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GRAND YEARS.
Human interest and entertaining tales of yesteryear with respected journalist Frank Morris
03 July 25
OZ Spot: Death-ride …
… on the1940 Triumph T6. What inspired this interest in the movie, The Great Escape, was a letter to a columnist in a weekend travel magazine. It said: “My father was interned during the last war in Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland. He was the inspiration for the film, ...
04 June 25
OZ Spot: ‘Dear Del …?’
Everybody’s sweetheart … DEAR DEL’S QUESTIONS WERE FULL OF THE PRESENT FRUSTRATIONS. THERE WERE SOME THAT WERE SPIKEY AND HONEST. BUT, ON THE WHOLE, LARGELY TRUE TO LIFE. THERE WERE OTHERS THAT MADE HEADLINE NEWS. HER REAL NAME WAS DEL CARTWRIGHT. DEL WAS WITH THE DAILY MIRROR FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS IN ...
07 May 25
Shock! Horror! Sherlock Holmes missing!
Famous Detective and medical sidekick missing for 9 days. Scotland Yard in race to solve possible murder! Is this a scam - or isn’t it? Scotland Yard have launched an immediate investigation into the disappearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson after Britain’s most famous detective and his assistant were reported ...
16 April 25
OZ Spots: 1980s - “Going, going …”
Frankly, my dear, there’s very little difference! The poster, above, was used for the video launch of Gone With The Wind in 1979. It’s the original poster of 1939, which introduced the cinema release of GWTW; it fetched a record $3500 at auction in Los Angeles. Howard Johns, a collector, has described ...
09 April 25
The Great War: Aussie sniper was on the ball!
Billy Sing was one of the most feared snipers at Gallipoli Billy Sing was a celebrated man-hunter. When put into the battlefield of Gallipoli, he was one the most feared snipers of this campaign. He had over 200 ‘kills’ and that made Sing, a Light Horseman from Queensland, a dangerous man. Sing, ...
13 March 25
Clipper Days: Men at large on top of the world!
Four men were tugging at the topsail masthead of an 1883 clipper. They were doing their job. The ship was travelling north, following the sun. All sails are at the ready. The men looked around them; they felt on top of the world. The clipper started to rock and sway. The ...
12 February 25
Out of this vortex … Waltzing Matilda!
The last load of wool leaves the property. It was another period of mayhem It was the worst of times. Australia was caught up in the depression of the early 1890s, the scar of which had contributed directly to the origins of a political labour movement and Federation. By the 1880s, Australia was ...
12 February 25
World ‘firsts’ – The Surf Newspaper
The Surf was produced at Bondi, Sydney, on December 1, 1917. It was the “world’s first surfing newspaper”. The editor was Con Drew. After 20 issues, it folded on April 27, 1918. At the time, a spokesperson was asked, “why did it close”. The spokesperson replied: “Because of the war.” ...
08 January 25
Fact of Life: Beach Umbrellas
In Beach Umbrellas, Nancy Kilgour painted the picture with a lot of glee. She found it to be characteristically Australian and that she uses the beach both as an Australian image and to explore her interest in colour. Kilgour uses, especially in the purple shadows, cast on the sea. The ...
