The Old Hippie

[Sarongman]

I am starting a new thread to elaborate on my credentials as an 'old hippie', which 'the_scott_meister' wondered about. I was a square peg in the "round hole" system from high school onwards and embraced the hippie ethic wholeheartedly after I left home. (though not, despite the drivel I spout here occasionally, the drug scene!) Oh yes there was a very healthy counterculture especially centered around the town of Nimbin in New South Wales, near the Queensland border. Nimbin was the centre chosen for the Aquarius festival in the very early 70s and, as it was run down and dying, the counterculture people bought up shops and transformed the town. Maleny was another, though less flamboyant, centre in Queensland; each state has a centre of what I would call sensibility.

My first home was powered by a, now museum piece, solar and wind system with a gas fridge, wood cookstove, also supplying the hot water, and Aladdin lamps for the overcast days to save the batteries. A well stocked pantry was augmented by a good veggie garden in the summer. These were the most contented of times. I did have a ponytail until just about four years ago when my hair thinned and, having seen other old hippies trying to keep a few greying strands together behind their heads and (the look is not good!) not wanting to go down that path, I have had it cut, of late in a coventional manner. The outer may look conventional, the inner man certainly isn't.

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The question I would pose is---Are there any other old hippies on this board? What we're about here is, going counter to perceived wisdom, so could be termed contercultural.

[Taj]

A lot depends on your perception of what defines a hippie. The California hippies at the beginning of the movement were dirty drug addicts dependent on mooching off of society at large. That scene did trigger a counter-culture movement that was more defined in environmentalism, communal living, and alternative spirituality. I find myself closely related to the latter of those two scenes and still practice those values.

What a host of fears that still anchor large segments of society into the narrow thought patterns that we still see.

[Since1982]

November ONE I become a year older and Good Gawd, SEVENTY ONE...SHEESH Another 11/1/41 remembrance will pass. I don't just remember my "Hippie" days, I also remember my "Beatnik" days in the 50's...woooooosh!!

[the_scott_meister]

I'm honored that I've inspired an entire thread. Never thought that would happen. The whole reason why I was wondering is because when you hear of hippies you always think of San Francisco or Berkeley. I didn't know that there were any down under. It's interesting and there was no criticism intended, just curiosity.

Speaking of hippies, all you guys are right, there is no one definition. They did start out of the beatnik movement of the 50's and earlier, and progressed through to the drugged-out ones in the late 60's and 70's that is synonymous with the name. Two of my uncles were more of the latter kind, like Cheech & Chong. They looked and acted just like them. Our neighbors had hippie waggons with redwood paneling, and psychodelic VW microbuses and such. But besides them, we associated with many others that were of the more environmental kind. My mom has always been like that. She's a self-described part-hippie that can't decide whether she's on the conservative or liberal side. Kind of both depending on the issue.

Sometimes I wish that I could live more off the land but that's very difficult to do in the middle of the desert. It's very unforgiving. I'd like some day to live on a river, with a garden, and a gun. Used to be that was all you needed. Now we can't live without broadband. But even if I did I don't think that I could ever consider myself an old hippie. The difference in politics would preclude that. It would be a non-sequetur.

But I remember the old days. I grew up in the 70's in a little town in Northern California called Ukiah. The Doobie Bros. wrote a song about it, but I don't recall it being quite like they do. The Rev. Jim Jones even spent some time there. My parents knew him and his wife, took bible studies with them. My aunt and uncle were in the Peoples Temple for a while and were married by him, but thankfully never followed him to Guyana. If they had, my dear cousins would have died in the jungle with the rest of them.

[Jack Williams]

Haven't cut it since Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore Govt in about 1969. I have very fine hair, so it only fluffs out after recent washing, but too much washing is not good for it. I usually ponytail it but I do look better in my Army hat!
Had a lot of fun on Lamaroo beach in Darwin, where I had a good hut with tongue & groove floorboards etc. I was there for 18 months, working up town as an electronics tech. The council burned us all down in the end.


Found this photo taken at that time (a bit of a cringe!). I'm the one in the red pants and blue kirta.

[Jack Williams]

Look at that tiny little old lady next to Maggie.

[RichardA]

Me, taken in Australia in 1978

[rick401r]

Me, 1970

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Me today

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[the_scott_meister]

Awesome pictures. They all remind me of my family.

[Jack Williams]

Love it! Great lookin' mob weren't we!
Still with our hair begorrah!