100 YEARS AGO: 1924
FENCED IN: Mr F H Edwards is fencing in his block of land, on the corner of Deakin Avenue and Seventh Street, and adjoining the Grand Hotel, in accordance with a recent by-law of the Mildura Town Council. This block and another belonging to Mr Edwards, adjoining the cattle sale yards, are the first blocks to be fenced in accordance with the bylaw. Notices are now being served on all other owners of unfenced property immediately to proceed with the fencing; failing compliance, proceedings will immediately be instituted.
ON STAGE: Tonight, the Mildura Amusement Company’s new theatre in Langtree Avenue will be opened to the public for the first time. Strenuous efforts have been made to complete the work on time, the management being determined to keep faith with the public. Excellent seating accommodation has been provided in abundance, but it is anticipated that it will all be required tonight; apart from the fact that a special programme is to be screened, there are many townspeople who will wish to be present at the opening of the new theatre. The star item on the programme is “Daughters of Today,” which, by special arrangement, is being released in Mildura a week before it will be shown in Melbourne. (16.6.1924)
D&D: John Alexander Russell was fined 10/ in the Mildura court yesterday for being drunk and disorderly. The defendant pleaded guilty. Plainclothes Constable Counsel said that on Tuesday afternoon he saw the defendant going along a lane between Lime and Pine Avenues. When he saw the witness, the defendant ran into a house occupied by Mrs Stone who ran out and informed the witness that there was a strange man in her sitting-room. (19.6.1924)
75 YEARS AGO: 1949
GAME ON: Wimmera Football League, considered one of the State’s strongest, is this season receiving the greatest support of its history. With topline players and coaches, Wimmera games are receiving record gates. Figures released by the president of the league (Mr J J Jones) this week reveal that 10,000 more people saw the first six games of the league this year compared with the first six of last year. Gate takings over the same period showed an increase of 1000 pounds. The league’s official journal, The Footballer, has netted the league more than 600 pounds.
LOADED: The motor vessel Wanera recently completed its first cargo trip since in conversion from steam to diesel power. The Wanera carried 80 tons of wine, dried fruits, and wool to Morgan (South Australia) and brought back 40 tons of general cargo. She carried a crew of five and completed the trip in 11 days, travelling only during the day. The vessel is powered by a 276-horsepower diesel engine. The engine behaved well and gave no trouble during the trip, the owner (Mr J L Searles) said yesterday. (20.6.1949)
SPLASH: Plans for Irymple swimming pool will be amended to allow for construction of a 33 1-3 metre pool, which will conform with requirements for State and interstate championship events. This will increase the length of the pool according to the previous plan by a little more than 9 feet. It was originally planned to make the pool 33 and a third yards in length. Shire Council agreed to the alteration following a request from the Sunraysia Swimming Association.
50 YEARS AGO: 1974
BUILD: The construction of the old Mildura homestead in Cureton Avenue will begin as soon as the old supper rooms behind the civic buildings are demolished. The supper room’s bricks are to be used to build the riverside homestead. City Engineer, Mr A Thompson, has been asked to submit a report to council on the demolition of the supper rooms, men’s toilet and garage at the back of the buildings. Council promised the bricks to the project committee which is working on the development of an exact replica of the first homestead in the area.
CHOP: Mildura people soon won’t have to ask City Council for permission to cut down trees in their own gardens. Council has agreed to Councillor Kaye Gambetta’s suggestion that the clause controlling the removal of trees should be deleted from the city’s planning scheme ordinance. Councillor Gambetta said yesterday that the clause prohibited people living in residential and agricultural zones from felling trees without permission. “I feel this is an unwarranted intrusion on people’s liberty. It’s an invasion of privacy,” she said. “The clause came into operation in September 1971, with the idea of preserving natural stands of trees.” Councillor Gambetta said many people had probably cut down trees without being aware of the clause.
RING RING: Requests for a public telephone at Mildura Recreation Reserve have been turned down – but a booth is likely to be installed in the grounds of Rio Vista. Probable vandalism was one of the reasons the PMG gave against the idea of a phone at the reserve. District manager, Mr Gilshenan, told city council that the phone would be in an isolated area and would be subject to attack by vandals. Mr Gilshenan said that the PMG estimated the probable return of a public phone before installing one and inquiries showed that a phone at the reserve would not return the required minimum.
25 YEARS AGO: 1999
OPPOSED: The Australian Family Association will not mount a local campaign against the establishment of a brothel in Mildura as was the case in Ballarat. National vice-president Mary Helen-Wood said the Ballarat branch of the Australian Family Association launched an active campaign against the establishment of a brothel, which was unsuccessful. She said the brothel in Ballarat did open, but recently closed due to lack of business and not because of the on-going campaign by the local members of the association. “And maybe the case will be the same in Mildura,” Ms Helen-Wood said.
FLAVOUR: Mildura restaurateur Stefano de Pieri should be “hailed as the hero” for his promotion of Sunraysia. That’s the view of Mildura Murray Outback Tourism chief executive Carole Reid, who said the television series Gondola on the Murray provided a degree of national exposure “that money can’t buy”. Mrs Reid said the tourism group was looking to capitalise on the level of awareness raised through the program by using the Italian born cook in an upcoming advertising campaign to help promote the region. Currently screening on ABC Television, the six-part series provides a look at the district and its produce through the eyes of Mr de Pieri, as he pedals throughout the countryside cooking up an array of dishes. Mrs Reid said the coverage provided of the region was worth “millions of dollars” in terms of tourism value and public awareness. “The feedback has been tremendous,” she said.
WISHFULL: A charity that has been part of the Sunraysia area for the past nine years and has granted the most cherished wishes of children under the age of 18 with a life-threatening illness, is on the verge of closing. Make a wish foundation of Australia’s Sunraysia branch desperately needs more people to volunteer to help it raise funds and grant the wishes of very special children. The number of volunteers doing occasional work for the branch has fallen to an all-time low. “Becoming a volunteer for the foundation is not overly time consuming or onerous,” President Mr Wilde said. “There is only a monthly meeting and the occasional fund-raising activity in which volunteers need to participate,” he said. “This is not to mention the best part of our role, working with a child and their family to help make their greatest wish a reality.”
