The Jamestown Show

[Dykey]

Got to thinking last night.
The good times at the Show, when we were kids.
Remember: The Boxing Troupe. I can remember "Major" Wilson (early 1950ties).  He was  a robust man). Then there  was "Major" Moore. He had one bad leg that made him limp.
His son was in the troupe. They use send some of their fighters into the crowd so they could put up their hand to fight. Just in case there were no local takers.
It was challenge to slip under the tent and not  get caught, to see a fight.
The "Major" was also the referee and if his son was taking a hiding, the round was cut short.
The last fight of the day, they would take down the entry fee board and as you were caught in the rush and couldn't back out, you paid up.

Can you remember some of these conversations when "Major" Moore was outside on the platform, conning people to fight.
"Major" :    "Where are you from Son?"
Person:      "From Terowie!"
"Major":      "Ter-rowiee! get up the ladder, Son! ....give him a rally"
 
The Fireman from Pirie:   "I want to have a go!"
"Major":     Can you fight Son?
The Fireman: "Yes! I've did a bit in my time!"
"Major":   "Get up the ladder son!... give him a rally".            

[Ray]

I can remember the Boxing tent, but it was under a different name then. I reckon it was Jimmy Sharman's tent and later Fred Brophy who I believe has just retired from the business.

What I won't forget in a hurry, was on the day prior to the show, I went over to watch them putting up the sideshows and met up with a group of other young lads, two of whom were your neighbours at the time. One of them was pretty quiet, but the other was known to have a cheeky streak in him, anyway we were headed over to see what was going on with the erection of the boxing tent and there was a huge Maori bloke in the troupe. He saw us all staring at him and said something to us which I couldn't understand, and it seems i wasn't the only one, as the younger of the two brothers, being cheeky said, "Togga bogga, togga bogga"! and the Maori took off chasing us.

Well I never looked back, an being fleet of foot as I was, I didn't stop untill I had covered several hundred yards. When I finally looked back our group had split well apart and the Maori was standing back at the tent laughing his head off at us heroes. Yeah, I know he was laughing, but I think that we all were very carefull when we went near the tent next day, hoping that we wouldn't be recognised.

Ever since that day I have called the younger of the two "Tog"

The other thing I remember was that the spruiker got the crowd pretty wound up and someone threw a cigarette ligher at the blokes on the plank and it went through the drum. It didn't go down very well, but they just turned the drum around and used the other side for the rest of the day.

[tricky]

Can you remember some of these conversations when "Major" Moore was outside on the platform, conning people to fight.
"Major" :    "Where are you from Son?"
Person:      "From Terowie!"
"Major":      "Ter-rowiee! get up the ladder, Son! ....give him a rally"


Dykey, you have left out the best bit of the story about the bloke from Terowie.


Can you remember some of these conversations when "Major" Moore was outside on the platform, conning people to fight.
"Major" :    "Where are you from Son?"
Person:      "From Terowie!"
"Major" : "Can you fight Son?"
Person: "I had a fight in the street once"
"Major":      "A STREET FIGHTER FROM Ter-rowiee! get up the ladder, Son! ....give him a rally"[/b]

[Dykey]

Yep! I was also there when the lighter went through the drum.

Dave McGee use to bring the fighters over from Pt Pirie. He would off side them at the ring.

I'm pretty certain that Dave Mc Gee went onto being a Member of Parliament (Labour).

[Dykey]

Another one to remember.

I went into one tent, which one act was about Hypnotism and they asked one fellow from the audience to come out.
They hypnotised him and he ate a wax candle.

(Tricky. Do I recall You and Rodney F going into the tent or was that the Strippers tent?)

I was talking to the fellow afterwards and he said it was a "Con". They gave him a pound for doing it and keeping his mouth shut.
It turned out the fellow was in Jamestown in the late forties as his Dad was in the Railway Station. By memory his name was Porter. (Ray will get me on this one?)

Another One.
Remember the woman who stripped off completely but it was in a bowl. A bowl as big as a fish bowl, about 30cm in dia.
How they carried it out, got me.
The woman must have been in a caravan, next to the tent and they must used some type of camera system. Videos Cameras were not around in them days.

The Jamestown Cops closed the it down at about 2 p.m. NOT the thing to happen in those days.

[Ray]

I was talking to the fellow afterwards and he said it was a "Con". They gave him a pound for doing it and keeping his mouth shut.
It turned out the fellow was in Jamestown in the late forties as his Dad was in the Railway Station. By memory his name was Porter. (Ray will get me on this one?)

Portlock?

[Dykey]

Right again Ray!. His first name was Malcolm. With a name like that....well!.

I remember more on the Tricky story. The People had trouble with the audio system and Tricky working for the PMG, volunteered his services.
Rodney F was with him and whilst carrying out this service one of the ladies had a wardrobe malfunction and Tricky & Rod got a better showing than other people paid for.

[tricky]

Yes Dykey, I vaguely recall something about a wardrobe malfunction, but no doubt it may have been embellished a little bit by our youthful perceptions of propriety???

Plus ..... I was concentrating on fixing an amplifier, whereas Rodney was NOT concentrating on the amplifier!!!