jpp-ba.BoyhoodAustralia.txt
Readme-file for "Boyhood Australia"
Boys and girls,
Right now I'm working on another book, Boyhood Australia, with photographs of George Hughes. (Edition Pojkart). Here is the first instalment, 15 pictures, I hope you like them as much as I do! Two more instalments to follow.
Some of the pictures were on two pages and my effort to scan these as well, resulted in ruining the book, it fell totally apart (sob..). But as a friend wrote: ".... you are preserving them all in electronic form for probably much longer than any of the hard copy books will last...."
Let's hope he is right!
I include the preface by George Hughes, the photographer. Enjoy his pictures.
"Johnie"
PS I posted this set last week but they didn't show up anywhere, or so I'm told. .
PREFACE
"Across yoyous years of yesterdays he often comes to me - a little boy just back from play - the boy I used to be..."
My boyhood during the years of World War 2 was both frightening and exciting. It was also sad for me when I lost family and many boyhood friends. However, I was eventually evacuated to a farm in the country - where I soon forgot the horrors of the London Blitz.
My new "Dad and Mum" and their sons Michael and Peter became my closest friends. "Dad and Mum" were ex school-teachers so they made sure us three boys kept up with our studies etc.
As boys, we had a whale of a time in summer, we chased rabbits, and often caught young ones - which we always let go! We swam in the river which ran through the farm, made a raft, and of course, spent many hours fishing, playing tennis, football or cricket. Weather permitting, we pursued all these pleasures stark naked! Clothing was rationed and hard to come by, so to save wear and tear and washing, we were sent out to play "as God created us" Mum used to say, and "very healthy for young bodies to let wind and sunshine brown the skin". Indeed "Mum and dad" sometimes set us the example and joined in our fun and games.
Years later as a professional photographer, I have always tried to recapture those special memories of my childhood. These photographs portraying boyhood are really me, looking back at myself, recapturing through my camera a nostalgic split-second of time.
Some societies think nudity shameful, more's the pity! To me the beautiful spirit of innocence and carefree abandonments of boyhood, are a birthright given by our creator, and should be cherished always.
The boys portrayed in this album of pictures, know little of hunger, war, and disease. Let us all hope that one day, children the world over, will ask their parents "Dad, Mum, what does hunger mean, what is War"?
"Care for the children - for a world without children, is the end of humanity ..."
George Hughes
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