DOROTHY GORDON ON THE 1960’S

DOROTHY GORDON ON THE 1960’S

I’m Dorothy and I lived right through the 1960’s and they have to be some of the best years of my life! So much happened during those years and they’ve never been forgotten and are still talked about vividly by the hippies of the time…

 

The Decade of Peace and Love

In the early 1960’s John F Kennedy was elected President and gave his famous speech – “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Peace and War were high on the debating list and the Vietnam war had started.

Later in 1963 President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. A country was heartbroken.

Civil rights was big at the time and White and Black racial tensions were high. Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous speech “..I have a dream…” More than 200,000 demonstrators were present to demand equal rights for both White and Black people. Five years later two Civil Rights leaderes were assassinated, Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy (John F. Kennedy’s brother).

I was a young hippie at the time and one of the events of the time was Woodstock. Music, Love and Peace – It was held on a 600 acre farm in New York and nearly half a million people were there. It lasted three days and sometimes it’s hard to remember it all. I spent a bit of time back then with Commander Vermont and Mrs Vermont and we like to catch up and remember the hijinks we used to get up to..

Fashion

The 60’s certainly had it’s own fashion – at the time it consisted of all the hippest gear – hotpants, miniskirts, vinyl pants, long beaded necklaces, peace symbols. The beehive hairdo was a sight to see! Women would spend hours putting their hair up and the men were into growing their hair long, and peeking out through some round John Lennon glasses. The body was for decorating and the brighter the clothes the better!

Denim jeans were making a big impact and a certain person I used to know called “The big D” owned a pair that are quite famous now.

The Beatles

Wow! The Beatles were hot! The Fab Four – John, Paul, George and Ringo. Everyone my age couldn’t get enough of them. They broke out into the music scene with hit after hit like:

  • Love me do
  • Can’t buy me love
  • A hard day’s night
  • Eight days a week
  • Yesterday
  • Yellow Submarine plus so many more!

Music was huge at the time and psychedelic music started with Pink Floyd – long instrumental solos and different electronic effects made up their style. Dancing was also popular with so much music around – The Twist, and the Locomotion were made famous during this time.

I’ve never really grown out of the sixties – there’s often a time in your life that you’d love to re-live and this was certainly my time. It was a tough decade but an exciting one.

 

GRAMPA’S GUIDE TO BIKERS 2

GRAMPA’S GUIDE TO BIKERS

So what do you do?

1. Apply jelly (preferably lime flavoured) to legs.

2. Lie on your side and wriggle into leathers (singing Bat Out Of Hell helps with your motivation ‘cause this can take a while).

3. Stand on one leg, up on your tiptoes and shake your other leg for 2 and a half minutes. Repeat with other leg.

4. Stretch backwards into the crab position and do 4 reverse press-ups.

5. Stand straight, admire yourself in mirror. Leathers should now fit perfectly and move with your body.

Let me tell you, I have had the best times when I’ve been cruising the streets on my bike. So many women throw themselves at you when they see you’re a Hells Biker.

The tattoo is what grabs their attention most of all. The tattoo you choose tells a person what your personality is like – they say a tattoo is the window to your soul.

My tat is faded now but boy; it was the best tat the Hells Bikers had ever seen.

It covers my chest and back and it took ten years to complete. It has such detail on it, it was perfect. No, I’m not gonna tell you what it is – it’s a secret and only other Hells Bikers know what it is.
Hells Bikers are Chick Magnets, Fact or Fiction?

It’s a well-known fact! And it’s not just the tats that do it.

I’m gonna let you in on something here, you want to know the best way to attract a biker chick?

  • Wear olive oil instead of aftershave, reminds the gals of Italy. And Italy = Romance, capiche?
  • Let your hair get dirty, be at peace with the grease! It shows the chicks that you have more to do with your time than to wash your hair, you know what I’m saying?
  • Paint your nails (black is good), it shows the chicks that you’re still in touch with your feminine side.
  • Never wash your leathers, they won’t cling properly if put them in the washer /dryer.
  • Buy a dog and call it Norman (never did figure that one out, but the chicks loved it).

Okay, remember kids, bikes are dangerous weapons in the wrong hands. They went a lot slower back in the day and I’ve still had my fair share of bad accidents. Stick to learning to get your leathers on for now.

 

GRAMPA’S GUIDE TO BIKERS 1

GRAMPA’S GUIDE TO BIKERS

Hey kids, I’m Grandpa and I’m not scared to say that I love bikes. Let me tell you a little something about them.

 

Vrrommm Vrrooomm
Who hasn’t dreamt of being strapped to the back of a Harley, zooming along countryside lanes and beachside roads? I’ve always loved bikes and I got my first one when I was 2 years old.

