Free Press Flashbacks

By Rohan Aldous

May 13, 2024

Ninth in Australia: Kyabram netballers contested the national netball titles at a carnival in Tasmania — finishing ninth.

1979

Kyabram netball was making national news when it contested at the All Australian Netball Carnival in Tasmania and was named the ninth-best team in the nation.

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The team consisted of Sue Crow, Marilyn West, Norma Rowston, Nev Hill, Jacqui Boyle, Jan Thomson, Sharon Fitzsimmons, Leanne Butler, Jill Masten, Pauline Ryan, Dianne Morgan and Karen Bowers.

They had a range of sponsorship support to travel and compete in the titles, rewarding those supporters with a top 10 finish. Barbara Ritchie was the team’s umpire.

1970s fashion: Vic Goodson, Sue Reid and Alyson Slimmon wearing the latest woollen fashion at a Kyabram Apex event.

• Hand knitted garments were the trend of 1979 and a Villawool Fashion Parade attracted a large crowd when it was coordinated by the Kyabram Apexyannes.

Some of the hero pieces on display were a fairisle ski jumper knitted in Slalom 12 ply, along with a wrap around jacket in natural look crofter.

A brown and cream “chunky” fairisle vest was also on display for the Free Press photographer of the day.

• Kyabram Preserving Company announced it would be offering 100 new jobs when the new production line started in a month’s time.

General manager Charles Garrard said many people had already left their names with the company following the completion of the recent fruit processing season.

The $4 million plant relocation and construction from the Port Melbourne factory was running to schedule, with Kyabram about to become home to jams, canned asparagus, tomato paste, cherries, plums and Christmas puddings.

Miss Australia entrant: In 1979 Lynette Crichton was an entrant in the Miss Australia Quest, hailing from Stanhope but connected to the Kyabram community through her employment at East End Garage.

• Lynette Crichton of Stanhope was Stanhope’s entrant in the Miss Australian Quest, the 18-year-old clerk at East End Garage in Kyabram entering the competition three weeks earlier.

The quest was supporting the spastic children and adults of Australia and Lynette had a committee of 17 supporting her in her fund raising endeavours.

1979 Tongala debutantes: (Front, from left) flowergirls Tara Cahill, Fiona Malley, Kara Newton and Brooke Aldous. (Second row, from left) Joanne Makin, Elizabeth Hawker, Tricia Belcher, Sue Ryan, Pat Allan (trainer), Carol Hawker, Julie Walsh, Carolyn Nurse and Mandy Keating. (Third row, from left) Rhonda Laity, Dianne Sperling, Kerryn Healy, Melinda Pankhurst, Sharon Munro and Pamela Caig. (Back, from left) Cliff Warren, Steven Tinning, Barry Tinning, Richard Allan, Rodney McGowan, Peter Hindson, Ian Pearl, Peter Varcoe, Craig Kilpatrick, Bruce Gemmill, Steven Hayden, David Hawker, Gavin Connally and Allan Pankhurst.

• Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation Brian Dixon received 14 debutantes at the Tongala Anglican Guild Debutante Ball at Tongala Shire Hall.

Accompanied by Bronwyn Rumbold, Mr Dixon had made a promise several months earlier to attend the event.

Artist Murray Ross had completely transformed the stage with a spectacular backdrop featuring a carousel and the debutantes were attended by flower girls Brooke Aldous, Tara Cahill, Fiona Malley and Kara Newton.

Each of the debs carried a delicate white lace parasol, trimmed with red, yellow and blue ribbons. Music was provided by Thelma Rutherford, while Ernie Raggat acted as master of ceremonies and Pat Allan was responsible for training the debs.

• Children from Kyabram and most of the surrounding districts were not allowed to enrol in form one at the Echuca or Shepparton Technical Schools in 1980.

A decision had been made to restrict access to those schools to students living within 16 kilometres of the school, with overcrowded conditions cited as the major reason for the decision.

