Review of Frederick Goss’ “Never Never Telegraphist”

This description of service as a Telegraph Operator on the Northern Section of the Overland Telegraph, and covering the years 1878 to 1903, was published in serial form (10 parts) by TELECOM in 1978.

It is by far, the most accurate and detailed description of work and living conditions in the “Top end” of the Northern Territory that I have read. As such it is a most interesting and historically valuable document.

I have spent some time checking the memoirs with various other sources and find very little about them to criticise. If, as has been stated the memoirs were written from memory in 1956, when Mr. Goss was 94 years old, then it was a remarkable effort and the errors of one or two years in the timing of events understandable.

C Leonard

AUGUST 1980