8 and 10 year old kids I'm talking about. I had knives from the time I could walk. When I was 5 or 6 an uncle gave me a monster bowie that he'd made.One these young blokes carved his initials into a tree. Crime of the century!!! His pocket knife got confiscated by his mother (a school teacher) until she deemed that he had learnt that trees are to be cherished. That woman never has quite come to terms with my attitudes. She thinks I'm a barbarian.

People who don't learn to use knives young tend to cut themselves.

People who don't learn to use firearms young tend to regard firearms as something other than tools.

Yeah, I'm a dinosaur --- along with most people in this country of my generation. The thing was this:- in the late 1940's and early 1950's Australia was flooded with refugees from war torn Europe. Every family had lost men in this war, the Japanese were on our doorstep in Papua New Guinea. The Japanese did not invade Australia, principally because it was considered that the rifleman ethic of Australians would result in too high a loss of Japanese life --- plus the fact that they were stopped on our doorstep. We were raised with the fear of war drummed into us, along with the fear of invasion from the north. Essentially the way kids were brought up was so that if necessary they could go to war and survive.

Like I said:- it was a different world.

After 1996 and Port Arthur --- a Black Op if ever there was one --- our beloved PM decided guns were a bad idea and Australians suffered a significant incursion on our freedom.

Best if I leave this subject right here. I could well make some politically unacceptable, anti-social comments and get myself banned from this Forum.

Shakethetrees · 6th November 2015, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Thank you Raf!

I live in a nation of wooses.

I really do hope we never have to fight a serious war.

Thank you Raf for reminding me of the Good Times.

You ain't alone!

Twenty years ago my cousin brought her kids down from Boston, MA to Louisiana. While visiting with the old folks, they had a look of boredom that only ten year olds can have, so I suggested we go outside ( in the suburbs, mind you!) so we could engage in a little target practice with a BB gun. Their eyes popped open, and the first words were, " What about the police?" Not to worry, this is OK here!

The boy AND girl almost knocked me over, running past their overprotective Mom, my very liberal cousin, and had the time of their lives after five minutes ov instruction and the basic ground rules.

This wouldn't even have gotten a smirk in my day.

And, to think, neither one shot their eyes out, became serial killers or even damaged any of the neighbors property!
Probably one of their fondest childhood memories of life down south.

VANDOO · 6th November 2015, 07:24 AM

WE ALL ENJOYED OUR FIRECRACKERS/ FIREWORKS. THE THREE MOST READILY AVAILABLE IN MY EARLY YEARS WERE THE CHERRY BOMB, M-80 AND SILVER SALUTE THEN THEY WERE BANNED. ALL THREE OF THEM HAD THE GREEN WATERPROOF FUSSES AND WOULD EXPLODE UNDER WATER. THE FIRST ONE I REMEMBERED BEING BANNED WAS THE GIANT AND AFTER THAT THE TORPEDO ( A CHERRY BOMB SIZED BALL THAT EXPLODED WHEN THROWN AGAINST SOMETHING. IT WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS AS IT COULD GO OFF ACCIDENTALLY BY SITTING ON IT OR BUMPING AGAINST SOMETHING WHILE IT WAS IN A SACK OR POCKET. THE BABY GIANT WAS BANNED NEXT AND LATER THE CHERRY BOMBS AND THE M-80. WE GREW UP BLOWING UP STUMPS AND BIG ROCKS WITH DYNAMITE SO FIRECRACKERS JUST SEEMED LIKE TOYS TO US BUT WE STILL KNEW WHAT THEY COULD DO SO WERE CAREFUL AND NO ONE EVER GOT SERIOUSLY HURT.
WHILE DRIVING AROUND IN OZ IN THE 1980'S I USED TO LISTEN TO JOHN WILLIAMSON AND ONE OF HIS SONGS WAS "CRACKER NIGHT" THIS REMINDED ME OF THAT.

5th November 2015, 07:25 PM	#1
Raf Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 238	3--2-1 . Admit it . For some of us our obsession with ancient firearms developed as children from the romance of history and in a simple kinesthetic delight in things that go bang. . So here as nostalgia for those old enough to remember and amusement for those who are not, in memory of Guido Fawkes as he preferred to be called, is a small selection of fireworks from the early sixties. Rarest of all the Astra thunder, or penny banger which for those of us who were connoisseurs of these things in the fifties could lift a dustbin lid 3 feet but by the sixties was a mere shadow of its former self. Superseded by Standard Cannon, which cost a pre decimalisation 2 pence or if you could afford it the 321 Zero at 3 pence. And of course the jumping jack. Light the blue touch paper and stand well clear Attached Images

