The fireworks thread

[ism22]

Thought I'd take a minute to reflect on some nostalgia as Canberra has 'progressively' decided that hard drugs, weed and trams are better for kids than fireworks. However local kids seem to have gotten their hands on some fireworks and given us a few free shows over the past few weeks (promptly followed by police sirens blazing towards the local parks. Love a bit of mischief like that!

Anybody got some festive stories about fireworks?

Two that I'll share are:

1. In Japan I was having a pretty lonely/tough time around obon season (a summer festival). A mate scored one of those old ~$150 return tickets to Japan and we were like 'THIS IS ON!!!' So he came, we hit the cans big time and then we walked to the beach to launch a heap of fireworks. 'Twas magic!

2. As a kid we used to head down to our beach house on the south coast (nearish to Canberra) a lot. One year a friend's dad (a well known radio presenter) loaded his boot up with fireworks and brought them down the beach for us. Damn we had some good times down there... peeeew peeew peeeew... followed by loud cheers from various beach houses along the point. Them's were the days

Bring back fireworks I say.

[Big Dog]

Thought I'd take a minute to reflect on some nostalgia as Canberra has 'progressively' decided that hard drugs, weed and trams are better for kids than fireworks. However local kids seem to have gotten their hands on some fireworks and given us a few free shows over the past few weeks (promptly followed by police sirens blazing towards the local parks. Love a bit of mischief like that!

Anybody got some festive stories about fireworks?

Two that I'll share are:

1. In Japan I was having a pretty lonely/tough time around obon season (a summer festival). A mate scored one of those old ~$150 return tickets to Japan and we were like 'THIS IS ON!!!' So he came, we hit the cans big time and then we walked to the beach to launch a heap of fireworks. 'Twas magic!

2. As a kid we used to head down to our beach house on the south coast (nearish to Canberra) a lot. One year a friend's dad (a well known radio presenter) loaded his boot up with fireworks and brought them down the beach for us. Damn we had some good times down there... peeeew peeew peeeew... followed by loud cheers from various beach houses along the point. Them's were the days

Bring back fireworks I say.

Absolutely. Loved cracker night and sadly my kids were never able to experience it (and the mishaps which you laughed about later)!

[King Salvo]

Where we lived across the road was a Dairy Farm which we used to get milk from - he used to allow us to build a bonfire on his Dairy Farm Land and let off the crackers on the Queens Birthday

I remember seeing all the Dairy Cattle

The Dairy Farm was compulsory acquired under Whitlam who was PM at the time and the local Federal Member ( Werriwa) and they built 270 housing commission homes on that land.

According to my older brothers who went to school with some of the kids of the Dairy Farmer they received 120k - that was 1973 - Not sure if that was a fair price or not back then?

Imagine how much 270 1/4 acre blocks would be worth in 2024.

The difference with these housing commission homes they were quite well built and the people were given a chance to purchase them after 2 years - all did.

[A Country Member]

She’s goes off like a Fyshwick firecracker

[rented tracksuit]

She’s goes off like a Fyshwick firecracker

If you know where to look, you can still get em in Fyshwick.

[milanja]

I had a pyromaniac as a good friend(still do)

he used to get all the fun fireworks yearly, at weddings he would hand out bungers and at a certain time, he would throw one then everyone else would follow.

at my wedding about 50 went off inside, and my brother in law had to get on the microphone to tell people to stop as the club had their carpets changed 3months prior .

plenty of other stories, but absolutely loved crackers, cracker night was also a good excuse for everyone in the 80s to burn off all their rubbish in backyard bonfires to “celebrate” the queens birthday.