Reflections from the past

“They must make their contribution,” he said.

“Each person has an individual life to live, no-one should live for themselves. As members of the community, they should do some positive thinking.”

The new Citizen of the Year is the 10th to be appointed by the Rochester Australia Day Celebrations Committee in association with the Australia Day Council.

An innovation this year was the naming of a Youth of the Year. This honour went to Miss Janice Ham of Lockington.

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A small fortune is tied up in Corporal Joaquin, an appaloosa stallion — $20,000 to be exact.

The expensive piece of horse flesh has been on a Lockington property for the past couple of months.

The horse arrived in Australia in November after one year of negotiations by joint owners, Mr Ern Vicary of Lockington and Mr Peter Millane of Bateford near Geelong.

Corporal Joaquin was owned by a stud in California.

Last Friday, the 15.3 hands horse was moved to Batesford.

Mr Vicary and his family are also moving there so they can concentrate on the stud business on Mr Millane’s 125-acre property.

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Melbourne Football Club representatives will be barred from all Goulburn Valley League football grounds.

It was decided by a meeting of GVL delegates at Kyabram last night.

The motion for the barring of Melbourne was put by Shepparton Football Club president Jack Edwards after discussion on recent dealings between Melbourne and GVL clubs.

The matter was first raised by Mike Cooke.

‘’An area worrying my club and also a couple of sister clubs is Melbourne’s nonchalant attitude to our league in signing up players in this area,’’ he said.

‘’At least they should give them time to take their nappies off.

‘’It costs a lot for our clubs to bring up players through from the under 13s then sometimes not event get a full year out of them before they are whizzed off to Melbourne.’’

25 years ago February 2000

Community torchbearers for the Sydney 2000 Olympics no longer have to keep their good news a secret.

Torchbearers were notified in December of their selection, with the official announcement timed to coincide with Australia Day.

Net baller Sharelle McMahon is one of those selected and, despite now living in Melbourne, the Bamawm-born 22-year-old will carry the torch within the Campaspe region.

Rochester cyclist Otto Galliker had three times the reason to celebrate with his selection as a torchbearer followed by his Australia Day awards of Rochester district’s and Campaspe Shire’s Sportsperson of the Year.

Among others chosen was Colbinabbin football coach Phillip ‘’Toot’’ Morgan, who led Colbinabbin to back-to-back premierships in 1998 and 1999.

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Ballendella Primary School principal Marie Chambers settled back into Australian life at her two-teacher school with 33 students, including nine preps, last week.

Mrs Chambers spent last year teaching in the Cotswolds, in England, at a school with 400 students, who largely came from Indian and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds.

Her year one class of five-year-old’s held many different languages, which meant it was necessary to have lots of language assistance in the classroom as well as special support.

‘’But, basically, teaching was much the same as here — however conditions and resources are far better in Victoria.’’

***

Cardboard is no longer viable as a recyclable product — but there’s tonnes of it throughout Campaspe Shire going up in smoke or filling landfills that are already stretched to the limits.

Rochester sports store owner Steve Roberts brought the matter to the shire councillors attention at a special meeting in Rochester.

‘’The problem is not unique to Rochester,’’ he told council.

Businesses through the shire receive deliveries every week resulting in a by-product of dozens of cardboard boxes.

Where once traders were paid for the product, now there is limited demand, and distance in country towns make collection expensive.

‘’I’ve made many phone calls and followed different avenues and I can’t find one person who wants to pick the stuff up for recycling. It’s not worthwhile to do so,’’ Mr Roberts said.

10 years ago February 2015

Have you heard? In July, Rochester’s Betty Budge was one of eight Victorians selected to trial a revolutionary bionic ear.

And six months down the track she can hardly believe the results.

‘‘At my last check-up, I told my doctor it was sometimes too loud,’’ Betty said.

‘‘I never thought in a million years I’d say that.’’

Betty said problems with her hearing began towards the end of her career as a receptionist at Rochester’s Morrison and Sawers Solicitors.

‘‘I found it difficult hearing people on the phone, so I decided to see a specialist,’’ she said.

Betty saw an Echuca doctor who then referred her to a Bendigo colleague.

‘‘In Bendigo, they said I was a perfect candidate for a multiple-channel cochlear implant, and I was sent to the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne,’’ she said.

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Tom Davis has a passion for tractors and hay balers which would make most farmers blush.

The retired Bamawm local has been restoring two antique balers during the past six months, which will be on display at the inaugural International Harvest Baling Festival at Thyra in April.

‘‘The festival is actually bigger than I first expected, so I’m getting quite nervous,’’ he said.

Tom bought a used IH 55-W pickup baler for $90 which he has now restored to working order in mint condition which he described as ‘‘just about priceless.’’

‘‘It’s been like making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,’’ he said.

‘‘I started with a piece of junk, and I’ve finished with something brilliant.’’

***

Fruit flies are wreaking havoc for home gardeners across the district, and residents are receiving little help from government agencies.

Fruit trees in Rochester and Elmore have been infected with fruit fly larva in what locals are describing as the worst outbreak in years.

Rochester Garden Club president Rodney Turner said the flies were fast becoming a major problem.

‘‘Just about everyone has been affected, and we’re no exception,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve been spraying and using traps, but we’ve still lost plenty of trees.

‘‘It’s so hard to control, and there seems to be a lack of awareness from the government.’’