50 years ago

HAMILTON Art Gallery has received an Oriental art collection equal in value to the Sandby collection. The collection which gallery director, Mr. John Ashworth, describes as “astonishing”, consists of 52 pieces of rare oriental art collected from several Asian countries. It is the third-largest and third-most-expensive bequest the gallery has received. The collection was donated by Miss Margaret Barber, of Melbourne. Hamilton’s present oriental art collection is considered second only to the National Gallery of Melbourne, and this will further enhance the gallery’s already world-wide reputation for its fine art collection.

THE Western Border Football League is expected to introduce its own Thirds competition following full support from clubs this side of the border. Representatives of the Hamilton and Portland Under 18 leagues were told of this at a meeting with WBFL executives in Hamilton on Tuesday night. This followed agreement of club delegates at Casterton on Friday night to call a special meeting in the near future to discuss introducing the competition for next season. A move two years ago for the Thirds gave the six South Australian clubs a competition but was dropped by the Victorian clubs when some Under 18 officials said it would end their leagues.

25 years ago

HAMILTON Presbyterian minister and the current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, Keith Bell, is one of the candidates on the Presbyterian Church group ticket for the Constitutional Convention election. The other person on the ticket for the Presbyterian Church, is principal of the Theological College, the Very Rev Professor Allen Harman, who is listed first. Mr. Bell has been a Presbyterian minister in Hamilton since July 1991, and before that, was a minister at Naracoorte for five and a half years and in Bell, Queensland, for four years. He said Prof Harman was a trusted and compassionate thinker on issues relating to Australians and had been listening to people from all walks of life during his 35 years of professional work.

SPORT is one area of life where a person can aim for and achieve success at a young age – perhaps before they’re quite ready to handle it. Hamilton jockey, Nigel Seymour, knows all about the pressure and expectations which can accompany sporting prowess, this leading him to take an eight-month break from racing to think about his future. “It’s a little bit hard to explain,” he said this week. “I couldn’t handle the pressures of being a jockey at this stage.” But this time has passed and moving to Hamilton 12 months ago helped the jockey get back into the winner’s circle. Originally from Orange, Seymour, 21 grew up in a racing family with his father and uncle formerly jockeys, now trainers, and his grandfather also once a jockey.