Dunolly and District

A blog about a fabulous little town in Central Victoria.

20 May, 2013

May 20 Wear and tear worth more than 8 shillings...apparently

1942
 Bet Bet Shire lodged its dissatisfaction with the billeting amount for evacuees, saying that 8/ per week was not enough to keep a young child, let alone the wear and tear on the home.

Send 'em out to play with the Sunday roast!
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19 May, 2013

May 19 Drip a little drop or two

1932
84 points of rain fell at Dunolly in a 24 hour period.

Then, as now (were we given a soaking) there was probably frolicking in Broadway
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18 May, 2013

May 18 Watering down the grog

1896
Matthew Campbell Lecky, Excise Officer, summoned Bridget Barber, of the Golden Valley Hotel, Bet Bet, for applying a false description to liquor (whisky) exposed for sale. 
She was lined £1 with £4 0s. 8d. costs. 
Catherine Johannsen, of the Farmers Arms Hotel, Eddington, was charged with a similar offence. 
The chairman said that the tests by Mr. Fremersdoriff were much more elaborate than those by Mr. Smith, the Customs expert, and dismissed the case, with costs, £5 5s., against complainant.

The cat agreed...
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14 May, 2013

May 14 Vale Archibald McDougall

1881
Founder of Dunolly (or the sheep run that was here before the diggings) Archibald Campbell McDougall died at Spring Bank near Benella.

For more details on his life click HERE.

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13 May, 2013

May 13 Oooooo, ahh!

1875
The resident surgeon, Dr J.J Wolfenden was given a banquet at Tatchell’s Bendigo Hotel on his leaving for England on 12 months leave; he was presented with a silver-mounted claret jug, silver goblets, a gold locket and a diamond ring.

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12 May, 2013

May 12 Twains on the twack.

1903
The first train to arrive at Dunolly in 4 days was greeted by more than 100 townspeople who cheered the driver. About a dozen passengers had travelled through from Castlemaine.

A long time between cups!
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11 May, 2013

May 11 A few more lugs with a chug-a-lug

1903
During the railway workers strike many local Dunolly men, both qualified and not, applied for positions as drivers and stokers, while others were anxious to take up other inferior positions.

Cos trunk lines were busy....*groan*
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10 May, 2013

May 10 This Is Serious, Mum!

1893
Business was almost paralysed in Dunolly as both banks were suspended/closed pending "reconstruction" (reinvention of the financial wheel), very few withdrawals from local branches with only a few new deposits.
The Bet Bet Shire Council and Dunolly Ladies Benevolent Society accounts were kept at the Bank of Victoria, which is now suspended from trading.

Those chickybabes were made of iron, though...
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09 May, 2013

May 9 Bigamy!

1916
At the Police Court to- day, before Mr. Elliget, P.M., William Carwickham was brought up on remand charged with Bigamy.
Superintendent Hewitt prosecuted, evidence was given to the effect that accused was married at a registry office at Tarnagulla on June 28, 18S2, to Ellen Murphy, but, not living happily, left 17 years ago.
Last February he came to Dunolly, and on the 18th of that month was married by the Rev. J. N. Carr, Anglican, to Mrs. F. Ebbles, a widow.


Far too many romantic novels for that chap.
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08 May, 2013

Tight Arse Menu @ The Royal Hotel Dunolly 9th May 2013

$10.00 per head for a TWO course meal!!!
Can't get more Tight Arse or more value!

Vegetable, Bacon and Risoni Soup

Choose from one of the mains -

Bangers and Mash
Chicken Agrodolce
Pork, Sage and Parmesan Burger
Ricotta and Lentil Cannelloni



Phone 54681313

May 8 Cunning foxes

1909
Victor Rooney of Murphy’s Flat was about to strike the head of a fox caught in a trap with the butt of a pea-rifle when the gun fired, lodging a bullet in his leg. He was taken to Dunolly Hospital but is not considered to be in a critical condition.

Perhaps he should have used one of these thingies...?
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06 May, 2013

May 6 Two cans on a string superseded by new fangled Telegraph

1859
Piggin and McDonald won the Government contract to build the Telegraph Office at a cost of £409.

As they'd discovered peacocks were useless at conveying the footy results to others...
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05 May, 2013

May 5 Nosh up and Choo Choos

1875
Great preparations were made for the reception of the Hon. Gillies expected tomorrow by special train en route to St Arnaud to inspect the different routes for the extension of the railway to that town. A luncheon was provided on arrival of the train at the Bendigo Hotel (Dunolly) while at at Bealiba extensive preparations were also made with Triumphal Arches erected.

One suspects there may have been a few raspberries, rather than Triumphal Arches, from any Luddites.
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04 May, 2013

May 4 "...we all fall down!"

1908
John Lyons, aged 83, was admitted to Dunolly Hospital after fracturing his leg following a fall from the stool in his tent.

Hospital staff refrained from taking him out the back...
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03 May, 2013

May 3 Star light, star bright...

1867
A beautiful meteor was sighted in the southern sky in Dunolly at 11.30pm, it descended in a straight line to the earth leaving a brilliant fiery trail behind it, it reached its limits then burst into a shower of sparks lighting up the night enough to read the signs on the shopfronts.

Which made the residents realise they'd rushed out of doors without appropriate head ware...
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02 May, 2013

May 2 Wood!

1936
The annual Wood Bee for the Dunolly and District Hospital saw 125 tons cut and carted after which Mr Trainor on behalf of the forestry workers presented Mr Heskin, retiring Forest Officer of Dunolly, with a clock. 
At the public farewell Councillor Belcher spoke of Mrs. Heskins work in both the hospital and the churches, he then presented Mr. Heskin with a packet of notes and Mrs.Heskin was presented with a silver sandwich serving tray from members of St. Marys Church.

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01 May, 2013

May 1 Queens should be sober and not heard

1906
A large number attended the meeting for talks on holding the Queen Carnival for 1906 which became lively when the discussion turned to allowing a publicans booth .

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30 April, 2013

29 April, 2013

April 29 Government fixing something that wasn't broken

1897
 Although the Government scent farm at Dunolly has been in existence for many years it has not yet produced (says the Australasian newspaper) a really marketable perfume, and the farm has cost the Government £500 a year. 
On a recent visit to the establishment the Minister for Agriculture came to the conclusion that the method adopted of extracting the essential oils was too primitive for modern times, and this view is borne out by a report which he has since received from Mr Pearson, the Government Agricultural Chemist. Mr Taverner has decided to dispense with the services of the present manager by the end of the month, and to place the farm under the control of Mr Pearson. 
The most scientific methods will then be introduced, and instead of cultivating a variety of scent plants as at present, attention will be concentrated on a few only. An effort will be made to produce marketable lavender water, attar of roses, and a few other perfumes.
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27 April, 2013

April 27 Decent Dunolly-ites

1906
 Mr Dermondy of Old Lead lost his home and contents to fire in January but was not insured. The townspeople of Dunolly took the matter in hand an erected a comfortable four roomed house of Egyptian bricks (mud/clay bricks made without straw) for him and his family.

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