Paying for hot water in your billy

[iwccc]

Can anyone remember taking their billy on picnics and getting boiling water to make tea whilst out and about?  Did the shop keepers give this for free or did you have to pay for it?  For how long did this custom continue?  Appreciate any memories

[cupoflife]

Many articles complaining about charges for hot water. These are just a few.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/114102775
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/147584212
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23623068
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243929208
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204194471
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60296774
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102368631
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/201219504
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234580978
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234630226
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/147474083
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212196686
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42693287
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266064410

[iwccc]

Thanks cupoflife,  what a collection of interesting articles. Thank you.  It appears that the cost of buying hot water for your tea in those days was often complained about as being too expensive.It varied from place to place but I have not found anywhere that it was offered for free (except your own home perhaps!!!).   Thanks for the great reply

[judb]

We were posh- always had thermoses!! And a tin of sandwiches - egg and lettuce and chutney with slices of whatever left-over meat there was from the Sunday roast - no lettuce added as Mum said it made the sandwiches soggy.
But we didn't camp, only out for day trips.

Judith

[sparrett]

Diverging a little from the billy chat, I am reminded by Judith's comments that things were so very much more environmentally kind in those times.

Yes, the sanwiches in a tin which was rinsed out for next time and no such thing as a take-away cup.  You used the lid of the thermos.

My school lunch was in a tin recycled from a gift of "mixed biscuits" and the sandwiches kept fresh with a cotton napkin.  The only wrap available was greaseproof paper and that went round an apple cut in pieces.

Yes, Mum used her own knife, time and skill to cut the apple.  I see many school lunchboxes in the course of my work and cut up apple now comes in little sealed plastic packets  from Woolies.

Sue

 

[judb]

Gosh, Sue - taking lunch in a tin with a cotton napkin and your apple already cut up!!!  Mine were wrapped in waxy paper in a brown paper bag  (which Mum wanted us to bring home but I don't think we did that very often) and the apple was definitely left whole!

Judith

[mckha489]

We used to have one of these for my parent’s hot drink on picnics
https://www.homegrownbotanica.co.nz/products/copper-thermette-the-original-nz-invention

I am quite sure it didn’t cost this much though! And nor was it copper. Dad’s one was orange.

[iwccc]

thanks mckha489.   Don't think I have ever seen one of these. Good to know!

[iwccc]

thanks judb, We had a thermos later on but initially it was a billy and loose leaf tea.  I am surprised to see how many complaints made it to the paper about the cost of buying boiling water.  Some shop keepers/ kiosks must have made a good profit at this time.  Thanks for contributing