PEEPS IN THE PAST
December 13-19, 2020
Presented by Mildura and District Historical Society.
Compiled by Judi Hyde and Sue Kelly for the Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.
100 YEARS AGO
CARUSO: Enrico Caruso, the famous tenor, burst a small blood-vessel in his throat while singing in the first act of a performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The performance was stopped, and physicians rushed to his dressing-room.
The audience did not notice the accident for some time. When the manager explained what had happened and said that Caruso was ready to continue if they desired, the audience said “no” and went home. Last week Caruso was slightly hurt in a fall on the stage stairs.
NEWS: While waiting at the railway siding at Wallaroo, SA, several trucks containing nitrate of soda caught fire.
A violent explosion took place, scattering debris in all directions, covering the town with a pall of acrid smoke.
Two wooden trucks which contained the nitrate were destroyed — damages is estimated as several hundred pounds.
The minimum wage, a reversed decision of the Arbitration Court in NZ, granted workers a bonus 3/- per week making the minimum wage for an adult 91/- eg. 4 pounds 11 shillings, which the court considered a fair living wage especially when compared with wages ruling in Australia.
There has been a Royal Commission to inquire into the pilfering from the wharves in the Commonwealth, stated Mr Massey Greene, Minister for Trade and Customs.
A successful demonstration of wireless telephoning between London and Geneva was given this morning in the connection with the gathering of newspaper correspondents reporting the procedure of the assembly of the League of Nations.
Doctor Graham Bell, (inventor of the Bell telephone), Signor Marconi and Lords Burnham and Riddell sent messages to Switzerland.
ITEMS: Motorbikes in Sunraysia are good for all purposes but the bit, the best seen yet, was this week in Mildura when a big “8” rider trotted around with a load of furniture in the side-car with his wife perched on the top.
The fortnightly meeting of the ANA was held in Risbey’s Chambers. President Curnow officiated in the electing of a new President, Mr H. Quick, and Secretary Mr J. Lanst to promote the annual ANA conference in 1922 in Mildura.
St Margaret’s Sunday School picnic will be held at Lake Hawthorn today.
A drag will leave the Parish Hall at 9.30am, a special drag will leave the PO at 2.30, when a small fare will be charged for adults.
The plan for the land now being settled by returned soldiers on the Red Cliffs Estate – Parish of Mildura will be on display at the court house, Mildura.
Popular actors and actresses will appear at the Wonderland during the week and entrants are asked to write down six of the names in preference of their choice of stars.
Sunraysia Daily is in arrangements with the Mildura Amusement Co. by which the entrant whose judgment is nearest to the top of the majority is to win the competition.
The first prize is a free moving picture for two for a fortnight, second prize a free double pass for a week.
75 YEARS AGO
JEWELLERS: Despite limitations and restrictions still in effect regarding certain articles, jewellery shops in Mildura are beginning to take on a pre-war appearance with the display of many goods unprocurable during the war years. No effort is being spared by jewellers to meet, with the approach of Christmas, the ever-increasing and varied demand of the public.
APEX PARK: The safety fence which every year is installed at Apex Park (Chaffey’s Bend) by the Mildura Apex Club with the assistance of City Council, is now in position. The fence encloses a considerable area for the use of children who would otherwise be in danger of drowning in deep holes close to the river bank.
TRAIN: The Mildura Tourist Officer (Mr W.H. Sherriff) has received advice that, as from Friday, December 21, and thereafter until further notice, no passenger train will arrive at or depart from Mildura on Sundays.
50 YEARS AGO
SERVICE STATION: “Knocking ’em dead” in Mildura at the moment are three petrol-pouring, windscreen-washing bikini belles. The three girls, Yvonne McKie, Colleen Freeman and Denise Ryan, are promoting a local service station – the name of which is printed in gold letters on the seat of their bikinis.
WEIR: Replacement of Mildura Weir could be set back because of the slow drop in the Murray River’s level here. The water-line must drop to 16ft before the weir can be put back into place.
25 YEARS AGO
SCHOLARSHIP: A former student at Dareton Primary School and Coomealla High School, Stuart Grieve, has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.
Stuart, who left Sunraysia in 1986, recently graduated with first-class honours in biochemistry from Sydney University.
He will take up the scholarship at Oxford University next year when he will study for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in medical biochemistry.
GLIDING: The Sunraysia Gliding Club has just purchased a glider that was built in Romania.
The two-seater, high- performance sailplane was purchased from Reilly Aeronautics at Tocumwal and has been cleared for service in Australia.
The glider was aerotowed to Mildura by club members and will be used essentially for pre-solo training, cross-country flying and competition flying as well as air experience flights for the public.
MERINGUR: The 22 people who live in the township of Meringur will have a Christmas present from the Sunraysia Rural Water Authority in the form of an improved water supply.
Plumbers are now fitting the final pieces to a new $130,00 scheme which will provide a high-pressure water service to Meringur Primary School and the cluster of houses in the town.
In the Millewa, west of Mildura, it is Victoria’s most distant town water supply, and probably the smallest. Two new 10,000-litre fibreglass tanks were lifted on top of a 15m high platform by crane early this week to allow the plumbers to do their connecting work.
They replace two old tanks that were on a platform eight metres high. The original tank stand was made of Murray pine and is now under a National Trust classification.
