In the Herald:December 7,1909

Sensational gliding

On Sunday Mr George Taylor achieved the first flight of a heavier-than-air machine in Australia. “The scene of the flights was at Narrabeen Heads,in the presence of about one hundred visitors,the wide stretch of land rendering any possible fall a matter of some safety.” Twenty-nine successful flights were made. As the afternoon wore on the flights improved “so much so that the last flight of the day was notable.”

Poisoned chocolates

When postal officials were sorting the mail at the Forbes post office a packet containing chocolates was found to have been broken,theHerald reported. A couple of chocolates fell out,and these were tasted by one of the sorters,and the son of the assistant postmaster. Both fell ill,were found to be suffering from strychnine poisoning. The box,which was of cardboard,was addressed to a boy of about 11 years.

Strike will cause food shortages

“Nothing will bring the realities of this idiotic strike home to the general mind so surely as the paralysis of the State’s machinery of transport,” theHerald opined. “The railways would only need to stop for two days to make a difference in the diet of the general public.” Stocks of both wheat and flour are,at the present time,unusually low. Another result was the shortage of meat,and general edible produce.

Lyn Maccallum is a research library coordinator.

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