Recently added

Yvonne Spencer (Spratling) YHS 1942 - I was born in the Morwell Hospital as the Yallourn Hospital had not been built. I was also in the Sale Hospital with Scarlet Fever when there was an epidemic. We lived in The Angles and later in Fairfield Ave. My father worked with the SEC, my two older sisters Beryl & Coral Spratling also went to YHS. We were good friends of Albert & Mona Law. I remember swimming in the Latrobe River and visiting friends in the Haunted Hills. I was too small to remember their names. I remember Dr Anderson and the lovely town.

Valda (Toots) Krueger (YHS 1956) and husband, Hasso, had sold their house in Dandenong and with their 4WD and caravan went up north NSW to buy - but finally realised that family and friends were more important than position and now live back in Melbourne...they'll still be heading off north for the winters. Valda previously wrote some memories about the house swimming sports at school and just how good they were in Mawson (that's only Valda's opinion folks), especially with Lois Gust on their team. Valda goes on to say "one carnival at the old pool - it was freezing cold.

Steve Gray YHS 1970 - Dear YOGA Members, I have received a few copies of the newsletters now and delight in some of the stories, especially when I can relate to the places, events and 'things' people remember. One of the stories recently mentioned the fruit trees in back yards. This sent my memory bank into overload and the further mention of 'sore tummies' really clinched it!

Stefan Tomasz YHS 1957 - I was interested by a contribution from Robin Bavinton (Class of '58) in the June Newsletter. He struck a chord with me over two of his memories. The first was the rough and tumble game he called "Donkey". For years and years I always remembered it has "Horse and Jockey". Certainly, in this political correct era, schools could no longer allow such a "game" to take place. As I remember it, the event did take place near the incinerators (mainly at lunch time).

Richard Sullivan YHS 1956 29/7/05 - I was born in Yallourn; my family lived at 29 Strzelecki Rd. After spending my professional life in Education, I am now working as a printmaker. One of my current projects is to do series of prints of my memories of growing up & living in Yallourn. I felt so dismayed & annoyed when I stood recently at the observation site at (what is now) the bottom of Coach Rd trying to imagine the place I know (?) as Yallourn & realising (as Meredith Fletcher points out in her book) that there is no commemoration of Yallourn at this site (or anywhere in the area).

Peter Hutchinson YHS 1969 - Brigadier Peter Hutchinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the Queen's Birthday Honors in June 05. His award was for distinguished command and leadership in the Middle-East Area of Operations as the Commander, Joint Task Force 633 during Operation Catalyst in 2004. Peter joined the army at Duntroon Military College 30 years ago after graduating from YHS in 1974. He is currently director General Infrastructure Asset Development for the Dept of Defence based in Canberra.

Graeme Kitney YHS 1950: I particularly liked the article submitted by Peter Wallace, an old class mate, as it was only a couple of months ago that we were wondering what had happened to him. I was saddened to read in his article that both Don Munro and John Sundquist had died as they were close friends while we were at school. On a brighter note, I phoned May Hill last week, who I think is our "Senior Member". May has been back home for some time now after spending around 18 months at her daughter's house in Canberra, recovering from a broken hip.

Geoff Esler YHS 1944 - Even when I was a child on a Closer Settlement Block at Callignee Sth, I was aware of the existence of Yallourn, the lights of which were visible from many places in the hills. Of course, I did not then dream of my future association of the place the district children then referred to as "You Learn at Yallourn". Living in an area that depended on kerosene lamps and wood-burning stoves, I had no inkling of the dependence of most of the country on electric power.

Ernie Jeffrey YHS 1949 Wrote: I transferred from Devonport State High School in Tasmania to Yallourn High School in October 1949 as my father, an excavator driver, followed his work to Morwell at the start of the Open Cut Coal Mine. Devonport High School was very similar to English Grammar Schools with the rules and regulations of dress code, manner, and how you presented yourself in the school ground and public places. My mother enrolled me at YHS with the Principle, who I think was Mr Pullen, whilst Mr Finlayson was the Head Master.

