PRESENTED by Mildura and District Historical Society and compiled by Mildura Rural City Council Libraries.
100 YEARS AGO
DEPOTS: Owing to the large number of motorcars in the Yatpool and Carwarp area, and to the volume of motor traffic passing through those two towns, the Red Cliffs Central Garage has established depots in Yatpool and Carwarp. These depots or sub-agencies will supply oils and Gold Crown petrol at the same price as at the central garage plus the freight to the depot. The depots are also sub-agencies for Rugby, Durant, Flint, and Armstong-Siddeley cars.
CAMELS: Yesterday afternoon a string of 40 camels in charge of three Afghans, and laden with wool arrived at the Wentworth wharf from Mr A. R. Withers’ Woodlands station. The sight of the long string of “ships of the desert” while not unusual in the Wentworth township was sufficient to draw a crowd of residents. Cameras were busy during the process of unloading the wool and the amateur photographers of Wentworth will have permanent reminders of the visit.
SERVICE: In his sermon on Sunday morning last, at a service in connection with the jubilee service of Saint Francis Xavier church, Wentworth, the Right Reverend Doctor Hayden Bishop of Wilcannia-Forbes, said that the church owed much to the pioneer priests of 50 to 60 years ago, who blazed the trail along the Murray and Darling Rivers. They were entitled to our respect, admiration and gratitude. They knew not the modern advantages of the motor car and the telephone, and they left the comfortable surroundings of the large cities and made their lonely horseback pilgrimages along the banks of the Darling River. They kept alive the Catholic faith, in the scattered communities of settlers.
75 YEARS AGO
POLICE: A modern police station is to be erected at Dareton by the New South Wales Public Works Department following requests by Wentworth police for another permanent police officer. It is also likely that the present strength of police at Wentworth will be increased to four to cope with the additional work brought about by the growth of the district. Mr Scott, the New South Wales Commissioner of Police said, “The police authorities are aware of the growing importance of the district, and consideration is now being given to bringing the number of police at Wentworth to four”.
CAMP: A township of tents sprang up yesterday on the banks of the Murray River downstream from Apex Park, where 48 district Girl Guides began a week’s camp. They were busy yesterday putting up their tents and erecting tables for their meals. Some were digging trenches for grease traps and waste pits while others were erecting standards to fly flags. The girls are from groups in Sunraysia and are being trained by about 10 guides who have travelled from Melbourne for the camp.
RICE: A rice area in the Wakool irrigation district is to be sown experimentally to rise from aircraft next season – the first-time work of this nature has been done in Australia. A local private aircraft company which has already had experience in dusting and spraying various crops from the air is now anxious to extend its activities to sowing crops and pastures. The rice will be sown over an area of 50 acres – half of which will be sown with pregerminated seed, half with ordinary seed.
50 YEARS AGO:
ACCOMMODATION: A holiday in a log cabin on a 70,000-acre station on the Murray River has now become a reality for holidaymakers. For the first time historic Avoca Station, 30 kilometres from Wentworth, is taking holiday makers in two of the original cottages on the station property. Avoca Station was originally built in 1868 and once it had its own post office and store. This has been preserved in its near original state by the owners of the station. Features of a holiday at the station, include fishing, swimming, boating, tennis, horse riding, rabbit trapping and yabbying. The first holiday makers were from South Australia and bookings are heavy already for the Christmas holidays.
VENTS: A Buronga man says a series of air vents built to “fix” the town’s sewerage scheme are potential death traps. The vents have been built above the roadway in Melaluca Avenue and are set just off the road. Not only are they dangerous to motorists, but they are unsightly from an environmental view – and they smell. They consist of a solid lump of concrete, 18 inches by 18 inches, about three feet of it under the ground. Rising from this is the vent, reaching almost to overhead power lines. The Public Works Department hopes the series of vents can fix a problem that has prevented the scheme from working properly. Air pockets have built up in the pipeline taking sewerage more than a mile to the treatment works at the back of Buronga. The vents are designed to release this air – but so far, the scheme still isn’t working.
ESCAPE: A man sentenced to five months jail in Mildura Court almost succeeded in escaping from the lock-up. The man spent eight hours gouging a hole in a cell wall with two pieces of wire and a piece of iron he took from a toilet in the cellblock. The break-out attempt was discovered during a routine check of the cells. Sergeant Kevin Egan, of Mildura CIB, said he inspected the cell and found a large hole in the wall of the bathroom cell. He said that the hole was almost large enough for a man to slip through. The prisoner allegedly told Sergeant Egan that he got the wire and the piece of iron after breaking into a locked cupboard in the toilet.
25 YEARS AGO
BROTHEL: Several local builders have been asked to provide quotes for the construction of Mildura’s first legal brothel. It was yesterday confirmed the Melbourne based developer has forwarded plans of the controversial establishment to builders. It is believed the developer is seeking quotes for either the construction of new premises, to be located near the corner of Ninth Street and Etiwanda Avenue, or the renovation cost for an older building.
QUALITY: A Mildura restaurant has maintained its position as one of the best in Victoria. Stefano’s Restaurant was honoured with the Three Chef’s Hat Award by The Age Good Food Guide during a special function at Colonial Stadium in Melbourne. The restaurant was one of only four country venues to receive the three-hat rating in the country category. It has retained the three-hat rating for the past three year, after receiving one in 1995 and two in 1996 and 1997.
ROADS: A number of road names have been officially endorsed by the Mildura Rural City Council. A roadway adjacent to the Cardross Recreation Reserve was named Torney Lane, after police requested an official name be nominated by the council. The community selected the name in honour of one of its pioneers, Mrs Torney, who was a well-respected and highly regarded nursing sister and, in fact, originally proposed the name of Cardross for the area. Sixteen roads in the Patchewollock area were named after an extensive process of community consultation and a public meeting, after a ratepayer wrote to council with suggestions and a request that the roads be officially named. The basis of the suggested names stemmed directly from the historical pioneer family names that originally adjoined the road in question, or names which related to the location of the Parish of Baring.