How to tell if your child will be a true biker: –

1. When you’re pregnant the baby starts to kick whenever bikes zoom past.
2. Baby starts to headbang side of crib.
3. Baby ignores milk and reaches towards beer.
4. Toddler sings Heavy Metal songs instead of patty cake patty cake.
5. Child pushes other children off the tricycles at pre-school.
6. Child insists on wearing leather nappies.
7. Child refuses to wash hair and grows fringe so it covers eyes.
8. Child wants to be read Biker weekly magazines at bedtime instead of My Fluffy Bunny.
9. First word is Vrrroooommmm.
10. Child demands that Mom pushes stroller at full speed (and preferably performs wheelies)


I love to get into my leathers whenever I can and hang out with the Hells Bikers of Sunset Cove.
Sure, they’ve seen better days, that’s for sure but we all stick together and try to protect the secrets of Big. D.

Dennis hates it when he finds oil on my clothes but I tell him, “Dennis, you should get yourself down to the tattoo shop and stop worrying about the laundry.”

My legs creak a bit now and I find it hard to get on my bike. And it’s getting really difficult to pull on my leathers now.

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RUDOLF’S GUIDE TO REINDEER 2

RUDOLF’S GUIDE TO REINDEER
Anyway, Santa got wise once Blane came along and now all the reindeer are specially trained after Blane hand-picks us from the reindeer pre-school gym club. There are always a few back-up teams in case something should go wrong with the main team and all new male reindeer are called after us. So there’s Rudolf generation 1 down to the current Rudy who has just been picked and he’s generation X.

Of course all of us original guys have a special kind of magic so that we will never die but we do get a bit sick now and again which is when another generation deer takes over. It is possible for us to break bones and Donna had a really bad accident a few years back, she ended up having to lie flat on her back for a whole year! Poor girl. She was okay though, as she loves to eat chocolates and watch daytime TV. She quite enjoyed the rest and came back re-energised and ready for action.

Naughty tricks on Santa.

Although our job is very important we still have fun. Every year we like to play tricks on Santa.

Top Five Reindeer Games

  1. Spin the penguin
  2. Chase the elf
  3. Antler aerobics
  4. Pin the tail on the polar bear
  5. Tan your hide

One year we hid his sack full of toys, another year we put the sleigh on backwards – what a hoot! We’ve even unteathered our leads to the sleigh and taken off without him. Blitzen put a hedgehog on his seat on Christmas Eve 1924, it was hilarious! My favourite was the year we tied huskies to his sleigh instead and hid in the snow waiting to see his reaction – there were many Ho Ho Ho’s that Christmas Eve!

Santa plays a good few jokes on us himself! Last year as well as loading on to the sleigh all the presents he put a sack full of weights as well! We were trying for a good 10 minutes just to take off!

Anyway, it’s nearing Christmas now and we’re all in preparation – there’s lots to be done! No doubt we’ll be passing over your place very very soon. Hope all you little boys and girls have been nice this year!

Next time you leave out a plate of cookies for Santa remember all the deer that are working so hard to bring your pressies too and leave out a bit more for us than a mouldy old carrot would you?!

Happy Christmas!

 


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RUDOLF’S GUIDE TO REINDEER 1

RUDOLF’S GUIDE TO REINDEER

“I’m the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolf. Sure I have a red nose but I’m really famous for my baklava which Santa and the elves can’t get enough of. Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about what it takes to make a special reindeer and some other stuff…”

It’s tough to be a reindeer


Okay, it’s not all about Santa you know. Us reindeers have to work really hard all the year round to make sure that the sleigh gets up there in the sky. He’s a big guy old Santa and it takes a lot of muscle to keep up the speed as we pull the sleigh, toys for several million kids and the bulky guy himself all around the world.

We have a fitness instructor who’s actually related to Coach Shane. Shane likes the sun but great great grandpa Blane came out to the snowy North Pole many many years ago ‘cause he couldn’t stand the heat. So he did not (as Sunset Cove history documented) die in the Second Sunset War.

Blane changed the way that reindeer are perceived by people today. Before he came along we were fed oats and water and just allowed to run loose in the fields behind the ice palace.

Blane taught us the importance of saunas, mixing our diet and playing ice hockey and volleyball as much as possible. He also convinced Santa to build a gym behind the swimming pool area and made sure that the elves sewed some decent tracksuits for us to wear when we’re working out.

The reindeer games were invented and Blane trained the winning team, led by my good self. That was how the gang that pull the sleigh got chosen in the first place. Before that Santa just used to call on any old deer to help him out over Christmas and things sometimes went really wrong.

Like the time Santa and his deer crashed in the Andes and had to eat the wrapping paper to stay alive. That was the year that kids all over the world thought that they had been really bad ‘cause Santa never showed up and they grew up with major chips on their shoulders and became non-believers. What a nightmare that was. And all because those dumb deer didn’t know their left from their right or their up from their down.”

 

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