Helping others in 1974: Mrs K Pearson, president of the Rochester Tehan House Auxiliary, receives a cheque for $400 from Mr K Oberin (far right), president of the Lions Club of Rochester. At the left of the picture is Mr K Pearson and seated is Mrs Oberin. The presentation was made at the Lions Club dinner on Wednesday evening.
Photo by
Campaspe News
50 years ago
April 1974
At the 1974 Young Farmer’s Achievement Day at Geelong, Peter Green, member of the Lockington Young Farmer’s Club, was awarded the first prize in the ‘original farm gadget’ competition on Saturday.
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Peter was presented with a power hack saw donated by Mr Bob Steer of Steer Engineering. The presentation was made by Mr A Street, Liberal Member for Geelong.
The winning cow lifting gadget was designed and made by Peter for the purpose of lifting a cow to its feet when she is unable to stand on her own.
•••
More than 400 farmers protested quietly over the Federal Government’s removal of production incentives when they attended a mass meeting called by the local district council of the Victorian Farmers’ Union on St Mary’s Hall on Wednesday night.
The State President of the VFU, Mr Jim Heffernen, criticised the recent assault upon the Prime Minister by farmers and others in Perth.
He said the proper way to register a protest was through the ballot box.
He said the record of the Australian farmer in the first of productivity was unequalled in the world, and it wrinkled farmers to think they were being penalised.
25 years ago
April 1999
Rochester’s winter water supply will this year be drawn from Campaspe Number Two channel, ensuring the water quality remains the same as during the summer months, Coliban Water spokesperson Ian Pearl announced on Friday.
In the past years the water has been drawn from the Campaspe River during May to August when the Waranga Mallee channel, Rochester’s usual source of town water, ceases to flow.
Rochester residents have suffered greatly reduced water quality over the past two winter seasons due to the lack of flow in the Campaspe River, leading to increased salinity and turbidity of the water.
A safe Easter in 1999: A reviving cup of tea or coffee and a Kit Kat were enjoyed by almost 600 travellers passing through Rochester at the beginning of the Easter break. Pictured are Melbourne travellers Gwen O’Neill (left) and Les Lefevre (right) with Rochester SES volunteer Pam Fry at a Coffee Break stop on Good Friday morning.
Photo by
Campaspe News
•••
Up until the end of last week, almost 200 hours of voluntary labor had already gone into establishing a new toilet, shower and kiosk block at the Lockington swimming pool.
And there’s quite a few hours to come as the community gets behind the new building.
The old amenities block was past its use-by date, explained committee of management member Michelle Mustey.
Resolving to do something about the problem, the group successfully approached the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation for dollar-for-dollar funding, which takes into account the value of volunteer labor hours.
10 years ago
April 2014
Campaspe Shire is in talks with the Lockington and District Living Heritage Complex committee of management about noncompliance with building code fire safety requirements.
Campaspe Shire service executive manager Paul McKenzie said council had been working with the committee for the past year after buildings on the site were found to not comply.
The building is council-owned and managed by a committee of volunteers.
Committee member Joe Chappel said complying with regulations in the machinery room could amount to $100,000.
‘‘It would take an enormous amount of infrastructure to bring it up to standard,’’ he said.
Mr Chappel said new fire regulations came into force after the Black Saturday fires.
•••
Goodbye hugs: Ella Graham, Addison Ireland, James Brentnall (back), Kasey Stone, Hannah Harbour and Xavier Johnson were sad to see their principal Lyn Coulter leave last week.
Photo by
Elaine Cooney
Lockington Consolidated School principal Lyn Coulter drove through the school gates for the last time on Wednesday knowing she left it in good shape.
‘‘Whoever gets the (principal’s) job will have a great school to move into,’’ she said.
Besides missing the students, parents and colleagues, Mrs Coulter felt positive about taking on a new challenge in the principal’s chair at Epsom Primary School.
‘‘It’s a very different type of school,’’ she said.
Mrs Coulter said the school had grown from a rural school to an urban fringe school within the past two years and student numbers increased from 120 to 200.
