2000
Kyabram baker David Wells was recognised for the second year running at the Sydney Aussie Meat Pie competition.
The owner of Allan Street’s Cottage Style Bakery won a bronze medal in the meat pie section. He also earned a silver medal with a chicken and sweet corn pie in the gourmet section.
He paid tribute to his pastry cook Russ Napier and Noel Thomson of Ky Meat Supplies, who supplies meat to his pies
– Girgarre had its own world champion in Mark Summers, who was crowned the 2000 Muffler Sliding Champion at a Melbourne event.
Contestants were required to slide a standard stainless steel car muddler along a piece of carpet, Mark winning with a drag of 11 metres (a little way off the world record of 17.9, but enough to claim the title).
Mark said the win had silenced his father Geoff, an Australian Formula Ford motor car champion in 1982 and multiple state championship winner.
Mark and Geoff owned F&S Exhaust Tools, which and customers from around Australia.
1990
A multi-purpose “super” sports stadium to serve Kyabram and district was at the heart of a public meeting, attended by 69 people representing 29 different sporting and recreational organisations.
Potential users included netball, basketball, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, carpet bowls and indoor bowls officials.
There was an annual $20,000 running cost associated with the building by Kyabram Town Council CEO John Costello, who said a new stadium would be costly to construct and maintain.
Kyabram buiilder Frank Findlay, and son Rowan, bought Lancaster’s historic Karlsruhe mansion.
The Findlays were the successful bidders at the auction, which saw the home sell for $150,000.
More than 150 people attended the auction, but only three bidders were involved in the auction.
Twenty-year-old Rowan was planning to live at Karlsruhe, planning to defer his fine arts studies at Chisholm in Melbourne and begin paying off his new home.
Frank Findlay had been Mayor of the Town of Kyabram six years earlier when the idea of moving the mansion into Kyabram and restoring it as a tourist attracted was touted.
– Stanhope apprentice Scott Macknamara was among the district’s young tradesmen acknowledged with a Goulburn Valley Apprentice of the Year award.
An apprentice carpenter with Norm Cheong, he won his award from Kyabram’s Daryl Lucas, who works with Melbourne based Gerry Vodel.
Former Kyabramite Ross Beamish, now working and living in Shepparton, took out the top apprentice award for the three-year course.
In boiler making and structural steel fabrication Kyabram’s Craig Thomas (JN&R Engineering) finished second and Paul Haris (Bonlac Farm Services) of Stanhope was also a winner.
Tongala’s David McGowan, employed by RW and BM Belcher, finished second in the electrical mechanics category and for the second year running Tony De Pasquale won his fruitgrowing industry award.
Another Kyabramite, Frank De Maio, was second in the field.
1980
A Kyabram Councillor issued a warning that the council officers, hospital, medical centre and private homes were at risk of flooding if a proposed drainage scheme in Julia Street South was approved.
Cr Maurie Wood said heavy rain could cause a repeat of the disastrous floods of 1974, given the overload on the Lake Road drainage.
Cr Wood had been elected to council to represent the Drainage Action Committee in 1974.
– Twenty debutantes were involved in the Kyabram Anglican Debutante Ball at the Tijuana, with a colourful backdrop depicting the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Flowergirls were Karen Bolitho and Suzanne Caldwell, while Fiona Cox and Jacqui Salter were the doorkeepers. The flowergirls wore a wrist posy of red and white flowers to complement those worn by the debutantes.
– Two major public building projects were nearing completion in Kyabram and another long awaited construction job had just started.
The Kyabram High School assembly hall, delayed on several occasions, was due to be completed in two months and the Union Street Travel Centre was only weeks away from being completed.
Foundations had also just been laid at both ends of the Kyabram Youth Club hall, to complete long a awaited extension.
The assembly hall project had been started in November 1978, but financial difficulties had interrupted the construction.
Meanwhile, the $65,000 travel centre in Union Street was just awaiting the painters to complete their work.
The extensions at the youth club hall were worth $94,000, with a kitchen, storage and change facilities among the additions.
1970
Kyabram’s reigning Miss Mardi Gras, Denise Vickers, was about to embark on a working holiday in England with friends.
She, Lyn Mackrell and Bronwyn Stapleton were planning a two year international experiece, spending six months in England before working their way across Europe.
Denise, who was working at Brester and Maddern’s car dealership, had won the Miss Mardi Gras title at the Kyabram Waterwheel Festival only months earlier.
In keeping with the holiday theme, 18-year-old Kevin Bell and 21-year-old Ross Hyde were about to trek around Australia in a converted Melbourne City Council van (a Dodge 1965 model).
They were travelling to Adelaide and then through Central Australia to Alice Springs and, eventually, Darwin.
The pair had bought the van for $800, but had spent an extra $300 kitting out the vehicle.
– Tongala butcher Alan Gordon was celebrating his first win as a football coach, having led Mathoura to a one-point win against Moama.
Alan switched to Mathoura this year as captain coach of the Echuca league team, having played two seasons with Tongala. He maintained his employment at the Tongala butcher shop of John Healy.
– Eight candidates were about to contest two seats at the state election.
The Country Country held both the seats of Rodney and Northern Province Party, but faced opposition at the next election.
Member for Rodney R.S. McDonald and Northern Province Member M.A Clarke both had three opponents to retain their seats.
Ian Biggar, a dairy farmer from Stanhope, was the Liberal Party candidate and another dairy farmer, Patrick Hansen from Cooma, was the Democratic Labor Party candidate for Rodney.
In 1967 Mr McDonald had polled 10,390 votes to win with an absolute majority (next best was 2673 votes).
In the Northern Province election a Picola North dairy farmer, a farm manager from Derrimal and a student from Shepparton had nominated for the election.