Trove Tuesday - Things were done differently back then!

I have just finished correcting text for an article about first-aid classes in Frankston in 1927. The article asks that those desirous of taking the classes should register their interest with Mr. Krebs, the manager at the E.S.& A. Bank.

Just imagine walking into the ANZ Bank (successor of the E.S.& A.) and asking the manager to add your name to the class list. Things were certainly more relaxed back then in 1927. Also Frankston would have had a much smaller population and no doubt Mr. Krebs knew lots of the locals and they in turn knew him.

Here is the link to the article from the Frankston & Somerville Standard of May 6, 1927:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74991508

Trove is a great resource for getting an historical perspective on life - whether you are researching family history or looking at past events. I love the little insights I get into life in 1927 while I am correcting text for my local paper.

Trove Tuesday - Same Old, Same Old

It's funny how local issues never really change all that much. The local newspapers of 1927 often have articles or letters about the state of Kananook Creek or the roads, and comment pieces on things like the possibility of a local hospital or even port facilities in Westernport.

With talk once again of a deep water port in Westernport Bay, here is an article from the issue of the Frankston & Somerville Standard, dated 25 March, 1927, talking about exactly the same thing. This article by a local councillor, also looks at what industries could be brought into the area as well.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74991134

Of course, in 1927 it was all about exports and helping the fruit growers; today it is all about imports and being able to unload more containers. Here is an article from the Age in 2010 explaining why we need a new deep water port now.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/port-for-hastings-back-on-agenda-20101226-197y4.html

Almost ninety years later, Australia has changed considerably and Westernport is no longer the rural area it once was. The difference in attitudes is very obvious.

Trove Tuesday

Apple and Pear Varieties - where have they all gone?

So here we go again with something from the local paper in 1927. This time it is a list of prizes available at the Somerville Show in March 1927. It was a really long list but what struck me was the number of apple and pear varieties that they were offering prizes for.
So here's the list.... how many varieties can you find for sale these days? How many varieties have you even heard of?

APPLES
Reinette de Canada
Five Crown
Jonathan
Emperor
Cox's Orange
Chandler
Stone Pippin
Gravenstein
Rome Beauty
Munro's Favourite
Duke of Clarence
Delicious
King David
Granny Smith
Tasma or Democrat
Alfriston
Stewart's Seedling
Sturmer

PEARS
Ganzell's Bergamot
Beurre de Capimont
William Bon Chretien
Vicar of Winkfield
Keiffer's Hybrid
Black Akan
Broom Park
Madame Cole
Beurre Bosc
Beurre Clairgeau
Howell
Winter Nelis
Winter Cole
Beurre d'Anjou
Packham's Triumph

Of course the district was a big producer of apples and pears, that's why there are so many cool stores around the place. Not that they are being used for their proper purpose any more.

Anyway here is the link to the article listing the prizes available and also the link to the list of prize winners (if you are interested). I have to tell that they are very long lists and it's not just apples and pears, there are prizes for a few (very few) vegies, flowers, fancy work (embroidery), cows and horses.

Prize List: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74990954
Winners: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74991068

TROVE TUESDAY

For some time now I have been participating in a project for my local library correcting the OCR text for historic issues of the local newspaper which has been scanned into the Trove database.

I have been assigned 1927 and have just finished correcting the issue for 18 March 1927 of the Frankston & Somerville Standard. Occasionally you find something that just tickles the funny bone, like when the scanning software reads Frankston as Prankston - that's a bit of a favourite. Perhaps Frankston could have some sort of practical joke festival!

The other thing you notice is the way the meanings of words have changed over time, for example the word "gay". When I was growing up gay meant bright and happy - now you couldn't use the word in that context at all. So imagine my surprise when I saw the following headline in the paper,
When Our Town Goes Gay
in relation to the Traders' Picnic. And then they also used the word further down the article when describing the crowd.

Here is a link to the article which describes in detail, the day of the Traders' Picnic.

 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74990842

Happy reading.