Re: The Fish and Chips

[G.Lambert@unsw.edu.au (Geoff Lambert)]

On Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:02:25 GMT, "Dave Proctor"
<daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>"Bob Horgan" <rhorgan@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>3ADF7DF6.28D9F1B8@hotmail.com">news:3ADF7DF6.28D9F1B8@hotmail.com...
>> Can somenone tell me where this name originated from??
>
>The original driver of the main Sydney to Mt. Victoria commuter train was
>John Herron and he was known as the "Big Fish" - the train he drove hence
>got the nickname "The Fish" (don't ask me why, since a heron is a bird -
>perhaps they thought his name was Herring.)

This is the usual explanation, passed down for generations, but it has
been disputed. I recall seeing arguments for why it was not so in
journals like the ARHS Bulletin, one was in Bulletin #72 of 1943 where
Mr Heron was supposed to be the fireman, not the driver. A more recent
article on The Fish, Bulletin #676 p27, 1994 may have something to say
about the name

Geoff Lambert