Celebrating the End of Summer

I hate to seem ungrateful but summer, you have outstayed your welcome and it is time to go. Thanks for coming but I'm ready now for autumn not this Indian summer they are telling us we are having. Given that here in Lockhart we have had probably two days out of the last five weeks under 30 degrees, and a cool change is announced as 36, I think I can safely say I am exhausted by a pretty relentless summer. Besides which, we need the gradual cooling autumn brings to ease us into and acclimatise us to winter. I like autumn, it's a fabulous season for cooler nights, warm days and amazing colours, both in leaves and and shades of light.

I'm not even sure what has happened to the light this year. Has anyone else noticed that it has not been very light this daylight savings season? It has been light in the evening sure, sometimes even glaringly so if you're driving anywhere but the mornings have been a hazy dark until about 7am. I'm used to waking up with the sun and this summer that has been happening after my alarm has gone off. And on the occasions when I have had a sleeplessly restless night sweltering in the heat, the night has gone on interminably long.  What gives? Is this part of global warming? We haven't been warned about global darkening too.

And then there is the autumn festivals like the one we have coming up this weekend. The Vintage Veranda Fest, it even sounds like an autumn festival and traditionally it has been, making the most of the stable autumn weather to have one last knees up before the long winter months devoid of celebration kick in.

So what to expect this weekenes at the Vintage Verandah Fest. Well as usual there is the National Historic Truck show out at the Lockhart Showgrounds, street traders of retro goods and crafts, the auntiques auction, garage sales around town and other entertainment such as music, kids fun, that sort of thing. Mostly it is a chance for people to visit Lockhart and remind themselves about the Veranda Town. Visit the Blue Bird, the museum and the unique Doris Golder Gallery and stroll around the streets taking in the historic shop fronts and houses. Lockhart is 116 years old as a shire this year, not bad going when you consider that the land boom attached to the wool fortunes of Brookong Station was only expected to last 5-10 years back in 1906. That was when a handful of prospector business developers like WD Drummond erected the shops on Green Street to service the farmers and their employees. In the 1930s and 40s The Blue Bird Cafe had a roaring trade from seasonal workers and travelling salesmen, single men often, on their own looking for a home cooked meals seven nights a week. Those days are sadly gone with modern automated farming not requiring so many hands any more. It seems like an age ago but I wonder what the founding fathers of Lockhart would think of the town today. In some respects they might not see much that has changed, the Blue Bird is still there and so are the buildings that housed the banks, bakeries, butcher, hardware, menswear and other shops. Businesses of course have come and gone or adapted to change and there are now only two pubs in town as opposed to four (at least) but two of the biggest building changes would have to be the War Memorials and the Ex servicemens Club. Which of the founding fathers and mothers would have anticipated the need for those in the country town? So let's celebrate the end of summer by looking back to summers gone by.