Grade 5 pupils at Rochester Primary School in 1975 took part in Anti-Litter Week. They cleaned their school area and the streets surrounding the school of accumulated rubbish, as well as handing out little bags to motorists in the town’s shopping centre. Pictured are Andrew Jackel and Peter Fraser carrying a bin of rubbish they collected along the Northern Hwy.
50 years ago
Residents who live near the sharp bend in the Northern Hwy near the Presbyterian church, Rochester, are demanding immediate action to make the corner safe for motorists, following a spate of accidents or near-accidents in recent months.
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Mr Bruce Fuller, who lives close to the corner, told The Campaspe Valley News that following light rain, it was a regular occurrence for cars to spin out of control on this bend.
Mr Fuller was emphatic that someone would be killed if prompt action was not taken to improve the surface of the roadway.
Another nearby resident, Mr Rod Birch, the proprietor of the Rochester Motel, told The News that when light rain was falling, he went into his office, which overlooks the corner, and sat near the phone, ready to ring for assistance.
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Popular Rochester electrician Mr Jack Anderson on Saturday became president of the Rochester Lions Club at the club’s changeover dinner which took place at the Rochester Shire Hall.
Mr Anderson succeeds Mr Bernie Halton as Lions leader.
Mr Anderson’s business associate and brother, Les, is the president of the Rochester Rotary Club.
25 years ago
Olympic torch-bearers in the Rochester district received their uniforms for their legs on Monday of last week.
They also got notification of which of the legs they will run or ride.
Otto Galliker, a torch-bearing cyclist, will receive the flame from Bamawm’s Tom Duffus, who will run out of Echuca, along the Northern Hwy to Lowrie Rd, which is Otto’s starting point.
It’s yet unknown who the other cyclists will be on the sections leading into Rochester, particularly who bear the torch to and from the statue of Sir Hubert Opperman.
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Ron McKenzie reckons he must be one of the worst golfers to ever walk on a course, despite having swung a club for the past 20 years.
‘’My swing is a woodcutter’s swing — and I’m more at home with an axe in my hand than a golf club, but I go to golf for the fun — and I have a lot of that,’’ he said with a grin.
Although he is more at home with his axe than his golf clubs, Ron McKenzie managed to score a hole-in-one on the 14th golf at Elmore recently.
And never more so than on a recent Saturday after ‘’Macca’’ shot a hole-in-one on Elmore Golf Club’s 14th hole.
Despite the hole-in-one, he reckons he’s no threat during the annual tournament at Elmore that begins today.
‘’I’ll be there, but I don’t think that’ll strike fear into any of the other golfers,’’ he said.
10 years ago
Peter and Jenny Williamson had to go all the way to Perth to realise just how much they missed life in Rochester.
Driven west with their hay carting business by the millennium drought, having just bought a new truck, they found plenty of contract work there.
But after three years, Jenny said they wanted to come home — missing family, friends and Rochy.
When they saw the cafe in Gillies Arcade come on the market, she said they thought why not, and got ready to come back.
Even if they did not know what they were getting into.
‘‘We’d never done anything like this before and for the first couple of months I was so nervous,’’ Jenny said.
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Science education has taken a turn for the dramatic at Nanneella Estate Primary School.
Students, teachers and volunteers are in the filming process for their entry into the 2015 Science Drama Awards.
With ‘science of light’ the theme for this year’s awards, the students donned an array of colourful costumes.
Nanneella Estate Primary School students dress up as elements of light for their entry video into the 2015 Science Drama Awards.
With the sun, moon, plasmas, cosmic gases, stars, rainbows and lightning, there was also a single black shadow depicted by one of the students.
Music teacher Lori Pearson said the competition helped students learn science through music, art, singing and dancing.
