Viv Mackenzie’s request (Col8 Friday) for people who had seen the Aurora lights in Sydney in the 1950s has brought many responses (to those who wrote about seeing the mighty Southern Aurora train at the time, thanks for playing). Odille Esmonde-Morgan of Bridgewater (Tas) says that, “A bright Aurora was seen in Sydney, and south of it, on the night of 19 March 1950 between 8.30 and 10pm. It was described as a red glow along the southern horizon.”
Alison Stewart of Waitara says, “I can remember my mother, early in the 1950s having seen a ‘lights show’ in the southern skies. We had moved to a larger house, kitchen was southerly facing, and she saw them in the darkness of night, out the kitchen window. Great excitement in the house.” More tomorrow.
Brian Collins of Cronulla remarks, “John Kouvelis’ ‘North Neutral Bay Heights (upper)’ [Col8 last week] reminded me of overhearing a fellow uni student trying to impress a young lady by telling her he came from West Blakehurst Heights (aka South Hurstville).”
John has written back to explain, “It was a crack at the separationists from Kurraba Point who wanted to secede from Neutral Bay some years ago”. Col 8 remembers the Kurraba kerfuffle and feels that a little gentle mockery is not unwarranted.
Then a fuel gauge (Col8 last week) nightmare, from Janice Howton of Sawtell. “Over 50 years ago my husband said ‘should be right’ about the gauge. When picking him up from work, with six children under 8 in the station wagon 4pm on a Friday in the middle lane of the Hume Highway near Liverpool ...”
On the other hand, running out of petrol has its uses. Michael McFadyen of Kareela says, “My first car was a Mini 850. Its fuel tank started to leak so I sourced a replacement from a wrecker’s yard and installed it (imagine trying to do that on a car now). Unfortunately, the fuel gauge never worked apart from showing full all the time. As I was a poor university student I always kept minimal fuel in the tank and carried a small container of petrol in case I ran out. One night the car was stolen. I got it back a few hours later when the thief ran out of fuel in the middle of the South Dowling and Cleveland Streets intersection and abandoned it.”
Further scientific observation, Geoff Maynard of Paddington regrets to report, “There have been comments lately about how in Sydney scrub turkeys have overrun the north shore and are invading the inner west. This morning the final frontier was breached. As I was walking to work I saw one near my home.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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