As a child I found adults strangely incomprehensible, for example, they might say things like, “Now, whatever you do, don’t go anywhere near the river.” It was Easter time. Perhaps the most significant religious and social times of our year. After a sombre and introspective Good Friday one or perhaps two of my mother’s brother’s or sister’s families would come for a farmstay

and hence No what do they mean by that. Do they mean don’t go in the water, or perhaps stay out of sight of it, maybe out of earshot. Or maybe it’s like, don’t go too close to the fire, you’ll get burnt” One thing for certain; there was something interesting going on with the river and it was dangerous, beware. Or they might be saying, “Church is in an hour. Don’t get dirty.”

One thing for certain was that now that the Condamine River, which incidentally was now in flood, had been mention edits allure was irresistible. Precise meanings of words were important. We were Lutheran. Like an arcane doctrinal matter, for instance, should the church dress code for women, that is to say , compulsory hats and gloves or other more recent concerns such as, should gramophones be permitted.

In those days, we Lutherans enjoyed an orderly life. Some might say prescribed but that doesn’t by any means imply that we took things for granted but rather all kinds of issues were thoroughly debated at any and every opportunity. That is except for things that were taboo like sex or money, except where they occurred together, like prostitution. The Old Testament was full of it so it seamed.

Many things don’t require explanations. When to plant crops, how to herd cattle, what punishments should be dealt out to you children, how much to give to the missions. These things were to taken as axiomatic, and if something came up of which you were unsure, you were to follow the example of your elders. Though in truth that approach was not so helpful in explaining matters that were taboo.

Tags: farm life