PEEPS INTO THE PAST – 20 – 26 November 2022
Presented by Mildura & District Historical SocietyCompiled by Mildura Rural City Council Libraries
100 YEARS AGO
NEW BATHS: Mr R. Walters, of Mildura, whose tender work was accepted for the excavation work in connection with the proposed public baths in Mildura, has already begun the work. About 1000 cubic yards of earth will be taken out altogether at the contract price at one and sixpence per cubic yard. Mr Walters and three other men are busy with eight horses, four being attached to a buckscraper and four to skid scoop. Between midnight and 1am on Thursday, the steamer Alert, going upstream for the purpose of obtaining firewood for the Mildura Urban Water Trust, struck a snag at Wicketts, and the vessel had to be beached. The crew of the Maggie, which arrived at Mildura yesterday, stated that when 30 to 40 miles upstream they noticed the Alert partly suck in the water. Mr W. Mayne, engineer and owner of the Maggie, said that the vessel was owned by Messrs Searles and Sons.
LADY PIPERS: The president of the Grand Carnival Committee (Mr M.J. Kelly) has received a communication from Miss R. Young, secretary of the South and Port Melbourne Thistle Society, and founder of the above Pipe Band, offering an engagement over the weekend with concerts for the 1923 carnival. This fine combination of lady pipers is well known throughout Victoria. It will compete for the Highland band championships against other Highland bands at Maryborough on New Year’s Day.
75 YEARS AGO
AMATEUR SHOWS: A further presentation in the series of amateur shows will be broadcast from Station 3MA tonight. The shows are organized by the Mildura sub-branches of the Returned Servicemen’s League and the Australian Legion of Ex-servicemen. Proceeds are in aid of the War Widows Craft Guild. Producer-compere is 3MA’s popular announcer, Al Scown.
FLOOD FEAR: Inadequate drainage of a portion of the Red Cliffs settlement, which has resulted in serious flooding of horticultural lands, with loss and inconvenience to settlers and road users, is causing increasing concern. A Cardross resident considered that the banking-up of water in the drains had been worse this watering than for some time. The district engineer of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission (Mr J. D. Lang), when invited to make a statement regarding the intentions of the commission to undertake remedial measures before irreparable damage was done to the properties affected by the banked up drainage, said that he had no comment to make at this stage, except to say that after last year’s flood and the flood which occurred during the second watering this year, measures to prevent a recurrence next year were under consideration.
BEER THREAT: If the threatened strike by Melbourne maltsters eventuates next month and beer supplies are cut off, Sunraysia will be “dry” within another two weeks. Sunraysia Daily’s Melbourne correspondent last night telegraphed that Victoria’s beer supply and that of other states was threatened by the decision of 600 maltsters at a mass meeting to strike within seven days unless a satisfactory arrangement was reached on their demands for more wages and better conditions. Managers of local hotels and clubs last night made the following comments: Hotel Wintersun: Beer will last about a week after supplies are stopped, but trading will probably have to be restricted to an hour at lunch time and an hour and a half in the late afternoon. Red Cliffs Hotel: We would restrict trading to an hour a day, to try to let each customer have a couple of beers every night for two weeks if possible. Merbein Commercial Hotel: Supplies probably would not last a week, but anyway, we are great wine drinkers out here, and we would have to get along with that.
50 YEARS AGO
WEAVINGS EXHIBITION: An exhibition of hangings and weavings and entitled “Hanging by a Thread” opens at Mildura Arts Centre tonight. A collection of hangings from the Aldgate Crafts Gallery in South Australia, rich in variety and colour, will be accompanied by a light meal to be put on by the Arts Centre. The exhibition was the first major Austalian hanging exhibition in the Arts Centre, its director, Mr Tom McCutiough, said yesterday.
ATHLETES SHINE: Sunraysia Little Athletics Centre took third place in a Statewide relaython at the weekend. About 70 children ran 122.2km around the track at the Old Aerodrome Ovals in six hours, to beat 38 other centres in Victoria. Sunraysia was bettered only by Wodonga, with 125.37 kilometres and Shepparton, who set a world record for the second year in succession by covering a total of 25.67km.
RIVER FLOW: Water quality in the Murray River in South Australia has reached an alarming low because of the river’s poor flow. Last week the total dissolved solids in parts per million included 386 at Lock 9, 366 at Berri, 559 at Mannum and 621 at Murray Bridge. Scientists have said that anything above 300 parts per million is dangerous to crops, particularly through overhead sprays.
25 YEARS AGO
POST OFFICE: A new Australia Post business centre to be opened in Mildura next year will be one of country Australia’s finest, according to Australia Post general manager for Victoria and Tasmania. Richard Smith, speaking at last night’s official opening of the Mildura Retail Post Office held in the Langtree Mall, said the new custom built business centre on the old Mildura Settlers Club carpark site, at the corner of 8th Street and Orange Avenue would be completed early next year. Mr Smith said that when opened, the new business centre would complete Sunraysia’s current postal services upgrade. “When finished, the new centre would offer Sunraysia business people specialised postal and business stationery supplies, as well as postal boxes” Mr Smith said. The postal boxes have been temporarily in Madden Avenue after a fire last year which gutted the Moviebusters video store adjoining the postal boxes.
EXPO OPENING: The biggest event in Sunraysia business history – the Mildura Business Expo ’97 – will open this Tuesday, November 25, at the Mildura Settlers in 8th Street. It will be by far the biggest opportunity yet for businesspeople and the general public to access the latest information, expertise, and technology in a wide range of business, from any one of 45 exhibitor stands or 36 information sessions, covering everything from tourism and taxation to business marketing and export. More than 300 people have already registered for the sessions, and there is ample space for more, according to organizers. Expo coordinator Alan Erskine yesterday urged Sunraysia people to take advantage of the opportunities offered during Expo ’97. “The expertise of session presenters, and the quality and diversity of exhibits, is something that just doesn’t happen in Mildura every day,” he said.
DAVIS CUP: Mildura is to become the first non-metropolitan centre to host a round of the prestigious Davis Cup tennis tournament. Australia will play Zimbabwe in a Davis Cup first round tie at the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club complex from April 3-5 next year. The sporting coup was confirmed yesterday afternoon after a meeting in Melbourne between five Tennis Australia representatives and was greeted with jubilation in Mildura. Mildura’s courts will be graced by the nation’s top tennis talent, with likely inclusions in the Australia squad being Pat Rafter, Mark Philippoussis, Jason Stoltenberg, and world no. 1 doubles pairing Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. Elated MLTC president Ken Bevington, yesterday said the club had been campaigning to host a round of the Davis Cup since 1991. “Without a doubt in my mind at all it is the most prestigious sporting even ever to come here,” he said.
