The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company, (PJ&MSSCo.), was established in Sydney in 1855. The company was created to provide a regular passenger and cargo service between Sydney and Manly, a popular seaside resort located just north of Sydney Harbour. In the early days of the company, the ships used for the service were paddle steamers, which were powered by steam engines and propelled by large paddlewheels on either side of the vessel. These paddle steamers were the backbone of the company's fleet for many years, and they proved to be reliable and efficient vessels for the busy Sydney-Manly route. As the popularity of Manly beach increased, so did the demand for the company's services. In response to this, PJ&MSSCo. began to expand its fleet and introduced larger, more modern ships. One of the most famous of these was the SS South Steyne, which was launched in 1938 from Leith, in Edinburgh Scotland, where it was built, and quickly became an icon of Sydney Harbour. During World War II, the company's ships were requisitioned by the Australian government and used for various military purposes, such as transporting troops and supplies. After the war, the PJ&MSSCo. resumed its regular passenger and cargo services, and continued to operate successfully for many years. However, by the 1970s, the company began to face increased competition from other transport providers, such as buses and cars. This, coupled with rising fuel costs, meant that the company was struggling financially. In 1974, the PJ&MSSCo. was forced to cease its passenger services, and focus solely on its cargo operations. Despite this setback, the PJ&MSSCo. continued to operate as a successful cargo shipping company for many years, and in 2002, the company was acquired by DP World, a global ports operator. Today, the legacy of PJ&MSSCo. lives on in the form of the South Steyne, which has been restored and was a popular tourist attraction in Sydney Harbour for a few years until government politics got in the way. Now she sits idling in an undisclosed private wharf in Sydney, waiting for her mighty return where she rightly belongs. The Port Jackson and Manly Steam-Ship Company played a crucial role in the development of Sydney and Manly as popular tourist destinations. Its reliable and efficient steamers provided an essential transport link between the two, and helped to shape the cultural and social fabric of the region. The blog title was a catchy advertising slogan coined by a Manly housewife who won a radio competition run by the PJ&MSSCo., It was made into a travel poster to attract more ferry passengers and remains today a much loved icon of Manly's history.   You can own a slice of our iconic Manly Ferry history, with our Vintage reproduction Poster available now at 10% off through February.    https://www.lostmanly.com.au/products/vintage-style-posters-printed-and-posted-2

Step into a treasure trove of history and nostalgia with our extensive collection of photo albums available under the 'media' tab on our website. Today, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on a local hero, a man whose legacy has stood the test of time - Andrew 'Boy' Charlton. His triumphant journey to gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics is a story of determination, skill, and the unwavering spirit of a true champion. Fast forward to 2024, and we are on the brink of celebrating an entire century since the Manly Swimming team, led by Charlton, etched their names into the annals of history. Their legendary status was solidified in those momentous games, forever associating their triumphs with the heart and soul of our community. Here at the Charlie Bar and Manly Swimming Centre, named in honor of Charlton, his story and the legacy of the 1924 Paris Olympics continue to inspire generations. His victorious return from Paris, adorned with gold, silver, and bronze medals, was marked by a grand hero's welcome, a moment in time beautifully captured by a photographer and featured in the month of October of our 2024 Centenary calendar. The 2024 calendar, produced in collaboration with the Manly Warringah Pittwater Historical Society, is a journey back in time, offering glimpses of significant moments from our local history. Another remarkable highlight from 1924 is the grand opening of the Manly Olympic Swimming Pool, fondly remembered as the Manly Baths, which unfortunately met its demise during the 1974 storm but lives on in the cherished memories of those who experienced its glory days. Today, the site stands as the Manly Skiff Club, but the legacy of the Manly Baths remains ingrained in our community’s history. The grand opening event from December 1924 is immortalized in the month of December in our 'Bridging the Years' calendar, a tribute to the rich tapestry of our local heritage. As we delve into the tales of joy and adventure from the school students who once swam in the murky, seaweed-infested waters of the old Manly Baths, we are reminded of the vibrant and resilient spirit that defines our community. Don’t miss the chance to own a piece of history and celebrate the centenary of our local legends. The 'Bridging the Years' calendar is available now at the Lost Manly Shop, a heartfelt homage to our past, and a treasure for generations to come. Join us in this nostalgic journey and keep the spirit of Andrew 'Boy' Charlton and the 1924 Paris Olympics alive for many more years to come.    https://www.lostmanly.com.au/products/2calset-mwphs2024 Link to Boy Charlton album... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1730870240386420&type=3  

