Half a century ago... what were you up to?

I'd finished my O levels and was looking forward to the summer holidays

On this day in 1973 we celebrated our 4 th anniversary. Today is our 54th.

I was 12, just about to break up for the summer holidays. Can't believe that's half a century ago! 🤦‍♂️

I was 17 and working as a silver service waitress in an hotel saving up to go inter railing in Europe for a month

I was 6, living in a terraced house in a mining village. Probably spending my days playing in the back yard (we didn’t have a garden) with my friends, riding my trike round and round and probably annoying the neighbours!

1973
I was 26 and had been working for Clairol (hair company) for five years, managing my sales territory for two states. Headquartered and living in Chicago - one of my favorite cities - I felt on top of the world. I traveled a lot for business, including the country not just my territory. I was not married yet - that came at age 31.

I wouldn’t consider myself a trailblazer, but at one time I was the only woman in my position in a region of fifty men! Selling women’s products… go figure. ✌🏼

That changed. Still proud of my achievements.
Cheers!
USA Gundy

Summer 1973, I'd just finished my first year in primary school, aged 5, so I can't specifically say that I truly remember any more than that.

Sheian62

I was 14 and had a Saturday job in a hair salon. My parents had booked a holiday to the Isle of Man which had to be changed due to Dad’s job, thankfully as we would possibly have been in the Summerland fire. It was our second family holiday away and the last due to cost of taking a family of six away. Mum and Dad mainly took us on days out via a coach in the summer holidays as we didn’t have a car. How times have changed in 50 years! We were happy though.

Leaving the Isle of Man on the steam packet ship in August 73, my DH and I saw the smoke from the Summerland venue.
So sad😢

I was 25, living in Leeds with my German Shepherd dog (Shah).
I'd been separated from my first husband for three years (a marriage which began at 17 years of age and proved to be a disaster from the very first week).
I was concentrating on work and friends!

Foxygloves thinking of you today 💐

Just wants to say that I LOVE this thread Riverwalk thank you for starting it.
A fascinating snap-shot of us all from different backgrounds and ages.

We had just bought our first house on a new estate in Dunstable for £10, 250! It was a compact terraced house but we still hosted a housewarming party for about 50 guests!

I was 14 and had a Saturday job in a hair salon. My parents had booked a holiday to the Isle of Man which had to be changed due to Dad’s job, thankfully as we would possibly have been in the Summerland fire. It was our second family holiday away and the last due to cost of taking a family of six away. Mum and Dad mainly took us on days out via a coach in the summer holidays as we didn’t have a car. How times have changed in 50 years! We were happy though.

I was 12 and it was the first school summer holidays at senior school…..we had seven weeks.
Whenever I think of this time now it has a sort of golden aura in my minds eye.
I so wish I knew then what I know now.. as the song goes.🙂

Married with a toddler and 6 week old baby. We were living in N.ireland and the troubles were raging. We were very fortunate as we lived in a rural area in the grounds on the school where my husband taught but it was a particularly bad time and the news every daywas upsetting .

Id left home a year before,(very restrictive parents) and I was having far too much fun with drinking and young men!It was my (late) summer of love!

Two years married, just finishing my MA and about to start my first post-university job in London.

I was working as a librarian in Liverpool and DH in first job in local planning. I doubt we had a holiday. Probably went to visit my parents in Bristol or his in N.Ireland. We were saving all of my salary (not a lot!) in anticipation of getting a mortgage eventually. We didn’t go out at all except occasionally to the theatre. Ate a lot of herrings from Birkenhead market (where we rented a flat) because it was cheap source of protein. Tried for a baby next summer and moved to North Yorkshire in December 74. First son born April 75 just after we got a mortgage and our first house. As many have said - happy times then!

I was 21 and had just left Teacher Training College in June 1973 and was busy planning my wedding for 28 July. I had my wedding reception in a lovely restaurant at Alton Towers, when it was lovely gardens and a boating lake etc, before it became a massive theme park. The former restaurant is now the gift shop for Oblivion! Sadly we were only married for 14 years, but still keep in regular touch as friends. I don’t really know where the last 50 years has gone either! It only seems like yesterday when I was about to be married!

Just started work as a clerical assistant in the Planning Dept at a London Borough.

I was 4 months pregnant with my 2nd child.

In 1973 I was living in Port Moresby the capitol city ( not as we know it) and I was teaching as head of English at Kila Kila High School. I have three firm friends in Australia from those days. Weather was hot and the classrooms had tin rooves (is that correct?) We moved to Moresby in 1969 when my husband got an important job. The Speaker remembered David from when he first arrived in PNG because the Speaker served with him and taught him Motu the language of Papua. He decided David would be a good choice as assistant Chairman of the PNG House Of Assembly which was the Parliament. So there he was sitting solemnly in his wig and gown advising of correct procedures. All in all it was a great time for us. We put up visiting MPs ( I always asked for Labour politicians as I felt they would fit in better in our busy family. We also met visiting Australian politicians including the PM.
I still belong to groups reminiscing about PNG and in London a group of boys I taught in New Ireland never forgot me and visited me at my flat. They had great education and had top jobs. Teaching was my vocation and I never tired of it. Two years later PNG became independent and husband feared growing corruption in politics so we left. The PM took David into the national museum and presented him with a Sepik mask which we still have but it remains in England weigh my eldest child, my daughter. I have lived an eventful life in Australia and Papua New Guinea and now in St Lucia. I just miss my husband and that one of my sons lives in Australia. All my children enjoy annual get together meetings here in St Lucia and I keep in touch via phone calls and messages,
Sorry for rambling on but at 89 I lave done a lot of living Sitting here listening to songs of the War. Singing along of course.

If I may hijack and subvert the thread title - 53 years ago our families , DH-to-be and I were having dinner together in St Andrew’s on the eve of our wedding.

I was very heavily pregnant (10lb baby born early October) and DH and I were on our way to Mull by train to spend a holiday with his parents in Tobermory. We had a long wait between trains in Glasgow and no left luggage facilities (it was the time of IRA bombs) so we went to the cinema with our bags squished under our seats It was one of those cinemas showing a film continuously on a “loop” and while I have no memory of what the film was I know we watched just short of twice through.

I was 13. Playing a lot of tennis and listening to T Rex! About to fall in love with Donny Osmond!

In 1973 I was just finishing my "linguist secretarial" course at Cambridge Tech. Went on to Germany to be an au pair, as I wanted to learn German which hadn't been on offer at my school and wasn't offered at Tech for those with no previous knowledge. I learnt German pretty quick once here

The rest is history!