Chatting with Lorraine and Ken Holt

Ken and Lorraine Holt are eager to stories that will make you laugh, cry and have a gander for more!

Ken & Lorraine Holt in their Silver Band days

Lorraine takes the reins and starts talking about her school days at Davey Street Primary School. “ The earliest thing I could remember is the first day of going to primary school, I could not wait to go to school we had to go all the way from Violet Street, through Beauty Park at the back of Davey Street Primary School,” she says “Beauty Park back then used to have a natural lake in then middle with more aviaries and we used to walk through that to go to school,”

“We did not know it was a long way because everyone used to do it.”

Lorraine recalls feeling like a grown up when she started at Frankston High School. “In those days you had to stay in school until you were 14. There was a tuck shop which made the best pies for morning play,” she says “We would go across during lunch, we thought we were so grown up. Instead of being in one classroom with one teacher you move from classroom to classroom.”

Lorraine says a lot of things have changed since she was a teenager.

“In those days parents were in charge at home, teachers were in charge of school and police were in charge of the streets,” she says

“They knew everybody and if you did anything wrong they would tell on you or you get a kick in the bum from the policeman and no one did any ratty things.”

Lorraine remembers fondly socialising at the dances.

“Of course the pubs were all closed at six pm, when we were old enough to go to the dance, the dance on a Saturday night would start at 8pm and end at midnight,” she says “It was safe and you could walk home from the dance I didn’t live too far, there was no alcohol or drugs everybody danced with everybody.”

Lorraine and Ken Holt in 2012

Ken moved to Frankston from England in 1950 but was too shy to become a student at Frankston High School.

“I’ve had a marvellous lifetime we are married 52 years yesterday, I’ve never looked back,” he says. Lorraine grins and says she did not notice Ken at first but thought he was a nice boy.

“We were in the band and we used to have practice on Monday night, “ she says “They would have what they called play outs over the weekend. We would play at fates, hospitals, and this particular time we knew each other but did not like each other.”

“I got dropped off by my family, I didn’t have a car and Ken said you can jump in my car,”

“We got talking as you do, and he invited me out to go to a dance at Dandenong I thought that was fine and six weeks later we got engaged.”

“That was fast, if your ready and its right then that’s fine. We got married 13 months later.”