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COMPUTERS:   The personal computer is 70 years old this year, although the original machine bears little resemblance to those of today.  On June 21, 1948, Manchester University scientists switched on Baby, the first computer to use a stored memory facility.  Baby was 4.87 m long and 2 m high.   Today, the same computing power is…

As many of the readers of The Past Present will be aware, most postcards in their extensive collection focus on a place, be it a building, a beach or a park.  Yet there have, over time, been many postcards created which focus instead on monuments, just as this postcard does. The intriguing thing about this…

Deltiology, the official name for postcard collecting, is thought to be one of the three largest collectible hobbies in the world, along with coin and stamp collecting.  Postcards are popular because of the wide range of subjects, with just about every subject imaginable being at some time, portrayed on a postcard.  History itself can be…

Why do some Honour Rolls in Australia use the American spelling of “Honor”? Honour rolls were first used in America circa 1905. Communities erected them to remember those who fought in the American Civil War. The rolls appeared in churches, schools and community centres rather than official spaces. The first honour rolls in Australia adopted…

Gertrude Moberly was born in Rockhampton, Queensland on New Year’s Day 1880. She was the sixth of Rev. Edmund George Moberly and Julia Frances Suttor’s eight children. Gertrude grew up in Walcha, New South Wales, where her father was rector. She moved to Sydney in 1894 where her sister, Nora Moberly, was matron of Dulce…

In the last issue of Nurungi we wrote about the bazaar held by the New Station Committee (North Strathfield Station) on 15th June 2018 to raise money for the Concord Soldiers’ Aid and Voluntary Workers Association and feel we should elaborate a little more. An article in the Sun newspaper of 2/6/1918 r eported: The…

Concord Memorial Avenue – Officially Opened Yesterday (so reads the article in the Sun of 4th August 1918) “I hope every municipality in NSW will follow Concord’s example in honouring its soldiers,” said Mr. Orchard yesterday when the Memory Drive, which is being planted by the citizens of Concord in honour of the nurses, sailors…

Before the digital age and the internet, the cinema was a major part of Australia’s social life. On Saturday nights in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, everyone went — or tried to go — to “the pictures”. For the children of that era, the weekly matinee at the local cinema was the highlight of the…

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? Why can’t women put on mascara with their mouth closed? Why don’t you ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’? Why is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word? Why is it that doctors call what they do ‘practice’? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavoring,…

An Unlikely Dalliance . . . the actress Sarah Bernhardt, the scientist Adrien Loire and Rodd Island. She was the most famous actress in the world, a 46-year old Venus with a well-known appetite for younger men and counted numerous women and the Prince of Wales among her conquests..  He was the nephew of Louis…

From the Archives Advertisements are often the best indicators of contemporary society for while they are meant to sell goods and services, they are framed with the intention of appealing to a particular clientele. Advertisements reflect the values, concerns and aspirations of their intended audience. They are an appeal for trust, to engage in good…

From the Archives In 1963 Tulloch Ltd. designed and built the world’s first double deck railway trailer car. Four prototypes were produced at Tulloch’s engineering works at Rhodes. Later motor carriages were added to create the eight-car double deck trains so familiar to Sydney commuters. Double decker trains were introduced to relieve the congestion caused…