100 YEARS AGO: 1925
WAGES: A question was asked at the Mildura Dried Fruits Association meeting last Saturday regarding the rates of wages that should be paid to pickers. Mr W M Newton said that the judge had given his proposed award, but it had not been finished. They had expected finalisation before now, but it had been indefinitely postponed. A protest had been entered against the Award.
BUILDING: Steady progress is being made with the work at Lock 11. The floor of the lock chamber is now complete and about 80 feet of the western wall is up. Preparations are being made for the erection of the forms or shelters for the eastern wall. A second crane is on the lock floor, which is nearing completion and will permit continuous concrete work, each crane being used alternatively for concreting and lifting forms. Preparations are also being made to begin work on the weir. Two great barges, built by Captain Arnold, at Mannum, South Australia, which are now moored on the riverbank, will be converted into pile driving units. A giant steel cable has been landed at the works and will form the cable of a flying fox, which will be slung across the river.
SCHOOLS: At the invitation of the Mildura High School, between 30 and 40 pupils of the St Arnaud High School will visit Mildura from Thursday, April 18, until Saturday, April 20. Mr A James, the headmaster, and Miss Morrison, the sports mistress, will be in charge of the party. Cricket, tennis and swimming matches are being arranged for the boys, and basketball, tennis and hockey matches for the girls. Arrangements will also be made for the visitors to inspect the district and see the harvesting of dried fruit. It is hoped that a yearly interchange of visits will take place.
75 YEARS AGO: 1950
EDUCATION: Mildura High School was not fulfilling the needs of industry, a deputation from the Technical Schools Association told the Minister for Education (Mr Tovell) in Melbourne yesterday. The deputation claimed that the Education Department was placing too much emphasis on high schools and not enough on technical school education. Mr Tovell said multipurpose high schools were a forerunner of technical schools. Such schools had been in operation at Mildura and Shepparton, but the Department had now decided to establish separate technical schools in these centres.
INNOVATION: Two big refrigerators newly installed on the 200-acre property of I J and D H Voulliare and Sons at Bonnie Cliffs are believed to be the first of their kind in Australia. They are used for the storage of vegetables, fruit and flowers awaiting consignment to market. They are specially designed in that they do not have a dehydrating effect on the produce held. The produce had kept perfectly for the several days required, and at the Sydney and Melbourne markets buyers had not been able to distinguish it from fresh picked varieties. In some cases, the fruit or vegetables were in better condition when they reached the market than if they had been trucked immediately after picking.
SUPPORT: Two trees were chopped down on the landing strip at Kara Station on Monday to allow the Broken Hill Flying Doctor plane to land. The plane had touched down in a cross-wind, but took off without stopping, when the trees were noticed in its path. Men chopped the trees down while the plane circled. The patient was brought to Broken Hill where a landing was made with the aid of flares.
50 YEARS AGO: 1975
CHAOS: A 700-pound bullock ran amok through Mildura streets yesterday before being shot dead by police after a three-mile chase. Owner of the bullock, Mildura stock buyer Tony Costa, 39, said it took six shots to stop the maddened beast. “It’s lucky no-one was killed,” he said. The bullock was one of 150 delivered to Mr Costa at the Benetook Avenue stock yards. One of the bullocks cleared a 6-foot fence and ran along 14th Street. Mr Costa rang Mildura Police and then followed the beast in his car as it dodged cars in Deakin Avenue, then ran through the hospital grounds. It ran down 13th Street as three police cars and six policemen joined the chase. The bullock turned into Walnut Avenue and then headed into Pine Avenue at the rear of the New World Shopping Centre. Startled shoppers hid behind cars as the bullock raced along the footpath. Mr Costa said police made an attempt to kill the bullock not far from the supermarket. “It was hit twice by bullets from a .22 rifle, but this only stirred it up more,” he said. “It took off down 7th Street, leaving a trail of blood. It went across the railway line near the weighbridge and into Cureton Avenue. Mr Costa said a police car tried to head the bullock off, but it lowered its head and charged, denting the side of the car and smashing the passenger side window. A policeman armed with a .22 rifle crept up around the corner and put several bullets into the beast’s head. The bullock dropped dead on the nature strip. Mr Costa bled the bullock on the spot.
PROGRESS: Hand trollies for the movement of food, stores, linen and oxygen cylinders at Mildura Base Hospital have given way to a new electrically operated tractor. Porters who used to push the trollies can now sit on the tractor and pull their loads on a small trailer. Fully imported at a cost of $4500, the tractor pulls a Mildura made three-wheel trailer which cost another $500. The electric tractor was selected because it made no noise and had no exhaust fumes to add to pollution. The top speed is 5 miles per hour.
ART: Pottery is fast catching on as a hobby with Sunraysia housewives – so much so that more than 100 pieces will be exhibited at the Merbein Art Festival. One of the enthusiasts Mrs Heather Zaetta spends many hours a week at her pottery wheel and baking kiln, as well as looking after her three young children. Mrs Zaetta has been doing pottery for only three years. Some of her pieces are non-functional, but others are in daily use around the house. Mrs Zaetta hopes to have 30 pieces for show and sale at the festival. Four other district enthusiasts will also have pottery exhibited.
25 YEARS AGO: 2000
THEFT: A local person recently picked the wrong house to allegedly burgle. A Mildura Police officer had purchased a valuable and unique watch from overseas on a recent holiday which was stolen after his house was burgled, much to his annoyance. A friend revealed the officer had pulled a driver up while on duty, and while talking to the driver, noticed the man was wearing his watch!
FIX: A second section of the Mildura Waves Aquatic Centre ceiling has sagged – sparking an independent audit of the entire system. An area of the concourse between the lap pool and leisure pool of the recently opened complex was yesterday roped off after a two metre by six metre section of ceiling above it was discovered to have sagged. It follows a similar incident earlier this month, in which the lap pool was forced to close for several days while the sagging ceiling area above it could be repaired. The audit and any work required would be financed by the contracted builder – as under the terms of the contract.
RECREATION: Mildura Rural City Council continues to move a step forward with the Mildura skate park proposal. The park which caters for experience levels ranging from beginner to intermediate, is expected to be built at the ornamental lakes, a site which the council has endorsed in principle as the preferred site. Council’s recreation development officer Paula Clancy said if all funds were received the project would total $100,000. The need for a regional skate park facility in Mildura was identified in a Youth Needs Analysis and Recreation Planning Study forums conducted by the council in 1998, however council was not in a position to consider funding such a major project at the time.
