Town Talk

Hi Marnie, thanks so much for TOWN TALK.

I love history.

Hope you and your family are feeling well soon.

Regards, Judith

I do hope I didn’t sound like a wimp.

I know that lots of people have suffered badly from the ‘flu (not having had it for a couple of years) and I think I got off lightly – all things considered.

I am feeling listless (please read ‘lazy’) but, aside from that, I’m fine.

We’ve had the same situation develop with yet another family household — only one with COVID-19, the others negative.

And I met another person who experienced the same thing; she had COVID-19 but other members of her family had the ‘flu.

It seems strange to me, when the virus is so very contagious.

Perhaps it is some kind of herd immunity — or perhaps the vaccines are more effective for some, than others.

A memory

Whenever I use the abbreviated version of influenza, it reminds me of an incident (which now seems like a lifetime ago).

In those days the classified section of the newspaper was large – sometimes 17 or 18 pages on a Friday.

Occasionally, I’d take a phone call complaining about an error and I’d explain that most of these ‘for sale’ line ads came in on a Thursday afternoon and the seven or eight women taking calls were under pressure.

Of course, I’d apologise and rerun the ad free of charge.

Eventually, I wrote a piece for the classifieds, offering a prize for an amusing error.

The winning entry was ‘Stove with ‘flu’ and I laughed so raucously that the entire advertising department came into my office, with smart aleck remarks such as ‘Well, it would have a high temperature from time to time’.

The ad did its job however – the stove with flue sold the next day.

I guess it had recovered.

Last week

I received a hand-written note from Dot and I apologise, in advance, if I have misread anything.

Dear Marnie,

I remember Canberra House very well. Gwen Ryan, who I knew well, was a boarder there.

I don’t know where Gwen is now. I think the photo you put in 24th May paper is the closing of Canberra House.

Once again I love your page as I have a lot of memories in my head.

I grew up in Swallow Street (Dad’s land) Four blocks in all.

I was 7 years old when Mum had to stop milking Ruby, our cow, to plait my hair for school.

Swallow Street was only a dirt road, no gutters. We seemed to be the end of town.

Where I live now in Leithen Street (72 years all up) was tomato growing, lovely soil.

Look at Shepp now. Oh! how it has grown!

Dot.

Dot, I really appreciate the trouble you have taken to write and post.

And I think I have good news for you.

Your old friend Gwen, is now Gwen O’Halloran. She is 93 and keeping well — just a little bit of memory loss.

She lives contentedly in an aged care facility on the Sunshine Coast.

I have a friend (Terrie Crozier) who is also a friend of Gwen’s daughter (Irene), so I gave her a call.

My friend was travelling up the coast of Western Australia when she took my call — and had the answers to your questions.

I hope Terrie’s okay; there’s a fair bit of rain up that way.

(Everybody, please note – Dot included a couple of sentences she didn’t want published. I’ve deleted her words but I’m sure she’ll be happy with the answers.)

Dot, my parents built a house in Hayes St, in 1950 — about the time you moved into Leithen St.

It felt like the ‘end’ of Shepp to me, although Leithen and Newlyn Sts were both there.

And St Georges Road School was completed not too long after — 1952?

Our photos

Theses pics are not relevant to our stories this week, however I thought you might like them.

The pretty girl is Bernice Brown, from Mooroopna, on the Post Office float — for our centenary parade.

The original photo of the float was taken by a News photographer and from it, her daughter Helen, produced a very recognisable pastel of her mother.

Helen is my cousin and the 19-year-old subject is my ‘Auntie Bernie’ (Helen is still insisting that her pastel isn’t good enough to show you.)

The second is from a promotional brochure of Shepparton – my guess is early ‘60s.

Just a reminder about the Raymond West pool and the fun so many of us had.

With thanks to Rob Priestly

When I was a youngster (Yes everybody. That was a very long time ago.) I wrote a poem about our town which began:

‘Drive in from any direction and see, as a stranger sees ...’

Of recent years, whenever I drove up – or down – Wyndham St, I thought of that line.

What would a stranger think of a black, burnt-out pub?

So, when Rob Priestly stood for council, saying he wanted to get something to happen with the hotel and the Mooroopna hospital, I took note.

I’d heard promises before.

However, with the pub down and the hospital sold (at least, that was the last I heard), I again took notice when he stood for Parliament.

I had only met him once, when he turned up at the opening of an art exhibition at the Shepparton Heritage Centre – and I was grateful he had found the time.

I took interest in his campaign, reading everything he wrote, and listening to everything he said.

I was more than Impressed as I realised this was a man of integrity, who meant what he said.

I also felt that he was running for the right reasons – not for power or ego but for us, our community.

Could he do more for us, on the cross bench, than we’d had over the last few decades? Well, he could hardly do less.

He’d certainly be well-liked and maybe he could make a few friends who’d want to give him a hand.

Then the rubbish from the Federal National Party started arriving and, for me that proved a point.

I’d bet my last dollar that no-one asked the local people what they thought of this strategy. Nobody cared what the local branch, or the candidate, thought about such mistruths.

Rob’s reply, on Facebook, on the Sunday before the election, confirmed everything I’d learned.

He was way above the fray, completely free of bitterness or anger; every word convincing me that this was the man we needed.

I was, for the first time in my life, inspired by a prospective politician.

Even in defeat, he has done us a great service. Less than a 5 per cent win, makes us marginal – and perhaps worth listening to.

As I finish off this week’s ‘effort’, I’ve just returned from the supermarket, where I met Jenny.

She stopped me to introduce herself and ask how the family was doing.

Please, if I walk past you somewhere, and you know me, please do as Jenny did.

I love putting faces to names, and I’ve always got time for you.

My apologies for the shortage of historic content this week – it will return.

May it be easy, my friends

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. Shepparton News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Send a text on 0418 962 507. (Note: text only. I will call you back, if you wish)