Newcastle, my home and I'm very proud of that.

Yeah, somebody had to.:p The "Parthenon" (as mentioned in the song) is a fictitious milk bar, it did not exist before this song came out. Some bright spark decided to open one with that name down Newcastle's west end almost opposite the Co-op Store after the song came out.

It traded for a number of years before eventually closing down.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ausfree

Just watched it, thanks again Robbo.:D Always remember my father who was a pick and shovel coalminer when he was alive saying "The're not real miners nowadays all they are are just machine operators, we were proper miners". He was a "contract coal miner" and he was paid by the skip he filled and yes it was a hard life, during the depression (before my time, incidently:p) mum used to do without meals so dad could eat to keep his strength up so he could work,(money was scarce and food was hard to comeby and many a brealfast was a bread and dripping sandwich) when work was available, strikes were common and dad got out of mining in the early 1950's. He had enough of the hard life and constant strikes.

Incidently, my fathers side migrated from Newcastle on Tyne in England and he was from a long line of coal miners.:D His father died when he was 60 years old from injuries he recieved a couple of years before during a coal collapse at Burwood Collery Whitebridge back in the early 1940's.Probably could have saved him with the medical aid we have nowadays, who knows.:(

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Yeah , mate , tough , hard, men. Salt of the Earth. Nothing wrong with Newcastle , Bob










Working Man - The Dubliners - YouTube

I reckon this is a better version, Bob.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-EiwiiAh68]Working Man sung by Rita MacNeil - YouTube[/ame]

yeah Ian, spot on. That's on my favourites, with the other one. Just in case I need motivation, ;) Bob

I grew up in Newcastle. Worked in the steelworks for 25 years, about 20 of them in the blast furnace department. Don't tell me about hot days. Met my wife there. She worked on shift as a member of one of the steelmaking production crews, just like any other bloke there, shovelling ****, eating dust and poking molten metal. After work she went to university. Don't tell her how tough your job was.

To me this, this epitomises my memories of Newcastle more than those other songs.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llD8M9BfHPg]The Pogues - Dirty Old Town [Music Video] - YouTube[/ame]

Newcastle was a truly great place to grow up, the beaches to the south and north, the Watagans, the lakes, the vin yards and the mountains (Barrington) all within easy reach. Surfing, shooting, 4x4. Sydney people used to look down their noses at us. They had no idea what they missed.