1 – 7 August 2021
Presented by Mildura and District Historical Society.
Compiled by Ann Ziguras for Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.
100 years ago
EVENTS: THE Red Cliffs diggers’ concert, to be held at Mildura on Wednesday, is in aid of the Red Cliffs Piano Fund. In September a fete and exhibition of work will be held at the Merbein state school. The children have been working hard for many days. Two million cuttings for next season’s planting have been placed in the pit at the Red Cliffs nursery. On Saturday, Nunga, two goals, three behinds, beat Ouyen 1.1. Since the rain, sowing has recommenced in the Nyah district.
WEATHER: There was a heavy snowfall in Hobart yesterday, which strongly appealed to the people who indulged in snowballing. Heavy snowfalls are also in New South Wales. The children at the Warrigal School had an exciting time just before the snow began to fall. A terrific gust of wind caused the building to collapse. The verandah was torn away and blown down. The children took refuge beneath the desks. A Goulburn message states that it was the heaviest fall of snow for 20 years. The whole population of the town was in the streets snowballing. Ballarat Imperials Football Club, 6.8, beat Golden Pt, 5.8. The matches were started in a snowstorm. Reports state that trees and other debris, carried down the Macquarie by this and past floods, formed a huge rail over a mile long which blocked the river so much that it overflowed its banks and wrecked the approaches, rendering useless the rest of the bridgework to the value of £32,000. Bourke reports that the rain during the weekend caused dismal forebodence regarding floods. Gangs of men are building up banks.
EUROPE: The first step towards relieving starving American prisoners that are to be released by the Soviets has been taken by Mr Hooper. Trials will shortly take place at Farnborough, England, of the Brennan helicopter, a development of the aeroplane, possessing the power of the same. The Daily Mail’s correspondent from Paris says that a monument is being erected at Strasbourg to the memory of the man that invented pate de foie gras. Owing to the British drought, beer was utilised to extinguish a fire at Harrow. A chain of persons with buckets and other utensils was formed.
WAGES FOR WOMEN: The Board of Industry continued its inquiry in the question of basic wages for women in the metropolitan area.
“A BOOK FOR CROOKS”: Two Sydney policemen seized in a quantity of goods the legal ownership of which is doubted, 250 manuscript pages that were apparently written by a member of the underworld and purport to give full details of “how to become a crook”, the street life necessary and how to succeed. It was learned the writer intended to have the book published. (6.8.1921)
AMERICA CUP: Sir Thomas Lipton has announced he will challenge next year’s America Cup with a new boat, Shamrock V.
75 years ago
WOOL: The cargo paddle steamer Pevensey arrived at Mildura with a cargo of 126 bales of Merino stud wool from Moorna Station. The wool will be sent to Melbourne from Mildura by goods train. This is the first consignment of wool to arrive to Mildura by steamer this season. The next cargo of wool will come from Lake Victoria station in three weeks.
HOSPITAL: Work on the construction of the TB Chalet at the Mildura Base Hospital has been expedited, flooring material having arrived about a fortnight ago. A number of workmen have been engaged for over two years on the erection of the building, the scheduled time for which was a much shorter period. Lack of material and labour has been the main cause of the delay. At present, seven TB patients are accommodated in the infectious disease ward.
BRASS BAND: What would otherwise have been a somewhat dull and monotonous day was considerably brightened for patients in the Mildura Base Hospital when, in a setting of green lawns and glorious sunshine, members of the Mildura Brass Band played a selection for the patients. For about one and a half hours the band presented popular airs which were well received.
50 years ago
GOLF: Alan Brown, with rounds of 75-75, at the Mildura Golf Club became the first local golfer to win the Murray Valley Championship since 1965. Mrs Heather Bothroyd, current club champion of Golf Week host clubs Mildura and Riverside, clinched a unique treble when she won the final of the Associates’ Murray Valley Championships held at the Mildura Golf Club.
BARGE: After several weeks of hard work, a barge that is bound for Swan Hill Folk Museum left Mildura. Museum workmen raised the barge from the riverbank at Merbein. It has passed through Lock 11 on the first stage of its long journey and it will soon be joined by Swan Hill’s PS Pyap, which will escort it up river.
25 years ago
FIRE: Arson squad detectives are still uncertain of what caused a fire that destroyed two buildings in Mildura’s main thoroughfare on Saturday morning, causing an estimated $2 million damage. The Australia Post private mail collection area and a two-storey video store near the corner of Deakin Avenue and Eighth Street were reduced to rubble after fire raced through the two buildings about 6:30am on Saturday.
CPM: Instead of discarding left-over materials from renovating jobs, a Mildura builder has used them to create two unique rooms. CPM Building Contractors have completed major renovations at the Mildura Workingman’s Club, district schools and other buildings and utilised timber, light fittings, carpet and a host of other materials to outfit its reception area and office. CPM managing director Grahame Blaby said the business was now at 18 Madden Avenue, where Smith’s Dry Cleaners used to operate many years ago. The rooms, which have had false ceilings installed, are virtually created from recycled materials. The western red cedar timber, up to 100 years old, skirting, architraves and windows are all gathered from about six jobs in the district. There is carpet from the Worker’s on the floor and doors from a school we upgraded.
GOLF: Robinvale’s Michelle Fumberger won the 54-hole A Grade women’s Murray Valley Championship. Compiling a round of 76 yesterday to win easily, Fumberger finished the week with 229, 20 shots clear of K. Torzsok, of North Adelaide.
