We have even had times in our home where the box created more enthusiasm than the toys themselves.

I recently re-visited a recording made with Forbes local, Steve Hohnberg, where he talked about toys during World War 2.

“You couldn’t buy metal toys, so I got a blue stick about a yard long and attached to that was a wheel at one end, attached to that was a kangaroo made out of wood and as you pushed it along the kangaroo jumped up and down,” remembered Steve.

Steve’s memory got me thinking about toys and ‘making do’ in an era before the availability of toys of every size shape and description.  

I loved billy carts and we made them out of old wooden fruit boxes, bearings out of motor cars as wheels or - if we struck the jackpot - the wheels from an old pram.

Many hours were spent pushing these wonderful vehicles around the streets of Forbes.

Kites, telephones made out of tin cans and string, and of course our favourite catapults or shangais as we knew them.

They would not be allowed now so I won’t tell you how we made them.

Our good family friend and Advocate journalist, Renee Powell, has assured me that “making do” with toys carries on and gives examples of her four-year-old twin girls’ inventiveness.

“Cardboard tubes make great telescopes, even better two cardboard tubes that fit inside each other so you can extend your scope,” she said.

“The girls sit in washing baskets, pretending that they are in boats at sea keeping a look-out.

“Or you can up-end your washing basket and be a turtle.”

What were your favourite toys?  I am going to be politically incorrect again and state that as a young lad I had a favourite cap gun and holster, pretty slick on the draw as well – I can still smell the smoke of those caps when discharged.

Many a gun battle with my mates was held in the local bush, the hardest part was deciding who had been hit and had to ‘play dead’.  

This was of an era and upon reflection now, totally inappropriate.

I don’t think that we ever age too much to enjoy toys.

I still do and recently purchased a little remote control quadcopter – what fun.

My addiction to electronic and technical gadgetry could also fall in to this category I suppose – big boys, big toys.

Then of course, there is the advantage of being a grandparent and having the ability to buy toys that you want to play with, for the grandkids.  

Which of course I do, but don’t tell them, will you.

- Rob WIllis is an oral historian with the National Library of Australia and a Forbes local. NLA collections available online at trove.gov.au