July 18-24, 2021
Presented by Mildura and District Historical Society
Compiled by Ann Ziguras for Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.
Today’s Slogan: One hundred per cent! You should seek to get the optimum of power per unit of fuel energy from your engine. If your punch registers low and your force fails to “get there,” find out why. It is probably being short-circuited somewhere and is draining uselessly away. The sceptre slips from the palsied hand. The dodderer spills his soup on his beard. Age has excuse for faltering, but a man in his prime has none. Do you rise too late or retire too early, talk too much or think too little? You cannot fumble and foozle and fool and hope to win, for thus you give points to your opponent. Keep yourself keyed up from the first stroke to the last.
100 years ago
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: France has addressed strong representations to Germany in regard to the threatening attitude of the Germans in Upper Silesia, France … A Greek communique dated July 17 claims that, after a general engagement the Greek troops have captured the enemy’s prepared lines. Germany has begun to flood Switzerland and other neutral countries with very expensive propaganda in both book and pamphlet form. Australians, Beach and Todd, won the Canadian Open Doubles Championship today, defeating Bennett and Holmes 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. (19.7.1921)
LOCAL NEWS: The Irymple South state school will re-open on Thursday, after being closed for five weeks, owing to the diphtheria epidemic. The water-supply scheme for the recreation-ground at Mildura will shortly be completed. Mr Brown-Parker, manager of the Arcadia Stadium, was in Renmark on Friday and Saturday and arranged with Mr Lucas of Arcadia a boxing event in Mildura. On Friday night last week Merbein Rovers Football Club held the most successful dance of the season, more than fifty couples being present. On Friday night next the Merbein Band intend holding another of their series of dances in aid of the band funds. In reading the interests of Sunraysia historical research, Sunraysia Daily has asked Mrs Grace of Tara Downs, Wentworth, to receive from persons any relevant historical documents. Norman Frederick Smith, a young man, was charged at the Mildura police-court on Thursday morning, for travelling without a ticket and accordingly received three days’ free board. The gold city of Bendigo celebrated its fifty years jubilee today. The town was created on April 24, and was proclaimed a city on September 11, 1863. Sixty-three Women’s Footballers Clubs have been formed in Brisbane with 200 players. Three other clubs are in the course of formation. Ladies and Gents golf competitions against bogey were held last Wednesday on the Donald Links for trophies donated by Messrs Hall and Fowler. The Royal Comedy Company will open a two nights’ season at the Town Hall Mildura, on Wednesday and Thursday July 27 and 28. In Sunraysia Daily June 26 Frank Reid speaks of the cause of the decrease in the number of blacks in Victoria. “Australia has not much reason to feel proud of the treatment that some of the early settlers meted out to the aborigines”. (23.7.1921)
PAINLESS SURGERY: A patient suffering from appendicitis, who was operated on at the hospital at Galt Ontaria, chatted with the surgeon during the operation. The condition of the man was such that a general anaesthetic could not be administered. Dr. H.F. Mackendrick the surgeon therefore applied a local anaesthetic and removed the appendix. The patient, when the operation was completed, asked to be allowed to see the incision the surgeon’s knife had made. He sat up on the operating table and viewed it. Then he lay back and asked for a cigarette. (20.7.1921)
75 years ago
WAR MEMORIAL: The allocation of £15,000 to help reconstruction of the Australian War Memorial at Villers-Brettoneux was decided upon by Federal Cabinet today. The Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) said the memorial had been extensively damaged by shell fire and vandalism. The remainder of the cost would be borne by the Imperial War Graves Commission. (18.7.1946)
GREECE TRIBUTE: Today at a simple, impressive ceremony at Parliament House, Greece paid a unique tribute to Australia in recognition of the sacrifice of Australians who died on her soil. An ancient Greek urn, containing soil from the graves of Australians who died in Greece, was presented to Mr Chifley. Mr A. Stratigos, vice-president of the Australian Greek League of Athens, who came from Greece specifically to make the presentation, told the Prime Minister that this was the first time in the history of Greece that she had presented Greek soil to a foreign country. (20.7.1946)
RABBITS AND OPALS: What is believed may prove to be Australia’s richest opal field was discovered recently by an aborigine named Mompey about eight miles from Coober Pedy. Since the original find of a piece of opal, which had been scratched up by a rabbit, about £16,000 worth of opals have been discovered by a small group of whites and aboriginals who are sharing equally in the finds. The first announcement in Melbourne of the discovery was made by Mr Oswald Grayson, of Heidelberg, a tailor who undertook to map unknown parts of the Musgrave Ranges while on holiday. Mr Grayson returned a few days ago and said he had made a number of exploration trips to the Northern Territory.
