Property Advert of the Week: Parkes Land Releases - Campbelltown (1968)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from Parkes Developments promoting the sale of blocks of land at Campbelltown in 1968. Lots were on sale for $1390 or equivalent to approximately $17 600 in todays money (RBA Inflation Calculator). 

The advertisement does not stipulate where the lots were located but buyers were expected to meet the sales representative at the corner of Queen & Hughes Street (Leumeah). 

Source: Parkes Developments Pty. Ltd. 1968. "Big New Release At Campbelltown" (Advertisement). The Sun, May 2: 39.

1968: Campbelltown becomes a city

Below is a supplement that was published in The Sun on May 2 1968 to mark the declaration of Campbelltown as a city on May 2 1968. At the time it was declared a city, it was home to around 19 000 people.

On the same day, the first electric rail service also ran into Campbelltown Station allowing for commuters from the area improved and direct rail services to the Sydney CBD. Travel time would be reduced to around one hour. Initially the trip was via Granville on the Southern Line but the extension of the East Hills Line to connect with the southern line in Glenfield in 1987 would also contribute to further improvements for rail commuters.

Property Advert of the Week: "Oxford" and "Cambridge" unit towers - Mosman (1968)

Below is an 1968 newspaper advertisement for two Mosman apartment buildings that were jointly built in the late 1960's. If driving to Manly on Military Road from the city, you will notice both buildings on your left as you make the bend towards the shopping precinct at Spit Junction.

 

Source: Home Units Pty. Ltd. "would you believe $13,500 will buy luxury in Mosman's showplace?" (Advertisement). The Sun, June 28: 52. 

1988: The end of "The Sun" newspaper

Above: The decline in the circulation of afternoon newspapers in Australia at the time of the demise of The Sun in 1988.

Image sourced from: Wright, L. 1988. "Death in the afternoon: the slow slide of the tabloid daily". The Sydney Morning Herald, March 15: 6 . 

In 2015, I published an entry on the arrival of Sydney's first 24 hour newspaper - The Daily Telegraph Mirror (reverted to The Daily Telegraph in 1996) which was formed by the merger of two newspapers - The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mirror in 1990.

Both titles were published by News Limited. The Daily Telegraph was a morning newspaper while The Daily Mirror was published in the afternoon.

For decades the main competitor for The Daily Mirror each afternoon was The Sun, published by Fairfax. There was intense competition between the two titles. It must be noted that The Daily Mirror was owned by Fairfax between 1958 and 1960 giving Fairfax a monopoly in the afternoon newspaper market.

When Rupert Murdoch acquired The Daily Mirror in 1960, he implemented changes to the format of the paper. It adopted a more sensationalist approach to reporting and circulation increased. The Sun was forced to compete. At the time of its closure, The Daily Mirror was outselling The Sun by 50 000 copies per day. The Sun also made changes in the 1980's to attract readers and differentiate the product from its competitor which was not successful. It also charged a higher cover price of forty cents and like The Sydney Morning Herald in this past decade, reduced the number of pages in the newspaper. 

As I noted in my 2015 entry, afternoon newspapers were faced with increasing challenges including:

• Rise of travel by motor car as opposed to public transport.
• Rise of television news which allowed viewers to watch events "live".

And as I pointed out in my 2015 entry, Rupert Murdoch's decision to merge The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mirror reflected preferences by advertisers to advertise in morning newspapers, which allowed for exposure at all times of the day. Afternoon newspapers could not generate the "rivers of gold" that newspapers once received.

Sydney was also unique in the 1980's in that it was one of several cities globally that boasted of having two afternoon newspapers to serve its population. It was becoming unfeasible to provide two afternoon newspapers.

Those reasons along with mounting losses of $20 million per year were therefore behind the closure of The Sun in March 1988. It was the second evening newspaper in Australia to succumb to changing times in that year. The Telegraph in Brisbane had ceased circulation several weeks earlier. 

The Sun published its last edition on the day that Fairfax announced that it was ceasing publication - March 14 1988. Below is the front page from the last day along with accompanying article. Staff were asked to produce one final edition the following day. They refused. 500 people lost their jobs. 

Note that the other major article on Page 1 was the publication of a photo of two victims from the Luna Park Ghost Train fire of 1979 that was taken hours before they died. The photo taken by their mother, shows her two sons posting for a photo with a person dressed as a witchdoctor that was participating in a parade at Circular Quay. A colour version can be obtained online.

The Reaction

Rival papers were saddened by the departure of The Sun but had conceded that the newspaper had to close given the financial situation encountered by the paper. It had even survived for longer than it was meant to. Below are two feature articles from The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Both features were published in their March 15, 1988 editions. 

The Daily Telegraph mentioned that editor John Benaud had suggested that The Sun could have become an upmarket morning newspaper. The Daily Mirror published an editorial which despite their regrets of the closure of The Sun, claimed victory in the afternoon newspaper wars. 

The Sydney Morning Herald provided special coverage in its edition of March 15 1988. It reinforced the coverage provided by The Sun. It reported on the reaction to the announcement by the now former employees of the newspaper. Former editor Derryn Hinch conceded that the newspaper could not compete against The Daily Mirror, and needed to focus on quality journalism like he emphasized when he was editor in 1976-1977. 

