General News
3 January, 2025
History on the hop: Easters past in our region
By CHRIS EARL WHEN miners and farmers arrived to settle in Loddon districts more than 150 years ago, Easter was one of the few “big breaks” in years spent toiling the land for riches. They came from Britain and Europe, the traditions they...
By CHRIS EARL
WHEN miners and farmers arrived to settle in Loddon districts more than 150 years ago, Easter was one of the few “big breaks” in years spent toiling the land for riches.
They came from Britain and Europe, the traditions they observed growing up in countries on the other side of the world not to be forgotten.
The Christian element of Easter was observed and so, too, the coming together of families and friends in Loddon communities for displays of sporting prowess and the chance to stamp their mark in a new land.
Our local communities to this day have Easter events that have stood the test of time, headlined by the Rheola Charity Carnival on the calendar for more than 150 years and backed up by the bowls tournament in Wedderburn that is now into a second century and Boort’s tennis tournament approaching seven decades.
Newspapers held at the National Library in Canberra show how some Easter events are a continuation of the sporting character that has helped Loddon communities grow since the 1850s.
Of course, not all have been about sport. So, let’s take a look at a few Easter highlights over the past 170 years.
Back in 1891, there was an Easter Carnival in aid of Inglewood Hospital and the local benevolent asylum in Wedderburn with athletic races on the program and decent prizemoney to boot.
Just over a century later, and it was the big back-to weekend of 1998 in Wedderburn with celebrations including an arts and craft fair, a “genuine old time ball”, school reunions, the Easter street procession and market square stalls. And there was a concert featuring local artists.
They would have shared memories of the great “Easter egg” hunt of 1950 when rumours swept the town of a 30-ounce nugget strike just as trotters were arriving for the Easter racing meeting.
One newspaper report quoted First Constable A. Morgan who said in a telephone interview that no one seemed to know who had found the nugget, where it was found, or whether it had been found.
“I’ve heard of it being found in three different streets, and also in a place about three miles from town,” he said,
“It is claimed that two men from Korong Vale found a 30 oz. nugget. I know one chap from Korong Vale who has been here, but I haven’t seen him around lately.”
“Most of the diggers coming to Wedderburn now were experienced miners, he said. Amateurs seemed to have given up hope of getting rich.”
Bruce Skeggs, a popular harness racing writer with the Herald and later a member of Parliament, was all over the new riches of Wedderburn when the harness racing club’s new half-mile raceway to be named Donaldson Park, was christened at Easter 1953.
Churches cashed in on captive congregrations at Easter. At Boort in 1887, sports in aid of the Church of Engand Building Fund were held and “have proved a great success. It was a splendid day, tho running track was in good order, and the contests proved very exciting, especially in the Sheffield and hurdle races, where the judges gave several dead heats, which had to he run over again. The proceeds are hardly known yet, but are calculated to be about £100, which is very good for a coutry district, and reflects great credit on the commuties and management”.
Also in the 1880s, there was a cricket match played between Boort and Kerang.
It was reported: “The Kerang team, having chartered a coach and four horses, started at an early hour in the morning, and, under the able guidance of Mr J W Taverner, Boort was reached shortly before 11am. Upon arrival it was discovered that the members of the Boort club were evidently dubious as to the chances of being able, unassisted, to cope successfully with their opponents, and had consequently secured the services of Rosser (the crack South Melbourne batsman), and Sherard, of Ballarat fame. Subsequent events proved the wisdom of this procedure as these two batsmen made the major portion of the runs compiled by the Boort side.
“Play was commenced at 12 o’clock. Mr R Calvert, the Boort skipper, having won the toss from Mr W G Moon (who captained the Kerang team), decided to go to the wickets. Rosser and Sherard were the first to donthe pads, and, despite the excellent bowling of Alger and Stranger, runs came freely. With the score at 20, Alger succeeded in getting one past Sherard, who retired for a rapidly made 17. Gribbin filled the vacancy, but after obtaining four runs in a cricketer-like style. he was smartly stumped by Johnson off Malcolm’s bowling. Hynes followed, and after making six was clean bowled by Alger.
“The next man, Jackson, exhibited a sturdy defence, leaving Rosser to do most of the. scoring. This the latter was quite capable of doing, and it was not until 77 had been scored that he was disposed of by a clever catch from Fawkner at mid-on. the outgoing batsman had contributed 35. With the exception of Jackson (12) and Calvert (1), none of the others made any stand-the innings closing for 86 runs. Alger bowled remarkably well throughout, as a glance at his analysis will show; and Stranger, although not credited’with any wickets, was successful in keeping down the runs.”
Kerang made a good fist of its time at the crease “but owing doubtless to the dull evening light, and a manifest over-anxiety to score as quickly as possible, the wickets fell with great rapidity - the record being eight for 19, when the stumps were drawn. Boort therefore won the match by four runs on the first innings”.
In the years after World War One, Boort’s township improvement committee held an annual Easter sports carnival.
Only a few decades before the Boort tennis tournament started, Inglewood was conducting its big tennis event at Easter,
In 1925 the women’s doubles handicap was won by Misses M and K .J Anderson who defeated Mrs. Jennings and Miss Ashton,6-2 6-2.
Luck and timing were on the side of A Renshaw and Miss Harcourt in the mixed doubles final to be played on Easter Tuesday,
Carmichael and Miss Ashton had levelled the score in the final, only to forfeit the third and deciding set “owing to the departure the Melbourne train”.
In an era when football didn’t start until well after Easter, Pyramid Hill and Yarrawalla deferred their cricket decider of 1930 to avoid clashing with other Easter week events in the area.
Back in the 19th century, and more than 700 people flocked to the Terricks and Mitiamo races on Easter Monday.
And just a handful of years before the first Rheola Charity Carnival in 1891, a sports meeting was raising funds for the Tarnagulla Fire Brigade on Easter Monday.
Competitors pitted strength and speed against each other at the reservoir reserve.
One report said: “The day was very dull in the morning and, no doubt, kept many from rolling up as early as usual, but, before the procession left the town hall, the sun had dispersed the clouds, and a better day could not be desired. There were between 800 and 900 people on the ground in the afternoon, aud they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
“The racing was very-close in almost every event, and the judge had some trouble in deciding who was the winner in some of the events, but he did his work well, and his decision was never disputed in a single instance. The concert in the evening was well patronised, the theatre being packed. The singing was excellent, many good amateurs taking part.”
Easter in Loddon communities has created golden history over the past 170 years.