GOODCHILD They'd have picnics and everything from the church, you know.  I can remember at times having picnics, going from the church.  Dad and Uncle would come around and pick us up in the horse and cart and they'd take us straight down the river [Helena River], which was just down the bottom, in the what we used to call the "big pool" - the big pool there.  There was quite a few there, oh, I suppose quite a few.  There'd be a real old-time picnic.  It was good.

GO'H When you say old-time picnic, what would you have to eat and what sort of things would you do on the picnic?

GOODCHILD Watermelon was the main thing, I think.  All these kids had a watermelon. [laughs]  But food was there plenty, always plenty of food.  The women all used to bring food, any amount of it, but the watermelon used to be the wonderful thing.

GO'H What sort of games would the children play?

GOODCHILD The pool was quite deep enough to swim in and, of course, there was always the cricket and football and all that.  That was always there - and tennis and all that.  We used to all get around in the paddocks, oh chasey and all. [laughs] It was good.

GO'H And with the church picnics, do you know who'd actually organised those ?

GOODCHILD Whichever church it was; it was either the Church of England or the Baptist Church.  They both used to go down there, because the mother was involved with the both lots.  She was in the Church of England and the Baptist, and they used to get together and have their special days for the picnics.

GO'H And would people from outside Bellevue come to these picnics?

GOODCHILD Oh, a few but it was mainly for the Bellevue group, the church group.  It was quite a considerable number like that used to go down.  There'd be 50-60 parents and quite a few kids, and we used to have all sports and everything at the time - running, and the old football would come out and the cricket bat.  It was more or less just a get together.  They used to keep the kids, keep the church groups together.

(Battye Library OH 2603/5)