50 years ago
HAMILTON Base Hospital is getting bogged down with plans for its new south-east wing which is to cost an estimated $1½ million. Heads of hospital departments have expressed dissatisfaction with the original plans and have failed to reach agreement on amendments. Confusion reigned at a meeting of the hospital when the planning committee submitted a revised set of plans. Previous meetings of the planning committee agreed to call for written submissions from departmental heads affected by the building program. It was intended then to have a further conference with architects. Revised plans were prepared and rushed from the architect in time for the hospital committee meeting – but following this meeting the proposal is no further advanced.
YOU can’t beat a good drop of brandy, and for district farmer Jim Rogers. A sweet bit of brandy has changed his whole life in recent years. Jim is the owner-trainer of Saturday’s Moonee Valley winner Royal Chart, and the brandy he will always have a soft spot for is the dam of Royal Chart, Apricot Brandy. Mr Rogers had never owned a racehorse until he purchased Apricot Brandy with a foal at foot for $550 in 1957. The foal turned out to be the brilliant Valandry, a winner of 18 races and holder of several district track records. Since Valandry started it’s racing career, the progeny of Apricot Brandy have won more than 100 races for the Nerrin Nerrin farmer who is today one of the best known trainers in the district.
25 years ago
CASTERTON Post Office will be sold and postal services tendered out. Casterton Post Office manager, Greg Talbot, said that the sale of the post office and the tendering of services had been “in the wind for the last two years” and had now “come to a head”. Mr Talbot said negotiations were continuing, but staff at the Casterton Post Office were to be given first opportunity to take on the franchise. Mr Talbot said he personally was investigating the possibility of taking it on, but admitted there would be more negotiations involved before anything was finalised. Mr Talbot believes negotiations should be completed by late September or early October, at which time the Casterton Post Office would be operating under private licence.
HAMILTON Imperials’ expected routine assignment against Millicent today has become a little harder through the absence of three proven Western Border Football League performers. Young ruckman, Jeremy Watt, mobile big man, Eddy Barake, and senior assistant coach, Jason Muldoon, are not named in the imperials team to meet the Saints at Mclaughlin Park in Western Border league’s round 15. Muldoon’s omission was no surprise after he aggravated a knee injury against Casterton last round, but the unavailability of Watt and Barake would be a blow to the Bulldogs, as both players have shown good form recently. The long trip to Millicent should never be approached lightly, even though Imperials, ranked third on the league ladder, would be a warm favorite over the seventh-placed Saints.