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I adored my time in Yallourn and would love to have had the opportunity to bring my children up in the same environment. Great family times, big Christmases with all the Wiggins family (my mum's maiden name). Fantastic birthday parties where all the neighbours kids were invited. Hot evenings we would sit on a blanket in the front yard. Dad would open the lounge window and put the TV up to it and whoever walked past would stop and join in. Being invited to Mr & Mrs Benson's for Sunday lunch for her roast lamb and rhubarb pie - what a treat that was.

As kids, we used to play running up the sides of the drains and from that I came down with Scarlet Fever. Yallourn Hospital was opened in 1928 but did not cater for fever patients so I had to go to Sale. There were floods at the time and the ambulance was the last let through. I shifted to Newborough when I was 4 but was at Yallourn for all my school days. My father Charlie Wells came out from England in 1920, joined the SEC in 1921. He started as a dredge driver and later a foreman in the Open Cut spending all his working life with the SEC.

As we were across the road from the railway line, it was easy to view the Queen when she passed through the town. Immediate Neighbours: Betts, Watkinson Nearby Neighbours: Wiggins, Trethowan, Williamson

Great family times, big Christmases with all the Wiggins family (mum's maiden name) all playing cricket on the greenbelt area opposite our house. We moved to this house when my grandparents relocated to Newborough, the reason for the move being my brother, Ronald, was dying of cancer and where we lived in Southway, he and my brother Peter shared a bungalow, which was quite cold. The Railway Ave house was big enough to house us all under one roof. Ronald died not long after we moved into Railway Ave, so there are happy and sad memories of this house.

Born at Yallourn Hospital in Sept 1953. Immediate Neighbours: Flack

Plenty of coal dust - but a happy place to live. No 1 oval at briquetting factory. School excursions (by train) to railway station - as did the circus - which paraded by our home to the oval. 6 o'clock closing when the happy drunks used to stagger up the road to their camp and sometimes found them in our front yard in the morning. The big explosion in the factory when Mr Stack was killed. Learning to swim in latrobe River prior to the big flood, which washed away the swing bridge access to Brown Coal Mine, now Yallourn North. Outside toilet...Marj

Yallourn was a great place to grow up as a young kid. Although we didn't realise it at the time, it had everything to offer with the many amenities, social groups and sporting facilities. Many country towns today would be envious of what we had available way back then.. Cubs, scouts, St John ambulance, piano lessons, tennis club, soccer. Delivering the afternoon papers. Fishing in the Latrobe River. My first girl friend. Our chimney catching fire, picking up briquettes from the nearby railway line. Dad driving the ambulance (part time).

Too young to remember. Moved to 76 Fairfield Avenue

Immediate Neighbours: 13 - Mary Riddle; Pat & Rene Reuters; Col & Sue Griss

Granny came to stay from UK so needed extra bedroom so moved next door - she shared with Sue & Chris. Granny had a stroke which prolonged her stay. Going next door to watch TV in 1954. Catching tadpoles out the back of the nursery across the road. Brushing the horses at Mrs Owen's farm. Moved to 70 Parkway.

Watching the Sputnik 1 pass overhead from front gate in 1957...Richard. Xmas train going around with sandwiches. Julie had convulsions during hot weather and was dunked in a cold bath (much enjoyed by others I'm sure!!) Men walking back to Hernes Oak after closing time at the pub - quite amusing. We moved to 3 Outlook Rd. Immediate Neighbours: Frank & Betty Vogel (Sandra, John, Gary & David) Nearby Neighbours: Robinson; Love (back); MacRae; Langdon; Kerwood

We had best vegie garden in area and chooks. Dad worked at the briquette factory. Left home for Melbourne at 17. Lived near the ovals - cricketer's delight!! Paperboy from 10. Immediate Neighbours: 8 - Trevorall (?); 4 - Barr Nearby Neighbours: Johnnie McLaren

Father was appointed Head Master Yallourn Higher Elementary School - the move was a climate and culture shock, these were World War II years. February 1944 commenced YHES. Living in Yallourn was an experience never to be forgotten. The coal dust lodging on the white washing day. The smell when the wind blew from the Marysville Pulp Mill. The pure quality of the water. School teachers - Mrs Quatta with her little gramaphone introducing appreciation of classic music "Peter and the Wolf" - today when I hear this recording, one remembers her enthusiasm.

Immediate Neighbours: 58 Parkway - Cecil Cain & family; 62 Parkway - Phillips then Claxton; 64 Parkway - Garvin Nearby Neighbours: 56 Parkway - Menadue (John was Headmaster of YHS 1944 to 1950?), Ellis & Champion; 68 - Frith;

Fabulous adventures over the road, roaming the ovals, the pine plantation on the other side; the bunkers near the stables and the sports hall and the boating pond behind the swimming pool. Days spent at the swimming pool in the summer. Remember the ovals as they originally were when we first moved in, surrounded by bush and scrub. Remember the pool being built (dad worked on teh lights there). Our garden was big and had the remains of a chook shed when we first moved in. This became the basis of a cubby house which was used and used. It was right next to the plum trees which bore and bore.

Steve Jones and the steam roller doing road repairs. Off school because of infantile paralysis. Jock Morris, Alan Turnbull and myself starting school. Many happy days playing with the Melbourne and the Collins children. Immediate Neighbours: Melbourne, Saunders, Forbes, Boak Nearby Neighbours: Young, Collins, Griffiths, Pritchett, Sutton, Lynn Hassel

Immediate Neighbours: 10 - Brown; 6 - Crane; Rear was State School area Nearby Neighbours: Roberts; Madden

Playing up the bush building huts; taking Cindy (dog) to swim in large pond in the bush; catching yabbies in same pond with meat at the bottom of a stocking; raiding the fruit trees in the area - particularly blood plums and usually in the darkness of night; David Brown, next door, shooting out street lights with air rifle; rigging the telephone box so when B Button was pushed, money wouldn't fall and then once a week, collecting it. Walking to swimming pool (took ages) on Thurs nights for swimming training.. Walking to kindergarten way in front or way behind mother.