Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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THE AGE AT 170
For nigh on half its existence, this newspaper has been a daily part of my life. I grew up when The Age catered to children by publishing a single page supplement, Junior Age, every Friday. Children could contribute simple competitions they had created, supply answers to others, paint drawings submitted by contemporaries and send in poems. The inducement was monetary prizes: anything from one to five shillings.
Realising my interest, my mother took my sister and me to The Age office and printing works in Collins Street for a tour of the newspaper in production. There was an energy that I cannot forget in the whole process, from the typesetting to the clatter of metal rollers as hundreds of papers swept around the room over our heads. I cannot recollect seeing any journalists – the foundations of a newspaper – at work. Perhaps they were out on jobs and might be a reason journalism as a career never entered my head. Or perhaps, that was because in those days women journalists were assigned to the social pages to report on weddings and what people wore.
My parents purchased plans through The Age Small Homes Service for an architect-designed house of their dreams. At weekends, we trailed by train to watch our new home slowly take shape in what was then an outer suburb of orchards being subdivided and capitalised.
As we grew older, my father insisted my sister and I read The Age, particularly the world news. The sports pages were (to him) irrelevant. He would quiz us when he arrived home and woe betide us if we’d skipped something of importance. Yes, it was a chore, and we resented it, but it opened our eyes, and not many years later we appreciated his insistence.
On leaving school, I began training at a Melbourne hospital and lived in the nurses’ home. There, I took out my own subscription to The Age. Births, Marriages and Deaths – otherwise known as Hatched, Matched and Despatched – were essential reading to keep up with what was happening to people from school as everyone scattered.
The paper-printed Age is what started my interest in world affairs, various opinions on topics, and an awareness that it all began in childhood with Junior Age and a visit to The Age’s premises in Collins Street, Melbourne.
Diana Lawrenson, Brighton
When size mattered
In the late 1960s, The Age was about one and a half inches thick on Saturdays, thus us paperboys on our fully loaded bikes returned to the newsagent for the second half of the round or picked up a drop. Whilst The Age always covered news and sport, it also included a women’s page and a large section that included advertisements such as professional, situations vacant, houses for sale, cars for sale, rooms to let and lost and found. That is a long way from today’s login.
Geoff Gowers, Merricks North
Marking social and political change
A hearty, happy 170th birthday to The Age. Your diligent reporting has marked such incredible social and political change over the years. I doubt we will ever see the likes of the delightful witticisms of Naked Man ever again.
Brenda McKinty, Hampton Park
Fact from fiction
I enjoyed reading the Note From The Editor on 170 years of The Age by editor Patrick Elligett. It gives me hope for the future of journalism. We need to celebrate the history and be confident in the future.
Faced with a barrage of misinformation and outright lies, it is good to know The Age has a team of experts sifting fact from fiction.
And it is even better to see the five new trainee journalists, all young, intelligent and enthusiastic people; they are the future and I wish them every success.
Perhaps they can influence young people to get their information from reliable, evidence-based sources, not social media.
Pieter Mourik, Wooragee
Embedded at the RMH
Congratulations to The Age on its 170th. The (Royal) Melbourne Hospital opened its doors in March 1848, six years before The Age, however, once established, the paper was a close observer and indeed a frequent critic of the hospital and vocal about hospital matters. Indeed, on one occasion they had a female journalist enrol as a nurse at The Melbourne so she could observe care and practices at close quarters. At this early stage, nurses were untrained so the role was open to virtually anyone who applied.
The journalist nurse’s reports, not just on nursing issues, but on the appalling living conditions of the nurses in those early years, are an illuminating part of the hospital’s archives.
Susan Sherson, Princes Hill
Golding’s insights
The unique, warm and accurate newspaper mini-history captured by cartoonist Matt Golding (Comment, 18/10) is of itself an instance of the power of art, the human, the individual to connect. The emerging digital world is perfectly captured in the last completely shadowed panel where two figures at a table wear VR goggles, divorced (!) from reality and from each other.
But Golding’s insights mirror experiences in the ordinary experience of shopping. Massive glitzy shopping centres seem alien to this human compared to the delights of local markets, or South Melbourne markets. Nor can streaming go anywhere near the joy of witnessing musicians make music in the moment before you.
My daily physical copy of The Age not only connects me to my past history as a newspaper boy yelling “Heee- errrp, Heee - errp” on the corner of a city block, but also the pleasure of immersion into the considered and detailed arguments of Waleed Aly and Claire Pullen on the challenges of this new digital era.
Ian Muldoon, St Kilda
THE FORUM
Public service
A million jobs have been created by the Labor government. However, Michaelia Cash claims this is bad for the economy because they were mostly in the public sector. The reason public sector job growth is increasing is because nine years of Coalition drastic cuts had left the public service gutted.
Dan Drummond, Leongatha
Hunger and houses
Australia’s very high house prices are not just affecting fertility (“House prices blamed for nation’s birth rate plunge”, 17/10), they are contributing to hunger in this “land of plenty” . Foodbank Australia’s Hunger Report 2024 found that more than 50 per cent of food-insecure households have reached severe levels of food insecurity. More people than before are skipping meals or cutting back on healthy foods, and the demand for relief from food charities has risen.