Property Advert of the Week: Seven Hills & Toongabbie House and Land Packages (1968)

In 1968, Philip York were offering house and land packages in Seven Hills and Toongabbie from $9975.

According to the RBA Inflation Calculator this would equate to the equivalent of $126 500 today.  

Source: Philip York Pty. Ltd. 1968. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sun, June 28: 52.

1993: Arrival of "kneeling superbuses"

To improve accessibility for less mobile passengers and increase capacity on popular routes, The State Transit Authority commenced the roll out of "kneeling superbuses" in 1993. 

The 14.5 metre buses by Scania were built in Australia by the Ansett Transport Industries owned Ansair in Tamworth. Compared with other buses, they had a capacity for 95 passengers (61 seated, 34 standing).

In 2021, the buses are still in operation, mostly on routes that serve the Epping Road and Anzac Parade corridors. 

Below is an article from The Eastern Herald (The Sydney Morning Herald) from June 5, 1993. 

Source: Killick, 1993. "And now for the bus that kneels for you". The Eastern Herald (The Sydney Morning Herald), June 5: 2. 

Property Advert of the Week: Mornington Estate, Castle Hill (1968)

Below is a newspaper advertisement to promote the Mornington Estate at Castle Hill. From the information available, I believe that it encompasses the homes that comprise of Mornington Avenue in Castle Hill. There is mention that the homes surround a two acre property that fronts onto Excelsior Avenue.

 

Source: C.J. McArthur Real Estate & Castle Hill R.E. Pty. Ltd. 1968. "Mornington" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, March 16:36.

The site today as viewed on Google Maps (As of 21 June 2021):

Remember this? Forecasting the weather

It's a common topic in conversations and can dictate how our day will proceed - the weather. The weather is a huge influence in our lives.

As I have been sorting out scanned articles to identify and prepare entries or viewed them on Microfiche, I have located some weather pages from various Sydney newspapers in various years. I may do another entry in the future.

They are interesting to view as they show one how weather forecasting has evolved but also how this is communicated to the wider community.

Weather pages do not have the prominence that they once may have had, even with additional weather information now available. The Australian removed the weather page altogether when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

We are fortunate to live in an age where access to weather forecasts are available such as websites and apps on our phones, but they have a place in mainstream media. For instance, publishing weather forecasts in a newspaper can also serve as a written record of the climatic and weather conditions of that time. Websites and phone apps cannot do this. Personally, I enjoy reading weather forecasts in a written newspaper. It can feel immersive. I can always draw on apps and the internet if I need to know specific details at a specific point in time e.g. storm warnings and current temperatures. 

Collecting climatic data and weather forecasting has become easier and more accurate with advancements in technology. Satellites in space also monitor weather patterns and have helped meteorologists with their observations and forecasts. Ultimately, it has meant that society has access to more information about weather and climate. This has been reflected in the samples that have been provided. 

In 1961, The Daily Mirror had the weather section blended in with general news and features on Page 6 in the edition dated September 21. No temperature statistics to be seen and a brief overview of the forecast for that evening. The weather map was state based. 

This one was published in The Daily Mirror on January 28 1970 (Page 70). There was no synoptic chart compared with 1961 and no mention of forecast temperatures for the remainder of that day or the following day. They did record observations for that morning.

By 1988, The Daily Mirror had allocated more space for its weather feature. Below is one from the edition of 25 January, 1988.

The Sydney Morning Herald in 1969 was wordy but note the space allocated to rainfall totals across NSW. There is a detailed synoptic map. This one was published on November 20, 1969 (page 15). 

In the 1980's The Daily Telegraph weather page was largely text based and without the visuals that would been seen in recent decades. They did have synoptic charts provided by the weather bureau. Apart from a metropolitan forecast, an overview of weather conditions for each region was also provided. Down the bottom, there was a long list of temperatures for world cities. 

The Daily Telegraph/The Daily Telegraph Mirror had full page weather forecasts from 1990, but during 2020, the space allocated was dramatically reduced. 

I was a big fan of them growing up and got better as colour was introduced. Satellite maps were also introduced. 

By 2000, there was a small weather feature produced by Don White that either provided an overview of climate trends or explained weather phenomena. Note the increased use of visuals to convey weather details. 

I thought The Sydney Morning Herald in the second half of the 1990's and 2000's had the best weather feature. It was comprehensive, not just with metropolitan forecasts but also forecasts for each region in NSW. I remember that country editions had less details for the metropolitan region and was tailored more specifically to them. A great balance between visuals and text and also kept a great record of weather observations for Sydney. This was published on September 23 1998. 

While these are samples, I will have to produce another set in the future but at least this gives us a general idea of how our newspapers have presented the weather.

Property Advert of the Week: New homes by R. J. Realty (1967)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from R. J. Realty dating from 1967. Home buyers were promised not just land but also a home on their chosen block. The homes were on sale mostly in the Greater West but also some homes could be bought at Asquith and Berowra on the Upper North Shore.

According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, the prices were equivalent to one spending as little as $100 000 or $150 000 at the upper end if converted to 2020 dollars. 

Source: R. J. Realty Pty. Ltd. 1967. "Ready to occupy - new homes" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, September 9: 20.