PRESENTED by Mildura and District Historical Society and compiled by Judy Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Libraries.
100 YEARS AGO: 1925
MILK: The movement for the supply of milk to school children is spreading. Best brine-cooled milk (over 40 quarts) is being distributed by the mother’s club. No work or worry is given to the teachers. Each child brings and takes home their own drinking vessel. Five-pence a week is being paid by each child.
SCHOOL: At the meeting of soldier settlers held in Merbein, Mr E. Hughes, who recently took up a wheat block in the Millewa country appealed to the members of the Merbein branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia for assistance in securing a State School for Flagstaff. Schools for Merbein and Round Plain had been approved but nothing had been done for Flagstaff. There are 31 children of school-age who were prepared to attend the school, if and when it was erected. Many are receiving no education – two are taking the correspondence course but that is a poor substitute.
ANZAC DAY: This year Anzac Day falls on a Saturday and although it is a gazetted holiday for government workers, it is not a scheduled holiday under the Wages Board award and consequently the shops in Mildura would be open on that day, but they will be asked to give employees an hour to allow them the opportunity of attending the memorial service to be held at Wonderland at 11.20am.
75 YEARS AGO: 1950
IMMIGRANTS: With the arrival of a medical officer, who is expected in a few days, the 80-bed hospital at the Mildura Immigration Centre should be in service. A matron and a senior sister have joined the staff, which comprises mostly migrants, including a New Australian doctor.
As soon as the District Inspector of Schools, Mr Blackborne, has obtained staff, a school will be opened to cater for the 600 children at the centre. As many of the children are of pre-school age a creche will also be established. Concrete foundations have been poured for the second kitchen, a 80×22 foot building will be divided and transported to the new site as 1000 migrants are expected, which will bring the centre’s complement to 2000.
LAKE: A Melbourne tourist organisation is understood to be investigating the possibility of establishing a modern tourist and holiday camp near Lake Cullulleraine. If the plans now being prepared are put into operation, the camp will be one of the most up to date in Australia.
The campsite is claimed to be one of the best available in the Murray Valley. The organisation plans to establish a holiday camp with a central kitchen and dining room with sleeping accommodation in converted service huts. Facilities will include rowing, yachting, swimming, biking, horse riding, tennis and possibly golf.
HONOUR: During the weekend, members of the Merbein branch of the ANA placed in position in the Civic Hall, the branch Honor Board, containing the names of 115 members of the branch (including seven who did not return) who served during the 1939-45 war. Throughout the period of the Second World War, the membership of the branch was 235, so that about one half of the members served in one or the other of the armed services. The Honor Board, designed and constructed by Mr M. O. Schuenemann, of Wentworth, is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and contains no less than 17 different varieties of Australian woods.
50 YEARS AGO: 1975
FIRE SCHOOL: Forty-five people have registered for a two-day regional fire school to be held in Wentworth. However, Wentworth Shire Clerk, Mr C. Ryder said there was still room for several more people if they register today. A registration fee of $6 applies to the course which includes morning and afternoon tea. Mr Andrew Auva from the Department of Forests in Papua New Guinea will be present.
PIPELINE: Inflation has increased the expected cost of replacing the First Mildura Irrigation Trust open channels with pipelines by 45 per cent. Since 1940 irrigators in the FMIT area had been placed on the same basis as other districts such as Red Cliffs, Merbein and Robinvale in that capital expenditure for the renewal of Trust works had been born by the State. The FMIT had a program of replacement of 39.62 kilometres of open channel by pipeline.
BATTLE: Prompt action by three district fire brigades prevented the destruction of the Red Cliffs Memorial Civic Centre. The fire which swept through the back of the Centre caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. The flames were prevented from spreading to the adjoining RSL Hall and Library. The Civic Centre fire was the second major blaze in Red Cliffs in a fortnight, the firemen did a marvellous job as the fire had a hold before they arrived on the scene.
25 YEARS AGO: 2000
SMILES: The year 2000 Easter Baby Competition began on Tuesday with proud parents turning up to The Warehouse in Mildura to have their photo taken by Kim Chamberlain, from Action Photographers. Voting closes on April 27 and all money raised will be donated to the Make a Wish Foundation.
THE FORCE: Local policing icon, Sergeant L. McGrath will retire next month, ending a career in law enforcement that has spanned over 37 years. Starting his career as a bright-eyed constable at the Russell Street Station in Melbourne in 1962, he saw the force through some significant milestones. He came to Mildura in 1967, was promoted to Senior Constable in 1978 and was involved in some of the biggest criminal cases in Mildura. In 1969 he was awarded the first of two commendations for evacuating passengers of a train after it collided with a fuel tanker at Irymple. Putting their safety before his own he also evacuated nearby residents as petrol from the burning tanker streamed down a hill to a nearby petrol depot. He also apprehended two armed burglars at Linton’s Sports Store after having a gun held to his head – he and his partner were able to overpower them.
THE VINES: A seminar was held in Mildura to discuss The Vines Mature Aged Housing Development which is only months away from the completion of Stage One. Stage One will consist of 30 independent two and three bedroom units and a centrally located community centre.
