Tag Archives: 1984

Way back when, Wednesdays

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The ones that couldn’t get away

Nobody would have gone home empty handed after this fishing trip, when the Dernancourt pool was transformed into a giant fish tank. On page 23 of the edition dated 15 June 1983, the Leader Messenger reported on the upcoming ‘Fish-in’ to be held from 18-19 June at the Dernancourt Swimming Centre, formally situated at Mahogany Drive, Dernancourt, alongside the River Torrens.

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Fish-in was held as a fundraiser by the Freemasons of the Thorngate Lodge of Prospect under the leadership of Worshipful Brother G.R. Gray, in conjunction with the City of Tea Tree Gully and local service clubs. The Kersbrook Trout Far stocked the pool with 200 live trout, purchased by Council.

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Fish-in was marketed as a family friendly event and attracted both experienced and amateur anglers. Four sessions of fishing were held over two days. Participants paid $4 each which covered the entry fee and the hire of a fishing rod. An officer from the Fisheries Department was on-site to provide tips on how to improve your fishing technique.

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So what did the anglers use for bait? Bait was provided and it was sweetcorn! You were allowed to take home any fish that you caught, so many local residents would have been eating trout for dinner and possibly stocking up their freezers.

There were prizes awarded in different categories such as for catching the heaviest fish and for the highest number of fish caught by an individual. You also had the chance to win a prize by catching special tagged trout released into the pool. If the kids became bored they could take a break by frequenting the food stalls and sideshows set up especially for Fish-in, around the grounds of the swimming centre.

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More than $2000 was raised from the Fish-in and the funds were used in the restoration of the Grand Lodge Building on North Terrace. Given the success of the initial event another Fish-in was held the following year on the weekend of 5-6 May.

Fish-in

#waybackwhenwednesdays

The stories behind the world’s favourite books

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We’ve had it for years, but I only just discovered the book ‘Behind the Bestsellers‘ this week. It’s a fascinating collection of the stories behind the stories – anecdotes and experiences that led to the creation of some of literature’s most famous places, characters and books.

Did you know that the tales that good friend Bertram Russel told Arthur Conan Doyle about ghostly demon dogs that roamed Dartmoor, were the basis for the creative return of Conan Doyle’s most famous character? Sherlock Holmes had been killed off in The Final Problem  eight years earlier, but returned in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Orwell’s 1984was a culmination of his life’s political beliefs and experiences. His work with the Indian Imperial police in Burma, his involvement with the Spanish Worker’s Party during their Civil War and producing BBC wartime propaganda moulded his hatred of ‘the man’ with it’s bureaucratic secrecy and hypocrisy.

Dan Brown’s father was a mathematician, creating codes, puzzles and cryptic clues as elaborate treasure hunts for his children on their birthdays and at Christmas. His college years in New England, surrounded by Masonic Lodges and ‘Founding Father’ clubs, piqued an interest in secret societies, and an incident at school when Secret Service agents arrived to detain a student culminated in his fascination of  government agencies.  All three put together form the basis of The Da Vinci Code.

I could go on all day, there’s the background to 50 books listed!