50 YEARS AGO
Friday, February 2, 1973
ONLY THREE DROUGHT FARMERS SEEK SHIRE WORK
Only three farmers in the Murray Shire area have shown any interest in the recently announced special scheme to provide part-time employment for farmers in drought-declared areas.
The Murray Shire secretary, Mr R. O. Stubbs, said that since the scheme was advertised on Wednesday last week, only three farmers had registered for work.
Mr Stubbs said it could employ up to 10 men on a part-time basis.
“We’ve got the work for them,” he said.
The NSW Department of Local Government announced a fortnight ago that the Commonwealth Government had agreed to make available $500,000 for a special scheme to provide work for farmers in drought-declared areas for the period up to June 30 this year.
BOOKS FOR SCHOOL
It’s back to school for children all over Victoria.
Pictured buying books at the Echuca Technical School bookshop for the new year were Mrs R. Chesser and her daughter Sharon, 10.
The books are for Wayne Chesser, who has enrolled for his first year at the school.
IT’S ON AGAIN
Echuca Football Club started its 1973 training program with a vigorous workout indoors and outdoors on Wednesday night.
Three runs were made by players around the testing one mile commando-style training course designed by coach Graham Arthur, in the sandhills behind the football oval.
Leading the pack up one of the sandhills in fading light was Damien Ahern.
Fastest time around the rugged course was four minutes 32 seconds by Alan Henson.
A prospect for the season is Neil Williams, a physical instructor who will teach at the Echuca Technical School this year.
Last year he played with the Northcote Football Club and is also a district cricketer with Melbourne.
FUN FACT: River-Vu Drive-In had a bumper Saturday night by screening The Godfather. The film was touted as “the greatest attraction to hit the screen since Gone With The Wind”.
25 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, February 4, 1998
BRIDGE PLAN EXPLAINED
Private sector investors hold the latest key to funding a new bridge crossing over the Echuca-Moama stretch of the Murray.
A private sector economist and Southern Regional Development Inc chairman Rod Nette revealed details of an innovative plan to tap into billions of idle investment dollars at a meeting in Moama on Monday.
Mr Nette explained a system already in place in parts of Australia involved big business funding public infrastructure.
He said money was accumulated by multi-billion-dollar corporate companies’ superannuation funds.
He said one large Australian finance company had invested its members’ super funds to develop a ferry service across the Spencer Gulf in South Australia.
MICK REACHES A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY IN ONE JOB
Moama’s Mick Matthews must be among the last of a dying breed ... clocking up 50 years on the job this week at MON Beverages.
Defying the ’90s trend of three or four career changes in one life, Mick proudly walked through familiar doors to start his last tomato season on Monday.
“I turned 14 on the ninth of September (1947) and on the second of February I came and saw Ira O’Neill and said ‘how about a job?’” Mick recalled.
“He said ‘go and get a pair of overalls on and you can start’ ... and I guess I never finished.”
Back in the early years bottles were labelled and filled by hand.
“We produced in a week what we do now in a day ... but we never broke down in those days,” Mick said.
Things are certainly done a little bit different these days.
MON pumps out around four million bottles of River Port soft drink and two million bottles of tomato sauce a year.
FREE LAND UPDATE
So far 15 people have accepted offers of land at Mathoura from Murray Shire as part of the Great Mathoura Land Giveaway.
Solicitors are finalising ownership transfer of the land.
According to the shire’s economic development officer, Matthew Nelson, the remaining 11 blocks were under offer and it was hoped they would be allocated in the near future.
Mr Nelson said finalising the scheme was taking a long time, but applicants were making a big decision in moving to a new area and it was a decision that could not be made overnight.
FUN FACT: A stylish three-bedroom brick veneer home in Echuca with ensuite, good sized living area, air conditioning, gas, carpets and a double-lock-up garage could have been yours for $146,000 with Rob Merlo Real Estate.
10 YEARS AGO
Friday, February 1, 2013
SPECIAL TIME FOR SISTERS
Echuca sisters Edie and Cara Haley will both have significant milestones in their schooling this year.
Younger sister Cara, 5, begins school, while older sister Edie, 12, will start secondary school.
The pair will attend Moama Anglican Grammar, which goes from Prep to year 12.
Cara is excited.
“I’m excited to go to school,” she said.
“I want to learn how to write.”
Edie was also looking forward to going back to school.
“It’s kind of exciting seeing all my friends again and having to do exams for the first time,” she said.
PIRATES’ DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The undefeated Echuca Junior Pirates 14A boys basketball team capped off a solid weekend for the club at the Bendigo Basketball Junior Classic on Monday.
The side won all of its pool matches in the under 14s second division and went on to defeat Wangaratta Warriors 46-24 in the grand final.
Echuca’s 14B side could not mirror the height achieved by the A side, but managed three wins from its pool games.
The 12A boys side rounded out the club’s representation, falling 12 points shy of a grand final berth against Wangaratta in the semi-final.
MEDAL HAUL FOR SWIMMERS
Echuca Swimming Club’s Josh Kennedy and Brad Mellington have brought home gold medals from the recent Victorian Country Long Course Championships.
Kennedy and Mellington were part of an 11-strong squad from Echuca, as well as head coach Janyce Rosin, who travelled to the championships on January 25 to 27 in Sale.
Swimming in the 13-year-old category, Kennedy reached four finals from his five swims.
He won gold medals in the 100m butterfly and 100m backstroke, which included breaking the event record in the backstroke and narrowly missed the record for the other.
He also gained a silver medal in the 100m freestyle event and finished fifth in the 200m individual medley, slicing eight seconds off his personal best.
Mellington made four finals from his six individual swims.
He won gold in the open 100m backstroke event in a sensational finish, narrowly missing breaking the event record.
He won silver in the 200m backstroke and a bronze in the 50m backstroke in a swim that could have seen any of the three placegetters get gold, while he also finished fifth in the 400m freestyle final.
FUN FACT: A hole in one by a visitor from Sanctuary Cove in Queensland was the highlight of the day’s golf at Rich River Golf Club. Barry Miles scored his ace on the eighth hole of the West Course during a stableford competition.