Comic Strip Parade - Bluey & Curley, Wally and the Major, Juliet Jones. 1953.

Source:

1953 'The Courier-Mail STRIP PARADE.', The Courier-Mail(Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), 2 November, p. 14,  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51073

Alexander Graham Bell Visits Brisbane, 1910...Thinks It's a Sh*thole.

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, visited Brisbane in June 1910. Since inventing the telephone some 35 years earlier, he was travelling the world examining various social experiments of the time and one of his interests in Australia was the suffrage movement and the right for women to vote, he was keen to know how this particular "franchise" was working. Bell took some pride in inventing an industry that employed women on a large scale but he admitted at a dinner that this came about by more accident than purpose. The original telephone operators were men whom quickly proved too abrasive dealing with customers and the confusingly, frustrating new technology of the  telephone. Whilst Bell was in Brisbane, he went on a guided tour of the Brisbane telephone exchange and sent a typed note of thanks the Post Master General.

Before his departure from Brisbane for the Atherton Highlands, Bell spent some time with journalists from the The Courier newspaper and shared his thoughts on Brisbane.

"...and ended with a series of questions relating to Australian sewerage systems. On the last named subject he expressed disappointment at what he had so far seen in Brisbane, and astonishment at the comparative dearth of disease. In no civilised country, he said, except, perhaps, Japan, was there to be seen so primitive, sanitary arrangement as ours, and he was the more surprised because in other respects the country had shown itself to he so progressive."

Sources:

The National Archives of Australia

'THE INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), 13 June, 1910 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19639799

High Cost of Living - Newspaper Cartoons and Comic Strip, 1912-1954.

The Courier Mail, Brisbane, 1954.

Barrier Miner, 1948

The Sydney Morning Herald, 1948.

The Western Mail, Perth, 1920.

The Worker, 1919.

The Worker, 1916.

The Worker, 1913.

The Worker, 1912.

The Worker Brisbane, 1912.





Citations:

1954 'AUTOMATIC.', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), 19 July, p. 2, 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50244158

1949 'BLUEY AND CURLEY High Cost of Living.', Barrier Miner(Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), 14 April, p. 7 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48590743

1948 'COST OF LIVING v THE REST.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 31 December, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18100252

1920 'THE PROBLEM OF THE COST OF LIVING.', Western Mail(Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), 29 April, p. 22

1919 'THE THUG.', Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 17 July, p. 13

1916 Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 27 January, p. 8

1913 Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 18 December, p. 1, 

1912 Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 7 November, p. 13, 

 1912 Worker (Brisbane, Qld. : 1890 - 1955), 15 August, p. 6,

Perry Mason Comic Strip...Bonus Crossword, 1951,

Citation:

1951 The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), 5 September, p. 35,

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4388516

The Building of Brisbane! A Brief Photo History of Urban Renewal.

If the pun "collection fishing" was to be expanded then I suppose this find could be described as "landed one thissssss big". The John Oxley Library has two albums containing over 200 black and white photographs of building and construction projects that the Queensland Cement and Lime Company where involved in. Many of the photographs are of mundane strips of roadway, others show some of Brisbane's more prominent landmarks under construction. Brisbane City Hall, Anzac Square, Grey Street Bridge and the  Mater Hospital.

There are three photographs of buildings still with us today that have been modified from there original use and now redeveloped for residential living. The McWhirters building, the flour mills at Albion and the Qld Primary Producers Co-Op store on the corner of Commercial Road, Teneriffe.

The McWhirters building undergoing construction of the Brunswick and Wickham Street corner extension,1930. This was the third extension for the building that originally fronted Brunswick Street, turned itself back to front in 1912 where the main entrance was from the corner of Warner and Wickham Street. I consider the building the grand dame of the Fortitude Valley and a home to many after a botched retail redevelopment in the late 1980's that left the building's structure seriously compromised, but that's another memory for another time. 

The Albion flour mills are part of a multi-million dollar redevelopment incorporating the neighbouring Albion Railway Station. Whilst a dominate landmark in the suburb for many years I can't help think it will be totally dwarfed by the scale of the new buildings proposed for the rear of the site.

The Qld Primary Producers Co-Op on the corner of Arthur Street and Commercial Road Teneriffe.Whilst not the biggest or grandest of the Teneriffe wool store redevelopments it is significant in the history of Brisbane's urban redevelopment as it was the very first wool stores converted for residential living, nearly 25 years ago.

Watch your step ladies! Tram tracks being laid Brunswick and Wickham Streets, the Prince Consort Hotel fills top left of image 

You can see more of these images at The McWhirters Project Facebook page or view the entire album from the State Library of Queensland Onesearch catalogue.

Images:

John Oxley Libray Collection, State Library of Qld

The McWhirters Project

richardkirkarchitect.com

Labor Day Marches Past - A Fishy Float from 1940.