Country visitors who have the time to spare will be amply repaid by a visit to the fifth Venetian Carnival to be held at Manly on the 20th, 21st, and 23rd instance. The object is to raise funds in aid of the Manly Cottage' Hospital and "Voluntary Workers' Association. This year the carnival will be better and more attractive, and for the purposes of such a fete Manly has advantages that are quite unrivalled, not least among which are the splendid harbour trip from the city and the in-comparable surfing beaches. The attractions will be on a scale never before attempted. In the park adjacent to the wharf is to be erected a 'City of the Allies'. A water pageant will be carried out on the harbour front, with pyrotechnic displays after sundown. Many thousands of Japanese lanterns will provide a truly Oriental aspect. A procession in fancy dress will be made each day, and all the famous bands of Sydney, not for getting Manly's own Municipal Band, of which the people are so justly proud, will be engaged to provide tha music. Confetti at carnival time is, of course, a necessity, and vast quantities will be on sale for use of the revellers. The hotels and boarding houses are preparing for the expected influx of visitors, and there should be no difficulty in obtaining ample accommodation. Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954), Saturday 16 February 1918, page 3  retrieved 15/3/23      

Manly Swimming Club held its first club carnival on 23 April 1892 in the new Corporation Baths.3 The events featured a boys’ handicap race of 66 yards (2 lengths of the baths); the Captaincy Race of 200 yards (6 lengths), won by C J Griffith; an exhibition of fancy diving and swimming by the brothers E & C Cavill; and a Members’ Handicap of 200 yards, also won by Griffith. A long-distance diving contest to see who could travel furthest underwater from a dive was won by W H German, who stayed under for 45 yards. He was also second in the Captaincy race. Mr German was Mayor of Manly at the time. Other events held at the carnival included a clothes race, were competitors had to swim fully-clothed and wearing a top hat; and walking the greasy pole “off which competitors continually slipped into the water, causing much merriment to the onlookers.” There were around 200 spectators. The Manly Swimming Club appears to have been reconstituted in March 1893. At a meeting on 11 April 1893 at the Grand Pier Hotel, the following office-bearers were elected: President, John Woods; secretary, R A Luckham; promoter, R Stennett. The club held a carnival on 18 November 1893, at which the Cadet Band played. Events featured a water-polo match between Manly and East Sydney, which the latter won 5-0. Ralph Stennett, the baths’ manager, performed an underwater escapology trick with manacles. Arthur Holmes won the fancy dress swim.4Secretary of the carnival was Mr R A Luckham. At the club’s carnival on 17 March 1894, the 200 yards championship of NSW wascontested, and was won by A Cavill of North Shore Swimming Club, one of the well-known family of swimmers. An inter-club handicap race was also held.5Office-bearers elected on 2 October 1894 were: President, H S Badgery; Secretary and treasurer, R A Luckham; delegates to the Association, R Walker and A Moore.6 The club had between 30 and 40 members.The club disbanded in 1895, “on account of the treatment it had received at the hands of the Amateur Swimming Association.”7 Manly swimmers could no longer compete as a club in inter-club events.  The club was briefly reformed in December 1899, but did not thrive, possibly because Mr Stennett was no longer baths manager. It was not until September 1905, when the Manly District Amateur Swimming Club was formed, that Manly again had an active swimming club. From the Manly Library Local Studies blog archives Refs:1 Champion, G & S, Bathing and Drowning, p19.2 Sydney Morning Herald 21 March 1892, p5.3 Sydney Morning Herald 25 April 1892, p7.4 Sydney Morning Herald 20 November 1893, p6. See also Champion, Bathing and Drowning, p23-245 Sydney Morning Herald 19 March 1894, p3.6 Sydney Morning Herald 3 October 1894, p8.7 Champion op cit, p28; SMH 15 October 1895, p6.   