Leisure Activities
During the early years of married life in the colony the Humes participated in local activities whenever possible. It was a time of getting to know the people in the area and there were dances, picnics, balls and dinners to go to. The races, held in June and December, were an event which many people attended. Katie described her introduction to the local races which were held at a course between Toowoomba and Drayton on the Darling Downs.
The Residency, Drayton ...18th Janry, 1867
My dearest Mother,
...There is a Grand Stand which however is not much frequented as almost all the spectators are on horseback. Even the very poorest persons manage to borrow a horse for this grand occasion & consequently one sees the most extra- ordinary things in the way of steeds.
It was my first introduction to a Colonial crowd & I must say I was very much amused. A great part of the equestrians seemed as if they had never been 'outside a horse' before, & behaved accordingly, riding about amongst the trees in the most reckless manner & tearing round the course between the races like mad people. What struck me particularly was the number of women on horseback for at home one sees none but ladies riding ... (Bonnin, p. 40).
The photographs provide an image of a later time. Many taken during the 1880s at Yandilla show gatherings on the verandah or under large shady trees. Relaxation and enjoyment of activities such as tennis, archery and shooting were indulgences which provided a reprieve from the hard work of day to day life which allowed these people to achieve what they did.
Group of people practising archery, [c. 1880]
Photograph Album Vol. 1, p. 50. |
Lawn tennis - Yandilla, 13 November 1884,
Photograph Album Vol. 2, p. 9. |
Shooting Party - Yandilla,
[c. 1880] Photograph Album Vol. 3, p. 19. |
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