The image, from a postcard dating to the first 10 years of the 20th century, is an evocative glimpse into a business that has long been linked to Martin Place (then Moore Street).
Martin Place had long been a bustling hive of activity, full of people going about their daily work. This bustling activity made it a perfect place for flower sellers to ply their trade, attracting passersby and many impulse sales. Yet most flower sellers did not start off in Martin Place at all, being forced off other, busier streets to make room for ever increasing traffic. Martin Place was the ideal place for flower sellers to congregate though, setting themselves up near the steps of the General Post Office and pouncing on people hurrying to mail their letters.
The earliest Martin Place flower sellers began to set up stalls in the 19th century, but it was during the 20th century that Sydney’s most iconic flower seller plied her trade. Rosie Shaw had once had high hopes of a career in opera, coming to Sydney from London in 1927 to seek fame and fortune in the land Dame Nellie Melba had called home. Rosie’s dreams never came to pass, but she grew to the status of a Sydney icon none the less. In 1931 she first set up shop on Martin Place, plying her customers not just with flowers, but with snatches of opera and tall tales of her history of a ballerina and singer. Rosie soon became very popular and increasingly influential, using her iconic status to act as one of the earliest defenders of gay men in Sydney. She sold flowers for 40 years, finally packing up her stall in 1971.
Without television, and before the days of wireless, family games were high on the list of favourite pastimes. Classics such as draughts, ludo, chess, snakes and ladders, checkers, dominoes and lotto occupied many a rainy day and lamplit evening. Cards and games generally were ideal pastimes for evenings, both in the home and at public…
Catering for the swimming fraternity in the days before Environmental Impact Statements were invented wasn’t a difficult matter if the enterpreneurial activities of the Fisher family at Five Dock Bay are any indication. The fabulous story of Five Dock Bay’s famous floating baths has been told before in District News, however the full photographic splendour…
Governments borrowed heavily to pay for the war. They issued government bonds and raised taxes to pay growing interest debt. The result was increasing inflationary pressure, higher cost of living and an erosion of wealth for those on fixed incomes and pensions. Shortages of manpower as a result of war casualties lead to increased wages,…
Kenneth Moroney, a 42-year police veteran, came to the job with a “grassroots” outlook on policing. In 1965 he started his police life at the Academy in Bourke St, Redfern. He was appointed a Probationary Constable on 16 August, 1965, and was first stationed at Liverpool. In 1973 he undertook a variety of general duty…
I found this on Facebook and felt the need to share. A librarian somewhere has taken the time to arrange these books to bring us a very pertinent message. Simply brilliant!!! You need to read the titles from top left onwards
About the Pavilion As many who come to the Parklands may know, the Federation Pavilion sits on one of the most important historical locations in Australia – the birthplace of our nation! What visitors may not know however, is that the Pavilion contains many clues to the site’s glorious past that can help you understand…
Add your first comment to this post
×
Nurungi Printed Copy
Do not print this page until after the first of the new month
This window will automatically close after 10 seconds
