November 7-13, 2021
Presented by Mildura & District Historical Society.
Compiled by Ann Ziguras for Mildura Rural City Council Library Service.
100 YEARS AGO
ARMISTICE DAY: August 1, 1914, was the greatest day in modern history. November 11, 1918, was the gladdest after four years of war. Today, Armistice Day (Poppy Day), which was virtually the end of the Great War, honours those years with a formal presentation of Mildura War Trophies.
NEWS: Big bush fires in the west destroyed twenty-four thousand sleepers for the Tarana-Oberon railway. A Gilgandra message says that it is feared that a young returned soldier has come to his death. More than 1,500,000 acres in the triangle between Cobar, Tilpa and Wilcannia have been burned out by fires. Searing heat was felt miles away. The Daily Mail says today’s trials were successful with the helicopter, an invention of Louis Brennan, who also invented the torpedo. A large proportion of the money bequeathed under the will of the late Sir Samuel McCaughey, about £250,000, has been set apart for the soldiers’ children for educational purposes. Edward San, unemployed member of the A.W.A. committed suicide at his home at Rozelle by cutting his throat. He had been despondent through unemployment. The skeleton of an unknown man has been found in the Mallee near Manangatang. The remains were partially buried and he was found grasping a crucifix. The building of the new Mildura Roman Catholic Church is nearly completed. The new Post Office at Merbein is now finished and opened yesterday. It is probable that if the Red Cliffs settlement makes the expected progress a local motor service will be run two or three times daily between Red Cliffs, Mildura and Merbein, linking up those irrigation settlements. At the Royal Picture Theatre, Merbein, today and tomorrow representatives from Myers will display the latest fashions.
CROPS: The Koondrook tomato crop is looking particularly healthy and picking is expected to begin at the end of the month. There is an extraordinary growth of peas at Dookie and four tons to the acre for the oats. The latest estimate of the present season’s sugar crop shows an improvement of 28,000 tons on the estimate made in June. All empty places in flower beds should now be piled in with dahlias and gladioli for autumn blooming. No plant, perhaps, is more easily grown and none responds more readily to treatment than the chrysanthemum in the autumn.
SPORT: Australian footballers defeated an English Thirteen at Hull. The second Test match between the Australasian Rugby footballers and an English Thirteen was contested today at Hull in the presence of 26,000 spectators. The Australasian Rugby footballers defeated Bramley by 92 points to seven. The Waratahs, the Wentworth cricket team, defeated the Curlwaa cricketers. Two matches of bowls were played at the Mildura bowling green on Wednesday afternoon between picked teams from the members of the club.
BOOKS: The Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to Anatole France, the French novelist, who is seventy-seven years old and a Socialist. Another of May Gibbs’ dainty little volumes of Bush Babies is to hand from Messrs Angus and Robertson. Wild Flowers of Western Australia by Mrs E.H. Palloe, first published by the C.J. de Garis (formerly of Mildura) publishing house, is very popular. Lovers of Adam Lindsay Gordon will rejoice that the South Australian government has decided to purchase his home, Dingley Dell.
PIGEONS AND CHICKENS: On Thursday a two year old hen pigeon, the property of W. Goddard, of Bendigo, homed from Coonamble, an air line of 404 miles over the bush fires. A freak chicken was hatched a few days ago in a clutch of white leghorns owned by Mr Peter Johnson of St Arnaud. The chicken has four legs.
75 YEARS AGO
EVENTS: There will be no Armistice Day observances in Mildura this year, but a special Remembrance Day service will be held at the Carnegie Library on Sunday. Usually, services are held on November 11, but the day and name have both been changed, as observances on November 10 commemorate both wars. In future, Remembrance Day will be held on the nearest Sunday to November 11. The third round of matches in Sunraysia cricket will be completed tomorrow. In district games Curlwaa looks like scoring their first win for the season. Coomealla and Mildura West are also in good positions, but a close finish is likely in the Merbein-Red Cliffs game. Two Mildura fours crews will represent Mildura Rowing Club in the Victory Regatta at Dimboola tomorrow. These two fours will contest the Wimmera Championship Fours and will meet opposition from Dimboola, South Melbourne and Preston rowing clubs. These crews will row over a half-mile course on the Wimmera River at Dimboola. It promises to be a big event this year, as a Back to Dimboola Week is being held, which will be culminated by the regatta and general sports on Saturday. Another round of SBA pennant games will be played on Monday night. To aid the funds of Mildura Hospital Gala Committee, Mildura Club conducted a full day tourney on Tuesday. There was a fair attendance at the greens on Wednesday afternoon, when bowls was played under ideal conditions. Trophies were donated by Mr E. Keens, of Tasmania, who visited Mildura some weeks ago.
