Thread: sorry.. couldn't let this one slip thru to the keeper!

So, I'm guessing this is where we get long life milk?

At the annual cadet camp at Singleton in the early 60's those of us who attended Coffs Harbour High School were able to convince a lot of city kids that bananas grew straight and had to be put through a machine to bend them.

Our story was that housewives had complained that the straight ones had a habit of rolling off the table so a machine was developed by International Bending Machines (IBM) to create a bend.

As many of them had heard of IBM and some had a vague recollection of a company that really did exist called International Vending Machines, our story had a ring of truth about it.

Originally Posted by vnx205

At the annual cadet camp at Singleton in the early 60's those of us who attended Coffs Harbour High School were able to convince a lot of city kids that bananas grew straight and had to be put through a machine to bend them.

Our story was that housewives had complained that the straight ones had a habit of rolling off the table so a machine was developed by International Bending Machines (IBM) to create a bend.

As many of them had heard of IBM and some had a vague recollection of a company that really did exist called International Vending Machines, our story had a ring of truth about it.

You're not telling the whole truth, NSW grown bananas had to be sent to Queensland to have the bend put into them. That's the version I heard.

Originally Posted by TimNZ

So, I'm guessing this is where we get long life milk?

That one's for cheese...

Originally Posted by V8Ian

You're not telling the whole truth, NSW grown bananas had to be sent to Queensland to have the bend put into them. That's the version I heard.

And hence the term "banana benders".

This is the version of the story that is also well known over here in WA. It is also well known that the Western Australian banana growers' association in Carnarvon recommends against the "banana bending" practice, as the cost of sending the locally grown product to Queensland for this procedure is prohibitive and would make the locally grown product uncompetitive. As it is, packaging costs for "straight" bananas is less than for "bent" bananas, as more of the former will fit into similar sized packaging.

Local research has proven that there is no difference in taste between the locally grown "straight" bananas and the "bent" varieties originating from east of the border.

My mother always told me that her first job was painting Bananas Yellow.
She said they were made black by the bending machines & then they employed young women to paint them.

Can't remember if I believed her, but I probably wasn't sure. I mean, what sort of mother lies to her kids?

I know, my wife. When our daughter was at boarding school SWMBO told her we had hired snow making machines so we could ski down the river bank in Doomadgee for Christmas. My daughter is blonde, hence?

Jonesfam

Originally Posted by jonesfam

My mother always told me that her first job was painting Bananas Yellow.
She said they were made black by the bending machines & then they employed young women to paint them.

Can't remember if I believed her, but I probably wasn't sure. I mean, what sort of mother lies to her kids?

I know, my wife. When our daughter was at boarding school SWMBO told her we had hired snow making machines so we could ski down the river bank in Doomadgee for Christmas. My daughter is blonde, hence?

Jonesfam

That was a highly skilled job back then, Jonesy. These days it's done by a machine.