Newspaper articles collated by Manly Library Local Studies Manly Amateur Swimming Club volunteers, 1914-15 It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, 30 April 1915, p8, that 56 members of the Manly Amateur Swimming Club had so far enlisted for service in WWI. They were: Bennett, FBuckley, AlickButchardt, NCorrigan, EdgarCowan, RDarley, Arthur HDonovan, FDove, BDryden, Robert EFarley, MFuller, W EGillespie, JohnHawksford, LenHedley, ReginaldHind, HarryHolland, JohnHolmes, NJohnson, BenKidman, CyrilKirke, BasilKirke, ClementKirke, Errol WKirke, HunterLord, JMcCubbin, AMcCubbin, DavidMcKelvey, SteveMcLean, LMcMahon, FMcPhee, KenMerrett, EricMillar, GeorgeMiller, RobertMitchell, JackMurray, Cecil GMurray, Dr Archibald W GMurray, GOgilvy, ArchiePaddison, CPerry, SQuirk, RRichards, TomRosenthal, ArthurRossiter, W  *** Featured image: Manly Amateur Swimming Club Premiers NSW undated. Image courtesty NBC Library Manly Amateur Swimming Club 1908-09. Image courtesty NBC Library   Manly Amateur Swimming Club 1914-15. Image courtesty NBC Library Manly Amateur Swimming Club 1915-16 Image courtesty NBC Library

"Seven miles from Sydney a Thousand miles from care". Ever wondered who wrote this slogan that greeted generations of Manly Ferry passengers as they arrived at Manly Wharf?   The owners of the Manly Ferry service, the Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company (PJ&MSSCo), took out an ad in the local newspaper to run a competition seeking the best slogan to entice more ferry passengers on the Circular Quay to Manly run, and experience the elegance of the newly aquired mighty South Steyne ferry that had sailed from Scotland in 1938, arriving on this day, 1 April.   The winner was a Manly housewife and we learnt about this when her granddaughter joined the Lost Manly group some years back and told us about it. Not the stuff you find in history books, at least not yet! But you will when we write our own Lost Manly history book.   The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company, (PJ&MSSCo.), was established in Sydney in 1855. The company was created to provide a regular passenger and cargo service between Sydney and Manly, a popular seaside resort located just north of Sydney Harbour. In the early days of the company, the ships used for the service were paddle steamers, which were powered by steam engines and propelled by large paddlewheels on either side of the vessel. These paddle steamers were the backbone of the company's fleet for many years, and they proved to be reliable and efficient vessels for the busy Sydney-Manly route. As the popularity of Manly beach increased, so did the demand for the company's services. In response to this, PJ&MSSCo. began to expand its fleet and introduced larger, more modern ships. One of the most famous of these was the SS South Steyne, which was launched in 1938 from Leith, in Edinburgh Scotland, where it was built, and quickly became an icon of Sydney Harbour. During World War II, the company's ships were requisitioned by the Australian government and used for various military purposes, such as transporting troops and supplies. After the war, the PJ&MSSCo. resumed its regular passenger and cargo services, and continued to operate successfully for many years. However, by the 1970s, the company began to face increased competition from other transport providers, such as buses and cars. This, coupled with rising fuel costs, meant that the company was struggling financially. In 1974, the PJ&MSSCo. was forced to cease its passenger services, and focus solely on its cargo operations. Despite this setback, the PJ&MSSCo. continued to operate as a successful cargo shipping company for many years, and in 2002, the company was acquired by DP World, a global ports operator. Today, the legacy of PJ&MSSCo. lives on in the form of the South Steyne, which has been restored and was a popular tourist attraction in Sydney Harbour for a few years until government politics got in the way. Now she sits idling in an undisclosed private wharf in Sydney, waiting for her mighty return where she rightly belongs. The Port Jackson and Manly Steam-Ship Company played a crucial role in the development of Sydney and Manly as popular tourist destinations. Its reliable and efficient steamers provided an essential transport link between the two, and helped to shape the cultural and social fabric of the region. The blog title was a catchy advertising slogan won by a local Manly housewife, in a radio competition run by the PJ&MSSCo. to promote the South Steyne ferry that had not long joined the Circular Quay to Manly run in 1938, and turned it into a travel promotion poster to attract the day trippers from the city. It now a much loved piece of our local history.  On 1 April 1938 the mighty South Steyne arrived in Sydney Harbour from Leith, Scotland, where she was built, to begin her lifelong service of the Manly Ferry run. She now waits idly at a non public wharf in Sydney Harbour, waiting faithfully to be returned to service if only the government would provide a public wharf for her to use for embarkation purposes. On the celebration of this day, Lost Manly is offering our South Steyne 4 poster set on sale.   https://www.lostmanly.com.au/products/6798534377635     Join our engaging facebook group where it all began: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lostmanlynorthernbeaches  

