Stories

The Yallourn Telephone Exchange - 1954 : Memories by Jeff Collinson

In March 1954, I was selected by the PMG’s (Post Master General’s) Department to be the Senior Technician in charge of the installation of the new Yallourn Telephone Exchange. Prior to this selection, I was the Senior Technician leading a small team at the O’Shannassy Reservoir, near Warburton, installing the telecommunications equipment for the Queen and Prince Phillip when they stayed at the MMBW Chalet during the 1954 Royal Tour of Australia.

Until 1954, the telephone service to the people of Yallourn was… more

Railway Avenue
The Ambulance Station was built in the treed park on the corner of Railway Avenue & Southway, as before this was built Jeff Long used to keep the ambulance at his place (30 Railway Avenue) and Val Hall was the other Ambulance Driver who lived over the back from Longs at 21 Southway.

The “Live Wire” local newspaper office was situated at 55 Railway Avenue – I remember going there with my mum. It was closed after the Latrobe Valley Express opened offices in Morwell and took over as the local newspaper. I still remember seeing the printing room through the… more

First house built was in Maiden St, followed by Hillside and Maryvale Road. The Hattam's lived there in 1922; then in 1928 moved to a new house in 40 Latrobe Ave...at this time houses were going up around The Angles and Green St.

Myrtle Hattam was the first girl to be born to a Yallourn bride. Arthur Langford was the first boy to be born to a Yallourn bride.

St John's was the first church built in Yallourn. Myrtle Hattam was first baby christened there in 1924/25.

Primary School was built in 1930 in Hillside, then the Higher Elementary School was built. There were a… more

1930s Onwards by Jean Fox (Hattam) (circa 1990)

Can you remember the early days in Yallourn when there were no fences and the butcher, grocer (Nick Carter from Purvis stores Moe) and baker (Mr Claxton from Yallourn North Bakery with his slow old horse) called from back door to back door through your yards to take orders? Even the night man went from loo to loo.

The milk was delivered from hand cans into your milk billy each day and one could buy three penny worth of cream right into your bowl. Milkmen were Davey of Morwell Bridge, Payne of Morwell and then came Best and… more

Recollections of Yallourn 1946 to 1960 by Allan Schroeder (circa 1990)
My first experience of Yallourn was in February 1946 when I arrived with my wife and 3 year old daughter for a few days’ holiday. I was on my way to Tasmania to look over a prospective job there after five and a half years in the Air Force.
We stayed at the Yallourn Guest House run by Mrs Birmingham and her sister. We immediately became surrounded by fellow boarders, who later became friends of many years standing. These boarders were Carl Rosenbrock, Father Walsh, Allan Cameron and several school teachers.… more

By Reg Penkethman – YHS Sept 1950 - 1954

Picture the scene: a grey rainy 1950 mid-September day at Port Melbourne. Included among the somewhat bewildered passengers disembarking from the migrant ship “New Australia” were my dear mum and dad, sister Norma and yours truly, a highly curious ten (but nearly eleven) year old.
My earliest memory of life in Australia, apart from the dreary day, was going through the arrival formalities, cavernous shed, tables, probably bored officials. My dad, a smoker in those days (it was 1950 after all) was, consistent with the understood… more

"This document written by my dad and acquired by me (Irving Stephens) from Old Brown Coal Mine Museum on Sunday, March 14th 2010 after a Yallourn Old Girls'/Guys' Associaton reunion at the Woorabinda Camp Site on the Latrobe River just west of Yallourn North township. I had not sighted the document previously and have been delighted to get a copy from the museum. Dad rarely fails to date a document. This script suggests it was written in 1967 when he resided at Boronia....."
Not a life story, just some happenings in the Old Brown Coal Mine. I was born in Kalgoorlie in Western… more

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Richard Kurek or his sister, Zofia? They arrived in Yallourn from Europe post war and both attended Yallourn High School - commencing around 1958.

Did you know – the large oak tree in front of the Guide Hall in Yallourn was grown from a seed from oaks in the Royal Mews in England?
Jock Lawson was given the seed when a Royal Princess was in Australia. (Only six seeds came out to Australia and Jock was given two of these.) From that tree, Jock grew two more trees which were growing at Barbara & Don Flanagan’s house at Hazelwood North.

The Drummond family came to Yallourn at the end of 1923 and the five girls started the 1924 school year in a little weatherboard cottage shell at No 4 Hillside, boosting the numbers considerably. The cottage served as a school during the day, a meeting room at night and the three churches took it in turn to hold Services there on Sundays.

There were about 20 children at the school when we arrived, with Mr Tyson as teacher and a young girl assistant, Miss King. Soon, Mr Bill Eddy took over from Mr Tyson and Miss Alice Firmin (daughter of a well-known Yinnar pioneering family) joined… more