Memories from Eva, 79
As
a child I knew kerosene lights and wood stoves. My aunt even
had gas lights. However, by my teens I was accustomed to electricity
– though not so much for cooking or refrigeration until after
the war.
When
I married I encountered a property that had carbide gas piped
through the house for lighting but when I had to use carbide
lights it was a case of putting the lump of carbide in one
container then immersing it in another of water. The lights
were emptied out each night after use and I hated the smell.
We also used a gas light that had to be pumped and a kerosene
lantern was used for nightly trips outside.
In
time, we generated our own power with a 32 volt diesel engine.
Later, we had a 240 volt set-up.
We
also graduated from a fuel stove to a gas stove, but it was
only when we moved to town that electricity could be taken
for granted at the flick of a switch.
When
power was ceremoniously switched on in Jundah in 1959, a kerosene
lantern was buried at the park entrance. A voice from the
crowd said, “Don't bury it too deep, we might need it tomorrow.”
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