Gregor Mactaggart
WELCOME to the latest instalment of Looking Back Through The Years.
Here’s what was making news in the pages of The Express during these points of our proud history.
50 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, November 3, 1971
FISHING IN TOWN HALL
Reg Lord retired as Morwell Shire secretary on Friday and council staff presented him with this rod and reel, a wooden-spoon in Geelong Football Club colours, and an engraved barometer.
Then, with his first cast, he landed a four-pound flathead.
It was at his farewell function, arranged by council staff on Friday evening for about 40 at the council’s reception room.
EXTRA HOUR IS FAVOURED
The beginning of daylight saving time in the Latrobe Valley seems to have been treated with matter of fact interest.
Theatres, drive-ins and farmers were adopting a wait and see policy, but sporting people liked it.
And for the first day, Sunday, Rev. W.J Bramley said the attendances at St Andrew’s Church in Morwell, made it one of the best Sundays it had had in a long time.
FREI ON TARGET
Moe High School opening bowler Harry Frei was in brilliant form on Saturday when he took 7/38 playing against Morwell East.
This effort helped Moe High to a 105-run victory.
Yallourn defeated Moe by 48 runs in the other Central Gippsland Cricket Association A Grade match played at the weekend.
FUN FACT: Len and Liz Teale were locked in as the headline acts at the Rossmore Hotel on November 13.
40 YEARS AGO
Tuesday, November 3, 1981
HOUSING COMMISSION REPORT BLASTS CHURCHILL TOWN SHOPS
A confidential report undertaken for the Housing Commission on the Churchill Shopping Centre has painted a gloomy picture.
The 129-page report says that, in its present form, the shopping centre is ‘’dark, unattractive and uninviting’’ and is ‘’currently performing at a level below reasonable expectation’’.
The report calls for an improvement in management at the centre and recommends that the Housing Commission prepare a detailed structure plan for the centre.
BUSES – IT’S STILL ‘’WAIT’’
There is still no end to the Latrobe Valley bus strike.
Management and unionists met on Thursday to negotiate a settlement of the dispute which has been going for four weeks.
The manager of the Latrobe Valley Buslines, Peter Renwick, said yesterday it was hoped to have a solution to the strike ‘’very soon”.
ALL STATES AT SKATE SPEED MEET
More than 250 roller skaters from all over Australia proved that Moe Roller City’s annual skate meet is really on the map with a first-class weekend of skating.
The third annual meet saw more competitors from all states, where in the past some states had not even had any entrants.
Roller City publicity officer June Kinzett said it showed the event was now really getting recognition, with even better standards the result.
FUN FACT: A 250g tin Mac’s Petticoat Tails Butter Shortbread was on sale for $1.99 at Coles New World supermarkets.
30 YEARS AGO
Friday, November 1, 1991
JOB CUTS NOT SEC PRIORITY
The SEC has confirmed its Latrobe Valley workforce faces the loss of over 400 jobs this financial year, but says better organisation rather than reductions is now the priority.
SEC general manager production Alan Freer yesterday confirmed the shift in emphasis.
‘Bureaucracy’ in middle management is one area to have come under scrutiny, although Mr Freer stressed that managers in particular were not being made targets for redundancy.
“I would see it (workforce numbers)
stabilising at just under 7000,” Mr Freer told The Express.
This decrease from the current workforce of 7250 would be achieved by natural attrition.
SBS SWITCH ON ONLY THE START
SBS television will be launched in Gippsland next Friday at a special ceremony in
Morwell.
The Federal Transport and Communications Minister Kim Beazley will be in the Latrobe Valley to attend the launch.
SBS television will be broadcast into Gippsland from Mt Tassie, south of
Traralgon and Mt Taylor, north of
Bairnsdale.
In more news, plans are also
well-advanced for the introduction of two additional commercial television services
into the wider Gippsland region early next year.
FATHER AND SON LEAD CHURCHILL TO LVTA VICTORY
Father and son combination Darrell and Rodney White helped lead the Churchill team to a big win over Traralgon Whites in Latrobe Valley tennis A grade pennant last weekend.
The Whites, together with Narelle Grieve and Aimee Marriott, defeated their Traralgon opposition, eight sets to nil.
FUN FACT: This week’s special at Morwell Nissan was a 1988 Toyota Camry CS for $14,350.
20 YEARS AGO
Thursday, November 1, 2001
CALL TO MEET MINISTER
The Fair Play Campaign wants Local Government Minister Bob Cameron to meet a delegation of its supporters as soon as possible.
The call is backed by Victorian National Party Leader Peter Ryan, who will table the petition in the Legislative Assembly within days.
On the steps of Parliament House yesterday, Mr Ryan received a petition containing 7793 signatures calling for the suspension of Latrobe City Council.
FIESTA IS ON AGAIN
The 11th annual Morwell Church Street Fiesta will be held again this year with the Gippsland Migrant Resource Centre (GMRC) and its volunteers who have taken over the running of the event.
It will be held on Friday, December 7.
Co-ordinator Tony Salvatore said after several meetings, the Morwell Chamber of Commerce had agreed to put its energies and resources towards another daytime larger cultural event planned for March/April 2002.
According to Mr Salvatore, in the past 10 years, the Church Street Fiesta has been arguably the best multicultural event in the history of the Latrobe Valley.
GIPPSLAND SOCCER AWARDS
Monash player Peter Boyes won the Gippsland Soccer League best and fairest on Friday night.
Boyes polled 21 votes to claim the Dick Bosma Medal, which was presented to him by Mr Bosma’s grandson Rick Galea.
FUN FACT: A galvanised shelving four shelf bolt unit from Super Cheap Auto in Moe would set you back $14.99.
10 YEARS
Thursday, November 3, 2011
RACING BACK ON TRACK
It may not have been the triumphant return club officials were hoping for, but racing finally returned to the Moe racecourse on Tuesday as Moe Racing Club hosted Melbourne Cup Day races on the recently repaired track.
Extensive flooding at the track in March prompted an investigation into the drainage at the club.
Racing Victoria commissioned contractors to remove and refit drainage at four locations along the track, but complications forced the club to reschedule its biggest race meet of the year, Moe Cup Day, to December.
PROPOSED PLANT TO PROGRESS
Developers of a proposed Latrobe Valley-based magnesium plant estimate a pilot of the plant, tipped to create up to 400 jobs at full capacity, could be ready for construction in about 18 months.
A pre-feasibility study undertaken by developers, Sydney-based Latrobe Magnesium, gave the proponents ‘’enthusiasm to move forward’’ with its plans to produce 10,000 tonnes of magnesium per annum from the brown coal fly-ash at Hazelwood Power Station, according to company director David Paterson.
THE KEY IS A GOOD APPROACH
“Solid golf’’ has been the cornerstone to Tom Couling’s success on the golf course of late, after the 16-year-old won the Gippsland Championship at Trafalgar Golf Club.
The triumph came hot on the heels of his victories at the Victoria Golf Association Junior Country Amateur Championship and the Commonwealth Junior Club Championship.
Playing off scratch, Tom carded rounds of 71 and 69 over the weekend to not only win the Gippsland Junior Championship, but the senior championship as well.
FUN FACT: The all-new Ford Focus hatch and sedan were on sale from $20,990
driveaway at Valley Ford.
