50 years ago
THE Portland Trades and Labor Council (PTLC) has called on Hamilton City Council to hold back dismissal notices for employees it plans to put off before Christmas. The PTLC has protested against council’s plan to sack 20 employees because the move will add to the strain of already rising unemployment in the Hamilton district. The PTLC claims this unemployment rise has been caused by cutbacks of staff and closures by a number of firms and industries. It has also called on the Municipal Employees’ Union, which represents council outdoor staff, to act urgently. The union council presently has 25 member unions operating in a wide area of Western Victoria. Delegates of the PTLC met in Hamilton on Tuesday night.
HOPES of Hamilton Greyhound Racing Club being licensed to race in the coming months have been dashed by the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mr. Dixon. The club has received advice from Mr. Dixon that no new licences will be issued during the next 12 months. Hamilton is one of 11 clubs which have informed the Victorian Greyhound Board they are all geared to race if given a licence. The HGRC will tonight send a deputation to the committee of management of the Hamilton Showgrounds to keep alive hopes that this could be the venue if and when Hamilton has a greyhound track. This follows a report in The Spectator two weeks ago that the committee of management had not heard from the greyhound club for more than 18 months and had believed the club was no longer interested in the showgrounds.
25 years ago
Hamilton region employers are alarmed at falling interest among young people for jobs in the bricklaying, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, toolmaking, welding and automotive fields. Employers are worried the image of trades is losing out to the ‘cleaner’ image of service industries, especially the booming information technology industry. One of Hamilton’s cutting tool companies had been forced to recruit staff from outside the Hamilton region because of lack of interest in apprenticeships by district youth, a meeting of Southern Grampians Shire was told on Wednesday. If the downward trend over the last 10 years continues, employers claim there will be an inevitable reduction in the region’s skills base.
THE surprise inclusion of brilliant Hamilton midfielder, David Hando, will give the Magpies a boost of confidence going into today’s Western Border Football League clash with Casterton. Hando, who has missed much football this season with a recurring hamstring complaint, is an integral part of the Hamilton midfield, giving unlimited drive and lifting others around him. He has been selected to start in a forward pocket for this match, but is expected to move upfield as the game progresses. The versatile Stephen Jewell returns to the side for his first game of the season after overcoming a serious knee injury, starting on a halfback flank. Jewell will not only add an extra dimension to Hamilton on the playing field, but his experience on the training track will be a huge benefit to the many inexperienced senior players.