REMEMBRANCE DAY: The first Remembrance Day, which takes the place of Armistice Day, will be observed throughout Sunraysia tomorrow with special civic and church services. All district churches have made their own arrangements, and services conducted by the RSL will be held at Mildura, Merbein and Red Cliffs. Arrangements for Mildura are being handled by the Mildura sub-branch of the Returned Servicemen’s League, which extends an invitation to all former service personnel and the general public to attend the ceremony. Representatives of the city and shire councils, Mildura sub-branch of the Legion of Ex-Service Men and Women, Soldiers Fathers’ Association, Legacy Club and other bodies closely associated with the day are requested to assemble at the library at 10.45am to place wreaths and to observe two minutes’ silence. The time will be announced by the siren at the Mildura power house. The Last Post and reveille will then be sounded by Mr L. Heap.
DAD HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: For many children in Sunraysia it will be their first real Christmas, the first time in their young lives that they have had their fathers home to celebrate this period with them. Soldier fathers dreamed of such a Christmas during the long war years and as each one passed by, they hoped and prayed that it would be the last one they would spend away from their loved ones. Peace has come and many families have been re-united. And once again Christmas is on the horizon. Sunraysia Daily is determined to make this Christmas a real Christmas which will remain in the memories of the children and also the parents for years to come – one that will awaken citizens to an important section of our community – the children. But to enable a successful treat to be arranged for the children, Sunraysia Daily must have the support of Sunraysia citizens. An urgent appeal is made for donations to enable plans to be finalised. So please help us in making this Christmas a happy one for our children.
FOOD RATIONING: The Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) announced that rationing of clothing, tea, sugar, butter and meat would be continued. Special legislation would be introduced before the end of the year for this purpose.
PENICILLIN: United Press reports that the American Association for the Advancement of Science has announced the production of synthetic penicillin identical with natural penicillin and equal in effectiveness. Synthesis has been achieved as a result of laboratory work with chemical compounds that have been recognised as related to penicillin molecula. It is recalled that, after sulfanilamide was synthetised it was found possible to make new sulfa drugs, some of which were more effective than the original drug. It is hoped that the discovery of synthetic penicillin will make for new and more effective types, for example, one that will remain longer in the body. Natural penicillin is eliminated too rapidly.
DOG ATTACKS: Twelve St Bernard dogs in Austria attacked two women in a snowstorm, critically injuring one, before monks drove off the animals with whips. One escaped by climbing a wall, but the other was pulled down by the dogs. They mauled her, tore off her clothes and were trying to drag her to their kennels when the monks arrived.
50 YEARS AGO
REMEMBRANCE DAY: The small group of ex-service personnel who celebrated Remembrance Day at Henderson Park Cenotaph yesterday hardly rated a glance from passing motorists. Eleven wreaths were laid at the base of the cenotaph at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. Two soldiers from 1 Independent Rifle Company were on duty at the cenotaph. Representatives of 10 groups were present and they stood silently for two minutes in a simple ceremony. The Remembrance Day message was heard through 3MA’s public address system in the park. The speaker was Roy Harwood. The following organisations were represented at the wreath-laying: Mildura Sub-branch RSL, Salvation Army War Services, Ex-Vietnam Association, Ex Servicewomen’s Association, War Widows’ Guild, RSL Auxiliary, Mildura Carry On, Mildura Legacy, TPI Association and Rats of Tobruk Association.
