by We're meandering off the beaten track this month to pay tribute to one of our military giants – Sir Thomas Blamey. Actually the life of Blamey is pretty much the story of the Australian military in the 20th century. He became a soldier in 1906 and fought in Gallipoli and the Western Front in the Great War of 1914 to 1918. Blamey then fought in the Middle East in World War 2 before returning to Australia as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Land Forces in the Asia Pacific Theatre under Douglas MacArthur (pictured). Blamey personally took over command in the Battle of the Kokoda Track in PNG where the exploits of the Australian soldiers became the stuff of legend. Sir Thomas Blamey stood alongside MacArthuir on board the "Misssouri" to witness the Japanese surrender in 1945. On June the 8th, 1950 Buckingham Palace elevated him to the rank of Field Marshall – the only Australian to achieve this military honour. He is buried at the Fawkner Memorial Park Cemetary in Melbourne. There is a little known connection Blamey has with my trade, radio. In 1938-1939 he was the International Affairs commentator known as "Sentinel" on Melbourne's radio 3UZ.
One of the great joys for researchers and historians is to listen to or read the memories of those who have actually lived through significant moments in history. It's one thing to read a text book, but another to understand what it was really like for the men and women who had to deal with things out there at the coal face. Partner Darleen was going through some family memorabilia recently when she found an old, yellowed piece of paper dated 24 June, 1983. It was a question-and-answer record by her father Charles Stone, about the Great Depression. It seems that a student, probably a grandchild, was working on a school project about the financial disaster of the 1920's and 1930's and found out that "Pop" had been right in the thick of it. What better interview subject than Charles Stone, who managed to make it through the Great Depression and then found himself a decorated Aussie soldier in the 2nd World War which followed immediately? The following is a summary of the original Q & A.
Q1. What does a depression mean to you?
A. Economic recession. Shortage of Federal Funds. Poverty for the working family man.
Q2. What was your lifestyle in those hard days?
A. Travelling Australia looking for work while carrying a swag and riding trains without a ticket. Asking for food at farms and shops.
Q3. The effects the depression had on you?
A. Learnt to fend for myself. Learnt to share hardships and pleasures with thousands of others.
Q4. What caused the Depression?
A. After effects of WW 1. Added costs and responsibility of Government due to the War. Effects of New York Stock Exchange (Wall Street) crash.
Q5. What was the worst year?
A. 1933... Men put off work. Banks closed. 3-day working week, called "relief work", to help the unemployed.
Q6. What were some of the worst struggles you had to endure?
A. Had to leave school at 14 to work on farms. Food very scarce, clothing hard to come by.
Q7. Do you think Australia coped well with the Depression?
A. Yes, considering the state the world was in. No work... No money.
Q8. What helped Australia recover?
A: World War 2, when money was found immediately for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Q9. What were your experiences overall?
A. We had both good and bad times. It would be a very long story to tell so if you don't mind I won't attempt it now.
Memories of the Great Depression by Charles Henry Stone(1915 to 1992).
Hang on to your family history if you can. These rare, first person accounts of great events are priceless.
A bit of great golfing news for fans Downunder with Minjee Lee scoring her first win on the LPGA in eighteen months, taking out the PGA title on the US Tour, a Major if you don't mind taking her total to three of the Big Ones. I followed her final round as she toughed it out in difficult conditions. Gee, I even watched her win with the dreadful Long Putter. How's that for devotion? Oh, and I'm also raising the obvious question... How many times have a brother and sister won on the PGA and LPGA Tours in the same season? (Ed's note: The Aussie s are the third apparently.)
We'll take another detour at this point to pay tribute to two of the most momentous events of the twentieth century which surely changed the course of civilisation (oops, I think I see some ironic humour creeping in here people)... Bth occurring in July. 1st July, 1941 saw the world's first TV commercial aired on WNBT, New York – yes this is the level we've descended to this month! It cost Bulova $9.00 for a 10-second spot in the basketball coverage, enough time to assure audiences that, "America runs on Bulova time."
Another July highlight was on the 16 July, 1935 when the world's first parking meters were installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It cost motorists five cents for a hour downtown and you can thank local Newspaper Editor Carl C. Magee for that piece of history, who campaigned for months for something to be done about the parking problems in the City. There are quite a few people in 2025 who'd like to get their hands on that rooster, I can give you the drum.
One of the most hated phrases in recent memory – reviled by just about everybody – was that dreaded PR line, "Have a Nice Day"... Reviled because we all knew the person saying it didn't care whether we had a nice day or an absolute shocker. These talking heads couldn't care less. Now there's a chance that a new phrase is emerging to challenge "Nice Day" in the most-hated category. Tell me if this rings a bell: "We value your call"? Sure... Of course you do! You get a little suspicious when you hear this once every 30-seconds while you're on hold for 45 minutes.
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT.
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"
–Dylan Thomas (1915-1953)
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