Presented by Mildura & District Historical Society
Compiled by Judi Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Service.
100 YEARS AGO
LAKE HAWTHORN: Revisiting Mildura, I travelled to Lake Hawthorn, gaining admission through an imposing entrance — handsome iron gates swung on concrete pillars — I passed along a winding avenue of many varieties of trees and palms bordered with flowering bushes of many kinds man had accorded nature in beautifying this already beautiful spot. Fringing the lake edge bending over as if to thank the water were basket willows. Behind the line of willows were masses of pine, palm and fir mingled with wattle, kurrajong and gum – it was a sylvan paradise. a place of bounteous shade for the many picnickers encamped beneath them. Nor were there wanting of handsome flowering shrubs to enhance their perfume and in a hidden cove fringed with arums the water was almost hidden by the water-lillies. On top of a plateau overlooking the water, lawns were watered by moveable motor pumps. This was a natural grandstand from which to view the aquatic events for it was Mildura’s carnival day, swings, slides and a playground of clean sand. Half-hidden among the shrubs I saw a number of buildings, each flying its own flag, the Rowing Club, the Lake Swimming Club, the Canadian and Rob Roy canoe clubs and the Sailing Club. But the dream fades and I am faced with reality — nature has done her share, but what of our part? The lake’s outlet still remains a mud-bank though gates set in concrete have been purchased and a quantity of water is permitted to escape. Although it is under the control of the council, representatives of interested bodies should have the power to raise funds for a work that would fittingly crown that of the founders of Mildura. (21.3.1921)
ITEMS: A free lending library has been presented to the Red Cliffs settlement in the Recreation Hall — 121 well-selected volumes covering a range of authors and subjects will be available.
In conformity with the Empire-wide arrangement adopted on the suggestion of the Earl of Meath, under which the birthday of the late Queen Victoria is celebrated as Empire Day, functions were held at schools on the 24th March.
A new post office to be built at Merbein has been allotted 1900 pounds although Irymple Post office has had 3000 pounds allotted by the Postmaster-General. Merbein is a larger distributing centre and the new telephone service would greatly increase the business. Now that water has been laid on in Merbein township, Mr Donaldson suggested that the Lands Department be approached to adopt the suggestion to ask for a site close to the new post office.
It has been suggested by Mr T. Wescombe, who has financial success in vegetable growing, suggests that a weekly market be set up in Mildura, bi-weekly stalls are doing a trade so large that they find it difficult at times coping with it. “A hare-brained scheme” and “Everybody knows that growing greens don’t pay” growled two townies — neither of them knew how to grow chickweed. (21-24.3.1921)
OUYEN: The Ouyen Agricultural and Pastoral Society is almost as remarkable in its rapid growth as is the development of the wonderful district whose produce it displays. From its very beginnings Ouyen has been exceptionally fortunate in the possession of enterprising residents who were not afraid to take a risk for the benefit of their town and district. As long ago as 1913, when Ouyen district had scarcely emerged from its swaddling clothes, there was a plucky group of men to draw up a schedule for the Ouyen Show. Ouyen’s population was then 500 people. Visitors came from Maryborough, Birchip and St Arnaud. A new post office is to be erected from today on the corner of Oke and Pickering streets. It is a brick one-storey with iron roof, a strong-room, mail room and telephone room divided by a wood and glass partition. The Ouyen Hotel owner and licensee was recently offered 5000 pounds more than he paid only a few months ago for the hotel, or approximately 22,000 pounds by the former owner and licensee, Mr Brown but he declined the offer and he is contemplating the erection of 20 additional rooms to cope with the growing demand for accommodation. Mr Parer, if successful, will erect an up-to-date hotel there also. (22-25.3.1921)
75 YEARS AGO
VISIT: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will make their twice-postponed and long-awaited visit to Mildura, Red Cliffs and Merbein today. The Royal party will be welcomed by the Mayor (Cr C. Henderson) and Shire President (Cr D. Walters) and other municipal officers. They will drive to Henderson Park where thousands of children from district school and district residents will accord them a tumultuous welcome. At Red Cliffs the Duke and Duchess will be able to gauge the numerical strength of returned personnel from both wars and children from the local schools in that area. They will then arrive at Kenny Park, Merbein, the car will halt at the first diagonal path to the Rotunda along which local Scouts, Cubs, Guides and Brownies will form a guard of honour with children from schools in that area attending. Interested in agriculture before he came to Australia as Governor-General, the Duke is to become a farmer at Yarralumla, his Canberra residence. The Duke, like his brother the King, also selected a Scottish lady to be his wife. When they left Sunraysia they not only took with them a thorough knowledge of how dried fruits captured compressed sunlight for the Mother Country but they won the allegiance of every responsible citizen and the love of thousands of school children. (22.3.1946)
