The familiar Redheads matches were first made in Australia in 1909 by Bryant & May, in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. However, another brand came to the fore during World War II. There was scarcely an aspect of life in this country not affected by rationing, and
Read more →
Condensed milk has been around for generations. I do love the following snippet, published in an Australian newspaper in 1901; When condensed milk was first introduced thirty years ago the idea was scoffed at. The inventor carried the entire daily supply for New York in a ten-quart pail, delivering
Read more →
GONE FISHING MATE Hello everyone, Editor Des here. You wouldn’t think that fishing could lead to big trouble would you? But believe me it can! Well I was riding around the garden one day when I thought I spotted a fish in a big water bowl. I
Read more →
TIMES ARE A’ CHANGING AT THE SHOW As I wandered around Sydney’s Royal Easter Show on my last visit I was struck by how accurately this iconic event reflects changes in our society. The cookery section is a classic case in point. Bakery entries have dwindled alarmingly
Read more →
WRITING TO SANTA IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS; AN ILLUSTRATED ESSAY BY EDITOR DES…. ER, THAT’S ME! Well here is a letter to Santa written by a little Australian boy called Paddy, over a hundred years ago. Who do you think Paddy was? (see answer at the bottom
Read more →
CHRISTMAS DOWN-UNDER John O’Grady once wrote a best selling book called, They’re a Weird Mob. It was about Australians and yes….we are a bit strange. What do you expect when we live in an upside down world? Alice in Wonderland described our fair country as; WHERE
Read more →
My partner Rob and I were looking through some old holiday pics the other day. Suddenly he held one up and said dreamily, ‘I remember that place; it was fantastic.’ As I glanced at what seemed a fairly nondescript town centre he added, ‘It’s where I found
Read more →
Hello, Editor Des here. I have been in Sydney lately doing some historical research on Queen Victoria and her husband Albert. However, my trip turned into a real life drama So here’s what happened. I went into the city on the bus with my guardian, Pauline Conolly.
Read more →
Let me say at the outset that my darling mother was the most gentle, kind hearted person you could hope to meet. However, she did have a penchant for filling our heads with the most terrifying information imaginable. We kids were both fascinated and appalled. Her stories
Read more →
Hello Dear People Well because my vegie growing was so awesome, my guardian Pauline Conolly finally agreed to buy me a little greenhouse. The only trouble was that she took the cheap option (what a surprise….NOT) and it came in at least 100 bits. OMG!!
Read more →