[featherfour]

paper boys​

Were paper boys crazy? One of my friends was a paper boy, he had to get up ridiculously early in the morning, I certainly didn't fancy that in the middle of winter! Riding his bike on those dark, cold, wet mornings and evenings, dodging traffic and hurling the news …uh…near enough to the doorstep. And speaking of dodging traffic, what about those kids who sold newspapers literally in the middle of the road? Waiting for the lights to change, calling "here'ya'r paPER" in the morning and "here'ya'r HerALD" in the evenings, then dodging through peak hour traffic. Insanity! I'm glad that's not a thing any more, I hate to think of that danger those kids faced. My favourite paper boy was the one who would visit the caravan park when we went camping.

 

[Wandiwa]

Mate of mine did it after school and I used to tag along. Papers were 8c then and he used to nearly always pocket the 2c change. When papers went to 10c he gave it away, he's a millionaire today.

 

[John58]

I was a paperboy, I started when papers were 5 cents no tips at that price when they went to 7 cents I would get a lot of tips as they would just give you 10 cent coins. I remember running through the traffic when the lights turned red selling from car to car and going into the front bar of the pub, it wasn’t long before the punters all knew your name. It was a fun time in my life earning some extra pocket money.

 

[Gil]

The good old days. I was a paperboy in Mt Martha in Victoria back in 1959, 60, 61. I only sold the Herald in the afternoons after school. I had to ride my bike 3 miles to pick up the papers. I sold them door to door along the Esplanade and through the Public Bar, Lounge Bar and Saloon Bar of the Dava Hotel. Fancy bumping into your headmaster drinking at the Pub. Well, it earnt me a small tip each time to keep it to myself. Speaking of tips, that is all I ever got from selling the paper. Not paid anything, just pick them up from the local milk bar and return any unsold papers and pay the milk bar for the ones sold. They sold for Fourpence each and most of the time people would give you sixpence and say keep the change. Being in remote Mt Martha, I would only get to sell about 15 to 20 per afternoon. I was riding my bike and the Herald was a large paper and I couldn't carry too many at a time.

 

[Reet]

paper boys​

Were paper boys crazy? One of my friends was a paper boy, he had to get up ridiculously early in the morning, I certainly didn't fancy that in the middle of winter! Riding his bike on those dark, cold, wet mornings and evenings, dodging traffic and hurling the news …uh…near enough to the doorstep. And speaking of dodging traffic, what about those kids who sold newspapers literally in the middle of the road? Waiting for the lights to change, calling "here'ya'r paPER" in the morning and "here'ya'r HerALD" in the evenings, then dodging through peak hour traffic. Insanity! I'm glad that's not a thing any more, I hate to think of that danger those kids faced. My favourite paper boy was the one who would visit the caravan park when we went camping.

My son became a paper boy although he was really too young. He had been pestering the newsagent for a job for ages until he was at last given the job. He always took our Alsatian dog with him because it was so early in the morning and often his sister would go with him, which was just as well because if for any reason he couldn't do his paper round she would do it for him.

 

[Gsr]

I remember the paper boys who came around the hospital wards when I was doing my nurses training in the early 70s. They would make the patients day, stop and have a chat to them every day. The female patients looked forward to buying their copies of New Idea, Woman’s Day, Women’s Weekly so they could catch up on the gossip. All the papers and magazines were shared around between the patients, then at night the night duty staff would borrow them and have a read on their breaks. Years ago we used to get newspapers delivered to our home early mornings but over the years even this service has stopped in the town where I live. I feel for the older people who used to get paper deliveries for years but no longer get this service. We don’t even have a proper newsagent store since the last one closed about three years ago. Papers and magazines are sold in the supermarkets, lotto in chemists and supermarkets, other things like exercise books etc are only sold in the big w store. There is an office supply store which sells office type supplies.

 

[Ezzy]

I was a paperboy. Rain, hail or heat the Daily News (Perth W.A.) papers had to go out. In winter l used to throw the paper & blow a whistle so the customer could come out & get their paper, sometimes of course, in the rain. On these occasions the paper was rolled & had a rubber band placed around it. Summer time the paper was rolled loosely & bent to an angle of around 15°, too tight & the paper broke on the spine & another was needed.

