Don’t Bag the Baby Boomers

“With the end of World War II in 1945 Australia’s servicemen and women returned and family life resumed after an interruption of almost six years of wartime conflict. Nine months later saw the start of a population revolution as childbirth rates soared – more than four million Australians were born between 1946-1961.”  (Ref http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/baby-boomers)

Most of us Baby Boomers grew up with parents who survived the Great Depression and taught us to “Waste not, Want not”, “Think of the Starving Children in Africa” etc. No one thought the world owed them a living, you got out of life what you were prepared to put into it. No instant gratification for us.

When we got our first pay packet (It was actual money in a small square packet) the mantra was, 30% for your accommodation, save 30% and spend 30%. If you couldn’t pay for it you didn’t buy it. Most of us bought small homes without the luxuries of ensuites and Family Rooms.

Baby Boomers have been a boon to the housing sector and caused industry to expand as the need for consumer goods grew. Whatever age we finished school, some as young as 14, it was expected that we’d go to work. No one had a “gap year” or spent time on the dole. When we entered the workforce we all paid taxes, some of those taxes funded the pension scheme, which allowed people over 65 to collect a pension if they hadn’t saved too much during their working life. Taxes, levies, service fees etc have increased in number and amount and Baby Boomers have paid them.

Women had to resign when they became pregnant and mothers were paid a small amount (50c – $1.50 per week per child) of “Child Endowment”.  No-one was paid any Maternity Allowance,  Parental Leave or Childcare rebates let alone paid $3000 just to have a child.

Now that we are reaching an age when medical problems are affecting many of us, “Baby Boomers” are becoming the apparent cause of all Government financial problems. We are a drain on the government coffers. Well, I think the powers that be can just pay us all the new bonuses, give us back the money we’ve paid into the Pension fund since we’re now expected to be self funded retirees and we’ll use that money to pay for our new hips and knees!

Advertisement

Obsolete Gadgets

My husband loves gadgets, coffee machines, food processors the size of tractors, mini computers to put on your bike handlebars so you know what your heart rate was when you rode up the big hill and the weather station so you don’t have to go outside to see if it’s raining. He’s still lusting after an inclinometer so he’ll know just how far the car was leaning before it toppled over.

When I was a teenager there were gadgets every family either had or aspired to, Knitting machines, Teasmades, Radiograms, wall mounted electric can openers  and Transistor Radios then later Tape Decks, Vertical Grills and tiny TVs.  Probably those most recently relegated to the back of the cupboard would be Bread Makers, Foot Spas, Toasted Sandwich Makers  and Soda Streams .

I have one gadget though which has been considered an absolute necessity for generations  and although I still use mine many people I know have given them up as a complete waste of time and effort.  My son has never seen the need for one. I failed in my duty to teach my daughter how to use one safely and she’s literally been scarred for life and I’m pretty sure my grandchildren will never want to acquire the skills to use one.

Mine isn’t  one that will ever be decorated with Irises before making its way to an Antique Shoppe to be sold as a trendy door stop. My latest in a line of many has a dial, a little flip lid over the filling hole and a water window, it spits out steam.  It’s my iron and I can’t give it up!