[Editor: This postcard, which incorporates a photograph of the beach at Coogee Bay (Sydney, NSW), is dated 10 December 1906 (postmarked Melbourne, 11 December 1906).]
[Front of postcard]
Coogee Bay, Sydney, N.S.W.
Swain & Co., Sydney. Copyright.
[Handwritten text, in italics]
“Nacirema” Camberwell
10/12/06
So sorry I was not able to see you last Friday, but I will look forward to[?] a nice chat beginning of 1907.
Wishing you & yours a Happy Xmas & glad New Year.
Yours etc. H. L. Richardson
[Description: A photograph of a beach scene at Coogee Bay (Sydney, NSW).]
[Reverse of postcard]
[Handwritten text, in italics]
Pictorial Post Card Co.’s Series, Sydney.
Post Card.
The Address Only to be Written on this Side.
[Addressed to:]
Mr J. L. Cabena
“Varna”
Bayview Avenue
Auburn
Melbourne
Source:
Original document
Editor’s notes:
Dimensions (approximate): 144 mm. (width), 83 mm. (height).
The name of J. L. Cabena’s property (Varna), at Bayview Avenue, Auburn, has been confirmed with a birth notice published in 1896:
“CABENA. — On the 24th July, at Varna, Bayview-avenue, Auburn, the wife of J. L. Cabena — a son.”
See: “Births”, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 27 July 1896, p. 1
The Sands and McDougall directory for 1905 lists Joseph Cabena as residing at 18 Bay View Avenue (West side) in Hawthorn. See p. 337 (PDF p. 410), column 2.
See: “Sands & McDougall’s Melbourne, Suburban, and Country Directory for 1905”, Melbourne: Sands & McDougall, 1905 [title page on PDF p. 7]
Even though this postcard was sent after the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia (1901), it has a Victorian postage stamp; nationwide postage stamps were not produced until 1913, with the introduction of the “Kangaroo and Map” stamps.
Auburn = an unbounded neighbourhood of Hawthorn (Melbourne, Victoria)
See: “Auburn, Victoria”, Wikipedia
Dear Ed. Still working through my backlog.
As usual when you hear from me, it is quibbling with a small part of your transcription.
In this case, you have transcribed the sender’s address as “Naciremal”.
I see, instead: “Nacirema”. That is, what you have transcribed as an “L” at the end of the name; I am seeing as merely a fully attached long tail to a final letter “A”.
I also note that my alternative transcription, when read backwards, reads as americaN. I wonder if that might be an indication of the sender’s nationality, perhaps? Or maybe just the name of his residence, given by a previous owner or occupant?
My thanks as always.
Hi Raymond. That’s a good call re “Naciremal” being “Nacirema”.
The fact that it’s “American” spelt backwards is the clincher – great work on realising that it was a semordnilap (which is apparently the term for words spelt backwards – being “palindromes” spelt backwards).
A search of the Trove site has confirmed the name, as there is a reference to a property in Riversdale Road, Camberwell, called “Nacirema”.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 9 May 1907, p. 1, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10633877
Indeed, several instances of the word “Nacirema” were found on Trove (re properties and businesses).
So, well-spotted! Thanks very much for your help. Regards, Ed.