How rural NSW families lived rough in the 1960s with no power or running water
Bob Tiyce recalls growing up on Tiyces Lane near Goulburn in the early 1960s without power or running water.
Bob Tiyce has shared memories of childhood poverty on Tiyces Lane near Goulburn. His family lived without electricity or running water in the early 1960s.
Bob's father left at dawn for work while the family gathered firewood and hauled water from a creek for cooking, heating and washing. Bob's mother cooked meals over an open fire.
Kerosene lamps lit the home at night. Hessian bags stapled to rafters served as the ceiling.
Several children shared beds listening to rain pound the roof. The family hunted kangaroo and eels from nearby Jerrarar Creek to supplement their diet.
Tiyce's great-great-grandfather Harry arrived from Germany in the 1860s and settled on Tiyces Lane with his four sons. They made their living hauling wood and working in dairy and pastoral industries around the region.
- Tiyces Lane, Goulburn, NSW
- Location
- Early 1960s
- Time period
- Jerrarar Creek
- Water source
- 1860s from Germany
- Great-great-grandfather arrival
Why it mattersRural Australian families endured harsh living conditions within living memory, a reminder of how quickly modern comforts have transformed country life.
AustraliaThe story preserves oral history of post-war rural NSW and highlights the distance travelled in infrastructure and living standards across regional Australia in less than 70 years.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 10 d ago
