Stories

Lynne Willis (Radford) YHS 1967 wrote:

“I am just writing to let you know of the passing of my Mum, Peg Radford. Mum had been a member of YOGA for quite some years and had been to many reunion dinners etc along with her sister Ethel (Bubs) Parry (dec).

Sadly, mum passed away on the 23rd October, 2006 after a 3 year long battle with lung cancer. Mum went to school in Yallourn but moved away in her teenage years after her marriage to Ken Radford. They were married for more than 53 years until dad passed away in 2000. They were, at that time, living in Paynesville, having… more

Kate Baker (Jensen) YHS 1962 sent a note to say her father, Tom Jensen, passed away on 30th April 2006 at the age of 91. “In June 1951, Tom joined the Gas & Fuel Corporation of Victoria. At the end of the war, the Vic Govt was keen to use the State's reserves of brown coal to produce gas. In 1947, two German's - Danulat and Bruggemann - were brought to Australia to investigate using Victorian brown coal for the Lurgi gasification process. In July 1948, they reported it was suitable. With the prime objective of building the Lurgi plant at Morwell, the Gas & Fuel Corp of Vic was… more

John Lewis YHS 1954 wrote: “Richard wrote that Headmaster "...Ellis didn't administer corporal punishments himself...", and then goes on to say how his deputy Ernie Herman [sic] acted for him in this regard. Well, I am sorry to have to destroy Richard's benign image of the Headmaster. I copped six from Ellis [three on each hand] after being sent to him by Mrs McLaren for not enjoying one of her music classes enough, or maybe for enjoying it too much. I forget which. Also, I think 'Underpants' Ernie's surname was Homan [not Herman]. I remember that the appropriately named history teacher '… more

John Goold YHS 1954 wrote: “As usual, reading the latest YOGA Newsletter brought back my school days at Yallourn, in the 40s and 50s of the last century. I note that so far none of the contributors has reminisced on how we were taught to express nationalistic patriotism. Well let me bring back some memories. Every morning rain or shine, at the commencement of the school day, we students would parade in three ranks for administrative briefings by the Principal (Headmaster in those days) or “deputy duty parade commander” and then to a scratchy amplified rendition of “Colonel Bogey” or “… more

Judy Vise (Leech) YHS 1952 asked a simple question in our last newsletter - could anyone enlighten her on the reason for the iodine tablets administered each Friday by the Form Captains back in the 50s. This has sparked a lot of different responses:-

Mary Newton (Bennett) YHS 1953 (and later a teacher) wrote: “thank you for another interesting newsletter. With reference to Iodine Tablets, Iodine is needed so that the thyroid gland functions properly and does not become enlarged (goiter). The tablets were given to make up for an apparent deficiency of iodine in the soil in Gippsland… more

Henry Winters YHS 1954 wrote: “Just read Jan 07 YOGA newsletter and the Beanland family was very interesting - I worked with Graham's section at Yallourn Power Station early 60s.

The Richard Bush memories were good ones, but it was Ernie Homan (not Herman) who was vice principal in my era 1954 on. (Henry...this could well have been a typo on my part...Editor)

The 'Underpants Ernie' tag was due to his tucking his shirt and singlet inside his underpants such that when his trousers were pulled up sometimes (especially the warmer weather) the elastic band in his undies,… more

Colin Nash YHS 1956 wrote:
“Readers can cast their minds back to the time IMT visited Yallourn, in 1958 I think. It was such a big event for the town with TV such a powerful drawcard in its early years - an air of excitement. What an opportunity to actually see the stars who had become household names at the rehearsal on the day of the show, held at Kernot Hall. In the interests of 'art appreciation', a number of students attended the rehearsal (to represent the school of course) - names I can remember who 'sacrificed their studies' were Colin Nash, Brian Kilday and John Young. We… more

Winton McColl YHS 1959 - My sincere thanks for a job well done. Mary & I arrived home on Sunday after a week on the Gold Coast - exhausted, but couldn't put the book down. You have bought back many good memories of the old town and its people. Again, sincere thanks. Can I tell you a little story regarding the South Camp. There don't seem to be many photos of the South Camp, which is not surprising considering its role in the early history of the town. My grandfather, Jack Ebsworth, went there in either 1922 or 23, leaving my grandmother (Daisy), mother (Vi) and 4 of her siblings,… more

Steve Gray YHS 1971 - wrote: Billy Carts As a kid, my brothers (Colin and Peter) who are that bit older than me, soon grew out of their beloved pedal cars and went on to make billy carts (Colin, especially). I was the one to inherit one of the pedal cars and would soon want to race them down the street (our little run down Broadway West to Fairfield Ave was a reasonable run, enough to get a bit of adrenaline happening (especially when you had no brakes!) Over time we made a range of billy carts and the search for suitable wheels, axles, decent chunks of wood etc was always at the back of… more

Stan Smith YHES 1928 - apologised for not being able to attend the reunion in March due to ill health. Stan first arrived at Yallourn in 1924, not long after his 8th birthday. The township was in its infancy then. School was in the cottages until shifting over the road to the newly built brick school 4085, then known as a primary school, in 1925. Ultimately worked for the SEC in the Main Office before being transferred to the Head Office in Melbourne in 1938. Stan will always cherish memories of Yallourn, the life long friendships, the community spirit, the sporting facilities, the dances… more