It has often been said, and rightly so, about many things, that they simply don’t make things they way they were.

These days you buy something, use for a bit, then throw it out and buy a new one when it breaks. Back then, things were MADE to last.

Having decided it was time to browse Trove again, I decided to see what a newspaper from 100 years ago looked like, and how it compared with today’s.

I chose to look at The Mount Barker Courier, which is the local paper for the area of South Australia that my family grew up in, and this issue is dated 23 October 1914. So it’s over 100 years ago.

I made it to the front page, and was instantly engrossed with all the adverts. You’ll see everything from cocoa, to corsets, gas to insurance, saddles and harnesses, a bronchitis cure, as well as gates, pianos, pig troughs, Ford cars, and even mustard.

See for yourself … (click here for a larger view)

Mount Barker Courier front cover 23 October 1914

Isn’t is beautiful.

I’m pleased to say that Mount Barker Courier, which is now known as The Courier, is STILL going … 101 years later. In a comparison of the old and new, you can see their current issue online. And maybe it’s just me, but I feel that there’s just no class to newspapers these days!

Please note, I have only used the Mount Barker Courier as an example. I was not meaning to pick on them specifically, but rather use them as an example of the difference bin the style of newspapers from back then and now.

It’s been a while since I have done a Trove Tuesday post, but when my auntie-in-law sent me a link to an article about her dad Dick Tester, that appeared in the News newspaper back in 1952, I knew that was going to be my very next post.

So we have a group of young men. A fishing trip to Kangaroo Island. And a sea lion.  Was this a young man’s adventure, or was it a scene from a scary movie? You be the judge.

A little while ago I introduced you to the to 150 Great South Australians list that was originally published in The Advertiser. As it was WAAAAY too long to reproduce all in one post, I split it into two. If you missed the earlier post, you can find the A-I list here, with the J-Z list below.

This second list of “great South Aussies” which by the way you’ll be pleased to know includes women as well as men, contains inventors, businessmen, ministers, politicians, charity workers, doctors, manufacturers, educators, explorers and many, many more.

You’ll find that many are ‘pioneers’ in their field, because basically they were coming to a colony that was just developing, and was in need of expertise. So you’ll find that many of these people helped shape not just South Australia with their skills, but in some respects, Australia as well.

Everyone has heard of the bubonic plague, right? I’m sure you have. Anyway this was also commonly known as the “Black Death“, and for good reason. When it spread across Europe in the 14th century it killed at least 25 million people. That my friends, is more than the current-day entire population of Australia, which by the way is just over 23 million.

Anyway for someone who was infected and didn’t get any treatment, your chances weren’t great as the bubonic plague was said to kill about two thirds of humans within four days. So “HORRIFYING” is the word that comes to my mind.

So when it hit Australian shores in 1900 there was panic, which I would say is totally