PEEPS IN THE PAST
May 30 to June 5. Presented by Mildura & District Historical Society. Compiled by Judi Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Service
100 YEARS AGO
MERBEIN: At the suggestion of Mr E.J. Kenny, through Cr A. Chislett, the naming of Merbein streets and avenues in the area was drawn up to be submitted to the Shire Council to be approved. Some of the streets listed were: Commercial Street, from Mansell’s property on the east to the main west channel; Chaffey Avenue, a continuation of Commercial Street from Mansell’s corner to the winery; Edwards Avenue, from the road known as Pump Hill to the intersection of Chaffey Avenue; Station Street, from Edwards Avenue following the main channel through the township along the road known as Yelta Road to the south of Commercial Street. The list includes Church, Bruce, Distillery, Kenny, Fisher, Cedar, Bell, Park, Davis and Brind. The ANA had its official opening of the charter at Merbein. The Lake School students assisted in the first Arbour Day of the Lake Swimming Club – they planted donated shrubs to beautify the area of the designed layout of the club area. There was collision between a jinker driven by Mr F. Camin and a car that Mr H. Crosier was a passenger in, two miles from Merbein. The car’s steering broke, the gig capsized into the muddy road. Mr A. Tyers was driving a double-seated car along 10th Street towards Merbein, his wife, a friend and cousin Lyla were in the back seat when a gig came out of Pine Avenue near the Catholic Church, the shaft of the vehicle caught the back corner of the motor car, tore Miss Tyers’ side — she was rushed to Dr Henderson’s, then to the hospital, she did not survive.
HOME: In the search for the ideal home, Wyola, in Sandalong Avenue, Irymple, is such a house. Carefully thought out in every detail, with utility in every area. There is a bamboo and creeper-shaded pergola and along the entire length of the other end of the house a broad wired in verandah sleepout. The doors also lead into this are glass-panelled adding much to the lightness of the big room within. The house is easily aired when all three doors are opened to allow the breeze to blow away the sultriness of a breathless summer day. The big room is panelled with hoop pine set in red pine. Jutting out and breaking up the length of the room as well as lining it are well filled bookcases of polished mahogany — a deep window seat fills almost the whole of one end of the room and a wide brick fireplace with a cosy corner and more bookshelves either side. Rugs partly cover the Tasmanian hardwood floor, a big Chesterfield, cosy armchairs, rare old china and a grand piano, curios and a cool storage cellar are some of the rooms described.
NEWS: Owners of chemist shops in the USA all have fat bank accounts, roll to and fro from their places of business in Rolls-Royces and really lead the “life of Riley”. Not only do they make several hundred per cent profit on the drugs and percent medicines they dispense and on a thousand and one other things, they sell from cigars to umbrellas and make-up stock. Since the Prohibition Enforcement Act doctors have discovered it is precisely the inhibited morals-slaying ardent spirits which Bill the bar-keeper used to mingle with such skill that have been most beneficial to their clients. The Prohibition Office in Washington found that 45,000 physicians found brandy and whisky absolutely essential to the recovery of patients last year. The Soldiers’ Inquiry Board, Messrs C. Weir, L. Sharp, and E. Kenny dealt with application for 12 blocks at Red Cliffs from the 67 applicants the successful soldiers were: T. McGowan, L. Westhead, F. Gribble, F. Jenkins, E. Herbert, H. Robinson, W. Skelton, C. Richards, D. Baxter, D. Bett, W. Shule and E. Hodgson. The promised telephone from Ouyen to Kulwin is to proceed via Nandaly — the cost is 500 pounds. The war trophies allotted to Mildura from the Victorian Trophy Commission are one gun and two machine guns in addition to the gun already allotted. A road colour scheme for country roads is proving to be of great interest as in Canada, where they mark the roads so a child who is not colour-blind can find his way across long stretches of roads. The method is to choose a colour for a route from one town to another and at intervals and at crossings paint the posts of the fence or telegraph poles with the colour decided for the route making it easy for directions – e.g. “Follow the Red route” or “Follow the Blue till you come to the Yellow then branch off and Follow the Yellow posts.”
75 YEARS AGO
VEHICLES: An ordinary little motor vehicle, which was designed for war work and put into partial production by the Directorate of Mechanism and the Standard Motor Co just before the war ended, is claimed to “out-jeep” the Jeep in its performance. Officially known as the “JAB”, which stands for Jungle Airborne Buggy, the little army vehicle (7ft) can carry four, the 1021cc engine develops 22bhp at 3500rph. It can do everything except talk but the war finished before it could go into production. The first postwar model of the Lea-Francis, complete with English bodywork, has landed in Melbourne. It incorporates many refinements from the factory’s wartime experience in construction of aircraft and components — a high performance for the 14 horsepower four-cylinder engine (1767cc) with twin overhead valves and special hemispherical combustion chambers, five-passenger seating and is extremely light.
ITEMS: The chairman of the Soldier Settlement Commission said that the dried vine fruit quota of 1500 acres for Victoria would enable 75 ex-servicemen to be settled in the Murray River districts. Captain Gould advises that rifles of former VDC members are at present in the ordinance store — certain information is required. Where they are only required for destruction of dingoes and other vermin they will need a police permit. The Mildura Free Kindergarten will be open in the mornings for free kindergarten and in the afternoons for the parents to use the grounds with their children from 2 to 4 pm. There is no better indication of the remarkable rise in prices than the cost of present-day meals in Melbourne. Not so long ago there were several restaurants in Russell St labelled “Best 3-course 1 shilling meals, another the best at 8 pence and another at 9 pence. The price of the 1 shilling has gone up to 1 shilling and 9 pence and the 8 and 9 pence meals to 1 shilling and 3 pence.
