50 years ago
HAMILTON High School plans a $70,000 music-room complex for use by schools and the community. School principal, Mr. Len James, is hopeful of obtaining a Commonwealth grant for the project within a fortnight. The estimated cost of the complex has soared from its original $40,000 to $70,000 because of inflation and enlargement of plans. The Hamilton High Schol Advisory Council is seeking money from the Commonwealth Department of Education. Any grant is expected to come from funds received by the Australian Government under the Karmel Report. Another School. Hamilton Technical School hopes to gain finance from the same source for an ecology unit. Hamilton High School has told the Department of Education it is cramped for room to develop a keen interest in music among students, teachers and members of the community.
HAMILTON trotting will have a ‘new look’ in the coming season, but not all the changes will please everybody. There will be no meeting at Hamilton next May, June or July, with three of the club’s six dates being staged within one month during the autumn. The HDTC has also dispensed with the services of well-known commentator, Bruce Skeggs, and future meetings will only be covered by 3UZ, 3HA and 3YB. The future of trotting in Hamilton is bright. But because of a backlog of liabilities, there are troubled times ahead with the club having to tighten its belt. HDTC president, Mr. Bill Bannon, said yesterday he was sorry to see his club’s association with Mr. Skeggs come to an end.
25 years ago
COLERAINE residents agitating for a better deal from Southern Grampians Shire Council believe they wasted their time attending a special budget meeting on Wednesday. “As far as I am concerned, the budget was a ‘done deal’ no matter what (submissions) came in,” Coleraine District Liaison Committee chair, Phillip Hutchinson, said on Thursday. “It was a waste of time going in there,” Mr Hutchinson said. There was only one question asked by a councillor. There was nothing else from the rest of the councillors. I was prepared for a lot more questions than were asked.” Councillors made no change to the recommendation that will see the 1999-2000 budget adopted at next Wednesday’s ordinary meeting.
THE second largest field in the long history of Hamilton’s Cecil Shore Memorial 120-kilometre open road cycling race will contest today’s 50th running of the classic. The entry number of 30 has only been bettered once in 1977 when 132 nominations were received. A well-balanced scratch bunch appears to have the numbers and the ability to take out both line and time honours. The scratch riders are headed by current Victorian road champion, Robert Tighello, of Carnegie, and last year’s Hamilton winner and course record holder, Matthew Allan, of Echuca. This pair have the backing of the Bendigo brothers, Rik and Brent McCaig, who were both winners at last month’s Tour of the Riverland racing at Berri and Matthew Tuck (Carnegie), who won the time honors in the Creswick open.
