Is this special decorative telegram for a rare event: the purchase of a Chevrolet? Or is the telegram special?
It seems that the telegrams were a successful innovation from the early 1930s.
TELEGRAMS DE LUXE FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Post Office Innovation “De Luxe” telegraph forms are to be introduced by the Postal Department for special occasions, such as Mothers’ Day, birthday greetings and congratulatory telegrams. This idea has been successful in other countries. In America the appeal of an artistic telegraph form for Mother’s Day is so great that it is the busiest day of the whole year for the United States Telegraph Department.
The specially designed birthday greeting and congratulatory telegrams are expected to increase telegraph revenue substantially. The special Christmas telegram introduced by the Department in 1930 has grown in popularity. The number of greeting telegrams has increased from 144,000 in 1929 to 191,000 last Christmas. From The Herald (Melbourne), 4 September 1933, page 10.
SPECIAL TELEGRAMS
Postal Innovation For the first time special Anzac Day telegram forms will be available for despatch from April 19 to 25 inclusive. The Postal Department is preparing additional special telegram forms, which are to be made available at an early date. These and the Anzac Day forms will be on the lines of the Christmas and New Year greeting telegrams, which have proved popular with the Australian public, as evidenced by the increasing number of messages lodged each year. A large number of telegrams are despatched on special occasions, such as Mothers’ Day and Anzac Day, and for birthdays, congratulations, etc. and for these special coloured telegram forms and envelopes have been prepared.
The first form will be the Anzac Day greeting telegram, but the others will be available shortly. To ensure that a telegram will be issued on the appropriate form, the sender should write before the address the instruction. “Birthday Greeting,” “Anzac Greeting.” “Mothers’ Day Greeting,” or Congratulatory telegram, as the case may be. These instructions will not be counted or charged for. No extra charge will be made for these services. From The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 5 April 1934, page 11.
CONGRATULATIONS BY TELEGRAM
To express personal and timely congratulations in a concise yet novel and pleasing fashion, congratulatory telegram forms of distinctive color and character have been made available by the Postmaster-General’s Department. They are appropriate for all occasions, including sporting achievements, business successes, anniversaries and visits of the stork. From Labor Daily (Sydney) 7 June 1934, page 11.
Was buying a car in particular a Chevrolet so unusual to warrant a telegram?
It seems there was something of a car boom happening.
Huge Chevrolet Sales
Mr. H T Curtis, managing director of Preston Motors Pty. Ltd metropolitan distributors of Buick and Chevrolet cars states that in the first six months of this year his company sold 2,273 motor vehicles, compared with 1,576 in the same period last year. Of this total 900 at vehicles were Chevrolets, 236 new Buicks, 347 Chevrolet trucks, and 790 used cars. From The Argus (Melbourne), 7 July 1936, page 13.
On our Facebook page we’re advised that Holden built part of the Chevrolet here-hence the availability here,thanks to James Gavin.
WHO WAS THE CAR PURCHASING MISS H KONIG OF MURTOA?
From the Horsham times of 22 November 1938 tennis results include a reference to a similar name. “REBELS V. REMLAW. Misses. M. O’Farrell-H. Koenig lost to Misses Smith, 7-8; d. Mrs. Beddison-Miss Courtney, 8-5; lost to Mesdames Sanders-Warrick: 7-8.”
But otherwise, I haven’t been able to pick up anything else about her. HELP
FURTHER
There is a wonderful website on telegrams. Please follow this link.
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