50 years ago
FOR a handful of Hamilton district people, today – the 30th anniversary of D-Day – holds special significance. Hopefully, the other thousands in the district, particularly those topping 50, will need only this prompting to remember and appreciate. Two o’clock this morning, 30 years ago – Operation Overlord was put into action with the landing of paratroopers just behind German coastal defences in northern Normandy, France. Three million Britons and Americans, French and Australians, and others, were directly involved in the tense, bloody victorious hours, days and months that followed 2am, June, 1944. The beach landings, the naval assaults, the aerial bombarding, the transportation of incredibly vast supplies of ammunition and equipment, the Resistance work, the terrible losses – just facets of the greatest military invasion the world has seen.
IT's not often the two legs of a TAB double fail to claim the main spotlight at a race meeting, but the highlight of tomorrow’s excellent Hamilton meeting will be the Flying (1100m). The race brings together four of the smartest gallopers to ever clash in a race at Hamilton – Gun Royal, Biarama, Fair Future and Cardinal. The race was not made a leg of the double as these class gallopers frightened off other nominations, while the likely scratching of Apex Star will leave only five starters. Horses had to be balloted out of the Two-Year-Old and the Maiden, but the Rizzo Steeple has fallen away with only one class horse left. But this is the Grand National winner Deakin Street, resuming over the fences with the steadier weight of 70.5kg.
25 years ago
HAMILTON residents have been looking, with a little consternation, as a car with a mushroom-like object on top drove around the city streets this week. The ‘mushroom mapper’ is a mobile unit that drives around on the roads and maps the area it covers. The mapper records information and processes it into electronic street maps that will be available in vehicles with onboard mapping systems installed. Husband and wife team, Graham and Bev Russell, originally from Sydney, make up a great pair of mappers for Universal Press. While Mrs Russell drives, Mr Russell operates the computer, collecting data for Pacific Access, a large electronics company that will then process the information onto a CD that will be available for the in-car navigational systems.
CASTERTON Football Club will welcome the return of brilliant half-forward, Adrian Collard, to its senior team for today’s Western Border Football League clash with Hamilton Imperials at Melville Oval. The return of Collard has been overshadowed by the loss of Justin Munro (knee), Peter Jarrad (ribs) and Tony Lithgow (corked thigh) for today’s match. Keith Northcott has also been picked for his first senior match of the season and has been selected to start at full-back while David Herbert (wing) also returns to the seniors. The gifted Collard hasn’t played a game for the Cats this season since indicating to club officials he would be returning for the 1999 home and away season.