DROWNED IN THE SURF The Treacherous Beach at Manly BRAVE MEN TO THE RESCUE.   Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. The ocean beach at Manly has again been the scene of one of those sad tragedies associated with bathing In the surf on the Western Pacific. The early hours of morning, for reasons which are not very apparent, are availed or by ladies, and as early as 6 o'clock the tragedy of to-day happened. It would appear that two young ladles— Miss Eda M. Jackson and Miss Maud Mitchell were amongst others, bathing on the bench at the foot of Victoria-parade, about 200 yards east of the Corso, near the dressing-room.It has been known that there is a deep hole in the vicinity, but owing to its shifting so frequently it Is difficult to locate. Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. The two young ladles would appear to have had the misfortune to have stepped into the hole in the sandy beach. The undercurrent caught them, and the next moment they were carried out by the receding waves. Backwards and forwards they were washed, and finding that their feet could not touch ground they became excited, and screamed for help.  At the time there were nearly all women and girls on the bench, but there were brave men approaching, and the screams of the distressed girls, hurried their steps to the scene. Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies.  They lost no time In seizing the situation, and in a few seconds Sydney Williams and T. McCarthy were in the raging surf, each intent on the rescue of one of the girls. M'Carthy secured Miss Mitchell, and SWAM ASHORE with her, battling the waves In their strong recoil to the subdued cheering of the excited gathering on the beach.     Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. Williams had a harder fight, but he BROUGHT MISS JACKSON ASHORE more dead than alive, but showing such animation as to warrant the hope of her recovery.  She was unconscious, but help was called In promptly. Dr. Hall, and a gentleman belonging to the Life-saving Society, whose name has not as yet transpired, conducting operations for restoration under artificial respiration. Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. Crowds of people were gathered In the vicinity, and It was fervently prayed that the life of the young girl would be saved. She was known to nearly everyone present, and If ever human energy and forethought should have saved her life hers should have been saved. It was not to be, however. Time rolled on, and the work of the restorers was without result, and after two hours work the good doctor recorded that the life of the young woman had flown. There were sad hearts on the beach this morning, and in the words of a Manly resident, who was present, few chose to enter the water after the hope of the life of the young girl had passed. When life was pronounced extinct the police removed the body to the residence of her parents at the Ocean Beach Tea Rooms, opposite the Steyne Hotel, Mr John H. Jackson, her father, being the proprietor of that establishment. The sad Incident threw a gloom all over Manly, where the family is well known.    Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. It is a matter of general knowledge that the spot on the ocean beach where the girls lost their foothold is a very treacherous spot, There is always a deep hole to be met with, but It shifts so often that the entry beyond a certain limit is attended at all times with great risk. This morning, for instance, within a few feet of where the girls got into trouble there were others more than 12 yards farther out in the surf, and on perfectly safe ground. Yesterday morning the Hon. D. O'Connor, M.L.A., was carried out beyond his depth, and was rescued only by the bravery of a young man who went to his assistance with a life-line round his body. This morning's calamity occurred near the same spot as where the venerable legislator was In trouble. Bathers at Manly Beach 1906, courtesy of Northern Beaches Council Library Local Studies. Mr Sid Williams and Mr T. McCarthy, who figured as the heroes of today, are said to have been especially brave on the occasion, Mr. Williams, who resides in Cliff Street, heard the cries of the girls as he was approaching the beach. Mr. McCarthy was on the ocean beach, and he arrived at the same time. It is stated that a brother of Mr. Williams played a prominent part in a sensational incident on the beach last year. The deceased young lady was 17 years of age. An Inquiry into the cause of her death will be held by the Coroner today. DROWNED IN THE SURF. (1903, March 7). The Australian Star (Sydney, NSW : 1887 - 1909), , p. 7. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228529506