Reflections on the past

Goulburn-Murray Water will slash 60 jobs in a bid to save $3.4 million.

Managing director Gavin Hanlon said G-MW would make targeted redundancies, in an attempt to streamline its management.

While G-MW has a staff of 813, Mr Hanlon said customer service positions would be unaffected.

‘‘The majority of job losses will be from middle management. The majority will be from our Tatura office, but there could be others across our region,’’ he said.

Mr Hanlon said G-MW would review its staffing level during the next three weeks, with staff to learn their fate in five weeks.

‘‘These will be targeted redundancies. There are areas of the business that need to be trimmed and there are other areas which need to be invested in,’’ he said.

‘‘During the review we will look at redeployment where possible.

‘‘The restructure aims to rebalance the skill-set to areas that will be essential in the future with our modernised system.’’

STILL GOING STRONG 100 YEARS ON

Mathoura Tennis Club is celebrating its centenary this weekend.

Established in 1912, the club’s first tennis courts were at the public school, south of the present school, where it played for its first three years.

Following the development of the recreation reserve in Burnes St, it shifted and played on rough and dusty courts, which were maintained by the players.

After World War II, the club used another court that had been laid at the school, until a third court was laid at the recreation grounds.

The biggest change in the club’s history was a major works program undertaken in 1952 and 1953.

With the assistance of a grant from Murray Shire Council and loans made to the tennis club from members, the club had the bitumen surface relaid from fence to fence on courts one and two, as well as lights installed.

The club has about 30 members and plays two night competitions — in autumn and spring.

To celebrate the milestone, the club is holding a family fun day on Sunday.

MISTRESS EXCITED

Leo Welch and his Mistress will lead the local hopes in the seventh annual Barrie Beehag Ski Race on the Murray River tomorrow.

The super class will start at 10am at Deep Creek Marina, Moama and finish at Torrumbarry Weir, with reigning champion Hellrazor, led by its driver Mark Cranny, the first team to depart.

Moama Water Sports Club president Stephen Robson said the club was ready for the event.

‘‘We’ve had 150 entries and we’ve got a good field in the top entries and in the 70mph and 60mph races,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve checked off all the final points and we’ll be looking for a great crowd out there.’’

It will be Robson’s first event as president since taking over from Alan McDonald, who served as president for seven years.

Robson has been with the club for more than 10 years and has served as a director for seven.

He said Hellrazor was probably the hardest to beat but did not rule any team out.

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25 YEARS AGO

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1997

PORT VISITOR NUMBERS UP

Things are moving along quite smoothly down at the Port of Echuca.

According to port manager Bruce Whelan, turnover this calendar year has been up every month on the previous year and there are several projects in the pipeline which will bring the port even closer to its heyday glory.

Figures over the Melbourne Cup weekend were up 100 per cent compared to the 1996 weekend.

And it wasn’t only the port that was benefiting.

Mr Whelan said he had heard reports that some hoteliers had experienced their best Melbourne Cup weekend ever.

In October turnover was up 15 per cent, September 13 per cent, August 12 per cent and July six per cent.

Mr Whelan said at this stage November figures should be up by around 20 per cent.

STRAY DOG FOUND

Ian Weate has a lot of praise for the people of Echuca, particularly Echuca Motel operators Roger and Wendy Moore.

Their praise is all because of a ‘’fat, obese, mongrel corgi’’, as Ian described their 10-year-old pet Courtney.

“She’s an ugly little thing, but she’s ours,” he said.

Ian and his family came to stay for four days in Moama recently, bringing their pet.

Their enjoyable visit ended after three days when the dog went missing.

After a day searching without finding her, the family had to return home to Burwood, but did put an advertisement in The Riv for their dog.

It was a happy and impressed Ian who contacted The Riv again on Monday.

Ian said the response to the ad was terrific, with a lot of people calling to say they had seen the dog.

Among the people who saw the ad, and the dog, were Roger and Wendy, who went looking for Courtney, found her and took her back to their motel.

