General News
31 July, 2024
Times Gone By: Keeping It Local
- from Rainbow Archives and Historical Society's Peter Ralph
This week’s photo was passed on to us by the late Michael Wishart, and must surely be one of the earliest taken of the then single-storey Commonwealth Hotel.
It is hand-dated February 16 1907, and was taken from an elevated position, probably on top of the wheat-stack evident in the foreground.
Run by the popular and generous townsman Phil Ryan, the building was yet to reach its golden days as a double-storeyed edifice, bustling with noise and movement as horses, gigs and jinkers swirled around the hotel yards at the rear, and crowds of diners, drinkers at the bar, and groups in earnest discussion at the lounge tables filled the air within the walls of the building itself.
In fact our photo depicts a very sedate scene, the sole activity occurring within the station yards without much sense of urgency at all.
One adult sees to the horses yoked to the wagon whilst another adult and two children wait at the back.
A couple of others relax at the door of the shed on the right.
Nothing much else seems to be happening. Maybe this was early Saturday afternoon on a very hot day.
I turned to the Argus which came out on that very Saturday to see what had been happening around the town and district.
But first I had to go via a raft of advertisements: Phil Ryan’s Commonwealth Hotel of course, but also P. P. McCabe’s Royal and W. H. Wilson’s ”Eureka”.
Crowding the columns too: J. Love, “pioneer butcher”; J. L. Wishart “Booming Bumping Bargains in Men’s Clothing”; K. McKenzie “Greengrocer and Fruiterer”; M. Schindewolf “Hairdressing Saloon”; A. G. Strauss “Great Summer Sale”; Sporn Bros. “Rainbow Foundry”; W. K. Dart “The Up-To-Date Fruiterer”; George Delahoy & Co. “Refrigerating Butchers”; Mrs Krause “Private Hospital”; Cust & Co. “Bargains! Bargains! Bargains!”; R. H. Gray “Footwear”; and many more.
A lengthy item detailed the cremation of an Indian man in Ballarat who had property at Rainbow. Special permission had to be obtained from the authorities for the outdoor ceremony to go ahead.
After a disputed result between two horses at a recent meeting, the owners of both decided to settle the issue and conducted a rematch with a £10 stake. After much interference, Pivot won over Lady Yamma, a reversal of the original result.
In cricket, Werrap 6/111 defeated Rainbow 88.
To reduce the number of pest sparrows, the Dimboola Shire offered four pence per dozen for heads, and two pence per dozen for eggs.
At Court, several people are fined 2/6 for not sending their child to school, whilst others suffer a £1 penalty for failing to have their child vaccinated.
Prior to his departure for NSW, Mr Alex Barnes was farewelled at a large Werrap function.
The Beulah community advertised its forthcoming Grand Annual Carnival for March 13.
But does this week’s photo of a quiet, lazy afternoon tell the full story?
I quote from the Argus:
“The railway yard this week presented an animated appearance consequent upon a hardening of the wheat market, which brought the farmers in galore.”
It goes on to say that some 96,100 bags had been brought in during the season.
63,000 were currently stacked there, 33,000 had already been despatched by train, of which 5000 had been sent over the past week.
Perhaps, after all that hard work and activity, the town was simply having a well-deserved weekend breather when the photographer set up his gear - that stack does look pretty high.