July 11-17, 2021
Presented by Mildura & District Historical Society
Compiled by Judi Hyde for Mildura Rural City Council Service
100 years ago
PEOPLE: Sixty years ago the most tragic exploration in the history of discovery was the Burke and Wills expedition. Each met his end unflinchingly, showing courage in not only entering on such a hazardous undertaking but facing the inevitable when, owing to misunderstanding and mismanagement, their deaths became merely a matter of time. It was successful as the leaders traversed the continent from south to north and only failed to return because of the miscarriage of plans to supply them with sufficient provisions to last them throughout the journey home. Mr G. Gregory made solid contributions to Mildura from 1889 when he settled here. He was responsible for the building of many of the town’s most imposing buildings. A native of London, brought up in the building trade, he studied mechanics, science and machine design in the evenings at the City and Guilds of London Technical College under Professor J. Kelly. Aged 26 he decided to try his luck on the other side of the world in Australia, visiting Tasmania and New Zealand on the way and travelling Victoria for two years before settling here. Arriving here, he decided when in Rome to do as the Romans do so he bought land at Nichol’s Point in 1894 in the middle of the settlements very worst period. He engaged in potato-growing and market-gardening while his fruit trees came into bearing and during low rivers he was the sole supply for the Mildura people. Then dried apricots were selling for as little as 2½ pence per pound, lexias 3½ pence a pound. In 1902 he bought a property in Irymple Ave and Fifth St which had been abandoned by its owner from the mortgagee. Here he grew corn and fodder crops to feed more than three cows to the acre. He was chairman of the State Rivers and Waters Supply and an extensive breeder of poultry, hatching over a thousand birds in a season, his library has books on poetry, biography, sociology, economics, politics, botany, chemistry, geology, optics, bacteriology, physiology, hygiene, physics, engineering, building construction and a dozen other subjects. (12.7.1921)
SAWMILL: The founder of the Mildura Sawmill, was Mr G.H. Risbey, the uncle of Mr S. Risbey senior of the well-known trading firm who was formerly the proprietor of sawmills on the Murrumbidgee River who was familiar with the site of the future Mildura which he passed constantly in his journeys down the river with timber. When the Chaffeys came to Mildura he recognised that a sawmill would be a necessary part of the life of the new settlement. On the mill’s completion Messrs Byson and Goodiger were managers of it for some time, then Mr S. Risbey was sent from the Narrandera Mill to take charge. The growing settlement put heavy demands on the mill which was kept working at full pressure to supply building materials for the town that sprang up in the first year or two. The very beautiful picked Murray pine with which whole rooms are panelled with in Mr W.B. Chaffey’s home Rio Vista were cut at the Murrumbidgee mills and brought to Mildura by river to be “dressed”. Among other homes here whose interiors were panelled with the now seldom seen timber were the house in 11th St built for Mr G. Chaffey, (designed by Mr D. Edmunds), Mr Levien’s home in Cowra Ave and two rooms in Mr G. Risbey’s home now absorbed into the offices of the Co-operative Fruit Company. About 10 years ago the mill was sold by Mr Risbey to Messrs Elliot and Anderson, by them the original steam engine and boiler were replaced by large engines bought up from the old copper and gold mine, Reedy Creek, South Australia. The only timber now cut at the Mildura mill is red-gum and the demand is still so constant that no stock is kept on hand. (13.7.1921)
NEWS: A series of tests are being carried out to find a new fuel by the Imperial Motor Co. in London — a sub-committee is collating opinions as to the use of alcohol as fuel. Captain Amundsen has arrived at Nome in Alaska, to make arrangements to drift towards the North Pole. Mr Churchill said the proposed wireless circulation of news within the Empire that there is no doubt that the American press with its 100 million readers was collecting news on a vast scale and could afford to dump news in other English-speaking countries. Mrs Hughes, wife of the Prime Minister, praised Australia as a happy land for women workers particularly domestics — there is a demand for the right stamp of women — experienced domestic servants wages are as high as 35 shillings a week. Having the water now laid on in the Merbein township the property owners need no longer to pay the very high premiums demanded by fire insurance companies, all that is needed is the creation of a volunteer Fire Brigade. Mr Hodgson’s Store at Merbein has now been purchased by Messrs R.M. Black & Co. Mr F. Claringbull, the newly elected school-master at Red Cliffs, states that there are now 32 children on the roll and 36 to 40 plus living