‘The Absent Minded Beggar’ is a patriotic poem written by Rudyard Kipling in 1899 in order to raise money for soldiers fighting in the Second Boer War.

Light baritone Hamilton Hill (1869–1910) was a prominent early Australian music hall, vaudeville and recording artist born in Gordons (near Ballarat, Victoria).

The Edison Standard D model phonograph dates from around 1908 and has a clockwork spring-powered motor. It has been fitted with a recorder head that can play back two-minute cylinders.

Long before vinyl records, cassette tapes and compact discs, there were wax cylinders.  

Edison wax cylinder recording of Australian light baritone vocalist, Hamilton Hill, singing 'Skylark Skylark' (1903) after being digitised by NFSA experts.