100 YEARS AGO
AEROPLANE SIGHTED: The new passenger aeroplane (De Haviland 50A) arrived in Mildura for the first time with the mall yesterday morning. It has accommodation for four passengers, and is built for comfort, being beautifully upholstered in brown leather. The machine is equipped with a Siddeley Puma 240 horsepower engine, with a cruising speed of 80 miles an hour. It is built to carry 3900 pounds. The name of the machine is “The Lyrebird.” No passengers have been carried yet, but a start is to be made about the end of the month.
DRYING RACKS: The committee of the Red Cliffs Fruit Growers’ Association has represented to the SR and WSC officer in charge (Mr Bromfield) that a number of settlers lack the necessary experience in building drying racks and are unable to pay contract prices for such works or employ labor on the racks. It was suggested that to meet such cases the Commission make available the services of a supervisor to supplement the instructions already given in the printed directions for rack-building issued by the Commission. In reply, Mr Bromfield said that settlers desiring the assistance of a supervisor in connection with the erection of their racks should make application to the Closer Settlement office, so that arrangements could be made for a supervisor to visit their blocks and advise them on the job.
TRADING BREACH: In the Mildura court on Tuesday, Wee Tow was charged with keeping his shop open for business on Sunday, September 11. The defendant did not appear, Constable Byrne stated that he went to the shop on that date and purchased matches and cigarettes. Wee Tow was fined 2 pounds, in default seven days.
75 YEARS AGO
FLOATING HOME: There are many people who own houseboats on the Murray, but Mr PW Westell is probably the only one who owns a boarding-houseboat. Tied to the bank a few hundred yards upstream from Mildura weir is the former passenger and cargo paddleboat Excelsior. When renovations have been completed, this will be the boarding-house which will be conducted by Mr Westell and his wife. Excelsior, with her boilers removed and her cabins lined, will make an excellent home for about six people. The dining room is lined and a bathroom, beautifully finished in cream and green, has been completed. Electric power will shortly be supplied to the boat. Mr Westell is doing all the work himself and says it will be the best part of two years before it is completed.
ASPARAGUS EXPERIMENT: Five tons of asparagus was marketed from a Mildura experimental plot this year. The asparagus, grown on a block at the corner of Ontario Avenue and 13th Street, Mildura by Mr R H Chaffey, is in its second year. Although only a small portion of the crop was cut for marketing, about five tons was sold at prices ranging from 35s to 4 pounds, 10s for a 35-pound case. Grown entirely as an experiment, the asparagus is produced at very little cost. The object of the experiment was to show which crops, in addition to citrus and dried fruits, could be produced here to bring good and quick returns.
SWIMMING CLUB: A move will shortly be made to form a swimming club at Irymple. It is expected that the new club will join the Sunraysia Swimming Association. This will be the fifth club formed in the district. Although it would be some time before the baths were opened, a club formed beforehand could get itself well organised to make the most of the remainder of the swimming season. Shire Secretary (Mr A D Harvey) said last night that tiles for the new baths were being prepared in Melbourne and were expected next week. The concrete walls were completed, and the bottom was almost finished. The baths were expected to be finished early next year.
50 YEARS AGO
CASH REGISTER: Israel and Deacon, Mildura Pharmacists, have just taken possession of the latest model charge posting cash register. It is the first of its type in Mildura. The machine will mean a more efficient service. It can process customers’ accounts automatically and provides valuable statistics for the pharmacy. The machine also gives more information on receipts and statements.
RAIL HOLIDAY: Pensioners from all over Victoria are using their annual free holiday rail travel to visit Mildura. Two elderly citizens’ clubs from the one area – Dandenong and Noble Park – have spent the last week in Mildura. “We’ve had the time of our lives,” said a member of the Noble Park Senior Citizen’s Club. Manager of Victour, Mr Bruce Oatley, said the influx of pensioners was a wonderful boost to the tourist industry in what was normally a quiet time of the year. An extensive promotion campaign through the suburban press has just been conducted, and the influx of pensioners holidaying in Mildura is expected to increase between now and Christmas.
NIGHT BASKETBALL: Hawks Basketball Club has asked Irymple to play its A Grade men’s match on a Saturday night. Hawks came up with the idea at its latest committee meeting and believes a big crowd would be enticed to watch Saturday night basketball. Hawks is top of the men’s A Grade ladder and Irymple second. Irymple coach Alan Morris said he could see no objections. “We feel it would promote the sport,” Morris said. “It would be a game between two top teams and high standards of play would be on the cards’” he added. A decision on the game will not be made for a couple of days.
25 YEARS AGO
CITY DEVELOPMENT: Major works to revamp one of the City Heart’s oldest buildings and establish a two-storey bakery-café at the corner of Langtree Mall and 8th Street could be completed by the end of the year. Building owner Gary Hudak said the project would require more than 20 staff when complete. He said it had been planned for over three years and would realise his father John Hudak’s dream over 30 years ago to provide a quality café where people can relax and the enjoy their eating environment. “People ask what a bakery is doing right beside a McDonald’s restaurant. But really, we complement each other. We provide food that is different to theirs – a totally different market.”
RESTAURANT WINNER: Mildura restaurateur Stefano de Pieri capped off a successful year when his restaurant was last night named the major winner in the 1999 Sunraysia Business Excellence Awards. The gala ceremony at the Grand Hotel Ballroom was attended by about 200 guests. Stefano’s restaurant also took out the Restaurants, Hotels and Food category of the Awards, ahead of other finalists Kkings Palace and Café Kona. Now in their sixth year, the annual awards are co-ordinated by the Mildura Chamber of Commerce to recognize excellence in local business enterprises.
NUMBATS ARRIVAL: The release of a number of young male numbats will mark the latest stage in the development of the Scotia sanctuary. They will be the first of their species to be released into the 648 square kilometre sanctuary – located about 160 kilometres north of Wentworth – joining the bilbies, brush-tailed bettongs, bridled nail tail wallabies and stick-net rats already present. The numbats, who will be joined by females after they have had the opportunity to mark their territory, will be transferred from a successful breeding program at Yookamurra sanctuary in South Australia.
