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
NEWS: A meeting of the committee of the Merbein Public Band was held on Thursday evening — Mr F. Deacon presided over a full attendance. Much enthusiasm was shown for the proposal that the band should enter for the contest in Mildura in June and after discussions it was definitely decided to do so. The matter of registration was discussed. The bandmaster, Mr Bennett, stated that he had written to the association on the subject but so far no reply. The bandmaster reported that attendances at practices had been much increased by the prospect of entering the contest. It was decided to run a series of dances in aid of the band funds, Messrs Deacon, Jones, West, W. Chislett and Donaldson were appointed a committee of management. Accounts owing amounting to 3 pounds, 4s, 10p were passed for payment, being final payments owing on account of band instruments — within 12 months over 330 pounds has been paid for instruments and now the band has a clean slate.
Overseas, a casket containing the heart of Robert Bruce has been discovered during excavation works at Melrose Abbey. Doubt has been thrown on the idea it is Bruce as his was encased in silver, according to legend — this heart is encased in a leaden casket and is not inscribed as Bruce’s coffin was.
POWER: For the week past the power distributed by the electrical plant has been particularly inadequate to meet requirements and temporary breakdowns have occurred. The Lewis and Kelly steam set which has borne the brunt of four has had two or three tune-ups but the chief engineer Mr L. Stewart recognised that sooner or later the engine would cease to revolve through sheer overwork. On Saturday night the power was so poor that most of the shops used kerosene lamps- presenting a miserable spectacle. Mr Stewart decided to overhaul the bearings on Sunday morning. The Church services were conducted as usual at night – bicycle lamps, candles and kero lamps were substituted for electric light.
OLD MILDURA: Old Mildura covers an area of some 350 acres – it was taken up by Lord Ranfurly of County Tyrone and Mr Alymes of Skildereen, a spot much in the limelight through recent events in Ireland. These gentlemen arrived in Mildura in 1888 and, having taken up land, let the clearing, planting and ploughing to the Chaffey Bros on contract. The owners however stayed to watch their new venture for some months and took part themselves for a time in the strenuous preliminary work. The Chaffeys attacked the big holding with a battery of steam ploughs and traction engines, the land was ready in a short time. A private pumping plant using wood fuel was put in and the possibility of regular irrigations at the discretion of the manager doubtless had much to do from the start with its success. After living a few months in a tent on the river bank the partners returned home. Mr Keegan, who has been for 30 years engineer to the estate, recalls how Lord Ranfurly and his partner were reduced to filling a kerosene tin with hot ashes from the campfire and placing it between them in their tent — somewhat of a contrast, he remarked, to their ancestral halls on the other side of the water. Mr Keegan visited Dungannon in 1913 and brought back a collection of photographs of the castle and its surrounding country and could scarcely blame the Irish peer for preferring it even to delightful Old Mildura. Ranfurly’s house stands as it was erected here with the exception of a large drawing room built of concrete on the eastern side. The original building has a stone bearing the date October 1888.
75 YEARS AGO
SWITCHBOARD: The new 200-line switchboard is at present being installed at the Mildura telephone exchange. The new switchboard should considerably alleviate the position relative to applications for telephones, which have been submitted during the past two years.
LOCK ISLAND: The island has proved popular with tourists visiting Mildura. Tourists considered it an enjoyable walk down to Lock Island, across the weir and back into the city via the bridge.
CARNIVAL: Maintaining an early lead in Mildura High School annual swimming carnival at the city baths, Chaffey House decisively defeated the opposing houses to win the Winterbottom Cup for 1946. Hopetoun House filled second position, with Deakin and Sturt third and fourth positions respectively.
50 YEARS AGO
MARDI GRAS: People lined Deakin Avenue for several blocks to see the 1971 Mardi Gras parade of 60 floats. The Mardi Gras – it’s mission was to raise funds for a geriatrics centre in Mildura – was a dollar earner. It raised almost $16,000. The Mayor of Mildura (Cr N.J. Noyce) congratulated Denise Fowler, who was crowned Miss Mardi Gras.
FRUIT: Dried fruits packers in Sunraysia and Robinvale propose to pay growers $100 a ton door payments for this season’s sultana, currant and raisin crops. Dried fruit is arriving at district packing houses slightly later this season. Most of the fruit delivered by growers is three or four-crown quality. Some rain damage has been noticed, especially in currants.
25 YEARS AGO
The Sunraysia Drag Racing Club track and driver training facility at Koorlong has been completed after 26 weeks of work. The program, which was funded by CES Mildura’s new Work Opportunities program, provided a training opportunity for 20 long-term unemployed clients. The drag track site initially consisted of a disused quarry site marked by a few thousand scrapped tyres, a large rubble tip, and a partly prepared track base. Six months after the program began, the area has been transformed into a well laid out facility.
CRICKET: After a 13-year lay-off, the annual bush cricket between the Werrimull and Murrayville hotels eventuated last week, despite the scorching heat. More than 100 eager spectators turned out to watch the match, which was contested virtually in the middle of the Murray Sunset national park, just off the Underbool track, the main tourist track through the park. The two publicans and skippers, Laurie Halms and Alan Townsend, tossed the coin. Werrimull elected to bat and were off to a reasonable start when the Murrayville fielders were caught with refreshments in one hand and a snag in the other, making it difficult to stop a ball. Werrimull was dismissed for 171, losing 19 wickets. It was soon Murrayville’s turn and they get off to a disastrous start when they lost their six wickets for only 11 runs. Murrayville were aided by Werrimull’s absence of a wicketkeeper. Laurie Halms hit the winning runs by clouting a huge six. Murrayville claimed victory when the game was abandoned at 13/184. Player of the match was awarded to Craig Conlin, will be known as “Bradman of the Bush” until next year.
GRAND PRIX: Sunraysia motor racing fans will have two special drivers to cheer when the Melbourne Grand Prix cars rev up this weekend. Todd Kelly, 16, will be in action in his Formula Ford, while former Robinvale girl and now Australia’s No.2 amateur golfer, Kate McIntosh, will compete in the celebrity race.
