Me and my shoes. Or shoes then and .... then.

Here's a photo of me in about 1967 or 1968:

Good looking lad, I hear you say.

Now, the interesting thing is the shoes.  They are sandals, made by Clarks.

At the time this photograph was taken and for decades before they were familiar shoes for an Australian boy but as is mentioned in this blog post at the Powerhouse Museum's Photo of the Day they soon thereafter became a type of shoe that was worn exclusively by girls.

As a boy I remember that these were typical shoes for early primary school age children because being able to tie a shoe lace was not required.  It was much easier for a young kid to fasten the small buckles.

In 1960s Australia we called them sandals.  In the UK they were "school sandals" and in the USA "strap shoes"

Here's a 1905 photo of two young Australian boys wearing similar shoes:

 

Two small boys, one on tricycle, originally uploaded by Powerhouse Museum Collection.

Kids being photographed behind a house adjacent to a downpipe is apparently an Australian tradition.

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Comments

[Nico]

I reallyllaughed about your last sentence.
I know these sandals made from rubber as non-gender-specific. They we're worn on summer holidays at the beaches.... or at public pools. And each year one might wonder why the shoes from last year wont fit anymore. So the parents allways had to buy a new pair in the holydays, usally in France ;)

[Bob Meade]

Nico, the pair I am wearing in the photo are made from leather but we did also have plastic sandals of the same design - and I had a pair or those too.

Generally, the leather ones were for school or best clothes. The plastic ones were for leisure.

You made me remember the plastic ones.