Mr Bowes had been flirting with the Wallsend girls so "You Know Who" of Lambton sent him a terse postcard, care of a Mr G. Pellow, of Campbell Street, Wallsend, to let him know that she wanted to have "no more to say" to him.
That was June 1906, in the days when you could send a letter in the morning in Newcastle to another address in the local area and be fairly confident it would arrive the same day. Instant messaging didn't exist, and telephones were uncommon, but the post was very fast and reliable.
Many people used the quick, cheap and fuss-free option of the picture postcard for their brief notes to each other, and these had the advantage of also being decorative and collectible. Hence, a century later, thousands of these short messages survive in family albums and the collections of postcard enthusiasts.
Newcastle and the Hunter Region offered a great market for postcard publishers, and photographers - both local and from elsewhere - produced huge numbers of cards of every imaginable kind depicting people, scenes and events from all corners of the valley and its surrounds.
Our 13th book, Postcards from the Past, is a curated collection of cards from Newcastle and its hinterland, mostly from the early 20th century up to about the 1950s. Subjects range from typical scenes to private photographs in postcard format, with print quality ranging from poor to superb.
The aspect of the book that I found most interesting was the messages on the backs of the cards, which reflect aspects of everyday life for people long ago. Like Jim, the miner at Pelaw Main Colliery, writing to Jessie about his efforts to save money to set up a home and send for her. And young Jess, holidaying at Toronto and tired of "going out with all these old women". Some speak of babies being born, others mention deaths of friends and neighbours. Some carry instructions for sending goods.
CR at Clarence Town wanted Mr Ross at the David Cohen store in Maitland to "try and send a pair of fowls by the coach on Friday night to get here by Saturday".
Another card offers a tip for the races: "Have a few bob Pendant Newmarket".
Joey writes to Delphi about the train smash at Murrurundi in April 1908, on a card depicting the disaster and relating the news that the authorities were trying to stop photographers getting too close to the scene. "I only got this card this morning and it is not quite dry from the printing," wrote Joey.
Florrie writes on the back of a view of the opening the new steam tramway at East Maitland, describing the service as "very convenient, very noisy and very dusty".
We read of Bill's broken heart after Miss Johnston left. About the pressing invitation to Belltrees. About the sailors who wish they could visit Miss Gilbert, of the blacksmithing family in Hunter Street one last time but can't because their ship may be "in the stream".
F. Foley uses a postcard to warn Mary that "We can get along without you, so you needn't come back" and that "You'll get fat if you don't take walking exercise".
A little boy named Malcolm writes to his mother from the national fitness camp at Myuna Bay: "I arrived safely and I am having a good time. We play a game called Jungle Jim. I hope you visit us on Sunday".
Many of the messages are mundane. Some are mysterious, like the friend of Kitty's who "got a terrible shock" when Kitty's correspondent "mentioned something".
One highlight of the book is a group of images reproduced from negatives I bought at a recent online auction of material from the now-defunct Rose Stereograph Company, depicting Newcastle in 1930s.
Postcards from the Past is in the same format as our other books of historical photographs. It was proudly printed in Newcastle by NCP Printing and costs $40. Copies are available from bookshops and newsagents and online at phototimetunnel.com.
