100 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK...
Councillors condemn confiscated cow Compiled by Brodie Cowburn C. E. GOMM, ranger at Somerville, stated in the Shire Council Meeting that be had impounded Mr Martin’s cow and had been called everything but a gentleman as a consequence. One of the things said was that he was “a dirty loafer for a dirty job”. That people could say such things of his job was no good to him. On the motion of Crs Unthank and Longmuir it was decided that Martin be written to and told that he must make a public apology, failing which further action would be taken. *** TROOPER F. A Gould, son of Mr and Mrs T. M. Gould, Nolan Street, Frankston, sailed last week for active service abroad. Trooper Gould is among the many brave boys who have gone to fight for their country, leaving his aged parents partly dependent on him. *** UNDER the auspices of the Somerville branch of the Lady Mayoress’ Patriotic League, A Grand concert will be held in the Somerville hall on Saturday evening May 25th. A splendid programme will be presented by the Camberwell Patriotic Players, and a three act comedy ‘The interfering mother-in-law’ will be staged. Proceeds are in aid of the Australian Comforts fund. Prices of admission are front seats 1s 6d, back seats 1s. *** AMONG the returned soldiers who were presented with medals by the Governor General on Friday was Corporal F. McDonald of Langwarrin, who received the Distinguished Con-
duct Medal for gallantry in the field. *** TODAY (Saturday) Mr W. A. Korner will sell, under instructions from Mr C. C. Smith, Lyndos Farm, Langwarrin, the whole of his stock and plant. Full particulars are advertised. *** ON Thursday next, 16th May, at 2pm Messrs Brody and Mason will sell, at their rooms, Bay Street Frankston, a quantity of household furniture, tanks, sundries, and a lot of useful oddments. *** THE work of clearing the trees and rubbish from Wells Street towards the Mile Bridge, along the Melbourne Road, preparatory to planting an Honor Avenue, is progressing, and in order to expedite the work of planting the tree. A meeting is called for Friday evening next to discuss the matter, when it is hoped there will be a good attendance of those interested. *** UNDER the auspices of the Wattle Club, a poster ball was held in the Frankston Mechanics’ on Friday evening, May 3rd, and, as is usual with Wattle Club fixtures, it proved an unqualified success. The attendance was large, visitors being present from all parts of the district, and numerous fancy costumes were in evidence, a great number of city firms as well as a couple of local business places, being tastefully represented. Miss Gray, representing a Red Cross House Badge, secured the lady’s prize, while Mr Wheeler was awarded the prize for scents. As some objection was offered, however, ow-
ing to the fact that Mr Wheeler was costumed as one of the “gentler sex”, he gave the prize back to the club. *** THE little boy Ingle of Moorooduc, who met with such a severe accident, and was unconscious for over a week, is now getting on very well, but will be a long time before he is himself again. *** POLLING in connection with the Flinders by-election takes place today (Saturday). Electors may record their votes between 8am and 8pm The candidates are as follows: Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 59 Collins street. Melbourne, Merchant (Nationalist.) John Joseph Hall, Kingsley street, Elwood, Secretary and Journalist (Farmers’ Union.) Gordon John Holmes, 69 Hawksburn, Solicitor (Labor.) *** CONSTABLE Ryan v Richard Thomas Moore. Mr Utber appeared for the accused, who was charged with stealing four military blankets from Langwarrin Camp. The accused pleaded guilty and said that his lapse had been due to drink. The P.M. said that owing to the fact that the accused had a wife and six children depending on him he would let him off lightly. He would be sentenced to six month imprisonment, sentence to be suspended on his entering into a surety of £25 to be of good behavior for 12 months and finding a surety in a like amount. *** CONSTABLE Ryan v Albert Marks
for failing to send his child to school the required number of days Fined 5s. *** AS the committee of the Presentation to Frankston Volunteers movement decline to give a medal to Private C Batterham, on the ground that he was not a Frankston resident, a number of his friends felt that an injustice was being done, and to show their appreciation of his services for King and Empire, they obtained a medal at their own expense, and it will be forwarded to his sister. The medal, which is gold, and of a very pretty design, is, inscribed “From Frankston friends, to C. Batterham, Allies v Germany War, 1918.” As Private Batterham was a resident of Frankston for over four years and took a most active interest in church and social events at Frankston, it seems unjust that he should be passed over, while presentations have been made to others who do not appear to have had such a just claim. *** AT the last meeting of the Frankston and Hastings Shire Council, Cr. Longmuir presented a statement in connection with Tyabb’s effort in the recent appeal for funds for the Repatriation Fund. The statement showed that the Fruitgrowers’ concert realised £8 16 10; Red Cross Society collections £5 6s; while £25 was already in hand as the result of fruit sold by the Fruitgrowers Association, and a further small sum was to come in, making a grand total to be handed over to the fund of over £40. This splendid result speaks volumes for the wholehearted response made
