Finally girded my loins and purchased the 1932 5/ stamp celebrating the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Some girding is required because this stamp, unlike its brother and sister the 2d and 3d, costs a pretty penny.

The ocean liner R.M.S. Orford passes beneath the bridge, providing a nice perspective of size for the bridge. The ship has quite a story. It was built for the Orient Lines in 1928 and plied the waters between Australia and England (via the Suez Canal) with Mediterranean cruises thrown in from time to time. In 1934 it carried Don Bradman's cricket team "The Invincibles" from Australia along with the Australian Davis Cup Team. In 1936, the exiled Haile Selassae of Ethiopea took the ship to refuge in England. (He would return to Ethiopea in 1940 after North Africa was wrested from Italian control.)

On Jan 10, 1940 the Orford disembarked from Sydney Harbour to carry the first Australian troops to participate in WW2. The ship was then loaned to France to be used as a troop carrier. Later in 1940 it was bombed by Germans and set afire in Marseilles. Seven years later it was re-floated and scrapped in 1947 at Savona. A search on the web reveals some fine photos of the Orford, including opulent dining rooms and interior spaces.