2.8K views · 69 reactions | Good times! At the third stroke...the speaking clock will be 80 years old. | BBC Archive | Facebook

#OnThisDay 1936: The speaking clock was introduced in the UK. Ethel Jane Cain, the voice of the clock, was interviewed 21 years later. Precisely. | BBC Archive

#OTD 1936: The speaking clock was introduced in the UK. Ethel Jane Cain, the voice of the clock, was interviewed 21 years later. Precisely. | BBC Archive

#OnThisDay 1957: The Post Office's speaking clock turned 25. BBC News spoke with Miss Ethel Jane Cain, the voice of the clock. | BBC Archive

#OnThisDay 1984: Time was up for the machinery behind the Speaking Clock. The iconic voice of the service, Pat Simmons, chimed in. | BBC Archive

For generations of Australians, checking the exact time was not as easy as picking up your mobile phone. Needed to wind your clocks for daylight savings? Bought a new watch? Had a blackout and realised your microwave/oven/*insert technological device* was doomed to flash until you fixed it? Never fear. The Speaking Clock was just a phone call away. 🕰️ All you needed to do was dial 1194 and this service, which is now part of the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia collection, would connect. Introduced by

We are aware that the harbour clock (Mallock Clock-Tower) is currently stopped. Over recent weeks we’ve been working on safe access requirements and speaking with experts to get the clock ticking and working again. We are forever grateful to Keith Fursdon who spent many years navigating the narrow tower and winding the clock on a weekly basis. But, unfortunately due to health and safety concerns we have had to stop the manual winding of the clock. We are exploring options including automating th