by Tyabb residents, and all concerned should feel proud of the success that crowned their efforts. *** COLIN McKenzie was charged with travelling on the railways between Carrum and Frankston without a ticket on the 23rd March last. Mr Joseph Dean prosecuted. Mr Cook appeared for the defendant who pleaded not guilty. H. H. Perry, stationmaster at Frankston said that he knew defendant who was a constant traveller. On the 23rd March last he handed him a ticket at the barrier at Frankston, Flinders St. to Carrum. He drew defendants attention to the ticket, and he said had paid for a ticket to Frankston. He told defendant he would have to pay the difference but he said he had paid once and would not pay again. On the payment of costs by defendant, the case was withdrawn the P.M. remarking that the onus was on the purchaser to see that he received the right ticket. *** SEVERAL charges of theft were preferred against Albt Scarborough and Walter Percy Cook. On the application of Mr Utber, who appeared for the accused both of whom pleaded guilty, they were tried together on the first charge, that of having stolen four horse collars a set of breeching, and four pairs of winkers, the property of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. *** From the pages of the Mornington Standard, 11 May 1918
THE MEANING OF EXISTENCE... AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
Islands in the Streaming – That is What We Are By Stuart McCullough I’M a modern guy. Or, at least, I like to think I am. I do everything I can to stay in touch with an ever-evolving world to avoid being left behind. I’m always friendly at the checkout which is my own version of ‘pay pal’ and have installed a birdbath in the backyard in a bid to truly understand tweeting. For heaven’s sake, I’ve even started drawing emojis in my handwritten correspondence. I’ve also conquered social media by making a special effort to read the newspaper over some unsuspecting soul’s shoulder while on public transport. But despite this unwavering commitment to modernity, I’ll admit there are some things I’m struggling with. My father’s place has bushland and paddocks full of grass. It also has a creek running right through the middle of it. Until 12 months ago, I thought ‘streaming’ was what happens when you attempt to cross the creek but your gumboot gets stuck in the mud and you fall in. But, as it turns out, it has little to do with aquatic misadventures and everything to do with how you watch television. Suffice to say, the world that I knew growing up has very near vanished. As a kid, television stations ruled our lives. We determined what we did around an unbending schedule of programming excellence. What the current generation fails to understand is that back in the seventies and eighties, everything on television was completely awesome. Even the test pattern. This was back before reality television was invented or those weird programs that are little more than a giant advert for a sub-par product you don’t need existed. We were happy to build our lives around the TV Guide to make sure that we missed nothing. It was, I guess, an early example of FOMO before FOMO was even invented. It was an unspoken social contract – we scheduled our lives around a television show so long as television stations kept on giving us amazing TV shows.
That was a long time ago. There’s been a sizeable dip in quality since and free to air television is starting to go the way of the typewriter. These days, it’s all about content on demand. We’re no longer drip-fed installments of our favourite series; they arrive in a bundle to facilitate weekends of unfettered binge watching. It’s probably as unhealthy at is sounds. Some of the best TV shows around don’t survive on regular television and end up appearing in some kind of streaming netherworld where you may or may not find them. It’s so uncertain. There’s so much more stuff now. Whereas in decades gone by, everyone knew which shows were great because we all watched them at the
same time and then discussed them at school the next day, that kind of communal experience is now near extinct. Everyone knew ‘The Fall Guy’ was fantastic because everyone watched it at the same time. It’s more risky now. There’s great stuff out there that you’re expected to find on your own. There’s a very real risk that you may never hear about something truly wonderful and will end up living without it. But there’s a contradiction. On the one hand, we’re left to fend for ourselves. It is, so it seems, our fault if we don’t discover something because we fail to trawl the Internet for hours. However, there are all sorts of rules that apply at a household level for how you engage with the world of
content on demand. The ability to binge-watch doesn’t mean you should, especially when you live with another person. I’ll admit I’m still figuring out the rules as I try to come to terms with streaming. The first thing I’ve learned if that if you’re watching a series with your spouse, you can only watch it when you’re together. Skipping ahead a few episodes is strictly prohibited. Even if done in secret, you will surely be found out and nothing is quite so painful as an accusation that you’ve already watched an episode. Especially when it’s true. Whether it’s because you’ve made the mistake of scrolling through something on your phone or – worse still – have said something along the lines of ‘this is a good bit’, your failure to wait will be found out. The second thing I’ve learned is that these rules are extremely flexible. If I continue watching something on my own, it’s a betrayal. However, if I get home and find out that my wife has watched all five seasons of ‘Friday Night Lights’ without me, it’s my fault for having left the house. In fact, one the challenges that couples face is how to cultivate a viewing list to enjoy together in a world that encourages you to make a list that’s all your own. The various devices that now rule over us encourage this separation. Families once gathered around TV sets like an open fire. Now everyone can be off in their rooms watching whatever they please through an Ipad. I’m not sure it’s a good thing. There are nights when we struggle to choose. I understand that – technically speaking – delivering the power of choice to the viewer is a good thing. I’m just not sure I know what to do with that kind of awesome responsibility. There’s a lot to be said for being drip fed entertainment on a regular, predictable basis. It’s a lot to take in. I might go sit by the creek at my father’s place and think a while. stuart@stuartmccullough.com Frankston Times 7 May 2018
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