Item 9250

This is a collection of photographs donated by the Granddaughter of Frank Randell Bradley, who started working, as a telegraph messenger at the G.P.O in Mannum South Australia in 1898.

Completing night school to become an instrument fitter, mechanic, telegraphist and engineer working at the Adelaide G.P.O.

He became the Superintendent of Telegraphs in Melbourne then in Sydney, and after that held the position as the Posts and Telegraphs deputy Director in Brisbane and later in in Sydney.

Mr Bradley retired in 1950 after being in London as the representative of Australia for 2 years.

Frank was involved in the setting up of Picturegrams (fax machines) in Melbourne.

The photos cover a range of topics including a number of firsts in transmission and International telephony.

Pictures that show the differences in the quality of transmission grades. Featuring a collection of topical photographs of the day like the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, equipment used and the movers and shakers of the day!

A cartoon that was printed in the press about price sensitivity and the costs associated with sending telegrams.

Franks Daughter, Mary was the person that connected the first phone call to England from Sydney using the “Marconi” equipment (also shown).

The second collection of photos (Item 9251) are varied and provide a number of comparisons of landmarks and statistics giving an indication to the fast growth of the Postal, Telegram and Phone Services in Brisbane.