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Life
on the Overland Telegraph Line 1878-1903
In February
1916, the first born female of the Frederick Goss family line
arrived at Auburn, South Australia. I only won by a short head.
A second grand-daughter, Joan, was born six days later.
I have
a rare copy of 'Life in the Never Never Country of South Australia
in the 70s to 90s' by A Telegraph Operator. In 1956, at the age
of 94, my grandfather had somebody type his story for him.
(Please
note: South Australia is correct in this context. Canberra took
over the Northern Territory in 1911.) Joyce Allen, Author
In early January
1878, Frederick Goss, a 16 year old youth, left Adelaide by sea,
bound for Port Darwin (Palmerston). Fred had been apprenticed
to a jeweller in Rundle Street, but was in 'delicate health',
and was advised to go to a 'warmer climate'. I have reason to
believe that he suffered from bronchial asthma.
He was released
from his apprenticeship to go North with his mother, stepfather
and two younger stepbrothers. The trip took a month, with two
day stopovers at Sydney and Thursday Island. Fred's wider education
began in Sydney.
'In the market
I saw bananas for the first time. I asked the girl attendant what
they were. She told me what they were and she obligingly ate one
at my expense as an object lesson.' It is likely that banana cost
him the equivalent of a cent in today's currency.
His comment
on his arrival in Darwin was, 'Had I been at liberty to do so
I would have gone on by the same steamer.'
For a short
while he worked with his stepfather on the lighters, delivering
goods from steamers to the tiny isolated settlements on the banks
of the streams running into the Harbour.
Fred's comment
was that his stepfather decided, 'I was not up to that life and
the life was not fit for me.' In his memoirs, from then on there
is no mention of these members of his family. Of course it could
have been a case of Fred not being able to get along with his
two younger stepbrothers.
It is on record
that Mr F Goss began work on the Overland Telegraph Line at Southport
as a Junior Linesman on 25th May, 1878.
Southport
was a combined Post Office, Store and Telegraph Station. There
telegrams could be received but not transmitted, and Fred was
soon 'reading by ear', as the telegrams came in. This means that
he didn't have to wait until later to transcribe them from the
tape.
'The postmaster,
who could not read by sound, looked with disfavour on one who
was ignorant enough to think that sound was faster and more sure
than tape, and would not allow me to practise it.'
Also, because
there wasn't any means of learning to transmit by Morse Code,
Fred was not learning his trade.
Years later
Fred's two older sons, without any formal education, could, at
10 years of age, receive and transmit telegrams as well as any
experienced operator.
But back to
Fred as a rookie in the bush.
Being asked
if he could ride, he promptly said 'Yes'. He had no intention
of letting anybody know he had never been on a horse in his life,
and accepted an invitation to a picnic at Tumbling Waters.
Fred somehow
managed to get aboard Gipsy, probably by watching the others and
copying them. When the riders urged their horses into a canter,
Gipsy followed. The mare, finding her rider was not in control,
took off.
He lost his
reins and stirrups and only stayed on by hanging grimly onto the
pommel of the saddle. Gipsy knew where to go and stopped precipitately
on the high bank above the rocks at the foot of the Falls, with
Fred still hanging on, although he was 'scared to death'.
His fellow
picnickers gave him plenty of mock sympathy, but for the return
ride arranged that it would be less hazardous for the chastened
novice rider, by giving him a 'quiet' horse.
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