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GRAND YEARS.
Human interest and entertaining tales of yesteryear with respected journalist Frank Morris
15 May 24
The Big Fight: Film shows how Darcy becomes champion!
Les Darcy pulled out all the stops. He was now Australia’s Middleweight Champion. The Star Theatre, at Bondi Junction, Sydney, supplied the “only action” with an advertisement for the filmed fight between Les Darcy and Eddie McGoorty that promised 15 rounds of excitement. Les Darcy later became middleweight champion of the world, ...
01 May 24
NZ Scene: World War 2 - He was decorated with double VCs
The bold and the brave! He became the first New Zealander in World War 2 to be awarded two Victoria Crosses – 1941 and 1943; he also was the world’s only double VC winner. His name? Captain Charles Upham. Born in Christchurch, Upham, wounded and seriously ill, won his first VC in Crete ...
01 May 24
World War 2: “Dear Daddy …”
Anne Kemp was only twelve-years-old. With letters from home, she was old enough to keep soldier father entertained. In this special “secret” letter, Anne asked him to send her some money so she can buy her mother a Christmas present. << From Australia Today magazine’s Letters of a Nation, Dec / ...
15 April 24
Past Olympics! Snowy Baker – sporting champ who became a film star
The greatest sportsman in the world! After the 1908 Olympic Games, he became an international celebrity. His name is Reginald Leslie “Snowy” Baker and he is the greatest sportsman in the world. Baker proved his class in world competition as a champion boxer, footballer, swimmer, sculler, diver, gymnast and horseman. He won Australian ...
15 April 24
Flashback: The “king” of Australian rock is dead
“You had the feeling that he was writing his own parts.” There is a subtle similarity between the late American actor Humphrey Bogart and Australia’s “Mr Showbiz”, Johnny O’Keefe, who died suddenly in 1978 aged 43, of a massive heart attack in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. When Bogart started on the road ...
20 March 24
Short Story: Lennie Lower was the Prince of storytellers!
I pride myself on my looks, said the Professor. Double trouble made its way into the conversation. “I’m not old,” Professor Gudgeon said. “I pride myself on my looks, so, there!” In one of his quirky essays (Arthur) Bryant opined that “one of the advantages of growing old is that one has ...
20 March 24
Flashback! Air New Zealand celebrates a huge milestone
What an entrance, what a journey In April 1940, a flying boat lifted off from Mechanics Bay in Auckland and nine hours later it touched down on the glass-like waters of Rose Bay. It was the airline’s first scheduled passenger service between New Zealand and the rest of the world 75 ...
06 March 24
Marilyn Monroe started life as a model and ended up a movie star
How Marilyn Monroe became a movie legend Marilyn teamed with cover photographers that would take America head on. They planned to go around America, taking pictures, and having a great time. Instantly, Marilyn knew she was on the right track to end up in movies. All the film directors and producers wanted the ...
06 March 24
‘Stand up’ comedy – “Fudd” fixes your board within thirty minutes!
<< Surfabout Magazine, 1962-1968. Remember when … The day it all happened The bombora episode happened when I was editor of Surfabout magazine in 1963. Surfabout was the only magazine to have the story. It was also my first sighting of Scott Dillon. He was definably brilliant. We did a spread called Bare Island ...
