The Good Life

Individuals who were uprooted to live the 1970s good life tell their stories.

19:52 20 April 2016

A recent article in a magazine explored what happened to individuals who pursued the “good life” or self-sufficiency lifestyle in the 1970s. Some of the readers shared their stories of their idealistic upbringing.

 

Dan Wrightson, from London told the story of how his mother and stepfather sold everything in England to move to Tuscany when he was just five years old. They did not have electricity at first, not even a decent roof over their head. They grew their own crops and raised chickens and pigs on their own. He remembered the “good life” as hard work but said that it made him self-reliant.

 

Donna McCarthy, from Cardiff said that her parents moved to Donegal in the Republic of Ireland when she was just six months old. They lived in a house without a toilet and grew all their vegetables in an 11 acres of land. She remembers the joy of living in the countryside and all the memories of being outside, being around animals and eating home-grown food.

 

Sue Jefferson, from York also moved to the countryside with his parents when he was just 12. He remembers having six baby lambs and the joy of midnight feeding. He distinctly remember one occasion when his father was in black tie and his mother in a long evening dress bottle-feeding the lambs surrounded by poo. He calls the good live the real adventure.