6th November 2015, 07:24 AM	#9
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	WE ALL ENJOYED OUR FIRECRACKERS/ FIREWORKS. THE THREE MOST READILY AVAILABLE IN MY EARLY YEARS WERE THE CHERRY BOMB, M-80 AND SILVER SALUTE THEN THEY WERE BANNED. ALL THREE OF THEM HAD THE GREEN WATERPROOF FUSSES AND WOULD EXPLODE UNDER WATER. THE FIRST ONE I REMEMBERED BEING BANNED WAS THE GIANT AND AFTER THAT THE TORPEDO ( A CHERRY BOMB SIZED BALL THAT EXPLODED WHEN THROWN AGAINST SOMETHING. IT WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS AS IT COULD GO OFF ACCIDENTALLY BY SITTING ON IT OR BUMPING AGAINST SOMETHING WHILE IT WAS IN A SACK OR POCKET. THE BABY GIANT WAS BANNED NEXT AND LATER THE CHERRY BOMBS AND THE M-80. WE GREW UP BLOWING UP STUMPS AND BIG ROCKS WITH DYNAMITE SO FIRECRACKERS JUST SEEMED LIKE TOYS TO US BUT WE STILL KNEW WHAT THEY COULD DO SO WERE CAREFUL AND NO ONE EVER GOT SERIOUSLY HURT. WHILE DRIVING AROUND IN OZ IN THE 1980'S I USED TO LISTEN TO JOHN WILLIAMSON AND ONE OF HIS SONGS WAS "CRACKER NIGHT" THIS REMINDED ME OF THAT. Attached Images

5th November 2015, 08:58 PM	#2
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,642	This appears to be a setup to eventually post in humorous 'support' of a relative topic discussion but, starting a thread with it ... Well, we don't all have the same tastes, do we, Raf ?

5th November 2015, 09:33 PM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,262	Many of them were handmade I'll bet. And they do go boom.

5th November 2015, 09:51 PM	#4
fernando Lead Moderator European Armoury Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,642	As long as you don't loose a couple fingers when handling them

5th November 2015, 09:59 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,700	Thank you Raf! A little bit of our own culture. As a ten year old in 1950's Oz I grew up in a pretty blood thirsty culture. We actually killed things, and did totally unacceptable things by today's standards, things like catching rabbits, wild cats, wild dogs & etc and then killing them in various ways. One of those ways was by shooting them with cracker guns:- length of water pipe, screw on cap with a hole, wooden stock, charged with a penny bunger, chewed up paper and a marble. Accurate enough at close range and with enough punch to terminate a cat. You lit the wick sticking out through the hole. But now they've banned rabbit traps, banned penny bungers, in fact banned just about everything that was fun. Ten year olds today cry if they see blood, and as for a broken bone --- MY God!!! that's life threatening. I live in a nation of wooses. I really do hope we never have to fight a serious war. Thank you Raf for reminding me of the Good Times.

5th November 2015, 11:34 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,700	It was a different world Fernando. Yes, within the segment of society that I grew up in, it was expected that little boys would discover pain, blood and death pretty early in life. How do you cut a pig's throat, or a lamb's throat if you can't see a rabbit off? How do you survive in life if you can't handle a broken bone or the loss of a bit of skin? I had my own rifle, along with responsibility for it at age 8, I'd used borrowed rifles at a much younger age, but I didn't get turned loose unsupervised with firearms until I was about 11 or 12. Thus the need for self manufactured firepower. The whole ethic of society was different to now, quite simply if it grew, you cut it down, if it moved, you shot it. We walked miles and miles through the bush and were gone all day, sunup to sunset. Never got lost. Committed all sorts of anti-social acts --- by today's standards. My grandkids are supervised out of existence. My grandkids, who are 7 through to 16 are not permitted out of their own little local neighbourhood, and they've got this touchy-feely tree hugging attitude. I gave a couple of them pocket knives --- which they were permitted to have --- under supervision. This is 8 and 10 year old kids I'm talking about. I had knives from the time I could walk. When I was 5 or 6 an uncle gave me a monster bowie that he'd made.One these young blokes carved his initials into a tree. Crime of the century!!! His pocket knife got confiscated by his mother (a school teacher) until she deemed that he had learnt that trees are to be cherished. That woman never has quite come to terms with my attitudes. She thinks I'm a barbarian. People who don't learn to use knives young tend to cut themselves. People who don't learn to use firearms young tend to regard firearms as something other than tools. Yeah, I'm a dinosaur --- along with most people in this country of my generation. The thing was this:- in the late 1940's and early 1950's Australia was flooded with refugees from war torn Europe. Every family had lost men in this war, the Japanese were on our doorstep in Papua New Guinea. The Japanese did not invade Australia, principally because it was considered that the rifleman ethic of Australians would result in too high a loss of Japanese life --- plus the fact that they were stopped on our doorstep. We were raised with the fear of war drummed into us, along with the fear of invasion from the north. Essentially the way kids were brought up was so that if necessary they could go to war and survive. Like I said:- it was a different world. After 1996 and Port Arthur --- a Black Op if ever there was one --- our beloved PM decided guns were a bad idea and Australians suffered a significant incursion on our freedom. Best if I leave this subject right here. I could well make some politically unacceptable, anti-social comments and get myself banned from this Forum.