The Advertiser
18 Septenber 1946
Pace That Does Not Kill.
Those old telegraphists with which newspapers have had such a happy association over many years are a hardy race, thanks to the fact that continuous mental novelty keep their bodies healthy. That thought occurred to me when I had a talk at his home at Young Street, Wayville with Mr. H. Schroeder who was in the Telegraph Department for 51 years. You will remember that Mr. Elliot Monfries wrote me from Hobart recently recalling happy days with Mr. Schroeder and others in the G.P.O.
Mr. Shroeder told me he started at Tanunda PO in 1878 under Mr. William Lucy as a messenger at 5/- a week. He was awakened at 4 am. to do the first outward mail. A little after 8 am he returned to the office to tidy up and do another mail at 9 am.
"The most important part was that Tanunda was a telegraph centre." he said. "We were on the direct Wentworth-Sydney line and we repeated telegrams for Truro and Angaston. Transport was slow then and more telegraphing was done. Mr. Lucy and I repeated virtually 70 to 80 messages a day each way. I thus learnt telegraphy very quickly. Within a few months I could work on the electric to Adelaide. I learnt all the office routine and, at 14 years of age, relieved at all those stations, including Lyndoch, while the postmasters were having their annual holidays.
I left the Tanunda office at 8:30 pm went home until 10 pm, returned and spoke to the Adelaide office, got some telegrams, delivered them immediately and often got to bed at midnight - all for 5/- a week. We old dogs, Monfries and others, all had similar experiences. I had to clean the batteries every month".