Re: Transport lecture: 30 April 2002

Peter
It was Jerry Jak/Jack (the B shift union rep) if my memory is
correct. Bob Hansen lived in the street where I grew up (Broughton
Road, Surrey Hills) and was a bit of a character. My Dad used to talk
to him when he used to go for walks around Surrey Hills after he
retired. I remember having a couple of beers at Young and Jacksons
with Bob Hansen and some other [off duty] Camberwell trammies the day
of the big City Square rally in November 1975 addressed by Gough
Whitlam.
More memories...
Paul in Melbourne
--- In TramsDownUnder@y..., "demondriver44" <demondriver44@y...>
wrote:

-Paul,who was the driver,Bob Hansen?Jim MacCallum?PBruce.-- In

TramsDownUnder@y..., "pn1.rm" <pn1@b...> wrote:

The earlier reference to the "scruffie" appearance of many of our
tram enthusiast brethren reminded me of a humourous episode that
happened to me when I was a conductor in late 1974 or perhaps

early

1975.

Keith Kings (who's delivering the lecuture on 30 April) used to

catch

the route 70 tram to work. He would board at Through Road and

travel

to the city (Batman Avenue). Keith always had a "dapper"

appearance

and wore a suit and tie most of the time. He wore the traditional
dark grey suit, white shirt and light grey tie and looked every

bit

one of the "men from Head Office". He also used to write notes

using

his brief case as a "desk" much the same as people often use

personal

computers today.

In fact Keith worked in private enterprise nothing to do with

trams.

One morning he got on at Through Road as usual. The tram wasn't

too

crowded (Keith would often pick a car that started at Warrigal

Road

two stops up the road) so we spent time chatting after the fares

were

collected.

At the Hawthorn Depot "bundy clock" the driver beckoned me to

come

outside while he was punching the clock.

Obviously he had something to tell me.

He questioned why I was talking to the bloke in the grey suit.

I was told "You can't talk to him. He's from Head Office. He's

spying

on us!".

Such was the "us and them" attitude on the trams in the 1970s.
Nothing I could say could satify the driver (who was active in

the

Union at the time) of the "innocence" of my conversation so I

quietly

retreated to the back saloon (where I should have been after the
fares were collected, admittedly) for the remainder of the trip.

Conductor Nicholson, 817, Camberwell Depot 1975-1974.

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