NEWS: From Monday Banks will revert to 3pm closing from the 2pm closing they had as a war measure to conserve manpower. The general manager of the Textile Workers’ Union said that workers were generally at their machines promptly at starting time but owing to fatigue of operators the output from machines fell off towards the end of the day — in support of bringing in a 40-hour case to the Full Arbitration Court before Judge Drake-Brockman. Also in the Arbitration Court Judge Kelly adjourned an application for certification of an agreement under which 10,000 State Government employees would work a 40-hour week from July 1. Hundreds of employees have been stood down because of the lack of coal and more firms will have to close if there is any further delay. Coal is being rushed by express freight trains to country depots after the general strike threat withdrawal following discussions with The Prime Minister Mr Chifley and a conference of the mineral leaders is to be held. It is hoped to nationalise mines and secure improvements and miners’ conditions to attract labor and establish new industries in the coalfields.
50 YEARS AGO
COUNCIL: Mildura City Council wants to honour the men from here who served in Vietnam — each man will receive a plaque of the city’s seal mounted on red gum. So far they have the names C. Carter, D. Heley, R. Renfrey, P. Young, H. Willis, E. Porter, H. Warner and N. Saunders, they would like details of any other men who served. A natural parkland with ponds, waterfalls and sculptures has been suggested for the riverfront between Rio Vista and Lock Island. The Mildura Council will ask Mr Tom McCullough to submit ideas gathered from his overseas trip which might help develop the barren area into a beautiful and unique open-air park. Works of art from the 19th century (1820) have been secured for the Arts Centre at a Melbourne auction. Some of the works are well known Australian artists including S.T. Gill, four from Germany and depicting Australian Aborigines and 10 lithographs and engravings.
SINS: We have different sins from the 70s. Different from what? From Victorian Christianity? From medieval Christianity or primitive, or from them all. The presence in human life of the heterogeneous collection of thoughts, feelings, decisions, actions and omissions which Christianity has labelled “sins” is not the least bit different. Men run off with other men’s wives in the 20th century as they did in the first century. Thousands were massacred on St Bartholomews’s Day in 1572, ordered by Catherine Medici, but Dresden and Hiroshima remind us that we have not forgotten how to slaughter.
NEWS: A meeting has been called by RYE Promotions to discuss whether the Ballerina ballroom will re-open for Saturday night dances. All music groups and interested people have been asked to attend the meeting called by Mildura dance promoter, Mr G. Evans to seek answers why dance attendance have dropped from 700 to 15 people in 2 years. A lot of teenagers want the dance to re-open with all modern music and the restrictions on dress revisited. A bouquet of green and white feathers tied with streamers of snow-white satin ribbons and surrounded by frangipani was carried by Miss Patricia Wilson on her wedding day. Her attendants carried posies of glowing purple finished with green satin ribbon against their lime green frocks. Mildura Council will not be making special flower beds for visiting service clubs in future — it cost about $260 to make a Rotary wheel in Deakin Avenue plantation for a recent conference and Cr Mills said the cost was probably nearer $1000 — it takes a helicopter to view it properly. The flowers last about six weeks. Sunraysia secondary school Year 12 music students are preparing for their graded performances. Members of the public are invited to join them at the Arts Centre for solo performances. The students will then take part in a workshop run by Hey Hey It’s Saturday trumpeter, David Newdick.
25 YEARS AGO
ITEMS: The opening of a native tree reserve which showcases 100 varieties of Mallee flora was attended by over 120 Victorian members of the Society for Growing Australian Native Plants (SGAP) for the opening of the Ivan George Mallee Garden in Cureton Ave near Apex Park. Sunraysia citrus is likely to be among shipments for consumption at the Atlanta Olympics. Riversun’s American importer, DNE World Fruit Sales is planning a major promotional campaign to coincide with the arrival of the citrus at the Olympics. Hundreds of people risk losing their money on tax-driven schemes run by unscrupulous people heading up shonky companies, warned the Australian Securities Commission Victorian Commissioner Bernie Mithen.
PROPERTIES: Work has started on the demolition of the Mediterranean Motor Inn with the front section to be demolished on Sunday. No plans have been released although it is understood that at the rear a three-storey section will be re-developed as holiday or accommodation units. A Neds Corner property owner has been forced to revegetate a large area of land following an investigation by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources after more than 1000 hectares of native vegetation was cleared without a permit.
PEOPLE: Mildura Senior College biology and environmental students attended a lecture recently studying the flora and fauns of the Antarctica. Mr A. Palmer from the 60 Degree South Company spent several months with the Australian Antarctic Expeditions. He is now a tour leader verifying Antarctica as being the coldest, windiest and driest place on earth. Students are now discussing Antarctica issues with students from Japan and Argentina- shown is Rebecca Cinace in clothing used there. Mrs Bessie Morris, Merbein, celebrated her 100th birthday. When the possibility of a letter from the Queen was mentioned, she said “I don’t know the girl (the Queen) and the girl doesn’t know me- besides she has enough troubles of her own at the moment”. Many of her five children, 18 grandchildren, 39 grandchildren and great-grandchildren celebrated with her. Mildura’s Mr and Mrs Pascale are shown with their Tarantella group, which was formed nearly 20 years ago. Italian Republic Day celebrations will take place of Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of a republic. Celebrations will start with Italian Mass which will include singing from the Italian Choir.
