[wjs1957]

Pay Phones on the Corner of the Street​

Local phone calls 5 cents or bucket loads of money for STD. Now all free. Spent so much money weekly ringing my parents in Melbourne when I was posted at Fort Wallace in Stockton NSW.

Image Credit: Flickr

 

[Jarred Santos]

Surely every cent was worth it as they appreciated your efforts to keep in touch

 

[Catherines]

On arrival in Australia in 1965 we lived in a very nice rented house in Sydney. Couldn’t understand why there was one of these ‘phone boxes’ in someone’s backyard. Later found out it was their ‘outside dunny’. Yes, Sydney did have outside toilets in those days and so did Brisbane when we moved here after 6 months and had to rent once again.

 

[Jarred Santos]

On arrival in Australia in 1965 we lived in a very nice rented house in Sydney. Couldn’t understand why there was one of these ‘phone boxes’ in someone’s backyard. Later found out it was their ‘outside dunny’. Yes, Sydney did have outside toilets in those days and so did Brisbane when we moved here after 6 months and had to rent once again.

What a funny story @Catherines I'd have shared your curiosity then... 'These folks sure do make regular calls every morning.'

 

[Linwar]

I lived in Perth and my sister lived in Newcastle. There were a lot of us young people living in the Watermans Bay Caravan Park, mostly from interstate. I would put super glue around the outside of a 20 cent piece and quickly drop it in the slot. It would hold down the lever that depicted time, so I could talk to her for an hour, then hand the phone over to the next person who wanted to ring interstate. Sometimes I would walk by and check the phone and was able to ring interstate for free. Inevitably Telecom would come out to collect the money and unstick the 20 cent so we had to start all over again

 

[Jarred Santos]

I lived in Perth and my sister lived in Newcastle. There were a lot of us young people living in the Watermans Bay Caravan Park, mostly from interstate. I would put super glue around the outside of a 20 cent piece and quickly drop it in the slot. It would hold down the lever that depicted time, so I could talk to her for an hour, then hand the phone over to the next person who wanted to ring interstate. Sometimes I would walk by and check the phone and was able to ring interstate for free. Inevitably Telecom would come out to collect the money and unstick the 20 cent so we had to start all over again

Quite the Robin Hood for everyone else that needed a call