Peeps in the Past: Dust storm darkens Deakin Avenue

Compiled by Ann Ziguras and Sue Kelly for Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.

100 YEARS AGO

TODAY’S SLOGAN: Paddle Your Own Canoe — Seek help from the best courses — from living men and living books: but run it all through your own mental digestive apparatus. Let anyone give you points in boat steering, but keep your own hand on the wheel.

EVENTS: A nicer uncomfortable day than Monday could hardly be imagined. The oppressive heat of the morning gradually developed into thundery weather and early in the afternoon clouds of dust rose and enveloped the whole district. A strong southerly wind swept down the avenues and the loose earth was carried down toward the river and beyond. Persons on one side of Deakin Avenue, who even were not blinded with the storm, could not discern the trees in the plantation. Drivers of vehicles could not see each other, and it is reported that several collisions were narrowly averted. At times the dust appeared to be coming from all directions. The storm drove the inhabitants indoors, and they watched the brown invader sweep up doorways and chinks in window frames. Housewives will have a busy time today removing the dust. The dust settled when the wind dropped and it was expected that a cool change would follow. However, the heat prevailed into the night, with prospects of a hot morrow.

The Australian horse carnival was concluded tonight in Sydney in the presence of a large crowd. The Australasian high-jumping championship was won by Musician, which cleared 7ft. The record for the night’s jumping was an inch short of the Sydney record of Emu Plains in the Easter show. One of the biggest surprises at the Sellicks beach knock-out mile event on the 31st was the victory of Mr F. Kewlsey on an ABC Skootamota. He romped home an easy winner; in fact the others were clean out of sight when he passed the judge’s box. What the Skootamota could do with a gold topped girl mounted is a problem best left to the maidens of Sunraysia. The Skootamota, by the way, is a ladies’ motor-bike.

Conscientious objectors, provided that they are genuine, will be accommodated with national service for their military service periods, plus half pay and rations. Discussions in the English press (London’s The Times) on the subject of a White Australia continue daily over a constantly extending number of journals. The general tone is strongly sympathetic, but warnings regarding the difficulties of the immediate future are frequent.

Eroni Bros Circus is coming to Mildura next week.

SPORT: The cricket match between a team representing Wellington and an Australian eleven was continued today. Australia won by eight wickets but the game was continued as an exhibition match. A match between Mildura and Merbein teams will be played at the Mildura recreation reserve on Wednesday next. The following players have been chosen and are requested to be on the playing ground not later than 2.11pm: Stone, H.S. Johnson, F. Yates. S. Shilliday, G. Fitch, I. Radcliffe, H. Berwick. L. Vernon, B. Thompson, P. Hoylem, R. Clemence, I. Heap and G. Knipe.

DANGERS: Seven cases of typhoid fever have been admitted to the hospital in Bendigo. The city health officer (Dr J.M. Kadie) in a special report to the council states: “The increase in the number of cases is not great, but is significant, as the present is the time of the year when typhoid appears. Fever should be guarded against by constant attention to cleanliness of houses, premises and drains. Filtration of water is little understood. Canvas bags and dripstone filters are useless as clarifers. I would strongly advise householders to boil all water intended for consumption. Flies are common carriers of typhoid and should be excluded from houses and privies, and most decidedly kept from food.”

An accident occured between Armidale and Kempsey on Saturday where the road runs along a shelf hewn out of the mountainside. A man named Browning and his family were travelling in a buggy, when the horses became frightened and jumped over the side of the cutting into the Macleay River, which flows 150 feet below. Mrs Browning and two children were thrown out on to the roadway before the buggy went over the cliff, and were unhurt, but a little boy aged 10 went over with the buggy. In spite of the fact that. the buggy was smashed to matchwood, the boy crawled out of the debris. His jaw was fractured in two places. The horses were not badly hurt. Mrs Browning’s wallet, containing £28, was lost in the river. The road is regarded as very dangerous. The cuttings are not fenced. Any horse or car that leaves the narrow roadway has a straight drop of 150 feet in places. It is the main mail route, and the magnificent scenery brings a large tourist traffic along the road.

75 YEARS AGO

AERO CLUB: The possible establishment of a Mildura Aero Club is being fully investigated by a number of former RAAF air-crew personnel. Representation will be made to the government in the near future for aid in the form of subsidy, while full particulars regarding organization, etc. will be sought from the Victorian Aero Club.

CURRANTS: The first delivery of 1946 season dried currants to the Mildura Cooperative Fruit Company Ltd has been made by Mr G. Dickeson. The currants were of fair quality and turned out better than expected. They were tentatively graded at two crown.

LAND: Seven blocks of land totalling 89 acres will be made available for sale to ex-servicemen. This was decided at a meeting of the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the First Mildura Irrigation Trust, following the submission of a report from the manager and watermaster.

50 YEARS AGO

CSIRO: Among the 600 guests at the opening of the new library and administration building at the Merbein branch of the CSIRO were four of the “originals”. Together they have given 134 years service to the research station. The longest serving member of staff is Gus Kennedy, who worked at the station for 45 years. He started when the station was under the ADFA.

WATER: Residents of another two NSW towns have been told to boil their water before drinking it or using it for food preparation. The towns are Euston, which gets its water from the Murray River, and Balranald, which is supplied from the Murrumbidgee. The Balranald Shire Council had been advised that samples from the rivers contained an unusually high coliforms count and that all water should be boiled before use.

25 YEARS AGO

HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL: A $378,888 building project at the school was last night officially opened by Senator Jacinta Collins. A dedication ceremony was held at the school for the stage three building project, which included three new classrooms, administration and staff facilities, refurbishment for a music area and a specialist teacher area.

ROAD TRAIN: A permit to drive a road train in Victoria has been issued for the first time. For Irymple-based Cordoma Brothers Transport (CBT), recipient of the permit, the Victorian ticket will save truck drivers six hours on each trip to Brisbane. After 12 months of liaising with VicRoads transport safety officer David Nightingale, CBT road trains can travel from the depot in Koorlong Avenue, left into Fifteenth Street, along Benetook Avenue to Seventh Street and over the Chaffey Bridge.

JUNIOR FIRE BRIGADE: Mildura Junior Fire Brigade stole the show at the Tasmanian Open Championships on the weekend. The Mildura team competed against three other Victorian crews and eight Tasmanian teams in two age groups. The Mildura juniors took out the under 14 and under 17 aggregate, the grand aggregate and 11 events.