Difference between revisions of "Mallala Telephone Exchange"

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The first manual telephone switchboard was at the Mallala Post Office and the female telephonists worked shifts during the day. A young man slept on the premises from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. to answer any calls, but no one would phone during those hours unless in an emergency. The first subscriber in 1913 was East Bros & Co Pty Ltd. their number being Mallala 1. The manual switchboard was later used in the Mallala Telephone Exchange which was situated at 4 Red Banks Rd.

In the early days a network of telephone lines spread out to connecting points, from which farmers would rig up their own lines to their properties.Often a single line to a property was shared by several neighbouring properties. Known as "the party line" the recipient of the call was alerted by their own individual ring tone.  The party line meant that no conversation could be kept private and news of births, marriages, deaths and disasters often spread quickly through the local community. Despite any disadvantages, for families remote from one another, the telephone eased the burden of isolation and was invaluable in times of emergency.

The girls working the exchange played a valuable role as they could communicate with the subscriber and offer assistance in an emergency.

The Mallala exchange was converted to automatic computer operation on 18th June 1980.

The manual switchboard is now an exhibit in the Mallala Museum.

Related Articles

External Links

• Mallala Post Office
• Merva East

Sources

• Mallala Museum records