Latest
Jac’s Pork n Black Beans
IS yummy and it IS easy.
Spiders in the garden
Readers may recall the column about ants. This time it is about spiders. Like ants, spiders can be a mixed blessing and we are guaranteed to have spiders in our gardens. Spiders do a wonderful job at keeping insects in check. Most spiders spin webs to ensnare insects, some spiders
Late April start for footy in 1975
Front page news in April was all about local football upheavals, as the Heathcote League commenced without Tooborac, which had been on-again, off-again, right up to the first bounce. The withdrawal left just Elmore, Heathcote, Colbinabbin, Rushworth, and Mt Pleasant which was given a bye in the opening round. Photographed
As the seasons change...
Gosh! Where did spring/summer season go? It feels like the busy season has been a bit of a blur. The weather is shifting, leaning towards much cooler nights, shorter days and longer nights. The flow of baby birds has ceased but the gathering of plover pairs on nature strips
Logistics
There was plenty of demand for firewood from Melbourne, with the bulk of the transport needs being met by the railways up until World War 2. Looking back to the pre-war years, The Argus newspaper estimated that Melbourne needed 500-600,000 tons of firewood each year, as well as 100,
Dire wolves, de-extinct?
Dire wolves were not a fictional species of wolf created for Game of Thrones. Dire wolves (Aencyon dirus) actually existed in the Americas and went extinct as recently as 10,000 years ago. Their remains show they were bigger and lighter in colour than the modern-day grey wolf (Canis lupis)
April 17, 2025
Forest yarns
It is hard to understate the amount of timber that was used for firewood in the early days, before people had access to electricity and gas. Almost every house had a wood stove in the kitchen, as well as fireplaces in other parts of the house. Many workplaces required timber
Anne’s chocolate cake
I’ve told you before that I can’t do light and fluffy – which is why I don’t cook sponges or cakes much. But my daughter’s friend, Anne, assured me that this was an easy-peasy, one bowl, one spoon chocolate cake – that ANYONE could make.
The majestic mountain ash
By Neil Laurie
Tragedy and heroism at Basin outlet
By Alan McLean
50 Years Ago
Gumboots at Elmore, prince at Nagambie, October 1974
An already wet year was worsened when heavy spring rain brought more flooding near Corop and a very muddy start to the opening of the Elmore Field Days. Anyone without gumboots might as well have not paid the entry fee, as Ayson’s Reserve had been inundated the weekend prior.
50 Years Ago
Bad accident at outlet bridge, September 1974
Bad accident at outlet bridge, September 1974 In light rain, vehicles driven by Mrs Joyce Heily (with passenger son Glen) and Graeme Perry (with passenger Ken Pearce) collided at the outlet bridge, with all four taken to Mooroopna Hospital by Rushworth-based ambulance with injuries less severe than the completely wrecked
50 Years Ago
English doctor changes his mind in September 1974
English doctor changes his mind in September 1974 Negotiations from March to September with an English doctor to fill the vacancy at Rushworth collapsed. The stated reason for the change of mind was that the doctor’s wife had heard from an Australian migration official in Birmingham that ‘the Rushworth
50 Years Ago
Sporting complex idea gone forever
Plans to build a Rushworth sporting complex on Education Department land adjacent to the golf course were officially shelved! Two years of fighting and arguing went down the gurgler after price rises exceeded all previous estimates, and the Public Works Department insisted on involvement of an architect likely to cost
50 Years Ago
90 years up for Fire Brigade, August 1974
90 years up for Fire Brigade, August 1974 A banquet for 80 people was held in a packed Fire Brigade hall, to acknowledge the work done since 1984. Attended by the top brass from the CFA, ex-captains Mal Reid and Charlie Boyson were also welcomed. Only two men from the
50 Years Ago
Brave rescue at Murchison in August 1974
Mrs Denis Downard, new proprietor of Murchison Bakery, displayed extraordinary bravery after a car crashed through the bridge into the flooded Goulburn River. Plunging in, she was able to push the driver, her brother Graham Presswell, to the bank. Others helped rescue Miss Margaret Weaver of Murchison, but the second
50 Years Ago
Big price rise for Rushworth Chronicle in July 1974
Content and quality were down but there was a 20% rise in the Chronicle’s price, up from 8 cents to 10 cents a copy. Increased cost of paper was the primary reason reported. Advertising rates also rose. Peter Ross-Edwards, MLA, presented a Decentralisation Certificate to Rushworth Printing Company, publisher
50 Years Ago
Incident at Balaclava mine, early July 1974
While scrambling down the steep southern wall of Balaclava mine, a Melbourne nurse, 21, had slipped. She was hauled out by Sgt. Geoff Durston, Constable Norman Conway, and ambulance drivers Ron and Graham Hawking, using ropes, cradle and stretcher. The nurse had internal injuries and bruising, her male companion a
