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An apprentice at Yallourn 1939-1944 by Alex McAllister (YHS 1935)

An apprenticeship was a period of training undertaken by young people between the age of 16 & 21 years to qualify as a tradesman or tradeswoman in their preferred occupation. I attended the Yallourn Higher Elementary School and as I had visions of eventually going to sea as a ship’s engineer and the minimum qualification required was that you had served an apprenticeship in a heavy industry as a fitter, I applied for an apprenticeship with the SEC.

Irene Hunnam (Park) YHS 1952 wrote an article on Yallourn Hospital in the late 50s

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In 1957 I started my Division 1 nursing training at the Yallourn Hospital. There were only two of us and we were shown to our rooms in the nursing home and issued with a grey uniform, stiffly starched cuffs and collars and a white cap. A purple cape with the hospital’s insignia and a full white apron completed the uniform.

HISTORY OF YALLOURN - POST OFFICE (provided by Luisa DeAgnoi) 1874 Coal first discovered in Yallourn area, form of lignite. 1886 Small private mine opened up to promote the brown coal. 19.10.1888 The Great Morwell Coal Mining Co registered to mine coal. 10.9.1890 Private railway line built and connected to main railway line at Hernes Oak siding, selling over 200 tons coal per week. 1897 The Mining Co produced the first briquettes, selling at 17 shillings 6 pence per ton, but in 1898 the Co was wound up. 1917 The coal mine reopened with sales at 15 shillings per ton.

Grace James (Catchpole) YHS 1945, sent this article about Brenda Finlayson (Block) who started YHS in 1946 and came from Hernes Oak. (Photo attached)

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Doug Prestidge YHS 1950 wrote: I attended Yallourn High School from 1950 to 1953. I came across an old photo taken 1952/53 of the Junior Football Team. Football in Gippsland in those times was very strong and played a big part in the local communities. The senior team at YHS consisted mainly of Form 5 & 6 students and many of them played in their respective town’s senior teams. As YHS was the only high school in the area, students travelled from Traralgon, Morwell, Moe, Trafalgar and all surrounding areas.

FATHER: Now listen, son, from now on you must do your own homework. I’m not going to do any more for you - it’s not right! SON: I know, but have a shot at it just the same. (A funny from Colin Nash YHS 1956)

Christine West (Salisbury) YHS1959

MRS KIMBERLEY'S TEAPOT I have a teapot which I treasure, every time I look at it, it reminds me of the happy times we had growing up in Yallourn and of our lovely neighbours when we lived at 8 Latrobe Ave.

Alex McAllister YHS 1935--1938

Tru Energy inherited the lookout site when the SEC was privatised. Over the past decade the lookout was allowed to deteriorate and eventually reached a point where Tru Energy had no option but to close it to the public. A couple of years ago, discussions began to take place between Latrobe City Council and Tru Energy regarding the transfer of the land to council as public land. Tru Energy gave the land to council around the middle of 2009 after demolishing the existing lookout structure.

Tim Harvey YHS 1971 continues with Part 5 - Sound, Colour & Light

Sue Bussell YHS 1968 sent a photo taken recently of 4 ex-Yallourn friends:

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We met up for lunch at my place in Coburg one Saturday in May and talked and talked as you do when you all meet up after 37 or so years.......

Lots of coincidences over the years....... every now and again I meet someone with a Yallourn history and it is so good to connect through YOGA and the websites.

Steve Gray YHS 1971 - Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers in Yallourn:

Way up past the pool was the YMCA hall and across from that was the Scout hall, It was big, or maybe I was small, it had various bits to it, like the Captain Hurley Rover Crew hut out the back, and a side storage area used for paper and bottle drives.

Jim Sullivan YHS 1955 - Does anyone remember the old swimming pool? OMG YUK!...It would be drained every year into the OPEN CUT....And all the bike parts....bike tyres...and BIKES...along with old wheelbarrows..and certain unmentionables (ha ha) would be exposed.....But we loved it!!!! It had 2 jetties...a diving board....along with the mud and reeds....It was great fun at the school sports to wait expectantly as the swimmers competing in the UNDERWATER SWIM SURFACED!!! Many of them finished in the reeds!!!!....Many surfacing with bewildered looks!!!!

Irene Coates (Prosinskas) YHS 1952 wrote: "John Lewis wrote about the cooking room being out of bounds for the boys" -- it was a great place, Monday mornings was cooking lunch and Monday afternoons was for baking; Miss Cronin was a very serious teacher and stood no nonsense; we had to wear our white aprons or there would be trouble. She used to get so impatient if you asked a cooking instruction "again", I think she sent me to make the teachers morning tea just to get me out of her hair! It was great having the lunch we cooked, sitting down with jugs of water on the table.

Charles Adams - YTS 1944 wrote: To the team that put the newsletter together, my most sincere thanks and congratulations on a very stimulating edition. Your work is much appreciated (I get out a newsletter myself for the RRVV, so I’m qualified to comment). It gets better and better but there is a dearth of content from the productive end of town, the fellas that got the real work done, those from the Tech. This is from one of them.

Bill Skinner - YTS 1939 wrote: the newsletter article re the Soccer Club, brought back somewhat faded memories of my Yallourn Soccer Club time, during 1941 & 1942. Our coach at that time was a local policeman --- who said at the end of training, "if I catch any of you riding your bike after dark without a light, you will be fined."

Tim Harvey YHS 1971 We have reached the last of the classical elements and the second-to-last of these essays. And this time the theme is Air.

Richard Bush YHS 1955 Riding bicycles in the 1950s:

YALLOURN MILK ROUND: The Early Years Kay wrote "Looking into my family history recently, I came across a story of providing milk to Yallourn in its early history - 1920s, 30s and 40s. My grandmother's family - the Bests - ran the Deloraine Dairy from their farm at Yarragon and were responsible for the Yallourn Milk round. My great-aunt Amy could remember getting up at midnight to milk the cows and setting off for Yallourn by 2.00am. The round would be finished by 9.00am and they would be back at Yarragon by noon. There would be hand cans placed at back doors for the milk delivery.