Speaking Clock: Gordon Gow and the Postmaster-General's Department – clip 2
1954
Speaking Clock: Gordon Gow and the Postmaster-General's Department – clip 2
1954
Before internet-connected devices kept us on schedule, how did Australians check the time? By calling the Speaking Clock.
This service, familiar to generations of Australians, was introduced by the Postmaster General’s Department in 1953 and could be accessed by dialling 1194.
The original system used rotating glass discs with voice recordings of hours, minutes, and seconds, provided by ABC broadcaster and actor Gordon Gow. It was later upgraded to magnetic tape in 1956 and eventually to a fully electronic system.
Telstra called time on the service at midnight on 1 October 2019, but its legacy continues. That same day, musician Ryan Monro (from the Cat Empire) created a web-based simulation to preserve the experience.
Listen to Clip 1 for an example of what you might have heard if you rang 1194 in 1954.
Clip 2 above is Gow’s voice recording from the minutes disc.
Watch a short documentary called The Speaking Clock, made by the Postmaster General’s Department in 1955.
Before internet-connected devices kept us on schedule, how did Australians check the time? By calling the Speaking Clock.
This service, familiar to generations of Australians, was introduced by the Postmaster General’s Department in 1953 and could be accessed by dialling 1194.
The original system used rotating glass discs with voice recordings of hours, minutes, and seconds, provided by ABC broadcaster and actor Gordon Gow. It was later upgraded to magnetic tape in 1956 and eventually to a fully electronic system.
Telstra called time on the service at midnight on 1 October 2019, but its legacy continues. That same day, musician Ryan Monro (from the Cat Empire) created a web-based simulation to preserve the experience.
Listen to Clip 1 for an example of what you might have heard if you rang 1194 in 1954.
Clip 2 above is Gow’s voice recording from the minutes disc.
Watch a short documentary called The Speaking Clock, made by the Postmaster General’s Department in 1955.
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