LOCAL HAPPENINGS: Mrs L.M. Randle, of Mildura, has no intention of being left behind in the 1970s. She’s 81 years of age, but that does not prevent her getting out and about under pedal power. She knows that Sunraysia is easy cycling country (no hills here) and she enjoys every minute of her expeditions. Three times a week Mrs Randle can be seen cycling into town to do her shopping. A Mildura man gave little thought to having his power mower borrowed by a neighbour – until he happened to mention it to another neighbour. Then he discovered that his neighbour’s mower had also been borrowed. Later, he was even more surprised to learn that three more mowers had been lent to the same man. When the hoarder was pressed for an explanation he assured the man that all mowers would be returned early Monday morning. “This is one weekend,” he added with a grin “that I intend to sleep late – in peace.” First and third prizes in yesterday’s Tatts draw were won by Mildura district people – first prize by a CMF staff sergeant from Koorlong and the other by a Curlwaa housewife. An agricultural officer at Irymple, Ian Patterson, 22, is one of the youngest greyhound owners and trainers in the Mildura district, which supports an ever increasing number of dogs.
SPORT: The cricket match between Victoria and the Rest of the World was abandoned yesterday morning. The torrential weekend rain left the Melbourne Cricket Ground too wet for play. The umpires inspected the ground and called off the match 30 minutes before play was due to resume at 11.30. There had been no play from the time rain started falling on Saturday afternoon. At that time, scores were World XI 156, Victoria 5/218. More than 16 boys competed in the Schoolboys Clay Target Championship held at the Mildura Gun Club on Saturday. The first three placegetters were Stewart Wright of Mildura, Kim Zanial of Broken Hill and Kelvin Robins of Hopetoun. The event proved such a success, and the competition so keen, that the Schoolboys’ Clay Target Championship will become an annual event. The Inter-Association Group 4 bowls trophy played at Berriwillock Bowling Club on Saturday was won by the Sunraysia Bowling Association. Due to heavy rain in the afternoon the matches had to be abandoned after 10 ends. Greens were on the heavy side due to rain on the previous night but spectators witnessed excellent bowling from all teams. When the three selectors meet to select the Group 4 of 18 players to play in Melbourne in January, 1972, they will have a real problem ahead of them selecting the players.
25 YEARS AGO
COOPER CREEK: A recent meeting of scientists at Windorah in Queensland has recommended the State Government reject a Currareva Partnership application for the $10 million irrigated agriculture development on Cooper Creek. And they recommended that all future applications for intensive agriculture projects involving cultivation and irrigation on Lake Eyre Basin rivers also be rejected. Hundreds of Sunraysia anglers have welcomed the rejection of plans to grow cotton on Queensland’s remote Cooper Creek. Queensland Natural Resources Minister, Mr Howard Hobbs, yesterday announced that new laws on water harvesting meant that the proposal to take water from Cooper Creek to grow cotton in south-west Queensland would not go ahead.
LOVE SERENADE: The Sunraysia Hostel for the Elderly in Red Cliffs will hold a premiere screening of Love Serenade at the Deakin Cinema in Mildura on Thursday, November 14. Filmed on location at Red Cliffs and Robinvale, Love Serenade was awarded the prestigious Camera d’Or prize for best first feature at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Jan Chapman (The Piano), Love Serenade is the story of two sisters in an Australian country town who develop a fierce and competitive crush on their new neighbour, a brooding and self-centred radio personality with a predilection for smouldering 70s soul and a taste for the younger ladies. Tickets are $15, which includes the cost of the theatre seat at the 7pm screening as well as a hot supper afterwards at the Mildura Working Man’s Sports and Social Club. Proceeds from the film night will go towards the Sunraysia Hostel for the Elderly, which intends to use the funds to pay for outings for residents.
A DAY FOR REMEMBERING: One minute’s silence will be observed at 11.11am today to remember the soldiers who died in war. The sale of poppy flowers in the lead-up to Remembrance Day is to commemorate those who fought and died for their country. The history behind the sale of red poppies dates back to the First World War when soldiers from Commonwealth countries were stationed in France. The soldiers witnessed the poppies in full bloom because they were in France from winter to spring. The red poppy represents the blood of the soldiers who died there. In 1921 a group of French war widows travelled to London and decided to sell poppies to assist Commonwealth soldiers who had been incapacitated as a result of the war. This tradition has continued until today. Members of the public are invited to attend a wreath-laying ceremony in Henderson Park at 11am today. A short service and wreath laying ceremony will take place at the Kenny Park Memorial Gates in Merbein today at 11am. Red Cliffs-Irymple RSL Sub-branch commemorated Remembrance Day with a service at the cemetery yesterday.
