When I look at Lisburn through "Google Earth" although the centre of town is relatively unchanged I am amazed at the changes in other parts of the town especially on the Longstone, Pond Park, County Down and of course outside the town on the Blaris Road and Maze etc. Though my old house where I lived as a kid untill leaving at the ripe old age of 15 to go in the Royal Navy is still there along with the other seven in the row.
I think the original owner of one of them is still living there as there is still a hedge rather than a wooden or concrete fence, at one time there was hedges in front of every house in the row and in our front garden a small tree??. Memories. Mauri

Mauri, I only picked up this post now. Where exactly did you live in Lisburn? I imagine it was the Longstone area but I may be wrong. There are houses as you describe on the Longstone, with hedges too. Imagine your old house is still standing. Would you like to have a wander inside? I would love to walk around my old house in Lawnmount Crescent, remembering how it was when we were young and the children were small. Memories.

Ann, As a young kid I lived in Warren Park Avenue untill a year or so before the war then we moved to Lismara Terrace which is just at the corner of Warren Gardens and the Longstone,though I'm sure you know that?. The terrace was owned by Tommy Mulligan who had the pub on the Dublin Road though later he sold the houses to the tenants.In 1950 my family immigrated to Australia where two uncles already lived having immigrated back in the 1920s. I obtained permission to transfer to the Royal Australian Navy in 1950 and joined the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney in Portsmouth. During exercises around the UK we anchored in Bangor Bay and then moved up to Sydenham in Belfast to load new aircraft, I got five days leave and I spent it in Lisburn staying at a friends house, then rejoined my ship in Glasgow where it was loading more new aircraft,we then returned to Portsmouth and a few days later sailed for Australia. Mauri

Hi Maurie, I found it very interesting to find that 2 of your Uncles went to Australia in the 1920s I wonder what it was like then ? I suppose it was just after the war and things would have been tight then and of course the chance of adventure beckoned ! like Uncles like Nephew did you know what they turned there hand at ? Around 1965 while in Fords Dagenham I knew an old Cockney who was around 65 and he showed me a photograph of him with a team of horses 4 at least and himself on the reins in Australia as a boy on a farm and I would think it was a hard apprenticeship he had to serve , so Mauri thanks again for your great input, always food for thought. Regards Ted,

Hi Ted, I actually had three uncles that went out to Australia in the late 1920s, however one came back to Lisburn in the early 30s and had a variety of jobs, driving for Burnhouse, Thompsons Taxis and then for the NIRTB as a bus driver untill he went back to Australia in 1950 where he worked on the some of the big construction jobs like the Woomera Rocket Range and the Snowy River Hydro Electric Project as a diesel engineer, he was one of those guys who was naturally mechanically gifted.
The other two had a variety of jobs as of course the great depression started not long after they went out, however both done pretty good they married Australian girls and had families, one served in the Australian army during the war the other became a sheep and wheat farmer and had quite a sizeable farm. The engineer came back to Ulster in the mid 60s and worked at the big engineering company in Dunmurry though I can't remember the name of it.
Ted there were a few family photo albums that are probably now in the possession of my numerous Australian cousins that had all kinds of photos of my uncles taken in the early 30s with teams of horses and wagons while working in the outback as they call it in Australia, I would love to go through them but probably never will now. Mauri

Mauri
That is a very good post.

Thanks Mauri .What would you give if it were possible to sit down with the three Gentlemen in question over a few beers and just listen to there early experiences back then ? Personally I would find it priceless and thanks again for sharing ,you never let us down ,Kind Regards to yourself & Joy

Ted, I had to laugh when you suggested that I would like to sit down and have a few beers with my uncles. Only one of them was a regular drinker and by that I mean he always had a supply of beer in his Fridge and was a regular customer at his local hotel (Pub) after work in the days in South Australia when the pubs closed at 6 PM would you believe, this was known as the 6 oclock swill. The farmer uncle never drank at all but sometimes would go with me to the hotel in the little town near where his farm was and have a soft drink while I knocked back a few beers.this of course was during my rare visits while on leave.The last one who went back to Lisburn only drank on social occasions though he did surprise me one time when I visited him where he lived in Lambeg and he brought out a bottle of Scotch but only after his wife told him too."Ha Ha",????? Mauri

Funny enough Mauri after posting, it struck me that maybe they could have been teetotalers however you know were I was coming from, but even if it had been a dry meeting I still would have enjoyed the privilege of there company yourself included off course ,Kind Regards Ted