Yesteryear buff

Bob Byrne

Yesteryear buff
Treasured memories at the drive-ins of yesteryear
Bob Byrne avatarBob Byrne
Nostalgia
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Bob Byrne

Bob Byrne

Author Bob Byrne had a long career in commercial radio spanning more than 40 years before becoming a columnist and blogger at the ‘Adelaide Advertiser’. His first book ‘Australia Remember When’ was published in 2014 and since then he has written four more books all based around the nostalgia theme. Book number six is to be published later this year. Bob’s books are available online at rememberwhenshop.com.au.
His Facebook pages, Australia Remember When and Adelaide Remember When currently have more than 300,000 followers (combined).

There was always lots of gossip to be traded in the neighbourhood. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

Love thy neighbour: Remembering the life and times of the old ‘hood

Love thy neighbour: Remembering the life and times of the old ‘hood

Gossip wasn't the only thing traded over the fence - excess fruit and vegies from backyards were shared, as were jams and relishes. Bob Byrne recalls the neighbourhoods of the 1950s and '60s.
Children playing on see-saws at a playground in 1952. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

Swings and roundabouts: Survival of the fittest in the old playground

Swings and roundabouts: Survival of the fittest in the old playground

Bob Byrne takes us for a swing back around the playgrounds of the '50s and '60s, where the edges were rough and the landings as hard as the life lessons to come.
Couples out and about, circa 1959. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

Back when we dressed up in our ‘Sunday best’ to go ‘into town’

Back when we dressed up in our ‘Sunday best’ to go ‘into town’

Times have certainly changed - dressing down is the new dressing up, Bob Byrne reflects.
Marching girls taking part in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Perth, in November 1962. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

‘A national institution’: Australia’s marching girls in the 1960s

‘A national institution’: Australia’s marching girls in the 1960s

Bring back the marching girls, we say! But, until then, you can recall them fondly via this nostalgia piece by Bob Byrne.
Doctor giving a shot of the Salk anti-polio vaccine to a boy, 6, while the boy's sister, 12, a polio victim, looks on, in April 1955. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

Polio in the 1950s: Remembering Australia’s last major epidemic

Polio in the 1950s: Remembering Australia’s last major epidemic

Bob Byrne recalls our last major health crisis 70 years ago, and the response in Australia - a timely flashback amid the Covid epidemic.
Services to the door included the milkman, who brought fresh milk or fresh cream in bottles. Source: Getty
Experts

Are you being served? Remembering personalised customer service

Are you being served? Remembering personalised customer service

Bob Byrne takes a trip down memory lane to wistfully recall the customer service stars from decades gone by. Do you remember them all?
Vinyl "offers a richer sound than downloadable digital songs" according to some younger listeners. Source: Getty
Experts

Play it again, Sam: From vinyl records to digital downloads and back

Play it again, Sam: From vinyl records to digital downloads and back

Bob Byrne takes us through the evolution of recorded music, from the 1950s to now. And, yes, it's been quite a roller coaster!
A beautifully maintained antique black-and-gold Singer sewing machine. Source: Reddit
Nostalgia

An unsung fashion hero: The Singer treadle sewing machine

An unsung fashion hero: The Singer treadle sewing machine

The Singer transformed not only the textile industry but became the world’s first truly global business. Bob Byrne recalls the favoured workhorse of multiple generations.
Wollombi General Store and Hardware, Wollombi Hunter Valley, Australia. Source: Getty
Nostalgia

Australia’s amazing little shops of hardware

Australia’s amazing little shops of hardware

Bob Byrne reminisces about the smaller, more personal, family owned hardware stores that flourished from the 1920s through to the '70s.
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