Stories

Crackers! - Lachlan McPherson YHS 1962
What a tradition we grew up with! Empire Day….crackers...Guy Fawkes, 5th November…..crackers! Anytime seemingly appropriate …crackers!! Timeplace: Yallourn, 1950's, 1960's Tradition called for dads to manhandle into position large pieces of wood to form bonfires to be lit, danced around, marvelled at, add Catherine wheels (separately to the display); at least twice in the year to celebrate the coming together of the (British) Empire and also celebrate Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow the whole bloody thing (Empire & Parliament) up. Ironic isn'… more

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

“I’d promised to give you photos of the School Choir in my year 1954-57. We used to be bussed to Dandenong to compete against other schools in Victoria. The choir was conducted by Graeme Bartle and later Val Pyers assisted. They also were the instigators of Gilbert & Sullivan operas performed at Yallourn Picture Theatre. I was always in the ‘extras’. We did “The Mikado”, “Yeoman of the Guard” and another - I can’t remember the name. Usually the teachers played and sang the main characters. It was great fun and… more

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. Two years in, I married Lorna, who also has very fond memories of… more

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:-
Perhaps I’d like to be an elephant For its memory… more

Some History (Photo attached)
As we have some newer members in our group, we thought it might be appropriate to mention how our association started. Back in 1976 Lucy Bathurst (Crowe) realised that with the demise of Yallourn, a lot of the friendships that had been established in the town and at the Yallourn High School would be lost as there was no activity which would bring these people back together again. In conjunction with June Jardine ( Blenkiron), the birth of Y.O.G.A. was conceived and has continued to grow ever since. It must be said that this group has really lived up to… more

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. Two… more

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.

Recently, Muriel asked me to visit her (some of her students still visit) which I did and I could have spent the whole day with her catching up and talking about people from Yallourn and our… more

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. I never had enough money to buy Jaffas and… more

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?

They really were good times at High School; travelling from Morwell to Yallourn on the old semitrailer; kids hanging out of its doors as it struggled up the hill to the railway line. Don't think it would pass "Safety… more

David Cooke – YHS 1952 Although I wasn't born in Yallourn, I spent 10 years of my early youth there - attending both Yallourn Primary School and Yallourn High School. I now live in the Hawaii - having been in the US for 26 years now (as a university professor.)

I'm still very sentimental about my time in Yallourn. I lived with my parents and brother Robin (he was killed in New Guinea in 1979) in the house at 3 Maiden Street.

I found out in a rather traumatic way that the town had been removed. On a return to visit relatives during the early nineties I rented a car in… more