[Editor: This postcard, which incorporates a photo of a monument of Simpson and his donkey, is undated; however, it is believed to have been published in the 1940s or 1950s.]
[Front of postcard]
“The Man with the Donkey.”
Domain.
Melbourne, Vic.
102
Copyright.
[Description: Photograph of a monument of Simpson and his donkey.]
[Reverse of postcard]
Post Card
Correspondence Address only
Kodak Kodak Kodak Kodak
[Handwritten text, in italics]
My Dear Sweetie.
I hope that old cough has gone & that you are nice & sparky.
How do you like your new school teacher? I hope that she is very nice.
Uncle’s old wonky leg isn’t sparking very well.
Our new wireless is goodoh, how is yours? What do you think of Dad & Dave?
Love to Mum & Merle & lots to you.
xxxxx Auntie Nell
x x
Source:
Original document
Editor’s notes:
Dimensions (approximate): 89 mm. (width), 138 mm. (height).
See also: The Man with the Donkey [postcard, monument of Simpson and his donkey, circa 1950-1954]
This monument, of Simpson and his donkey, is located at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne (Victoria).
See: 1) “Man with the Donkey”, Shrine of Remembrance (State Government of Victoria)
2) “Man with the Donkey (aka Private John Simpson and his Little Donkey) 1935”, City of Melbourne [includes a good quality colour photo of the monument]
3) “Simpson and his Donkey Melbourne”, Virtual War Memorial Australia
Dad & Dave = Dad and Dave from Snake Gully (commonly known as Dad and Dave), an Australian radio drama series based on the characters and stories from the book On Our Selection (1899) written by Steele Rudd
See: “Dad and Dave from Snake Gully”, Wikipedia
goodoh = (also spelt: good-o, good-oh) good; alright; I agree, yes (“goodoh” is usually used to express admiration, approval, pleasure, or satisfaction; also used to signify agreement)
See: “phrase “good-oh””, IAC list (on Trove)
Simpson and his donkey = John Simpson Kirkpatrick (1892-1915), soldier, known to history as “the man with the donkey” due to his heroic work at Gallipoli of bringing wounded solders back for medical care, often under fire, using a donkey to transport them; he was born in Shields (County Durham, England) in 1892, came to Australia in 1910, joined the Australian Imperial Force in Perth (WA) in 1914 (using the name John Simpson), was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps, and was killed in Monash Valley (Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey) in 1915 (during the First World War, 1914-1918)
See: 1) G. P. Walsh, “John Simpson Kirkpatrick (1892–1915)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “John Simpson Kirkpatrick”, Wikipedia
3) “KIRKPATRICK, John Simpson”, Virtual War Memorial Australia
sparky = animated, cheery, entertaining, full of spark, lively, spirited, vivacious
x = a symbol for a kiss (depending on the circumstances, it may indicate a loving kiss, a familial kiss, or a friendly kiss)
wonky = askew, lopsided, misaligned, not level, not straight, off-centre; groggy, rickety, shaky, unsteady; feeble, not quite right, unreliable; not working very well, liable to develop a fault or cease functioning
[Editor: For ease of reading, the original text has been separated into paragraphs, and punctuation has been inserted as deemed appropriate.]
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