This photograph will bring back many pleasant memories about life and times in Yallourn. The picture shows Mr Wally Lacey, a most popular barber in the town for some 40 years, cutting Ray Cordell’s hair - supposedly the very last hair cut in Yallourn by Wally.

The photograph was taken in 1981, just before Mr Lacey closed his shop in Yallourn and relocated to new premises in Rutherglen Road in Newborough. Those who remember Mr Lacey will recall his great love for the outdoors and the game of chess.

VERONICA LACEY LOOKS BACK
Wally’s daughter, Veronica, has kindly assisted this website article by forwarding information about her family and also her recollections regarding growing up in Yallourn. Veronica was born in December 1945 at the Yallourn Hospital; and is one of seven children born to Wally and his wife Susannah. Veronica’s memories add another colourful chapter to the social history of Yallourn.

Note: All members of the Lacey family were actively involved in the various organizations of the town; and a list of website links has been added, at the conclusion of the article, to give younger readers an idea of the cultural and sporting life of Yallourn in earlier times.

THE EARLY YEARS OF WALTER LACEY
Walter Lacey was born in 1915 on a farm at Haddon (Ballarat). At the age of 14 his father, a mine manager, died whilst working in Malaya. Due to the widespread hardship caused by the Great Depression, Wally, like so many other young children, during those austere years, was forced to leave school and seek employment.

Despite the challenging times and the scarcity of work, Wally was fortunate to undertake and complete an apprenticeship in hairdressing in Ballarat. Little did he know, at that time, that it was the beginning of his career as a hairdresser, which would last for more than half a century.

On completion of his training, Wally set up a business in the south-western Victorian town of Ararat and he worked there for seven years. His next stop ‘along the way’ was at the Flinders Naval Base (later to be renamed HMAS Cerberus) where he honed his ‘short back and sides’ skills on hundreds of men (mainly sailors) involved in Naval duties.

WALLY LACEY ARRIVES IN YALLOURN
Veronica stated that Wally arrived in Yallourn during 1940; and worked initially, as a barber, for Mr. O’Shannasey. The shop was located on the upstairs floor of the building situated on the corner of Broadway and Centreway.

With so many men living in the camps at Yallourn, Wally was always busy; and he made many new friends and learnt much about life in Europe when speaking with the men who came into the O’Shannasey’s hairdressers. It is no secret that some amazing topics are breached, via the barber’s chair, and Wally’s days would have been far from boring.
A clever man once wrote….
“Therapy is expensive …get a haircut instead!”

....to read the article in full, click on the title above the photo and then click the pdf link below....

1933 - A SEASON TO REMEMBER FOR YALLOURN FC

It wasn’t long after Sir John Monash turned the first sod to commence the SECV’s ambitious project at Yallourn, that the Yallourn Football Club came into being. Wherever there are men, such as in the camps at Yallourn, one will usually find a football match, of some code, being played. Consequently, with hundreds of workers being employed in the Yallourn Project, it was only a matter of time before (i) a football team was formed and (ii) matches between neighbouring towns were organized.

Yallourn Football Club was founded in 1922; and, under the leadership of Pat Kennelly (later to become a Senator in the Australian Parliament), the club won its first premiership in 1925.

In the period 1922-1940, the club won eight flags including a hat trick of flags in 1931-32-32. This was Yallourn Football Club’s ‘Golden Era’; and the like of which would never be repeated.

Not only did the YFC win the widespread admiration of country football followers in that period but also many of the club’s players etched their name into the record books for their ‘on and off’ the field contribution in building and strengthening YFC.

….TO CONTINUE READING…click on the title above the photo and then the pdf link below the photo.

To read this article in full, click on the title above and then click the link below the picture to view the full magazine (pdf format).

This photograph of the Yallourn Madrigals was taken in 1976; and it is an important image, in terms of the history of Yallourn, as it places on record the names of the members of the choir at that time.

From the left in the back row: Gwynne Elliott, Linda Hibbert, Ruth Hibbert, Dorothy Cairns, Colin Harvey, Kenneth White, Nancy Embleton, Lois Kemp, Elsie Maddern, Richard Gubbins, David Cousins, John Brown, Bill Adams, Faye Waterson, Sue Bailey and Franz Onger is the conductor.