The first sod in the Victorian Government’s ambitious scheme, to generate electricity at Yallourn, was turned more than a century ago (sometime around 1920); and for the next six decades the township of Yallourn ‘took root, bloomed, withered and died’….
“Yallourn was swallowed by the coal mine it was built to serve”… ‘The Herald Sun’ May 2016.
In this history series for the Virtual Yallourn website, various events in the life of the town and its industries have been chronicled. The monthly activities, shown in each year, are not necessarily the most momentous occasions but simply attempt to show the many varied and interesting happenings that made the local (and sometimes national) news in that era.
The walk down ‘Memory Lane’ (not to be confused with Meadow Lane which ran off Latrobe Avenue) begins in the year of 1925 when the plans for the Yallourn Project were well underway and the ‘garden town’ of Yallourn was creating interest far and wide. This article relates to 1932.
1932
JANUARY: A bushfire threatened the South Camp at Yallourn in January 1932. The fire started somewhere near the briquette factory and spread rapidly towards family dwellings. The Yallourn Fire Brigade and volunteers brought the fire under control. Thankfully, there were no lives lost or reported injuries.
Source: ‘Weekly Times’ January 9th 1932. Page: 5
FEBRUARY: The Yallourn Branch of the Australian Natives Association held its Annual Picnic at Walhalla. A special train carried a large group of adults and children to Walhalla for the festivities, which included a variety of games. Mr H. Tait and Mr J. Young received warm praise for their central role in organizing the ‘fun-filled’ outing.
To continue reading this article, please click on the pdf link below.