After graduating her midwifery course in the middle of 1958, Judy returned home to Camperdown to work in the local hospital. Things had changed many of her old friends were now married and some even had children, she no longer felt part of their lives, she was an outsider.
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| Photographer Unknown, Judy shows off her new Vespa, circa 1957, Camperdown [T338] |
Judy was just beginning her adventures, she dreamed of excitement and discovering other worlds, Camperdown couldn’t contain her and after 3½ months she was on her way overseas with her beloved Vespa, feeling like a movie star.
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Photographer Unknown, Judy shows off her new Vespa to a Nursing Colleague, circa 1957, Camperdown [T339]
Judy and two friends rode from Melbourne to Sydney to meet the cruise ship. It was a long ride. It was also an opportunity to do a little sightseeing. Judy travelled on her own bike, while the two others share a bike between them.
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| Photographer Unknown, Stopping for a Break on the Way to Sydney, circa 1957, at Hume Highway, Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia [T341] |
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Once in Sydney, the bikes were loaded onto the
SS Monowai to be offloaded when they all arrived in New Zealand.
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| Photographer Unknown, Vespas loaded and ready to leave, circa 1987, at Hume Highway, Gundagai, Wellington, New Zealand [T337] |
The trio spent the first month travelling around New Zealand, using their Vespas to get around, before settling into the routine of work and weekend excursions.
On her return back to Australia Judy knew that she would have to eventually sell her travel-weary bike “About your scooter …. Some time in the future you are going to have to spend quite a lot of money on it. The trick is to decide when this will be & sell at a time when you have got the most out of it without cutting it too fine. I can’t say exactly when this would be without a close study of the scooter but it can’t be too far off considering the mileage.”
A thoroughly modern woman – background notes
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| Trailer screenshot Licencing Cropped screenshot of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck from the trailer for the film Roman Holiday, released in 1853. Audrey_Hepburn_and_Gregory_Peck_on_Vespa_in_Roman_Holiday_trailer_(cropped).jpg [Public domain] accessed 10 February 2020) |
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| 1956 'Advertising', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 26 March, p. 10. , viewed 09 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71794186 |
Great post! Judy reminds me of my Aunt Rita -- my mom's sister -- who was a single career woman, also in the 1950s. She went across the U.S. by car, from New York to California (where she ultimately settled). Her ride in California was an MG convertible. Hats off to these daring women who followed their youthful dreams!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear about another young woman following her dreams, living on the road with her Vespa. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I saw the picture from "Roman Holiday" because that movie popped into my head when I saw the first picture with the Vespa.
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