Growing up in the 1970s and early 80s felt like a privilege. Yes, health and safety standards were less than stringent, and our playgrounds, often crafted from unforgiving concrete, were arenas filled with both adventure and risk. I still bear the scar of my childhood—a bump on my head from a fall onto the hard steppingstones when I was just three, resulting in my first encounter with stitches. I remember the family dynamics of sharing a single bathroom, a luxury compared to the frigid outdoor toilets my parents endured in the 1960s.
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It’s remarkable to think how little we relied on technology during those times; if we wanted to experience video games, we ventured to smoke-filled pubs with sticky carpets or bustling amusement arcades, armed with a 10p coin for a brief game of Pac-Man or Space Invaders. Each gaming experience was a fleeting thrill, until the next week when we could afford another game. You could also use the money to buy a 10p bag, which was a variety of chewy sweets in a wee paper bag. The telephones were rotary dial which required a good deal of patience as the circular mechanism made dialling a slow process. Especially for numbers like nine that were located at the far end. If a mistake was made, it was frustrating to have to reset and start the entire dialling process again.
Our schooling days were filled with intimidating teachers, with one in particular resembling Jabba the Hutt, who would bizarrely encourage us to buy her oranges which she’d later inject with vodka. On one occasion she came into the classroom with toilet paper flapping from the back of her trousers. We were also the generation of free school milk - albeit warm and curdling in summer or frozen solid in winter.
But perhaps the greatest gift of our upbringing was a sense of freedom that allowed us to roam. Our parents didn't baby us; we were sent out each morning - to call on our friends with the implicit trust that we would find our way home by teatime. While there were the occasional mishaps—an injured knee, a close call with electricity, or a toilet accident. It was all part of the adventure of childhood.
Saturdays were a rite of passage, featuring television shows like "Multi-Colored Swap Shop," where we would gather eagerly in front of a modest TV with only four channels, creating a shared experience among friends at school on Monday. We had just a handful of cassette tapes, and listening to music meant rewinding those tapes, often leading to them getting stuck in the players. Yet, we were witness to the golden age of "Top of the Pops," where a glimpse of our favourite artist felt like an event worth discussing.
Life, in that era, felt markedly simpler; social interactions were genuine, and manners were more than an expectation—they were a norm. There were fewer rules, yet an abundance of respect permeated everyday encounters, creating a rich tapestry of community and connection.
Jamie's latest book is out now: Released 28/10/2024 ISBN: 9781805144519 Price: £9.99
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