1989

Twenty years of playing and administering sport was rewarded when Neil Hindson was named the Jack Arthur Memorial award winner for the best contribution to Kyabram sport.

The award, made in conjunction with the Kyabram Apex Club’s Sportstar of the Year award, acknowledged the school teacher’s contribution to the area — initially as a star footballer, when as an umpire, coach and member of various other sporting pursuits.

Jack Arthur Memorial winner: Neil Hindson (centre) at the Kyabram Apex Club’s Sports Star of the Year event, accepting his award for the best contribution to sport, from compere David Slimmon and Apex Club president John Martin.

• Royal blue wrist posies were worn by the 21 debutantes who were presented to Rodney MLA Noel Maughan, his wife and Reverend Phillip Harwood at the St Andrew’s Anglican Debutante Ball.

The Kyabram High School assembly hall stage was set as an indoor fernery and about 500 people attended the event. Alison Hurwood and Heidi Rose carried out the duties of flowergirls.

There were the debutantes and their partners: Cindy Evans and Craig Doherty, Tina Heiberg and Warren Nichols, Sharon Weeks and Travis Edwards, Nadine Emery and Stuart Websdale, Tara Cahill and Stephen Bramley, Natalie Morgan and Gary Cox, Tracey Currey and Grant Sing, Julie Smith and Ronald Cain, Rachael Anderson and Hayden Moon, Sharon White and Brett Catterall, Carla Schulz and Mario Scapin, Vanessa Lee and Mark Barnes, Melissa Andrews and Damon McCormick, Anne Marie Salter and Dean Hubble, Wendy Healy and Daniel Mackrell, Nicole Jacobs and Graeme Elliott, Amanda McPherson and Paul Wilson, Fiona Cox and Mark Ryan, Donna Wills and John Hill, Julie Marten and Tim Wilson, Michelle Ilott and Jamie Thompson.

1989 debutantes: There were 21 debutantes presented at the Kyabram High School hall for the Anglican debutante ball.

1999

Les Grills and his family arrived in Kyabram to take over the Kyabram Newsagency (formerly Knyvetts).

With wife Doss, son and daughter-in-law Stephen and Claire, they were welcomed to the Allan St business by a well known Kyabram face.

Susie Bennett, wife of businessman Rohan, is Les and Doss’ daughter.

They had come off a dairy farm at Cohuna before moving to Cobden. They were taking over the business which had been run by Alan and Doris Knyvett for 30 years.

New arrival: The Grills family, Stephen, Claire, Doss and Les, after they had taken over Knyvetts Newsagency in Kyabram in 2009.

• Fifteen Grade 6 students from Haslem St Primary School were presented on 3ONE FM as part of a project and presented school and local history information, along with music and entertainment.

They even managed to secure an interview with former Australian cricketer and Haslem St student Matthew Elliott.

Student Krystal Bassett said it was a great experience, having played a starring role with Kristen Bentley in the event.

Radio stars: Haslem St students involved in the radio presentation on 3ONE FM were Kristen Bentley, Angela Nixon, Cassie Brassil, Cally Grogan, Nathan Miller, Bathan Bull, Denis Coombs, Courtnee Miller, James Richard, Robert Revell, Brenton Brown, Krystal Bassett, Nathan Matthew and Josh Thomas.

2009

Seventy-year-old Kyabam truck driver, John “Tracker” Cadan, was about to be inducted into the Alice Springs Truckies Hall of Fame.

Only two other Kyabram truckies, Rob Roberts and Boyd Sutherland, had been honoured with inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

A survivor of the halycon hay carting days, Tracker had been involved in the industry for 54 years. He had been introduced into the industry by Bill Hill, recognised as the doyen of Kyabram hay carters.

Tracker had been credited with a world record 3500 small bales carted and stacked for a two-man team, which had eclipsed the effort of Kyabram’s John Wakenshaw and Barry Richmond (3008 bales at a Lancaster property).