They contacted Ian, who returned to Echuca to claim his pet.

“They fed and looked after her and obviously cared for dogs,” a grateful Ian said.

“It was terrific.”

CV SELECTION FOR BASKETBALLERS

Four of Echuca’s junior basketballers have been selected to represent Country Victoria at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup in Albury-Wodonga in January.

Kimberley Lucas was selected in the under-18 girls squad of 20 after attending selection trials in Bendigo last month.

Twelve Echuca players attended the trials.

Elke Long, Ashlee Good and Belinda Muir were chosen in the under-14 girls squad of 20 after taking part in the Victorian Country Basketball Council’s Golden Nugget Camp in Ballarat last month.

Three other under-14 players from Echuca, Rowan Hill, Ben Ghiggino and Jemma Wellard, also took part in the camp.

FUN FACT: Rob Merlo Real Estate advertised a three-bedroom home in Moama with ensuite, floor heat, air conditioner, pergola and lock-up garage in a ‘’quiet locality’’ for $145,000.

50 YEARS AGO

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1972

OPENING AT BANK

“Congratulations on your expansion in our city,” said Mayor of Echuca Geoff Evans at the opening of the extensions to the Commonwealth Bank’s premises on Wednesday.

Cr Evans offered the congratulations to the manager Mr Arthur Stephens.

In the picture are Mr N. Blashard, assistant manager for Victoria for the Commonwealth Trading Bank, who opened the extensions, Mr D. Chamberlain, of the Commonwealth Savings Bank, Mr Stephens, Cr Evans, Mr A. Allday of the Commonwealth Development Bank and Mr Bruce Lloyd, MHR for Murray.

More than 100 people attended a reception at the bank to celebrate the completion of the expansion project.

3000 BOOK FOR RIVER BOAT TRIPS

Nearly 3000 passengers are currently booked to come to Echuca for chartered trips aboard the paddlewheeler Canberra.

Many more passengers will be carried on the regular scheduled trips, a spokesman for the Murray Steamship and Tourist Company Pty Ltd, operators of the Canberra, said yesterday.

The upsurge in travel on the Canberra resulted from months of extensive marketing, the spokesman said.

“Many coach companies and groups who normally would not have visited Echuca have been attracted by our marketing campaign,” he added.

Also, the MSTC had encouraged the groups to visit other attractions in the area.

The largest operator of school educational tours now included Echuca in its itineraries.

Their camping tours would now use a local camping park and most would feature visits to Perricoota Station, and the Echuca rice mills.

TOP DISTRICT CRICKET SIDE TO PLAY HERE

A coaching clinic for junior players will precede a match to be played between a combined Echuca Cricket Association side and Hawthorn-East Melbourne at Victoria Park Oval on Sunday, December 3.

Acceptance of an invitation from the Echuca Association for Hawthorn-East Melbourne to visit Echuca was received this week and officials of the District team said their players were looking forward to the trip and match.

Hawthorn-East Melbourne at present hold top place on the Victorian District Cricket premiership ladder and should provide entertaining play for local enthusiasts.

The coaching clinic for local and district junior players will last for one and a half hours during the morning and play in the match is to commence about noon.

Bob Cowper and Ian Law will be among the players assisting in the coaching clinic.

Two former players of the Hawthorn-East Melbourne club have been included in the Echuca Cricket Association side named for the match.

They are Graham Arthur, who played a couple of seasons with the club when he first went to Melbourne to play VFL with Hawthorn and Tim Webber, who was captain of the club’s thirds before moving to the district.

The Echuca team for the match is G. Arthur, T. Webber, R. Watson, L. Garraway, A. Murphy, A. Johnson, J. Ogden, R. Shawcross, L. Rosenow, M. Blundell, N. McCann and B. Windridge (12th man).

FUN FACT: Easy Rider, starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, held top billing at the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night. The triple play also featured Fragment Of Fear and this week’s exciting episode of Batman.