50 years ago
ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE: The Harcourt Gymkhana has raised $17,782 for the NSW division of the Royal Flying Doctor Service during the past 10 years. The gymkhana will be on again this year on August 28 at Harcourt, a property north of Pooncarie. People will get the annual array of horse events, dancing and barbecues by air and road. The airstrip usually has 14 planes on it at gymkhana time. Harcourt’s owner, Mr W. A. (“Nugget”) Smith expects 600 people from Broken Hill, Menindee, Mildura, Irymple, Ivanhoe and Melbourne to attend. The gymkhana has become so well-known many people coincide their holiday jaunts with the date. “We had a cosmopolitan bunch here last year – an American, South African and a lot of Australians,” Mr Smith said. “My wife, Aileen, had the idea of a gymkhana some years ago and a lot of people have pitched in to help since. This year 28 horses will be coming from Mildura. We will have trots for the first time. They will compete over five furlongs. We might be able to make the circuit bigger for them later. Station men are preparing gallopers for the Flying Doctor Handicap. A flying doctor will be in attendance.” (19.7.1971)
TOPSY-TURVEY FOOTBALL: Karween-Karrawinna, in a game of changing fortunes, finally ran out victors over Cardross on Saturday. By defeating Cardross, Karween-Karrawinna boosted their hopes of playing off in the Millewa League’s semi-final. Cardross, the team that easily defeated Werrimull the previous week, started the game off well, but could not hold off a determined Karween-Karawinna team. As expected, South Merbein went down to top-side Bambill. Bambill defeated South by 42 points. Peter Scott, Michael Knights and Michael Dunne lefted Bambill, and with Les Innes winning in the centre, South Merbein could not get any lucky breaks. After a slow start and a scoreless quarter, Werrimull fought back to match victory by two points from Meringur. Meringur led for most of the match. Meringur’s captain and coach Tom Shrubsoles was in top form. Shrubsoles won many kicks across the centre to repeatedly send his team forward. Werrimull’s full forward, Geoff Cameron played a good game and made the most of his opportunities to finish the day with five goals. Woolford, Max Arney and Wal Smith really started burning in the last quarter to put Werrimull in front. The match of the round on Saturday will be the Werrimull/Karween-Karawinna clash. The winner of this game will hold second position on the Millewa League ladder. Werrimull should win the game. Bambill will end Meringur’s final hopes, and Cardross looks too strong for South Merbein. (20.7.1971)
BRILLIANT TENNIS: Kevin Arney won the men’s singles championship in the Sunraysia Tennis Championships played over the weekend. Arney defeated John Prescott 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Prescott played well, making good use of a chip-shot to Arney’s backhand. Arney won the match mainly through his brilliant recovery shots. Many points that Prescott appeared to have won were turned to Arney’s favour with his never-die tactics. In the women’s singles championship, Joy Thomas defeated defending champion Phillipa Webber 6-3, 6.4. Both women played similar baseline games. Thomas made use of the drop-shot and kept her opponent on the move. She made the most of every opportunity she had, and soon gained the title of top woman in the SDTA for 1971. This was a good effort for a 17-year-old. (21.7.1971)
25 years ago
CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Sunraysia may never have the opportunity to enjoy a white Christmas at home, but residents who drive to Red Cliffs next week may find a substitute – the Red Cliffs Traders Winter Christmas promotion will be held over two days as a follow-up to an initial promotion which was conducted at Christmas last year. Following its success, it was decided to also hold the promotion during winter. Most traders will be involved on Wednesday, July 24, and Thursday, July 25. (18.7.1996)
OLYMPICS: Video stores are gearing up for a busy fortnight with the Olympics beginning this weekend. A straw poll of several Sunraysia video stores during the week indicated that after the rush of interest that surrounds the start of any major event like the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, many soon decide the latest new releases look more promising than the fifth consecutive night of rhythmic gymnastics. (20.7.1996)
COMPASSION: The message being communicated in Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Newborn Death Awareness Week, which begins today, is for the public to treat bereaved parents with compassion. Mildura woman, Nadine Simpson, founder of the recently formed SANDS Mildura branch, said the awareness week was an opportunity for the public to be conscious of feelings and emotions experienced by parents who had lost babies. Ms Simpson said it was important for people to know what to say to parents who had experienced the trauma associated with losing a child and often parents don’t experience grief until years after. (22.7.1996)
