PIONEERS OF MOE, YALLOURN AND MORWELL

Doug Farley YHS 1953 - wrote - “When I started school at Yallourn High in 1953, I had no idea that my great, great grandfather, William Robert Farley, originally owned all of our school site. In fact, he was the squatter on the old Merton Rush Run which was approx 24,000 acres and its borders were the LaTrobe River, the Narracan River, the Morwell River and the Wilderness Creek towards Yinnar and therefore took in all of Yallourn. So when I started at Yallourn it was exactly 101 years since he acquired the run.

Beanland Families in Yallourn 1932 to 1965

Barbara Godfrey (Comber) YHS 1942 - recently returned from Portschach, Austria where she played in the International team for over 75-year old tennis players in the "Friendship Cup", which is played against a team from America. Barbara writes: "The International team were from Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Mexico & New Zealand. We had to play 3 set matches, singles and doubles. It was fantastic tennis as I discovered all of the American team members and 5 of our team members play all year singles and doubles every month all over the world and they go to a gym 4-5 times a week.

Arthur Hugh Bland I’ll try to be brief for, at 78, I am inclined to ramble, especially about the old days. My deep interests are not always entertaining to others. To begin at the beginning is always a good place….so Strzelecki Road is the place to start. My Aunts, Eunice Herbert and Muriel Herbert had a house there – I think number 3 from the corner. It was right at the top of the town and backed onto the bush. The neighbours were Mr & Mrs Law on the left, and Mr & Mrs Rainbow on the right. Mrs Rainbow just passed away recently at the age of 101.

Alex McAllister (YHS 1935) came all the way over from WA for the reunion last March at Woorabinda.

He wrote: "I tried to catch your eye at the reunion but every time I looked, you were completely surrounded and appeared extremely involved. I was the only male of my year there, but I did meet with Myrtle O'Neill (Hattam) and her sister Jean Fox (Hattam), Eileen Mitchell (Kerr), Marg Ebsworth who was in the year below and Enid Mills, who was in the year above.

Yvonne Spencer (Spratling) YHS 1942 - I was born in the Morwell Hospital as the Yallourn Hospital had not been built. I was also in the Sale Hospital with Scarlet Fever when there was an epidemic. We lived in The Angles and later in Fairfield Ave. My father worked with the SEC, my two older sisters Beryl & Coral Spratling also went to YHS. We were good friends of Albert & Mona Law. I remember swimming in the Latrobe River and visiting friends in the Haunted Hills. I was too small to remember their names. I remember Dr Anderson and the lovely town.

Valda (Toots) Krueger (YHS 1956) and husband, Hasso, had sold their house in Dandenong and with their 4WD and caravan went up north NSW to buy - but finally realised that family and friends were more important than position and now live back in Melbourne...they'll still be heading off north for the winters. Valda previously wrote some memories about the house swimming sports at school and just how good they were in Mawson (that's only Valda's opinion folks), especially with Lois Gust on their team. Valda goes on to say "one carnival at the old pool - it was freezing cold.

Steve Gray YHS 1970 - Dear YOGA Members, I have received a few copies of the newsletters now and delight in some of the stories, especially when I can relate to the places, events and 'things' people remember. One of the stories recently mentioned the fruit trees in back yards. This sent my memory bank into overload and the further mention of 'sore tummies' really clinched it!

Stefan Tomasz YHS 1957 - I was interested by a contribution from Robin Bavinton (Class of '58) in the June Newsletter. He struck a chord with me over two of his memories. The first was the rough and tumble game he called "Donkey". For years and years I always remembered it has "Horse and Jockey". Certainly, in this political correct era, schools could no longer allow such a "game" to take place. As I remember it, the event did take place near the incinerators (mainly at lunch time).

Richard Sullivan YHS 1956 29/7/05 - I was born in Yallourn; my family lived at 29 Strzelecki Rd. After spending my professional life in Education, I am now working as a printmaker. One of my current projects is to do series of prints of my memories of growing up & living in Yallourn. I felt so dismayed & annoyed when I stood recently at the observation site at (what is now) the bottom of Coach Rd trying to imagine the place I know (?) as Yallourn & realising (as Meredith Fletcher points out in her book) that there is no commemoration of Yallourn at this site (or anywhere in the area).