FROM THE NEWSPAPERS - 1934 - ADVENTURE WITH A SNAKE
Meeting with venomous snakes in Yallourn was not uncommon and, in the early days, such stories made exciting reading.
The following brief news report was found in the ‘Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners Advocate’ which was published on the 12th January, 1934. There are two aspects to the story which are indeed interesting…
• It is curious that the story was newsworthy so far from ‘home.’
• The journalist (unknown) didn’t waste any words in describing the demise of the tiger snake.
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Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners Advocate January 12th 1934
TIGER SNAKE’S FATAL MEAL
“After it had entered a large aviary owned by Mr. A. McLarty, of Yallourn, Victoria, through a ½ inch mesh wire netting, a tiger snake 2 feet 6inches long climbed 6 feet to a nest. There it killed and swallowed three canaries. It also killed two old birds. After its meal it could not get out through the wire netting. Mr. McLarty shot it.”
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NOTES TO THE NEWS ARTICLE…
The family name ‘McLarty’ appears in quite a few local newspaper articles of that period. It is also known, that a certain Mr McLarty resided by the creek that ran down towards the bridge that spanned the Latrobe River.
‘Mr Mac’, (sometimes known as ‘Jock’) lived in a shack at the end of Wattle Road (in the Married Quarters). Mr McLarty was often to be seen on his property wearing his black hat, carrying his cane and accompanied by his faithful dog.
Mr McLarty was very well liked by the locals and was regarded as a kind and knowledgeable gentleman. His spirited stories of earlier times were greatly enjoyed by youngsters, particularly Gaynor Fairclough who lived in Wattle Road.
As the years ‘ticked by’ Mr McLarty rarely ventured far from his home but his friends in Wattle Road, Quarry Road and the Yallourn township would often visit. Gaynor’s Mother (Joyce Fairclough) was especially generous and caring towards Mr McLarty and often cooked him a nourishing meal to enjoy.
Gaynor remembers that there were unused stables at the rear of his home which suggests that he may have owned horses in earlier days.
It is believed that Mr McLarty lived to a ‘ripe old age’ and was well into his late seventies or early eighties before he passed away.
It is difficult to state whether Mr McLarty is the same person mentioned in the newspaper report regarding the incident with the snake. Unfortunately, we may never know.
THANK YOU…
Sincere thanks to Gaynor Fairclough (Gould) for sharing her memories of Mr McLarty for the Virtual Yallourn website.
Note: 2 foot 6inches is approximately 75cm.
The above article from the ‘Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners Advocate’ has been faithfully reproduced. The only amendments to the original copy are the font style, font size and spacing, so as to enhance the article for purposes of posting on the Virtual Yallourn website.