50 years ago

HAMILTON town clerk, Mr. Tim Neville, says up to $200,000 in subsidy help towards welfare services is awaiting the South-West Region’s 17 municipalities. Mr. Neville says the money is available under the Federal Government’s Australian Assistance plan. He has successfully urged Hamilton City Council to support a seminar in Warrnambool on May 8 to form a region under the plan. He has told council: “A Labor Government tends to work towards a socialist state and this is one of its methods of doing it. “Assistance offered under the plan covers items that Hamilton City Council is involved with – and items that council in the past hasn’t had the finance to be involved with.” Mr. Neville said the Federal Government had issued publications which showed the aims of the plan.

SHELTARA notched his second successive Penshurst Cup with a most impressive win in the big race yesterday. The four-year-old gelding, who is owned and trained by les McConnell, at Warrnambool, won the race last year. Horses have a good record of winning two Penshurst Cups in a row. In recent years this feat has been achieved by Prince Bardoli (1970-71) and Padlock (1963-64). Sheltara was having his second start in three days. On Saturday he was narrowly beaten in the Terang Easter Cup by Sporran. Mr. McConnell was superstitious about Saturday’s run because his horse was going for its 13th win and the date was the 13th. Full Of Gold, who was heavily backed in the last minutes before the race failed to run on as well as expected.

25 years ago

NORM and Judy Kenny’s Recycling Service will be relocated and the site in Hensley Park Rd will become home to a multi-million-dollar blue gum seedling nursery. Eight weeks of negotiations between the Shire of Southern Grampians development and tourism unit and award-winning propagation supplier, Environmental Revegetation Australia, has culminated in Hamilton surpassing other centres vying for the company’s state-of-the-art nursey. Subject to obtaining planning approval, the nursery will be established at the recycling centre, 10 kilometres north of Hamilton. As part of its support for the development, Southern Grampians council is proposing to offer ERA a long-term lease on seven hectares of land at the Hamilton Aerodrome.

HAMLTON Football Club’s key big man, Jon Huf, will miss today’s Western Border Football League match against East Gambier because of injury. Huf injured his groin in the third quarter of last Saturday’s match against North Gambier and could not train during the week, and was subsequently ruled unfit for selection on Thursday night. The burly ruckman was making his return to the Magpies’ line-up last week after missing all of last season due to an overseas holiday. Also missing from Hamilton’s team today will be Troy Harman, who hasn’t recovered from a hamstring injury he suffered against North Gambier last week. Huf and Harman have been replaced by Shane Rook and Joel Egan, who played solid games in the reserves and under-18 teams last week.