out in the direction of the pumps that cannot as yet get to school. A six-cylinder Buick turning left into Deakin Ave from 8th St, driven by Mr W. Sawyer, accidentally hit Mrs Topp (of the boarding house) as she crossed Deakin Ave. The pedestrians crossing made way for the tooting car but Mrs Topp turned to talk to her daughter as they crossed between the peppercorn trees and was struck by the car’s mudguard — she was helped into Keam’s cafe after the car’s wheel ran over her legs, attaining only bruising. The four children (2 to 6 years old) being treated for diphtheria in a tent at the rear of the Renmark Hospital were rescued from the burning tent that had caught on fire — a candle had been left alight, standing in a jar on the table — none survived. Tales are told of a monster seen in Lake Hawthorn which is particularly partial to dogs as a diet. It is assumed by Sunraysia Daily it is either a crockogator or an allidile. A police inspector motoring here from Broken Hill thought they saw a large log floating in the flood waters of the Tallyawalka, they are now certain it was a crocodile that had drifted down from the McIntyre River in Queensland. (12/16.7.1921)
75 years ago:
ENGLAND: The country has been called a great imperialistic country. To the Scottish, Irish and Welsh, Britain’s imperialism has been more accidental than designed as there have been numerous instances in history when some Englishman, planning the enlargement of the King or Queen’s domain, had his hands sharply slapped by the Government of the day and England had cause to hang onto the slices of the world that came by treaty, conquest or discovery as much more of the world would be coloured red today. Since coming of age, Princess Elizabeth has gradually shouldered some of the engagements her mother would have otherwise undertaken. In a business-like way she keeps her appointment book with engagements for months ahead. Two ladies-in-waiting, both close to the Princess’s own age, take turn abouts alternate months to be her companion and secretary — the morning mail keeps both busy until about lunchtime. Queen Victoria’s training for queenship was severe, since then Princess Elizabeth has the advantage of a happy home life with parents young in spirit and years and a sister for a companionable playmate who was spirited and mischievous enough to off-set the seriousness of royal life. Princess Margaret still studies with their Scotch governess while the Princess keeps in touch with her tutor and reads her subjects keenly, under his direction she has followed the English constitutional subject keenly from Saxon times to today. The girls have been taught German and French fluently by tutors who speak their native languages. Recently over a third of the 3000 men present wore lounge suits at the first “free and easy” royal garden party at Buckingham Palace — men wore grey toppers, lavender waistcoats, gloves, furled silk umbrella but there were enough bowlers to produce a vicarage fete atmosphere. (11.7.1946)
OVERSEAS: Russia is claiming 2,500,000,000 pounds in reparations from Germany — a staggering amount. Arrests have revealed a vast plot to spread communism which was hatched by a group of young intellectuals headed by Henry Curiel, a wealthy Jew to undermine the British-Egyptian negotiations. It is reported that the Nazis planned to attack New York and other cities with a supersonic bomber capable of an altitude of 154 miles — when it was completed. (13/16.7.1946)
NEWS: Long awaited by a legion of riders, the post-war ranges of motor-cycles are making a belated appearance as manufacturers are releasing new models — the AJS factory has delivered a consignment of small machines including a 3 ½ hp model that is impressive with its steering and road-holding which is contributed to its teledraulic front forks. Boys weighing 8 or more stone or over 5ft will now receive 25 coupons and girls over 7 stone or over 5 ft will receive 15 coupons for “outsize” children. When the Matson liner Mariposa berthed in Sydney, American Custom Officials raided the ship and passenger’s luggage for smuggled goods especially cigarettes. As hundreds of people scurried along the main concourse of Spencer St Station in Melbourne around 9 a.m. a warder from Pentridge Gaol fired four shots at an escaping prisoner who jumped off a moving train leaving No 1 platform. As a large area in this district is to be set aside, the members of the Coomealla Progress Association is to assist the return soldiers to settle in. The Murray River traffic this week will be the heaviest for the year as 87 tourists will arrive by that mode of travel — the Gem can accommodate 50 passengers and the Marion 37. The photograph in the Sunraysia Daily shows 5 generations of the Seward family including the Brown and Murnane descendants. Mr G Seward, born in Hindmarsh, S.A. in 1854, arrived here aged 10 and his parents took up land in Wentworth, in his twenties he took up land where the Chaffeys were founding a town called Mildura and he ploughed the first irrigation channel. He later took over the punt until the bridge was built 20 years later. (12/16.7.1946)
