Christmas Cards
As the ubiquitous adoption of electronic mail and text messages on smart devices has become the norm for our daily communications the practice of exchanging Christmas cards has declined enormously. It doesn't seem that long ago that mantlepieces, sideboards, desks and even office windows were crowded with festive cards. People sent cards to … [Read More...]
Barkly Avenue
Surely such a grandly named boulevard would be one of the more prominent streets in Port Melbourne. Nothing could be further from the truth. Barkly Avenue is a short laneway off Garton Street, tucked in behind Crockford Street. It is named in honour of Sir Henry Barkly who was Governor of Victoria when the Borough of Sandridge gained … [Read More...]
Cardie Visits a Port Pawnbroker
Elephant EscapesDamage at Port MelbourneAroused by a neighbour, who was on his way to work at an early hour yesterday morning, Mr M Rabinov, a pawnbroker of Bay Street, Port Melbourne, found that his back garden had been completely wrecked. There was a large gap in a wooden fence which separates the garden from a vacant allotment and there was not … [Read More...]
Smith Street and Smith Reserve
Two streets, one in Port and one in South Melbourne, as well as a section of Port Melbourne's Railway Reserves, are named after Thomas Smith. This rare distinction reflects Smith's 'lengthy and irreproachable'1 service as Councillor and Mayor, first in South Melbourne and later in Port Melbourne. He also represented Emerald Hill in the … [Read More...]
Working at Tom Piper
Win May (nee Smith) and Janet Bolitho worked together on this interview during lockdown in August 2021. Where did you grow up? My parents moved into our house in Griffin Crescent when it was brand new. My mother, Mary, worked at Swallows before marrying. My father, Alex, was a waterside worker who worked in gang 48 as a winch … [Read More...]
