50 years ago
HAMILTON Art Gallery’s finances would deteriorate markedly if visitors were charged admission, gallery director, Mr. John Ashworth, said yesterday. Charging people, particularly tourists, had been proven a major failure in British and other Australian art galleries, he said. Hamilton people crying for introduction of admission charges were poorly informed about the administration, finances and regulations of a gallery such as Hamilton’s. Many of these people were over-stating the role of the tourists who visited it, Mr. Ashworth said. Mr. Ashworth strongly defended the gallery’s policy of free admittance and use of a donation box for tourists who wanted to give money towards it. In the latest salvo of criticism against this policy, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce has written to Hamilton City Council, asking it to reconsider.
REGIONAL basketball along the Victorian-South Australian border will take on a new look. Basketball officials from several centres have agreed to promote the Western Border region as a model for other Victorian regions to follow. The plan was to develop and promote the region on more concrete terms than in the past, president of the Hamilton Amateur Basketball Association, Mr. Allan Windust, said yesterday. After talks with Melbourne basketball official, Lindsay Gaze, regional officials will try to arrange matches with Melbourne teams at regional centres. There is a possibility Adelaide sides may also be attracted to the region. A regional squad will be formed, and the aim will be for it to reach Melbourne standards.
25 years ago
TWO Hamilton pharmacies will merge under a new banner in February. Gray St pharmacies, Robson’s and David Lloyd, have been bought by the Healthwise group and will become one store. Robson’s which will be the site for the pharmacy, will undergo major renovations. New owner, Degen Murphy, who currently operates a Healthwise pharmacy in Ballarat, said all staff from the two firms would be employed at the new business. Mr Murphy said the level of investment injected into creating Healthwise in Hamilton would ensure continuing employment and support for the community. “We have been highly successful at attracting young pharmacists to regional and rural areas through an ownership program which ensures that regional and rural communities will continue to have the access to the best package of services delivered by a caring, involved owner,” Mr Murphy said.
BUCKLEY Park Raceway will play host to Hamilton Karting Club’s second annual Handbury titles this weekend, with up to 200 competitors expected. Hamilton Karting Club president, Philip Bee, said excellent racing would be witnessed with competitors travelling from all over Victoria and South Australia to compete in the club’s major open event of the year. Mr Bee said some of the state’s top drivers including Melbourne drivers would be present to compete in the wide variety of races to suit everyone “from six to 60”. The feature race of the afternoon will be the clubman mid event which boasts an $800 mychron (a lap timer, tachometer and temperature gauge built into one) as the major prize. He said the aim of the race was to lift the profile of the track in an attempt to gain drivers from all over Australia in years to come and to raise the club’s profile throughout Victoria.
