Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Thursday 24 October 1946, page 10


Out Among The People

By VOX

I WONDER if large families will ever become fashionable again, so that we can retain our rich Australian inheritance.

An example of duty to the nation is provided at Belvidere. where a reunion was enjoyed by 167 descendants of Norfolk-born George Pallant and his wife Mary. born in Cornwall, who came to South Australia in their youth and settled in the district. There were 12 children of the marriage, six boys and six girls Of these nine are living, the oldest, being nearly 80 years. Had all the descendants up to the fourth gen eration been able to attend the reunion, there would have been more than 200 present. Mr. George Pallant will be re membered as the mail driver from Strathalbyn to Wellington for a number of years, and as a mail contractor down there. On Way To Tareoola I HAVE had a note from Mr. 1 Charles Metcalf. of the Vic torian State Treasury, from Port Pirie, where he is staying at the Royal Exchange Hotel until Satur day. He has already met many old friends there. He will spend the week-end at Merriton. then go on to Port Augusta, stay at Why alla for a few days, return to Port Augusta., and catch the East-West train for Tareoola, where he will follow up his anthropological re search. Big Poultry Conference \f R- Walter Pearce. secretary of the National Utility Poultry ; Breeders' Association in SA, is very I enthusiastic about the first post war Federal conference held in Queensland, where the four major egg-producing States were repre sented. The next one will be held in Adelaide in August. 1947. for the first time. There are about 5,000 members in Australia, nearly 200 in this State, representing £50.000.000 worth or stock and eggs. "A controversy has arisen as to which breed created the first egg laying record in South Australia." Mr. Pearce says. "Could you pre vail upon some interested party to give you the correct information? Present record here for 365 days is 328 for a White Leghorn. The Australasian record is more than 350 for an Australorp." Our First X-Ray Tube MR. W. E. G. Paqualin's revela-tion to me the other day that he helped unpack the first X-ray plant to arrive in Adelaide 50

years ago, reminded Mr. W. T. Rowe, ex-Director of Chemistry and Government Analyst, to tell me yesterday that in 1896 Mr. S. Barbour, F. H. Faulding & Co.'s senior chemist in Adelaide, brought back from England an X-ray tube. Then a junior chemist in the company, Mr. Rowe, who had studied physics under Sir William Bragg at the University of Ade-laide, collaborated with Mr. Bar-bour in experiments with it. The induction coil available to them was capable only of giv-ing a two-inch spark, and pro-longed exposures were necessary. At the time, Mr. Arthur Rogers, mechanic to Professor Bragg, and an expert glass blower, was at-tempting to make an X-ray tube, and he eventually succeeded. Pro-fessor Bragg suggested that the trio should combine forces, as he had borrowed a 12-inch spark coil from his father-in-law, Sir Charles Todd. Things began to move, and a meeting of the BMA was held at the University, where Mr. Rowe was asked to assist in taking pho-tographs. After that, progress was rapid, and Mr. Rowe often gave free demonstrations at bazaars and fetes. In 1896 and 1897 Mr. Rowe carried on an X-ray department for Faulding's. Mr. Barbour left the company and started as a radiographer in Gawler Chambers, North terrace. Later, he went to Western Australia, and sold his plant to Sir Joseph Verco. His Football Mark? ]\IR. William Johnson looked in Tresterday from Vine street, Beulab Park, to tell me that the Norwood Union football club visited Broken Hill recently, and struck two severe dust-storms on Saturday and Sunday. " They played a match against a. combined team, and one of the op posing players kicked the ball against a strong wind. It was blown back over his head, he turned quickly, and ran and marked his own kick. The umpire awarded him the mark. Was he entitled to it? Mr. Johnson's three sons are dub officials. Charlie is trainer. Ken is Ajsri st^mt trainer, and Jim Is time keeper. Harold Page is coach. Mitcham V. Woodvill. APROPOS my visit to WoodviUe A oval last Saturday. Mr. ML Schedlich told me yesterday that when he was secretary of yfttfiinTn Cricket Club many years ago he arranged with Mr. Hopkins (of the National Bank) that if a certain man could not play on the first Saturday in a match against Wood ville be could play on the follow ing Saturday. "We went down there," he said,, -'and Charlie Chambers could not play that day. but could do so a week later. Hopkins objected. Rowland Hill (our captain) knew I had made these arrangements, but he refused to play if they did not allow Charlie to bat. Con sequently there was no match, and we all had to return to town." Mr Schedlich said he thought Archdeacon Samwell was Mit cham's first captain. Pant Heath was skipper for a long time. Big Egg, Big Radish r HOPE I shall not be inundated with similar specimens, but re ference is worth while to a 4-oz. egg, of unusually perfect shape; which Mrs. Wilson, of West ter race, Adelaide, brought in from Mrs. A -S. ("Son") Kirk's farm i yard at Merriton. The Kirks have been farming there for 60 years, and "Son" is a keen North cours ing man. He has one of the best wheat crops in the district. Mr. R. A. Goombe. a GPO tele graphist, was prevailed upon to show me a 2-ft. radish, which be grew at 7 Weller street, Goodwood Park. He planted the seed last February, and allowed this par ticular radish to show what it was made of. Tuesday night's wind snapped off its "foliage," which re sembled a young tree, towering above the broad beans.