1930s Onwards by Jean Fox (Hattam) (circa 1990)
Can you remember the early days in Yallourn when there were no fences and the butcher, grocer (Nick Carter from Purvis stores Moe) and baker (Mr Claxton from Yallourn North Bakery with his slow old horse) called from back door to back door through your yards to take orders? Even the night man went from loo to loo.
The milk was delivered from hand cans into your milk billy each day and one could buy three penny worth of cream right into your bowl. Milkmen were Davey of Morwell Bridge, Payne of Morwell and then came Best and Carter of Yarragon, who later sold out to Vorbach Brothers of Newborough.
When the fund raising began, to raise money to build churches, firstly at the swimming pool in the Latrobe River, sporting venues, Queen carnival, the ANA sports carnival including the kids’ flat races, egg and spoon, sack races and three legged races, the wood chips flying from the adman’s competition, later the bike races were added. Balloons, fairy floss, sideshows, all the fun of the fair.
Swimming in the children’s area fenced off in the Latrobe River, then when you could swim and passed your Learn to Swim Certificate, you could go over the fence and swim out to the pontoon in the middle of the river. The flood in 1934 ruined all that. Then came the mud hole in Yallourn with the diving tower, later to be followed by the Olympic Pool.
And do you remember when the Yallourn Brass Band played in the rotunda on Friday and Sunday nights – when most of the residents of the town came out to listen? There was quite a festive air. We had a choice of going to the pictures in St John’s, run by Mr Lou Parry and all the breakdowns, or St Therese’s run by Mr Phillips and the same breakdowns.
The great fun when each church held their bazaars, the beautifully decorated stalls, the handmade articles, novelties, those yummy home-made toffees and sweets, cakes, jams and pickles, the interesting lucky dips and the spinning wheels.
The end of year Sunday School concerts and prize giving, all dressed up in new dresses and shirts. The Greer sisters, the first dancing teachers (national) followed by Mrs Huddy for many years, then our own Miss Joy Smith (later Davey), the concerts and eisteddfods – CWA in St John’s hall. Then Mrs Law came along with the bagpipes to teach national dancing. Talking of dancing – the good old Scotch nights held in the Fire Brigade Hall. The balls in St John’s, St Therese’s and later in the Militia Hall.
There were the boxing clubs, some trained by Mr Fred Jackson from 1st Youth Club held in the RSL hall in Hillside. Mr Jackson also held gymnasium early in the morning and Dr & Mrs Andrew helped Mr Hattam run the dances with records played on an old gramophone.
Then came Mr Graham, Mr & Mrs Tibbles, Mr & Mrs Mason with the next Youth Club, with bike hikes, moonlight hikes, bus trips to snow and beach, the great Friday night dances in the RSL hall and don’t forget the Youth Show. What a success! Also their basketball (netball) team premiers, the boys made the medals.
During the war years, the air raid shelters we all built in our back yards, the black-out curtains and the air raid warden knocking on the door if you forgot to close the curtains. Yes, ration cards. The young lads building gas producers for their cars. Many didn’t get far.
Best of all, the Sunday night band concerts with all the local talent. Those long queues for stockings, chocolate, smokes and other short commodities. Guides, Brownies, Scouts, Cubs and Rovers. The great guide parties when each patrol spent some time decorating tables in patrol colours, then scouts attending and return visits. The big bonfires, if someone didn’t light them before the night or high fire danger and we couldn’t light them.
The fire in Yallourn North open cut in 1929, the flood in 1934 when the Latrobe River broke its banks and the open cut was flooded. The two big fires in 1939 and 1944, the fire almost incinerated the town of Yallourn, the cut caught fire and the Haunted Hills (now known as Herne’s Oak) lost a number of houses.
Now to school days when school was first held in No 2 Hillside, then the Higher Elementary buildings also housed the primary school, then the big move to junior school in Fairfield Avenue. The Technical School commenced in two (or was it three) houses in Narracan Avenue, alter built on the corner of Latrobe Avenue and Hillside and St Therese’s School (not sure when they commenced).
Can you remember when the schools were closed because of the diphtheria epidemic? Two attic houses in Westbrook Road were made into a temporary isolation hospital for the diphtheria carriers. The ambulance came around and collected the results of swabs taken of all children in the schools. The brothers and sisters could take goodies down and place them in a large wooden box on the verandah and wave from the fence to the inmates, or pull faces.
Then came the polio epidemic around 1937. Schools closed and the secondary school pupils had their lessons delivered by the teachers per push bike or on foot, what fun watching the teacher pop them into the letter boxes.
The good old days when the postman walked the town with the mail bag on his back and whistled each time he made a delivery. You could say hello to the man sweeping the gutters – no machines in those ‘good old days’!