NEWS: The Department of Civil Aviation has now resumed control of many aeradio stations staffed by the RAAF during the war including Darwin, Port Moresby and the flying boat base at Karumba in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The British authorities at Hamburg have revealed that Rudolf Hoess, former commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp, has signed a confession stating he arranged for the gassing of 2 million people from June 1941 to the end of 1943. The arrival of the Shell tanker Cliona in Sydney has written the end to a graphic chapter in the story of Australia’s role in the Pacific war. Since industry, motor transport is so dependent upon a plentiful supply of oil and its deprival petrol. Late in 1941 when, with the Japs over-running Borneo, Army engineers worked frantically to put out of action the Shell oilfields and destroy that which represented the work and engineering skill of the years since 1909. Four years later Australians were forced to fight again on Borneo soil but in 1945 retribution came quickly for the Japs with the recapture of Seria and Miri, the Australians then had to put out the oilfields that were blazing infernos on Borneo that the Japanese had set alight. (21-22.3.1946)
LETTER: Flight Sergeant D.A. Hollis wrote to his parents in Merbein, giving some impressions of Japan when on a flight there in February. Laoog, in the northern part of Luzon, is described as a typical native city with its markets. Pigs walk through the streets unmolested and one thing that amazed him, he said, was the number of women who smoked cigars — and long at that. He bought one and it was over 10 inches long. They landed at Kanoya and it felt really cold because the buildings we were in were once the Japanese naval barracks. There is not much left, only one or two big buildings of reinforced concrete still standing, even the trees on the hillsides are burnt and seared — the whole city gone. Osaka is bigger than Melbourne, there we stayed at the American officers’ club, it was once the best hotel in the city. The Yanks certainly have made themselves comfortable with Japanese servants, call boys and shoeshine boys running everywhere. (21.3.1946)
50 YEARS AGO
ITEMS: Army-style Bailey bridges have been built by the New South Wales Department of Main Roads on the Silver City Highway to beat floodwaters.
Mildura households will receive their milk in plastic 1 and 2 pint bags instead of the conventional glass bottles next month. Weir’s dairy spokesman said then there won’t be the problem of broken glass. (23.3.1971)
NEWS: Miss Barbie Cornell, a third form student, has won the first scholarship in a series planned for deaf children in Sunraysia. She is also one of 120 children in the district who are thought to suffer from some degree of deafness -two boarded at the Princess Elizabeth Kindergarten in Melbourne, they now study locally.
Mildura Young Farmers Club paddled from Karadoc to Mildura to raise money for aged care here. The 24 young farmers covered 17 miles on Saturday and camped at Trentham then paddled the last 17 miles on Sunday, adding another $50 towards a hydraulic wheelchair. They were sponsored 10c per mile and had $135 left to go, having already raised $520 need to purchase the chair. (23.3.1971)
PIGS: The Commission of Public Health received reports of pigs wallowing in the Murray River at Boundary Bend. There were about 500 pigs on the property which has river frontage. The owners were asked for the safety of the town’s water supply to fence the frontage. The pigs are restricted immediately from bathing. (25.3.1971)
25 YEARS AGO
CEMETERY: Pet owners may be able to bury their animals at Wentworth Shire cemeteries under a new proposal. Council agreed in principle to establish a pet cemetery within Gol Gol and Dareton cemeteries. Councillor R. McKenzie said that the idea was not silly and would be popular with residents who wanted to bury their pets with dignity and there were people who regarded their pets as “their best friends”. (21.3.1996)
AIRPORT: The $2.4 million capital works program to extend the Mildura Airport runway began yesterday and hopes to be finished in July this year. It will enable 737-300 series planes to land here. These planes carry 150 people. The runway will be extended from 1479 metres to 1830 metres in length and will provide a strengthened bituminous concrete overlay to the existing section runway, taxiways and apron area. (21.3.1996)
EVENTS: It was the spectacle the town of Robinvale awaited for in earnest and the night did not fail to deliver. An audience of 1000 music lovers enjoyed the Mallee Sunset Music by the Murray along the riverbank. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir William Southgate joined with Roger Lemke and Suzanne Johnston to captivate the audience and the concert unfolded into a memorable experience for all.
A 47-year-old man on his way to Queensland had to reschedule his journey when his 1988 Porsche model 9445, valued at $60,000, caught fire approximately 30km from Gol Gol. He noticed smoke emerging from the vehicle’s bonnet along with what appeared to be leaking fuel. (21.3.1996)
