100 years ago
CIRCUS: Several hundred persons were unable to gain admission on Saturday night when Worley’s Circus opened their season in Mildura. The program, headed by the Kodama troupe of Japanese performers, is one of the best circus program that has been submitted. Great interest was taken in the first heat of the buck jumping contest for which there were six town and district riders competing.
ANZAC DAY: The clergymen of Mildura met the Mayor and Shire President at the Town Hall last week to make arrangements for the Anzac Day memorial service. It was decided to hold the service in the Town Hall at 11am. The address will be given by the Reverend L. Wilkinson, MA, and the assisting members will be the reverends Legge and Salisbury, Pastor Wakeley, and Captain Healey, S.A. The Mildura district band has been invited to accompany the hymns and provide a member of personnel to play “The last post.” It was also decided to invite the massed choirs to render a suitable anthem.
SULTANAS: One of the best advertisements that Mildura has received this season in regard to the nutritive qualities of Sunraysia sultanas is a fox terrier dog owned by a block holder near the town. Since picking began this animal has increased about 6lbs in weight owing to his appetite for dried sultanas. The dog carries out the slogan, “Eat more raisins”, and prefers the more expensive kind to lexias.
75 years ago
POST BOXES: Slamming doors on private mailboxes at Mildura Post Office has resulted in so many of the boxes becoming damaged that a PMG Department locksmith has been sent to repair them. The Acting Postmaster (Mr F. Clark) yesterday appealed to private box holders to be careful when closing the doors, because the mechanism was not made to stand rough treatment. Doors should not be closed without the key being in the lock. Actually, they should be closed by turning the key when the door is almost in the closed position, he said.
COMPANY: A new company – Murray Constructions Pty. Ltd. – has been formed by the amalgamation of Murray Constructions, Robinvale Brick and Tile Company, Euston Brick and Tile Company, Euston Quarries and Robinvale Trading Company. It is proposed to erect a brick and tile factory at Robinvale and a joinery works at Swan Hill. The company plans to go immediately into the production of tiles, lignite and bricks, and all types of building and construction work. The company is distributor for Savo-Wood products, from Finland, of which there are unlimited supplies for immediate delivery.
50 years ago
ROADS: People in Rufus River are scared impassable roads will prevent medical help arriving if needed. Rufus River, a small settlement 42 miles from Wentworth on the old Wentworth to Renmark Road, has received more than 3 ½ inches of rain so far this month. The postmistress, said yesterday roads to and from Rufus River were “slushy bogs”. “I suppose it is the same in most Outback towns,” she said. “It is horrible to live so close to Wentworth and Mildura, yet because of the roads you feel so far away. We don’t want flash bitumen roads, just all-weather roads.” All the people of Rufus River signed a petition asking Wentworth Shire Council to do something about the roads, but nothing was done or heard.
NEW INDUSTRY: Minister for State Development and Decentralisation, Mr Murray Byrne, yesterday confirmed that another new industry – the second in six months – would be established at Mildura. Following closely on the establishment of a small branch of Joy Toys Pty Ltd at Mildura, Aywon Casuals Pty Ltd, a division of Crestknit Industries, has announced plans to set up a plant here. Mr Byrne said that initially Aywon Casuals would employ up to 40 people, but he believed the company has also asked for an option to buy an additional area of land at Mildura. If the labour pool proved satisfactory, it would be the company’s intention to build a factory to ultimately employ up to 200 people.
HISTORY: The result of 12 months work by last year’s Form 3B class at Merbein High School has just been realised. It took the students a year to dig into the history of Merbein and to write a 42-page history of the town. The project began as an exercise for the students and developed into a full-scale research. The book is titled “White Cliffs – A history of Merbein”. The Merbein area was originally known as White Cliffs. Much of the background of the book came from the “Cultivator” newspaper – the forerunner of Sunraysia Daily, and from interviewing senior citizens. Five hundred copies of the book have been printed and will sell for $1.50.
25 years ago
CHILLED MILK: Yesterday for the first time in 28 years, primary school children in Mildura enjoyed nutritious chilled milk at school with the introduction of the Milk for Schools Program. The program provides subsidised 200ml bottles, of full-cream or REV milk daily, refrigerators for the schools plus a variety of competitions and activities. Australian milk marketing business manager Rob Kininmonth said there had been considerable interest in the program. “The Victorian dairy industry has developed the program, as a national nutritional survey indicated that a high number of children have nutrient intakes below the recommended dietary levels.
BYPASS: Mildura Rural City Council is to ask VicRoads to consider the proposed heavy vehicle bypass route via Benetook Avenue as soon as possible. The bypass cannot go ahead until the study has been completed. The proposed bypass is along 17th Street to Benetook Avenue. However, council has indicated it would agree to a staged introduction if that would help speed the process. If that option is adopted, the bypass will initially take trucks along 15th Street to Benetook Avenue.
LOCOMOTIVE: Sunraysia returned to the steam era on the weekend with the arrival of an “R” class locomotive. En-route from Melbourne, the “R” class weighs in at a massive 191 tonnes and can reach speeds in excess of 115 km/h. In the first visit of an “R” type locomotive to Mildura since the last days of steam in the early 1960s, train buffs were provided with numerous photographic opportunities. Throughout yesterday the “R” class ran a series of short excursions to Red Cliffs, Yelta and Merbein – giving Mildura’s train loving public a chance to return to the days of steam.
