The newly published author of a memoir titled Goodbye Crackernight said his childhood and youth were spent in Howard Street, a place he described as a ``haven''.

This in spite of the somewhat dangerous annual event that provided the title for the book and defined his formative years - cracker night.

Before Howard Street became a housing subdivision in the 1960s, it was the location of the Howard and Sons factory which had produced fireworks for all of Sydney's major public events dating back to the 1930s.

A member of Generation X, Mr Sheedy's peer group was the last to experience the fun and the potential perils of cracker night.

This national pyrotechnical event with bonfires and colourful displays was celebrated on May 24, Queen Victoria's birthday, and was a public holiday called Empire Day until 1958.

The tradition continued with Commonwealth Day but eventual restrictions on the sale of fireworks saw its demise by the 1980s.

Its end represented for Mr Sheedy the end of a world where life, particularly for children, was far less complicated than it is today.

``We were lucky in that we grew up in the post-war era,'' he said. ``We appreciated the simple things in life, like bikes and roller skates.

``I see my nieces and nephews who are Gen-Z who are constantly buried in hand-held PlayStations and X-Boxes and seem oblivious to anything going on around them.

``I guess they have virtual fun, and I am glad for them, because that is the technological reality, but I am coming to the conclusion that kids [today] have lost the ability to entertain themselves.''

Goodbye Crackernight will be launched at Surry Hills Library on Saturday, September 26, 4pm-6pm. Admission free. Bookings: 83746230. Details: http://crackernight.com.