The failure of governments to build enough social housing has led to accommodation shortages and rent rises. The negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions afforded housing investors have contributed to the surge in housing prices in recent decades, causing people who are buying a house to live in to borrow large amounts making them susceptible to the interest rate rises. Many renters and mortgage holders are cutting back on food to make ends meet. The tax concessions must be wound back and, to immediately reduce hunger, the Commonwealth should increase the JobSeeker allowance and raise its support of food agencies.
Andrew Trembath, Blackburn
Teacher comparisons
Re “A radical shift in teaching proposed to tackle worker shortage”, 18/10, outlines some of the frustrations of teaching as a career. Of course, the union wants more pay. And four days work per week. Is that four days pay for four days work? Or five days work crammed into four?
The relativity arguments of pay and conditions with other workers are endless, and largely pointless if the fundamental concerns are not addressed: “expectations and excessive workloads ... are unsustainable”, lack of respect, student behaviour. These problems can’t be solved by retreating to a short working week, or more pay. Perhaps start by tidying up the classroom behaviour and pattern of work.
I would like to know about the more attractive career options that teachers are moving into. Anyway, what about the nurses who are paid less, work shifts and manage people at a critical stage in their lives, and sometimes have to deal with very bad behaviour?
Clyde Ronan, Yarrawonga
Cash refusal
I can’t be alone in considering the card levy charged by many businesses is nothing to do with the fee charged by banks. Clearly, the cost of receiving cash, counting it and taking it to the bank to deposit is far in excess of the small percentage charged when using cards. The reason is the wish for some cash which can be hidden from the tax man. I refuse to pay cash on the basis that I think everyone has a responsibility to pay their taxes. Why is tax cheating socially acceptable? Tax is the cost of a fair and civil society.
Judy Kevill, Ringwood
Smart baristas win
The article by Elizabeth Knight (″There is no free lunch with government’s proposal″, 16/10) does not include another possibility. At the moment, the card surcharge is passed on and highlighted at the checkout automatically. Consumers accept that it is the fault of the big banks and know they don’t have a choice.
When the retailers come to review all their costs, they may seek an alternative to their current bank-terminal provider and company. Hopefully, they will find lower cost organisations to provide the payment infrastructure and cards. A smart barista may absorb the surcharge and would charge only $4 for a coffee, instead of $4.05. A win for the consumer and the barista.
Michael D’Aloia, Coburg
Guide to narcissism
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition is the authoritative guide for diagnosing mental health disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association. It is the primary reference for mental health not only for the United States, but also internationally. It has been translated into over 18 languages. It has been dubbed the ‘Psychiatric Bible’. I have a copy.
There is nothing confidential about Donald Trump’s psychiatric history. He ticks every box for the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder every time he opens his mouth, and we get to read about it in the headlines of the major newspapers around the whole world. We hear it in the news when we wake up in the morning.
He is unfit to hold public office in any capacity.
Ludomyr John Mykyta, Tusmore, SA
Kamala iceberg ahoy
What is so difficult about the choice between Trump and Harris? In any rational world Trump would already be in prison for what he has done and for what he has said he will do.
It may already be too late, but I am really hoping for some divine intervention when Trump is punished for his hubris and his Titanic hits the Kamala iceberg.
Claude Miller, Castlemaine
Pre-emptive strike
Before the complainers start tapping away, please remember that Halloween is the favourite day of the year for many children, so to its detractors: Don’t be a wet blanket because you didn’t celebrate it when you were young. And no, Halloween doesn’t originate from the US; it’s an ancient Celtic tradition adapted in modern times to be fun. Enjoy.
Michael Carroll, Kensington
AND ANOTHER THING
Misinformation
What a sad bunch of sheep many of us have become (Waleed Aly, ″The hard battle for the truth″, 18/10). It’s one of the biggest challenges of our times – how to build metacognition skills.
Fiona White, Alfredton
Journalistic reporting of the political world seems to favour terms such as misinformation, disinformation, inaccuracies, untruths. Can we please just get back to calling it all out as a bunch of big, fat lies?
Julie Perry, Highton
Furthermore
Thank you, NS. You are amazing! Your Thursday crosswords introduced me many years ago to the fun of solving cryptic crosswords. Now I’ll look forward to your monthly contribution.
Judy Dix, Geelong West
Is sport really the soul of the city of Melbourne? (Greg Baum, 18/10). As the secretary of the original AFL (Anti-Football League), founded (tongue in cheek) by the late Keith Dunstan, I feel Melbourne has so much more to offer everyone.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has condemned players involved in ″inappropriate acts on a sex doll″. Is there such a thing as ″appropriate acts on a sex doll″?
Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill
Would all those leaping to Anthony Albanese’s defence do the same if it was Scott Morrison buying a multimillion-dollar cliff-top mansion during a housing and cost of living crisis? I think not.
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
There was not one letter in yesterday’s Age (18/10) about the arrival of Australia’s king and queen for their first visit as our head of state. Now, that says a lot.
Graham Cadd, Dromana
If the absurdity of being ruled by an occasional visitor from a foreign land doesn’t sink in this time around it probably never will.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
Should the Victorian Labor members of parliament be prosecuted for trading insolvent?
Richard Sykes, Bell Park
Be reassured (Letters,“Big, Black Yonder”, 17/10), space is there, and where space ends nothing starts.
Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale
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