Column 8 thought Morse Code would beryllium a one-and-done subject, but no. A acquisition to ne'er underestimate our readers and their delight successful arcane knowledge.
Andrew Mowat of Beecroft says, “Graham Collet’s railway presumption begetter reminds maine of my dad, but successful Queensland Railways. He could perceive and decode the Morse receiver successful the awesome country successful the aforesaid way. However, erstwhile I took up abbreviated question vigor and recovered stations transmitting Morse helium was incapable to recognize it. Over vigor Morse is sent arsenic tones – abbreviated for a ‘dot’ and agelong for a ‘dash’. The aged railway ones were clicks with the clip betwixt clicks interpreted arsenic either dot oregon dash. Very hullo tech. And you should person seen the ‘tape’ recorder that was utilized to drawback messages erstwhile they were retired of the office. It virtually was a reel of insubstantial portion astir a centimetre wide into which holes were punched for each click.”
Richard Stewart of Pearl Beach reports that, “Rev John Flynn of the outback acceptable up aesculapian clinics and each caregiver was proficient successful Morse Code. A look astatine an earlier $20 enactment volition amusement 2 circles depicting a pedal vigor and, adjacent to the circles, an outline of a idiosyncratic divided into numbers, which a caregiver utilized to specify wherever the symptom oregon coiled was.”
Then, the telex arrived. Peter Wotton of Pyrmont recalls, “The telex was from Sydney to HQ successful the USA – a labyrinthine process starting with a handwritten enactment typed connected a telex signifier by a typist, who enactment it successful the interior mail. In the telex country it would beryllium punched into the telex instrumentality to beryllium printed retired successful America and enactment successful the interior system. It was not antithetic for replies to instrumentality a fortnight to arrive.” Suddenly, Morse Code doesn’t dependable truthful bad.
Then, backmost to the seemingly endless unusual nutrient names. It is settled that squashed alert oregon flies is the preferred nomenclature successful Australia for effect slices oregon biscuits and alert cemetery successful New Zealand. Kent Mayo of Uralla reports that Eccles cakes, from the Manchester area, are packed with currants, frankincense “squashed alert pie”, but are besides known arsenic “fire brigade cakes” due to the fact that the brownish sweetener topping often ignites successful the microwave.
Tuesday’s notation of “train smash” of mince with herb condiment brought connection from William Galton of Hurstville Grove that “train smash” to him “was a stew of tomato, bulb and bacon. Savoury mince connected toast was SOS (s… connected a shingle) [a fig of radical person mentioned this] and savoury mince combined with tinned spaghetti was called ‘boganaise’.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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