The dying art of so many things………

Peter Baulderstone’s article “The Dying Art of Sporting Conversation” April 19, mentions “we had to explain to an incredulous 30-year old the amazing properties of a thermos – we told him there was a mini microwave in the tin”.

It is only when we are confronted by these startling differences in the generations, that occasions like this arise.

Peter’s experience brought to mind one such example which occurred last week when I was visiting a friend in Sydney. She’s a lawyer and told me this mind-boggling story. She had employed a bright, intelligent 25-year old for a few days, to help with typing letters, envelopes etc.

Giving over the finished letters to be signed, she noticed that the name and address of the recipient had been typed all in one line across the top of the page. When telling the bright young thing how the address should be positioned on the page, she was then completely shocked when asked, “Well, how do I type the envelope?”

All were given over at the end of the day. She took one look at the envelopes, only to see the stamp positioned very neatly on the top left hand corner.

Well, I found it astonishing!

 

About Jan Courtin

A Bloods tragic since first game at Lake Oval in 1948. Moved interstate to Sydney to be closer to beloved Swans in 1998. My book "My Lifelong Love Affair with the Swans" was launched by the Swans at their headquarters at the SCG in August 2016. www.myswansloveaffair.com

Comments

  1. Yvette Wroby says

    Hi Jan, you know you are old when…..I still own a typewriter so I could have typed the address. I used to love the clacking of the keys. I still have a dial telephone I can plug in when the power goes off. I can’t bear to part with either of these objects. I use a crock pot too but I think they have come back in vogue. My sister has mums fondue set! And I have letroset…. what we used I old uni days of setting out pages to print… using letroset designs for headings, illustrations. If I think of any others I will let you know!

  2. Jan Courtin says

    So many things, Yvette. I was dragged screaming when the Qld Uni refused to let me use the manual typewriter and had to go electric; then was forced to computers. It’ only 12 months ago that I got a phone that allows me to send a message by pressing the keyboard – I did love my old mobile where you had to press once for a, twice for b and so on.
    And Letraset! We used it for years in the family printing business and I used it many years later in Brisbane – great stuff!
    And so the list goes on…

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