Australiana - 2UE - August 17, 2008

Jim’s Australiana Spot – 2UE - August 17, 2008

EARLY History of AUSTRALIAN Postal Services …


1853 2d blue design, re-engraving of 1855 with crossed lines in background	1856 3d green; a perf. 10 version printed in 1891
Samples of early Australian (New South Wales) Stamps

This week's Australiana relates to the Australian Postal Services

Q	In 1816 the first ‘mail carrier’ was appointed to take mail from Hobart to Launceston’ what help was he given by the Govt in 1828?
A	A horse!

Q	In 1838 James Raymond made history … Sydney area was first in the world to have …… what?
A	Pre paid postage! (not stamps but imprinted notepaper)

Q	January 1st 1850 another first … stamps had been around a while but the 1d 2d and 3d ‘SYDNEY VIEWS” were first what?
A	Adhesive stamps

Q	What was special about the trains like ‘The Western Mail’ ‘South West Mail’ etc
A	The mail was sorted ON the train as it travelled

Some trivia about postal services in NSW ....................

In 1803 the first first mail charge in Australia was 2d (pence) to Parramatta
1809 Isaac Nicholls was appointed first Postmaster to prevent chaos when ships arrived and people swarmed aboard to grab mail. He would take the mail to his house and sort it for collection. Nichols was an ex convict, transported for STEALING A DONKEY!

And to suit a poem from one of THE masters of Australian verse

THE TRAVELLING POST OFFICE
A B Paterson (‘The Banjo’)

The Travelling Postman


The roving breezes come and go, the reed beds sweep and sway, The sleepy river murmurs low, and loiters on its way, It is the land of lots o’ time along the Castlereagh.

The old man’s son had left the farm, he found it dull and slow, He drifted to the great north-west where all the rovers go. ‘He’s gone so long,’ the old man said, ‘he’s dropped right out of mind, But if you’d write a line to him I’d take it very kind; He’s shearing here and fencing there, a kind of waif and stray, He’s droving now with Conroy’s sheep along the Castlereagh.

The sheep are travelling for the grass, and travelling very slow; They may be at Mundooran now, or past the Overflow, Or tramping down the black soil flats across by Waddiwong, But all those little country towns would send the letter wrong, The mailman, if he’s extra tired, would pass them in his sleep, It’s safest to address the note to “Care of Conroy’s sheep”, For five and twenty thousand head can scarcely go astray, You write to “Care of Conroy’s sheep along the Castlereagh”.’

By rock and ridge and riverside the western mail has gone, Across the great Blue Mountain Range to take that letter on. A moment on the topmost grade while open fire doors glare, She pauses like a living thing to breathe the mountain air, Then launches down the other side across the plain away To bear that note to ‘Conroy’s sheep along the Castlereagh’.

And now by coach and mailman’s bag it goes from town to town, And Conroy’s Gap and Conroy’s Creek have marked it ‘further down’. Beneath a sky of deepest blue where never cloud abides, A speck upon the waste of plain the lonely mailman rides. Where fierce hot winds have set the pine and myall boughs asweep He hails the shearers passing by for news of Conroy’s sheep.

By big lagoons where wildfowl play and crested pigeons flock, By camp fires where the drovers ride around their restless stock, And past the teamster toiling down to fetch the wool away My letter chases Conroy’s sheep along the Castlereagh.

Jim’s Australiana Spot – 2UE - August 17, 2008

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