Betty and Colin Temple

Betty & Colin Temple

Born 1936 and 1934

Nerriga, NSW

“Keep busy, don’t smoke, pub occasionally”.

On my way to Nowra on the New South Wales’ South Coast, I caught up with Betty and Colin Temple in Nerriga, a small village in the Southern Tablelands region. I have some very fond memories of Nerriga. My parents would take us as kids to the Nerriga Horse Sports each year to compete in flag racing. We were known as the “Jackson kids” and would compete seriously every weekend, especially when it was against my brother Cameron… The night would follow with a dance in the community hall and we would all camp out. These were some of my most loved memories - riding the horses flat out, not a worry in the world!

As I arrived, I could see Betty and Colin sitting on the veranda, quad bikes parked perfectly out the front, their house looked exactly the same as it did when I was a kid.

Colin and Betty have been married for over 60 years now! The two of them have 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. I spoke with the two of them about the best years in Australia: “When we were growing up as teenagers, you could trust everybody, we were all mates” Colin said. Betty told me that the best years were post-war, around the 1950s and 60s, “Compared to now in Australia, trust no people, now you think twice”.

Colin’s favourite childhood memory was going to school, “not that I liked it that much” he said. He told me how his brother used to double him on the pushbike up until about year 10, then he started catching the bus. The school then used to have roughly 50 students, but it closed down in about 1976. The two of them were so sweet, “If I could change on thing…world peace” Betty said. We had a great catch up and a cup of tea was a must!