Saturday 10 August 2013

Sepia Saturday – Strange Contraptions


The Sepia Saturday prompt this week is of a strange contraption, and this has prompted me to delve into the family photo collection for some of our own.


A photo of me on an old tractor at Wimmera Mallee Pioneer Museum at Jeparit. 
This photo was taken in the very early days of the museum. Jeparit was the birthplace of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister. 
The museum now covers 4 hectares and houses many historic buildings, antiques, machinery, and furnishings of the first pioneers.



A photo of mum and her sister in a jinker being pulled not by a horse but by their Pa, Edward Long, at Werneth, between Beeac and Cressy, Victoria. 

Mum said her Pa used to take them down the driveway to the gate and back for a special treat when they came to visit from the city. 
He only lived about another five years after this photo was taken.



A photo of an unknown boy on a mini-buggy with a mini-horse. 
The photo was not labelled and we don’t recognise the lovely old house either. 
As it was in my Nanna’s collection it is almost certainly from the Western District of Victoria.



And to finish, my brothers – the older ‘driving’ his red pedal car and rigged up the matching red trailer to be pulled along behind. 
I’m not sure they would have got very far, certainly not very fast. 
The younger ‘sooky-looking’ brother looks like he wanted out, not that the older brother wanted him in there in the first place!



20 comments:

  1. Pa's jinker is lovely. Such a simple thing to do and it's provided lasting memories.

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  2. A pedal-car was the one thing I wanted most as a small boy.

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    1. and it was RED!!
      They always go faster don't they?

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    2. Well, I'm not sure about that - how about British racing green?

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  3. Jinker - new word to me!

    Great post.

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  4. Again an enviable set of photographs from your own family album. Yes, that's a new word to me also.

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  5. Oh I think your jinker goes beautifully with Brett's jinnyrickshaw. They belong together, poetically and aesthetically.

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    1. yes, I agree. I read Brett's just after I posted and that crossed my mind straight away.

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  6. There's a road near where I work called The Jinker Track. Now I know what a jinker is ! Thanks :)

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  7. I wonder what photo of me will be identified as "taken about 5 years before she died." yikes.

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    1. Mum didn't remember it as "taken about 5 years before he died" - that was my comment added after hers - mainly to show that he was an old man. I told mum your comment and she laughed - she said she didn't know why he still had the jinker as he didn't have a horse by this time :)

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  8. Lovely to hear the word jinker again for the two-wheeler,

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  9. Wonderful photos spanning a generation or two. I wonder what the next generation will identify as our strange contraptions?

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  10. I find it difficult to pick the one I liked best but I guess it's the jinker for me as well.

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  11. All of the pictures were great, but I really like the one of your brothers --- so reminded me of pictures of my brothers at that age --and now they are old greying hulks. So it's good to have the memories.

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  12. I'm hoping your brother stayed on level ground and didn't head down any hills. Perhaps the fellow in the wagon knew a hill was coming up and was trying to bail.

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  13. I just love the last picture of your brothers
    My husband had a pedal car along similar lines as to what your brothers have
    Jackie
    Scrapbangwallop

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  14. Oh gosh -- that last photo is a pip. It's the perfect kid invention.

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  15. Yes I can just imagine how kids would love such a treat. A wonderful collection of photos.

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  16. Hi, Jackie - many thanks for your comment on my recent Sepia Saturday blog. You mentioned your mother was an ex dressmaker and you are trying to persuade her to write down here memories, You both may be interested in one I have just posted on my mother at http://scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/happiness-is-stitching-sentimental.html

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