1982
Rochester schools declared a public holiday for children to attend the Wednesday of the Elmore Field Days event.
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President of the Elmore field days organisation, Ian Johnson, said the field days would continue to have a focus on farming exhibitions.
∎ The Major family celebrated 21 years of supermarket business in Rochester.
They established a butchers shop at the turn of the century and opened the first growers store on October 5, 1961.
They started as a corner store in Edward St, having operated a grocery business in shops of the former Victoria Hotel building on a Moore St.
Charlie Major opened the family’s first butcher shop in Mackay St in 1903.
∎ Leigh Hansen won Bamawm Extension’s best and fairest award, while Peter Holman was the winner of the Bamawm Football Club’s award.
Runner-up in the award was leading goal kicker Jeff Milne, who kicked 127 goals.
∎ District residents were asked to contribute to a $200,000 appeal designed to put a new nursing home wing and expanded day care centre at Rochester hospital.
The plan was to complete an $80,000 renovation of the former nurse’s home and then furnish and fit out the new wing, worth $120,000.
∎ Rochester shire president Frank Dullard cut the ribbon at the new Westpac bank — which had a name change from the Bank of New South Wales.
Geoff Monnotti was the branch manager of the Rochester branch, with the Westpac named created as a result of the merger between the Wales and CBA banks.
∎ Victoria’s state eleven and the Goulburn Murray zone representative team played a two-day match at Rochester during the weekend.
Graham Yallop was the Victorian captain of the team, while a burly Shaun gray opened the bowling for Victoria.
Lloyd Rosenow played with the Victorian country team, opening the batting and facing paceman Rod McCurdy.
Five Rochester association players were in the zone team, David Major elected captain of the team, with John McMahon his deputy, Graham Turner, Tony Shawcross and David Lanyon.
∎ Sixteen-year-old Rob Else won the Tigers’ under-18 best and fairest award.
Leon boyson was runner-up and David knight third.
1992
Brad Speers won the Pattison Medal for the Goulburn Valley league’s best under-18 player and Robbie miller was pipped at the post for the Morrison Medal.
Miller had just kicked five goals as Rochester finished the season on top of the ladder at the end of the home-and-away rounds.
Three weeks later Rochester was led to the premiership by David Williams, with a two-point win against Tatura.
∎ Twenty ex-Jockey employees graduated form a 26-week training program to start their own small businesses.
Rochester enterprise and training REAT catering group and administration group was borne out of the program.
Alan wicked, David Gonsold and Rochester community services officer Sue Clarke were key players in the program.
∎ Forty-nine thousand people flowed through the gates of Elmore field days.
Such was the number of exhibitors that there was significant competition for the awards that had become an annual part of the event.
2002
Rochester sale yards was given the green light to be developed as a skate park.
Councillor Murray McDonald announced the decision after a briefing between councillors and senior staff.
∎ A combined 130 years of service was recognised for Trelfoil guild members Heather Fehring, Andrea Reece, Dorraine Hart and Margaret Thompson.
Dorraine was a charter member of the group and received a 50-year recognition.
Andrea and Margaret had been members for 30 years and Heather for 20.
∎ Co-captains Simon McCarty and Tim Cottam led Rochester into the GVL grand final against Echuca.
The Tigers’ team lost by 10 points, although Nathan Gemmill was named the player of the finals series and received his medal from retiring league president Barry Connolly.
Farmers who were able to demonstrate food risk-management practices were the first in line for drought-relief packages being offered by Steve Bracks’ Victorian state government.
Cash grants of $20,000 were on offer for farmers who had put in place appropriate business-management practices.
They were required to tick nine eligibility criteria before receiving the grant.
If you have a group celebrating a significant anniversary or have details of an event from the past you feel worthy of recognition in the pages of the Campaspe News — through the Reflections column — contact editor Rohan Aldous at rohan.aldous@mmg.com.au
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor