Town Talk

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Town Talk

By Marnie

Dec 13, 2021

Appealing: A raffle ticket for Churchill House 1947.

This week Marnie shares some facts on when the Shire of Shepparton was created; reminisces about John Maynard and shares a message from our mayor.

Welcome back,

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This is a story I first came across in Ray West’s Those were the days. I think you’ll like it.

The day we beat Echuca

The Shire of Shepparton was created on 31st May 1879 and it was clear, from that date, that Shepp was not to be taken lightly.

Since 1871, we had been a part of the Echuca Shire and it was time for us to stand — or fall — on our own merits.

Echuca demanded payment for a public hall that had been built, in Shepparton, some years before.

Our councillors said that the building had been paid for with rates from our own town and was rightfully ours.

We weren’t paying twice.

The Echuca Council said ‘No payment, no hall’ and put a guy with a shotgun on the door.

People attempting to enter were sent away. (Sounds like the Wild West doesn’t it?)

In the next few days, a campaign to take back the building was planned and put into action.

One of the shire’s workers was to hide in the back yard of the hall (Arthur Benson Sr) and another was to have a substantial lunch on the site of the current Queen’s Gardens, which was near the hall.

Our workman, sitting comfortably under a gum tree, was enjoying substantial sandwiches and a billy of beer.

The friendless Echuca guy watched enviously; and when he was invited to ‘come and have a drink and a bite’, he didn’t resist.

Laying down his gun, he went to join our man under the tree.

Arthur didn’t miss the opportunity. He came out of hiding and took possession of the gun — and the hall.

The bewildered man from Echuca pleaded ‘give us me gun’; Arthur’s reply was a warning shot over his head.

On August 7th 1879, this newspaper reported the following:

“On Saturday evening, Shepparton experienced an unusual degree of excitement when it became known that, by some means or another, the Shire Hall had fallen into ratepayers’ hands — and the man in charge disposed.”

A public meeting was held when “all present expressed their approval of the conduct of the parties, who had the pluck to act in the manner done.”

In the same issue of the paper was an advertisement placed by Echuca Shire, calling tenders for the sale of the Shepparton Shire Hall.

As the people of Shepp enjoyed their hall, for many years to come, it is assumed that no-one took up Echuca’s offer.

And those to our north finally got the message — Shepparton is not to be messed with.

Churchill House

Following on from last week’s story, Anthony has sent us a photo of an original raffle ticket for Churchill House.

Note: Lots of colour – these guys didn’t do anything by halves.

Thanks Anthony. I love this.

A Resurrection?

Hideaway: Who or what built this? Photo: supplied.

C.J. Dennis was a poet, well known for The Sentimental Bloke, and generations of Australian children grew up familiar with The Triantiwontigongolope.

C.J. died, in Melbourne, before World War II.

However, this week I received an email, and photo, from him.

“We who live around the Kialla Lakes have welcomed a Wantigon. He recently took up residence around this tree, he's a funny little insect that you do not often spy and isn't quite a spider, and it isn't quite a fly.

C.J.Dennis’’

It is possible ‘Mr. Dennis’ is hoping someone, familiar with our bushlands, will be able to throw some light on this hive or nest (or whatever it is) — but I’m not sure.

And I can’t ask him — ’cos he’s dead.

Does anyone remember John Maynard?

John and I met during the first days of primary school, but barely spoke to one another over those six years.

At some stage, probably around 3rd grade, he invited me to his birthday party.

My mum dressed me in pink broderie anglaise and off I went, to discover I was the only girl there.

I don’t remember where their home was but it must have backed on to bushland.

We climbed trees, jumped fences, and fell — frequently — into the mud.

We had a wonderful time but my mother, and the broderie anglaise, were not amused.

However, at school, John and I had become competitive with one another.

We each wanted to get better marks than the other. In those days, teachers had a perplexing practice of reading out the marks of everyone in the class — regardless of the embarrassment or humiliation of the children.

It was awful for everyone — and I’m so glad that, sometime/somewhere somebody put a stop to it.

I didn’t want to beat anyone else — just John Maynard.

I remember, one year, we were both presented with Little Golden Books because our marks couldn’t be separated.

In secondary school, we were in different forms and took different courses. Needless to say, my marks fell away.

I didn’t hear anything about him for years — until someone told me he was foundation director of an art gallery in New Zealand; apparently the youngest ever.

He would have been 24. A relatively short time later — about four years — I heard he was producing films.

Then, early in the century, I answered the phone at a marketing company (for which I was working) — and found myself talking to a woman about a movie set.

The producer — who apparently came from Shepparton — was looking for a dusty or muddy fair ground.

He thought he remembered something like that. I couldn’t think of anything suitable, at that time.

However, I said ‘If that’s John Maynard, I think we went to school together.’

She said that he was meeting with someone, at that moment, but she’d ask him anyway.

She came back to the phone, laughing. ‘He’s really busy, but yes. He definitely remembers you.’ (I wondered which of the 50 or so words he remembered.)

Anyway, I asked the lass to tell him that Shepp had changed a bit over the decades.

Chatting with Geoff Maynard, very recently, I asked him if John was connected to his family; but apparently not.

Then, yesterday, I finally Googled him — and, let me tell you, Mr Google really likes Mr Maynard. There are something like 16 sites telling us about his movies, his awards and his life.

Apparently, his first films were made in New Zealand and he has produced 25 or 30 movies and documentaries.

He is acknowledged as having given Jane Campion her start and, in 1990 was “hugely successful at the Venice Film Festival, winning the ‘Silver Lion’ and establishing Campion as a world-class director.” His last movie was in 2019 — pre-COVID-19.

I remember Balibo and Romulus, My Father — but there are a stack of others I don’t think I’ve seen.

If anyone has any memories of John, I’d love to hear about them.