50 years ago
MARRIAGE: A Sunraysia Methodist minister has suggested that a betrothal system could improve Western society’s ways of courtship and marriage. He said surveys showed that 1 in 10 ended in divorce, 3 out of 10 were happy and the rest were probably swinging, that Western society’s system of courtship failed to give young people adequate preparation for marriage. A betrothal would be a time when a young couple could learn about each other and become deeply involved both mentally and physically as they would live with their own parents but spend time at each other’s homes, study, read, listen to music, be on their own and grow to know each other deeply — a better method of courtship. (12.7.1971)
ITEMS: The fox’s renown cunning cannot match that of the outback graziers seeking to earn a few dollars. The foxes are shot or trapped and their pelts sent to Melbourne for an average price of $3 — prime ones $6. Some farmers have been “whistling up” or trapping as many as 15 foxes in 4 hours with whistles made from beer cans, condensed milk tins, and jam tins by bending over a piece of metal, making a nail-hole and blowing into the hole making a sound that sounds like a rabbit squealing. A videotaped replay of football for television is usually done with a machine costing $80,000. Now STV8, Mildura, produced a replay of Saturday’s game by adapting a machine costing $1000. A survey of schools in the Mildura inspectorate has shown that 500 students out of a total 8532 are living with only one parent, 255 because of bereavement and 303 because of broken marriages. One local house-wife thought her husband’s behaviour was so much like the Andy Capp cartoon character and far from being an isolated example she now has very original wall-paper of Andy in the home. (12/14.7.1971)
WATER: An old river barge used on the Murray River many years for carrying cargo, mainly wool up and down river has been lying in several feet of water near the Merbein Pumps. It will hopefully be refloated and towed upstream to Swan Hill. Water coursed 2 ½ miles from the Murray River to a Colignan irrigation project for the first time — it will grow citrus, grapes and vegetables. The project hopes to expand to cover 1000 acres. Work on the new Gol Gol Public School began with the demolition of an old house on the site — the new school including a kindergarten will cost $146,000. Betsy and Blackie, the two female kangaroos who have lived on Lock Island for 3 years will be offered to a fauna park at Wentworth because of complaints they had attacked children — “they have always been keen to get a biscuit or other scraps from adults, children offering food should have been supervised” said the Lockmaster, as Betsy and Blackie are very popular with tourists.
25 years ago
ARMED: The Victorian Field and Game Association announced it will direct its members to defy State Police Minister Bill McGrath and not surrender their self-loading shotguns if magazine crimping is not adopted. In good faith, two possible solutions were developed and put forward to support crimping. The future resting place of Australia’s most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly, is under a cloud as a result of a shake-up of Victoria’s prison system. The remains of Kelly and about 130 other criminals who were hanged and buried between the 1840s and the 1930s in an area about 20 x 30 metres that were exhumed at the Old Melbourne Gaol and re-buried at Pentridge — options are being canvassed including setting aside the burial area with a plaque or setting up a memorial elsewhere on the site. (12.7.1996)
WATER: As part of the activities’ commemoration of the 1956 floods along the Murray and Darling rivers, Mildura and Red Cliffs will be holding sandbagging competitions — the aim is to build a wall of sandbags with two rows of five bags, then four bags, three bags, two bags then one on top — 20 in all in the fastest time. Mildura Lower Murray Water chief executive Brian Grogan said that people will still be able to get enough water from a tap for drinking while a restrictor valve is being fitted instead of a meter. He said there are those who pay the water bill when it comes in, those who pay a bit later, some who won’t pay until they are made to and those who don’t believe in paying. (11/12.7.1996)
FELINE: Tessa the cat dines at the table with her owners with a fork and spoon and a little help from some Velcro. Mrs Murrell used patience and tender loving care during the nine months it took to teach her three-year-old Himalayan to eat with her and her husband after their children left home. At 6 p.m. she dips Tessa’s paws in a small wash bowl, outfits her with a Velcro wrist strap to hold the fork or spoon in place. Tessa does the rest, she climbs onto her favourite chair and shovels in the cat food. Mr Murrell didn’t think she could do it but after seeing this he believes his wife can teach these cats just about anything. (12.7.1996)
