1981
Advance Rochester Association was looking for assistance from traders to provide the major prize for the Christmas Carnival.
Keith Clogg said the organisation was hoping to match the 1980 prize pool of $1500, adding that a children’s film afternoon was planned to hopefully address what had been poor attendance at the event during the previous two years.
“If we don’t get more children along then we may have to cancel the sideshow aspect of the carnival,” he said.
• Dry land salting problems were the subject of a special meeting in Rochester, called by the newly-formed Campaspe Valley Farm Trees Association.
Bernie Foott and Cr Alex Fraser led the discussions, focused on giving farmers the control to manage their own farming activity and seek the advice of experts “when required’’.
One of the initiatives of the group was to combine with Rochester Shire to involve unemployed youth in tree replanting schemes.
• Both Rochester sides missed the opportunity to play in junior football grand finals, with the top-of-the-ladder under-13 Rochester Bulldogs beaten by Haslem Street by 24 points.
Carl Houlihan received the Melbourne Football Club trophy, while other good players were listed as C. Tognolini, N. Graetz, F. Lucic and C. Coghill.
In the under-16 game, Echuca beat Rochester by 21 points.
• Bob Metcalf arrived as the new manager of the State Bank’s Rochester branch, arriving in town with his wife Gail and sons Dean, Scott, Mark and Ben.
The socially-minded banker had been involved in a western Victorian hospital board, was president of the parents committee of the Scout group, treasurer of the swimming club and also worked with Jaycees.
• Mac Bickley was named the new president of Rochester Agricultural and Pastoral Association, adding the title to his status as the president of the Rochester branch of the RSL.
Geoff Carr (senior vice-president) and Graeme Bunn (junior) were offering support after Ron Budge retired from the leadership role. Glenys Davis was secretary, Lynete Bickley treasurer and Fairlie McDonald publicity officer.
• Councillor Helen Clarke became Rochester Shire’s new president, her second term in the role.
She said 10 years after she had first held the position the future was much brighter, marking the occasion by handing out 1500 native trees to school children.
Her husband Michael Clark, who only recently completed a year as shire president of Huntly, was at the ceremony.
• Greg Wolfe won Rochester’s under-18 best-and-fairest vote count, polling 52 votes to win from Charlie Lowe.
Leon Boysen was third, followed by Barney Keenan, Tony Marrone (most consistent), Phillip Latter (best utility), David Eefting and Paul Seddon (best first-year player).
Coach Ron Williams was recognised, along with team manager Graham Wolfe, Lorraine Wilson and several others.
David Lanyon won the senior award, polling 43 votes to win by three votes from David Williams.
Mark Hill was best first-year player, Michael Sinclair was most improved and Russell Holman best team player.
Peter Fuller followed up his win as the league’s leading goal-kicker by taking the club award. Peter Churnside won the reserves’ best-and-fairest from Jack Mullane.
1991
Elmore was in shock after the state government announcement that its hospital would close in December.
Townspeople closed their shop doors and congregated on the lawns of the hospital in reaction to the decision.
There was a discussion to convert the hospital to a community health service, which Health Minister Maureen Lister said was a better use of the building which saw only 164 acute patients treated in the previous 12 months.
She also said the hospital was only 17km from a 17-bed facility at Rochester and close enough to be serviced by the Bendigo Base Hospital.
• Jockey Australia incurred the wrath of the Rochester Shire Council after its swift closure of the factory.
It was described by shire chief executive officer Kevin Jackel as “unethical’’ given the support the company had received since relocating to Rochester.
He had been told there would be no discussion on the closure, despite the company having been given an agreement package to come to the town.
• Rochester Community Welfare Committee was calling for a community house to be established in the town.
The call was supported by the shire council and community services officer Sue Clarke, council identifying land for development of a community house.
• St Joseph’s Parents and Friends Association held a Rainbow Debutante Ball for those women who had missed out on their debut. The organisers held the ball for 11 participants, which included Sue McInnerny, Jenny Johnson, Christine Oliver, Vivienne Cronin, Allicia Pett, Francine Malone, Pat McAsey, Therese Brereton, Dianne Ringin and Winnie Laverie. Flower girls at the ball were Justine Louis and Patricia Brereton.
– Rochester appointed David Williams as coach for the 1992 season, replacing Nigel Van Der Veer, who had taken the Tigers to the past two grand finals.
In other football news, Darren Pain had just won the Goulburn Campaspe Junior Football League’s top award.
The Rochester player won the best-and-fairest from Rochester Bulldogs player Jade Collyer.
Simon McCarty was Rochester’s best-and-fairest, winning the award by more than 100 votes from Mick Auld and Jeremy Rourke. Garry Slattery won the reserves award from Wayne Cowan and David Collins, while Damien Oliver won the third award. Jenny Quinlan won the A-grade best-and-fairest and Karen Hay claimed the B-grade title.
2001
Former Rochester netballer Sharon Ellitt won the Wellman Family Medal as the best-and-fairest player in the Goulburn Valley League netball’s B-grade competition while playing with Echuca.
Rochester player Alison Langdon was runner-up, while Chris McCarty was the best polling player for the Tigers in the Morrison Medal win of Echuca’s Craig Sholl.
• Rochester people were stunned and shocked at the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, with news delivered via the early morning newspapers at Baker’s Newsagency.
Several district residents and former residents were in the US, some close to the World Trade Centre.
Bruce and Adrienne Foster received a phone call from their 19-year-old daughter Kate to let them know she was okay, having been away since March in a nannying role in New Jersey, about 40 minutes from New York.
Thelma and Rod Rivett were unable to contact son Jamie, in Chicago at the time, after hearing the news when Rod turned on the television at 3am.
The Rivetts’ daughter Kate and her husband Brian Murphy were also in the US.