On the day President Kennedy was assassinated one of my customers, while l was collecting money for deliveries on a Saturday morning said, 'all paper boys have been called back to their depot'. What l wasn't told is that this only applied to paper sellers in the city.

I returned to my newsagent, found a special edition of newspaper had been printed with the words KENNEDY ASSASSINATED in large print on the front page. Taking a bundle of papers l returned to the highway which included my round, folded a paper to show the headline & held this facing oncoming traffic. Sold a few paper but then had to find time later to collect money from my customers.

 

[featherfour]

I was a paperboy. Rain, hail or heat the Daily News (Perth W.A.) papers had to go out. In winter l used to throw the paper & blow a whistle so the customer could come out & get their paper, sometimes of course, in the rain. On these occasions the paper was rolled & had a rubber band placed around it. Summer time the paper was rolled loosely & bent to an angle of around 15°, too tight & the paper broke on the spine & another was needed.

On the day President Kennedy was assassinated one of my customers, while l was collecting money for deliveries on a Saturday morning said, 'all paper boys have been called back to their depot'. What l wasn't told is that this only applied to paper sellers in the city.

I returned to my newsagent, found a special edition of newspaper had been printed with the words KENNEDY ASSASSINATED in large print on the front page. Taking a bundle of papers l returned to the highway which included my round, folded a paper to show the headline & held this facing oncoming traffic. Sold a few paper but then had to find time later to collect money from my customers.

Wow! You were really part of history!

 

[Nichola]

My oldest son was still 15when he got a job at a nearby newsagent. He would have to be up at 5 am to open up when the newspapers were delivered, before school then after school he would do another shift into the evening. Then he would work all day saturday and sundays too. He kept going at this job for the rest of secondary school, and also during his undergraduate years at Melbourne University. He has always been a determined young man. And it paid off. He's now Associate Professor of Neuropsychology at Melbourne University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. And I couldn't be prouder.

 

[Reet]

My oldest son was still 15when he got a job at a nearby newsagent. He would have to be up at 5 am to open up when the newspapers were delivered, before school then after school he would do another shift into the evening. Then he would work all day saturday and sundays too. He kept going at this job for the rest of secondary school, and also during his undergraduate years at Melbourne University. He has always been a determined young man. And it paid off. He's now Associate Professor of Neuropsychology at Melbourne University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. And I couldn't be prouder.

Congratulations to your son. My son did both morning and evening papers and also hospital runs. He bought pieces of his new bike and built it himself from the money he earned.

 

[Ezzy]

Wow! You were really part of history!

Yes, thankyou. Purely unintentional.

 

[featherfour]

My oldest son was still 15when he got a job at a nearby newsagent. He would have to be up at 5 am to open up when the newspapers were delivered, before school then after school he would do another shift into the evening. Then he would work all day saturday and sundays too. He kept going at this job for the rest of secondary school, and also during his undergraduate years at Melbourne University. He has always been a determined young man. And it paid off. He's now Associate Professor of Neuropsychology at Melbourne University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. And I couldn't be prouder.

What a beautiful story. Love the happy ending. You are right to be so proud

 

[MJPB on Magnetic]

paper boys​

Were paper boys crazy? One of my friends was a paper boy, he had to get up ridiculously early in the morning, I certainly didn't fancy that in the middle of winter! Riding his bike on those dark, cold, wet mornings and evenings, dodging traffic and hurling the news …uh…near enough to the doorstep. And speaking of dodging traffic, what about those kids who sold newspapers literally in the middle of the road? Waiting for the lights to change, calling "here'ya'r paPER" in the morning and "here'ya'r HerALD" in the evenings, then dodging through peak hour traffic. Insanity! I'm glad that's not a thing any more, I hate to think of that danger those kids faced. My favourite paper boy was the one who would visit the caravan park when we went camping.

I was one.