Betty Jenkin (Veitch) YHS 1953 Congratulations once again on an excellent YOGA Newsletter. I did enjoy it. Could you please pass on two messages for me: 1. To - Judith Dolan (Dickson) on Page 6. Dear Judith, I was delighted to see the photo of the YHS Choir. I never had that one. However, I am in the back row, third from the left, just behind Jenny Scott. My name was Betty Veitch. The first of the G&S shows that we did was "The Pirates of Penzance". I was in the Chorus. I was in third form at the time.

Lachlan McPherson YHS 1962 : We get the Swimming Pool. My family moved to Yallourn in 1955, after spending the preceding years in leafy Kew in Melbourne's inner east. It was here that I first found out that I couldn't swim. At the ripe age of three, I thought I could, and jumped into the deep end of the Kew pool. Dragged out by lifesavers. (Pity, some would say, could've saved us a lot of bother later). To Yallourn. Beck's Bridge on the Latrobe. Yep, straight in again. Hauled out again. (Pity, again). It happened on a regular basis. (Pity again and again).

Crackers! - Lachlan McPherson YHS 1962

Judith Dolan (Dickson) YHS 1954 sent some photos and said:-

Jim Hazen (ex-teacher YHS 1963-1966) Jim wrote "It is now 40+ years since I first taught at Yallourn High School. It was the second High School I taught at after completing my university studies. My first was Drouin High School from 1961-1962. Yallourn has remained very fondly in my memory as I found the town, staff and students there very friendly, open and welcoming. Drouin had been much less so, especially the town and staff. The students at Drouin were great however. The four years I spent at Yallourn were very special.

Irma Esler (Verrall) YHS 1947 passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Foster on Sunday, 10th October 2004. Irma’s passing was very sudden and totally unexpected, even though her heatlh had not been good for a number of years. Irma was very proud of her Yallourn Old Girls’ Association and didn’t miss too many reunions over the years, and as far as husband, Geoff, is concerned, she was the best thing ever to come out of Yallourn High School. Following is a poem Irma wrote some years ago and requested it be read at her funeral:-

Some History (Photo attached)

Henry Winters YHS 1954 wrote: "The reunion at Woorabinda was excellent except for not having enough time to talk to all those recognisable. I missed so many and even lining up for the group photo, met some for the first time in the day. I was elated to find some contributions I had published in the 'Pylon' and one poem of the senior boys hockey team I played in I had forgotten even writing, but the memories flowed back. The venue at Woorabinda was excellent with the warm conditions and to make sure I can meet up with those missed, it will need attendance again in the future reunions.

Gwen Rodda (Ritchie) YHS 1953 sent the photo on the right with this letter:- “I recently bumped in to Mrs Muriel Feehan, who was Miss Williams at Yallourn State School. She taught there for 10 years from 1946 to 1956.

(Photo attached)

Miss Williams lived in Green Street with her mum and we shared back fences - we lived in Southway. My two brothers and I loved her fruit trees.

Enduring Love - Gary Smith YHS 1962 It began on a Saturday in the 1950's, about 1pm - my enduring love. It might have been ignited by Grace Kelly or Steve Reeves. It was all there - romance, terror, action, adventure - it cost sixpence. It was worth every penny...I refer to my enduring love of movies (I even owned a video library later).…..but the engine that drove it was the powerhouse Saturday matinee at the Yallourn Theatre. The stuff of dreams - Flash Gordon, Batman, The Shadow, Roy Rogers - the greatest show on earth and all for half a bob.

Dorothy Deppeler (Bishop) YHS 1955 - Dot & Ian both attended the "Back To" at Woorabinda last March and met people they hadn't seen for over 40 years. Dot wrote, "it's amazing how little some people have changed!! Beth Dooley (nee Crook) was just as I remembered her. She had quite a "historic" photo of her, me and Peggy Raggatt in our teens! Were we really so slim?