These two chaps look as though they're gutting a giant fish who had made a meal of a truck but are in fact putting the final touches on the The Fish Board's Labor Day float of 1940.

Eat More Fish. The Fish Board.

 Department of Labor and Industry blowing there horn with all manner of milestones and statistics, Labor Day 1940.

.

Main Roads Commission, Labor Day float, 1940. 

Kelvin Grove branch of the ALP, sailing down Queen Street at Petrie Bight, Customs House to the right. 

 The favourite float of the parade. Perkins Brewery Labour Day float of 1913, drinks at hand.

Ipswich Railway Workshop,  Labour Day Procession, Brisbane, 1913.

Brisbane Noir!  United Operative Bricklayers Society,Labour Day March, Brisbane, ca. 1950

Labor Day Parade, Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley, 1911. From the awning of the Shamrock Hotel looking down Brunswick towards Wickham, Cooks Picture Palace on the corner of Alfred and Brunswick Street is sill stands (though modified) today.

Stripe aproned butchers pose in front of the State Butcheries float for the Labor Day Parade of 1920. If the butchers had applied the same level of thinking put towards the State Fish Board float then this would know doubt be a giant T-Bone steak.

Images from the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Brisbane Winter - Overcoats, Gloves & Slippers - McWhirters Catalogue 1950.

Source:

 John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=SLQ&docId=slq_voyager730793 

Anzac Day in Brisbane.......from the John Oxley Library.

1907

Australian Field Artillery Light Horse Battery, ca. 1907.This photograph was taken on the present site of Anzac Square, Brisbane, top left is Central Railway station, the site had a long association with the military prior becoming Anzac Square as the site was home to the Adelaide Street Drill Sheds which can be seen in this image.

1919

1934

1936

1937

1944

1954




Images from the John Oxley Library,
State Library of Queensland.

Promiscuous Use Prohibited - Why Anzac Day Isn't Made In China!

Kops Brewers, Brisbane. Honour to the living. Immortal glory to the dead. 

Trademark rejected.

Ever notice the lack of Anzac, as opposed to Australia Day merchandise disgoroging itself from the supermarket shelves. Look high, look low, the only or pruduct sporting the name  Anzac will be on a packet of biscuits, all thanks to the Protection of Word 'Anzac’ Regulations were made in 1921 under the War Precautions Act Repeal Act 1920, the War Precautions Act being the original legislation that protects the word ‘Anzac’, and any word which alludes to it, from inappropriate use. The use of the name Anzac for a biscuit is one of the few very few exceptions that protect the commercial exploitation of the name Anzac .

Sydney Morning Herald, October 21st, 1916. "Promiscuous Use Prohibited".

When enacted in 1916, all manner of businesses, fruit shops, boarding houses and pubs, even theatre-troupes were forced by the new legislation to remove any reference from there business names and commercial operations. At the same time patents and trademarks in relation to the word Anzac were expunged and future applications would be rejected, no type of merchandise or product could bare the Anzac name or an  allude to it.

Business premises around the country were forced to remove all references to ANZAC.

The Act provides for the Minister, today it is the Minister for Vet Affairs. to grant permission for the use of the word Anzac and dispute the Act being quite clear in its purpose, this didn't stop all manner of persons applying to use the name but in nearly all instances they were denied. Even Australia's celebrity aviator had his request to name one of his aircraft Anzac for the Centenary Race from England to Australia. Smith had to settle for the name Lady of the Southern Cross and subsequently withdrew from the 1934 race due to a lack of preparation.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith "... Government regrets that it is unable to see its way to accede to your request.

Similar legislation was enacted in the United Kingdom where all manner of businesses were identified as exploiting the Anzac name, one example being the ANZAC Motor Company Ltd who manufactured trucks in England that were built on a chassis imported from General Motors Corporation of U.S.A..

ANZAC Motor Co. Ltd. Made in England on a U.S.A. built chassis.

Thanks to the War Precautions Act of 1921, Anzac Day will be one public holiday where you will not be able to theme your car with a plastic novelty or lounge around in Anzac themed thongs and bikini tops. Next time you're at the supermarket make sure you buy a tin of Anzac biscuits as the Returned & Services League receives 4 per cent of the sales.


There is a complete album of material I fished from the National Archives of Australia posted on the McWhirters Project Facebook page. Look out for but try not takingf offence at    Anzac : The Board Game and The Anzac Gollywog Co., a double harbinger of inappropriateness.

To read more about the Australian Government legislation that protects the name Anzac, click here.

From the National Archives of Australia

Records:

A32 1929/3484 PART 3

A432 1929/3484 PART 9

A432 1929/3484 PART 17

A432 1929/3484 PART 19

A432 1929/3484 PART 25