Maybole

GROWING UP IN THE 1950'S

Maybole

Maybole was a small friendly town of some 5000 or so inhabitants in the 1950's where everyone knew everyone,
aye, and their business as well. But that was part and parcel of our heritage I suppose you could say, and I doubt that many would have changed anything.

In those days you could leave your front door open all day without fear, or have the key on a piece of string behind the letterbox. Even if there was nobody at home you had nothing to fear as everyone was as honest as the day was long.
Try that today you are likely to return to an empty house. How things have changed in such a short period of time.

Being such a small, close knit community, everyone was on nodding terms at the very least, so when you passed
someone in the street the very least expected was a "Hello." I remember once being sent on an errand by my Grandmother. I walked up the Kildoup (Welltrees Street), down the High Street to the bottom, where I duly completed the task at hand, returning the same way, being gone probably only around 20 minutes, time enough though for my Grandmother to be waiting for my return to ask why I had snubbed so and so up the street, can't remember who it was, but it would have been totally out of character for me as I was a friendly wee boy, still am today, just ask the wife!
I can only assume I was daydreaming.

Football

This was our main passion and we would often play from morning until night on the site in front of the Boag
where the bungalows are built in what is now Ladywell Terrace.

There were no goalposts, just jackets or jerseys to mark the goals, but you wouldn't hear us saying that we had
nothing to do or nowhere to go. We made our own entertainment and were of little or no trouble to the town residents. .Today all you hear from the kids is moan, moan, moan. They don't know they are born.

Maybole Juniors

This was the first team I ever supported. I seem to remember we tried every way possible to get in to the
ground without paying, but being a shy wee boy, I decided it was less hassle to pay.
Then as I got older I discovered the half-time tea and Bridie, that was something to relish.

I loved that maroon and white strip, the team was invariably rubbish, but to this day it's still my favourite strip.

Ayr United

This was my next stop, it was in the days when their goalkeeper was known as
"Len Round, Ayr United's English goalkeeper." You can imagine my surprise when a few
years ago my father-in-law introduced me to his best mate "Len Round, who used to
play in goal for Ayr United." I have been privileged to peruse Len's fascinating personal
albums of his career, fondly compiled by his Dad. Sadly, Len had to have part of a leg removed
in May 2001. He didn't really recover from this and died just before Christmas 2005.

CELTIC

A gang of us from Allans Hill were on the way back from the pictures one Saturday when
Colin Jackson said "I support Celtic." As he was the unoffcial gang leader, well he was the .
oldest, we all supported Celtic, and I have done ever since. Can you just image the trouble
that has caused me throughout the years as most of my family were Rangers supporters.

My first "Old Firm" match was at Ibrox so I went first to visit my Auntie Polly and Uncle Wullie who lived
in Golspie Street, Govan, about a mile from Ibrox. Uncle Wullie was also going to the match so we set
off together. When we arrived at Ibrox Uncle Wullie suggested that I should stand in the Rangers end with him.
Now just imagine the scene, I am kitted out from head to foot in green and white and my uncle wants me to go in
to the Rangers end. I said something like "dressed like this, you must be joking" and off I went to the Celtic end.
It was a fantastic feeling standing just behind the goal in the Celtic end for the first time. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Celtic scored first but Ranger spoilt the party by winning 2-1. On arrival back at my
Aunt and Uncles's I discovered that I had upset my uncle by not going in to the Rangers end with him, but nothing
will ever change my opinion that I chose the correct option. I wanted to stand by my Uncle at the match, but in the
Rangers end dressed in green and white, I still believe, young as I was, that I would have been lynched.

Black Burn

We quite enjoyed jumping or vaulting the Black Burn, falling in every now and again just to make thing
interesting. Oh ok then.....just because we thought we could jump farther than we could.

Kilhenzie Wood

This was visited on occasion to find the wood for our bows & arrows or vaulting poles. I seem to remember
that we took only what we required and were careful to cause no damage to either trees or saplings.

Swimming Holes

When we weren't doing any of the above there was always the two swimming holes. One at
Cursloe, about three miles out the Dailly Road, where for some reason that escapes me,
girls were not allowed. There was a dam across the River Girvan and we had some great
times there. The river was teeming with trout and there was always someone handy to
catch and cook them. To this day I still couldn't "tickle" trout to save myself.

The other one was to the right at the Cairders Burn. Girls were allowed there and one in particular,
whose name I had better not mention for obvious reasons, would invariably arrive without costume so
asked one of the boys for a loan of theirs. They usually obliged with conditions, so when she was in
the water and when someone said "give us a flash - - - - -", she duly obliged, pulling the trunks down
to her knees. That was as far as it went though, or any of us wanted it to go (I think), so I suppose you could say
that it was all good clean fun. She was certainly a fun girl was - - - - -, and for anybody out there
wondering.....no I did not!.

JACKIE DENT

The best chips by far were "Jackie's Greasers" - he knew I loved loads of vinegar on my chips so would always oblige. Looking back they were probably about as unhealthy as it gets, but ask anyone from that era and I bet not one of us would change anything ..... oh the memories ..... I can still just about smell them now.....a Fish Supper Please Jackie!

Jackie always liked a drink and would pop behind a screen for a little tipple. I'm not sure, but after I joined the R.A.F. in 1962 I think it may have got a little out of hand. An old neighbour told me she was at the front of the queue waiting to be served just after he opened one day. Jackie was going about his usual business of making sure everything was frying when his wife Lena entered the shop. She went behind the counter and said "What are you lot waiting for?" to which the customers replied "fish & chips" - and she replied "Well you will wait a long time then - he hasn't even set the fire yet!"

Like Jackie, the shop is now long gone, blown away in the name of progress I suppose. It's a shame really, that building should have been preserved for posterity.