Australia 1950-1965, continued

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Continuing the series on Oz 1950-1965, with additional comments by moi.

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The Dunny Man. 

 A respected worker, he got a couple of large bottles of beer from most households at Christmas.

Additional comments and pics:

Younger readers will not know the experience of using an outside toilet at night, as many of us older readers did as kids . . . walking over wet grass in bare feet, squashing snails and stepping on slugs, holding open the door to use the available moonlight, the heady aroma . . .thank god those days are gone!

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Eveleigh Rail workshops. Redfern, Sydney. 1953.

Additional comment:

The Eveleigh Railway Workshops is a heritage-listed former New South Wales Government Railways yards and railway workshops and now venue hire, public housing and technology park located at Great Southern and Western railway, Redfern, Sydney, New South Wales.

The property is owned by RailCorp, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.  The workshops are considered to have world heritage significance by curators of the Smithsonian Institution.

A brand new 5801 on display at Eveleigh Railway Workshops,surrounded by rail workshop staff who built it on 20 January 1950.Twenty five were planned but only 13 of the D58 class were built.

Eveleigh Railway Workshops, undated

Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops, circa 1889

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“Gelignite” Jack Murray. Winner of the Redex Round Australia Reliability Trial in 1954.  He used to raise the excitement levels in outback towns by throwing lighted sticks of gelignite out of the car’s window as he approached the outskirts.

He considered gelignite in the open as harmless as fire crackers – the police did not agree.

Additional comment:

From:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-19/jack-murray-doing-donuts-at-uluru/8724194

The son of legendary Australian motorsport competitor 'Gelignite' Jack Murray is paying tribute to his late father through a new book.  

In an era pre-dating television and social media, Gelignite Jack, originally from Melbourne, demonstrated an early knack for capturing national headlines with his daring ability behind the wheel of early rally cars.  

The 'gelignite' nickname originated from Murray's pragmatic approach to clearing the rally route of blockages in the 1954 Redex Trial. "Back in the 1950s the thought of driving around Australia was unheard of, and they were concerned that there would be blockages on narrow roads of trees and so forth," Phil Murray said. Gelignite Jack's navigator, a construction expert, suggested they take along some gelignite for quick removal. "This never occurred, but after all who's going to cart three boxes of gelignite around the country without letting off a stick or two?" Mr Murray said. "So people started enjoying that, asked for it, and that's how the name started and stuck."  

Whether or not the pair used gelignite may be another matter. The Canberra Times reported in July 1954 that police questioned Mr Murray and his co-driver Bill Murray "concerning a mysterious explosion en route to Melbourne", but the pair denied have any "gelly" in the car.  

Murray is quick to point out that his father's exploits were from a different age, and what was considered fun and hi-jinx in the 1950s may not be considered politically correct these days. "Sensibilities have changed and we've become more culturally aware, and the world has moved on," he said.

And speaking of what may not be politically correct today, the above article is accompanied ny the following pic and comment:

It would be banned these days, but in the 1950s Jack Murray does donuts at Uluru.

For the benefit of overseas readers and locals who may be unaware, Uluru is considered by indigenous Australians to be a sacred site.  Control of Uluru has been vested in an indigenous council which has determined that climbing of the rock is to cease in October 2019, with all posts, chains etc to be removed.  It is noted that climbers have left rubbish, urinated and defecated on it and even carved their names into it. The coming ban has seen mass climbing take place.

I am not aware of people recently performing donuts at its base.