EXCURSION TO THE WEST END OF TRARALGON

Here, John Davidson told us of his memories of the area, including coming each year to see the mass of daffodils growing at the house on the corner of Loch Park Road and Kay Street.  Mrs. Marj. McMillan, daughter of Clarence Clark who had owned this land, told us that their house became the first R.S.L. owned club rooms.  Her father was a Traralgon Shire Councillor for years, and many people will remember him as a stock agent.  The stock yards were of post and rail construction, and were also used for breaking in horses.  This was a great attraction to the boys of the district, including Noel Plant, who lived opposite.

Mrs. Alison Robertson (nee Marsh)  gave us information about her family and pointed out the position of their slaughter yard and other places   mentioned in her brother's notes. Mrs. Beryl Silvester (nee Trembath),  who lived in Argent's Lane (now Stockdale Rd.) told us of that area. Her father sold the land   for the Stockdale Road school to the Education Department.

Mr.  Doug. Stoddart, who was our main Speaker, knew the area  thoroughly and kept the audience amused with his anecdotes of boyhood escapades which were added to by Doug. Silvester.  One story was of the boys playing cricket in a paddock near the late Mr. Row's  home;  they made holes in his hedge and crept through to steal his lovely apples.  Mr.Row would fire a shot into the air "to frighten away the birds"  that were eating his apples, or so he told the real thieves.

Stories were continued at the St.Paul's car park, where Miss Monica LeGrand told us that her grandmother had owned the first racecourse and also the land where the Traralgon West school was built (visited by our Society on a previous excursion). Mr. Stoddart also told us a great deal about Jimmy Droger who lived  at the corner of Tyers Rd, and Grey St. which will be included in a later article.

Owing to the rain we were unable to complete the excursion planned.  Mr. Joe Hourigan and others were to have spoken at Kildare and we hope to hear them during another excursion later in the year as there are many places of interest to see and hear about between Grey St, and the Highway, also on the south side.  I would like to thank all those I had contacted for coming along, also Noel Plant and Reg.   Marsh for giving me notes beforehand. All the information gathered will help greatly when a booklet is compiled at the end of the year about the 1910-1930 era.

Mr. Simon Stoddart kept his horses on the land where the Henry St. shops are now in the years Mr. Doug. Stoddart was at school.  Before school in the morning, Doug. would take 3 horses, riding one and leading the others, to his father's shop in Franklin Street.   He would then run all the way to St. Michael's School (which had opened in 1902 with 36 pupils). The grounds were surrounded by pine trees.   When it was time to build a new larger school, the old one was sold  and removed to Garibaldi St. where it is still in use as a residence.   At lunch time he would run all  the way home, then all the way back to school - he didn't dare be late. After school he would take  the horses back to their paddock.

The children played football at school, supervised by the Nuns, but no fights were allowed. Boys who had a quarrel to  settle  would go  to the saleyards (where the Safeways Car Park is  today) and fight in the cattle ring.   The other boys would gather around the ring and barrack loudly for their favorite pugilist. Passers-by would also join in and shout encouragement to the contestants.   Mr. Stoddart related many stories of his wins and defeats.

At 13, he left school to work in his father's shop in Franklin Street; he delivered meat in the butcher's cart.  He told us of the few houses in the area at that time, pointing out where each stood, and naming each occupant.  The cart had a chopping block;  the lady of the house would come out with a plate, choose the meat, and have it cut while she waited.

Mr. Simon Stoddart owned all the  land from Gilmour St. to Grubb Av. He called  it "Glen Lilac" after his birthplace in Scotland. He donated a large portion of it for a Secondary School for boys  St. Paul's was built on the site of his former piggery. Further information from Mr.Doug. Stoddart will be included in a later article.

From Noel Plant: This area was one large holding, used  for wide-range grazing until about 1910 when it was divided into small farms. William Plant had about 14 acres. To the east, Mr. Tom Standing, senior, who was an auctioneer, owned the land where  retirement units have recently been built.  On the west and north were brothers William and James Trembath who dealt in cattle and did   some dairying.

William Plant was a builder, he road a bicycle to work each day and Saturdays he took the horse and cart out to the bush for a load of  wood.   The 3 boys went too, considering themselves very helpful in loading the wood.  Mr. Plant bought a 1924 Chev. truck later, and the boys then had a ride to school and home with him at lunch time.  His family had a few cows for milk and butter and to help fatten the pig that was kept in a sty.  When the pig was taken to be turned into bacon, Noel and his 2 brothers would play, shop in the sty, using sultanas for money. As soon as another pig was put in to be fattened, they had to move out of their  "shop".   The family also  grew fruit and vegetables and  raised poultry. The 3 boys used to delight in getting potatoes from their father's potato patch,  light tussocks growing nearby, throw in  the potatoes and cook them  in the ash.

They had plenty of games to play:  Tip Cat --they made  "cat" .from. a piece of wood, rectangular in the middle, pointed at each end. They hit the pointed end with a stick, to make it rise into the air, then hit the centre part   while it was  in the air. The one who made it travel the furthest  won the game. They had wooden tops - they carefully wound string around the body and   with a flick of the wrist would throw the top exactly onto a selected spot where it would spin for a long time.  Both of these games  required plenty of skill. They made kites from a framework of  light wood,  stuck 2 pieces of thick brown paper   together with a paste they had made from  flour and water, then tied pieces of rag at intervals on the string tail, and, on a long string to hold it they would launch it into the air.

The road was very sandy, so Noel and his brothers used to build sand-castles in the middle of Grey Street. They were disgusted if anyone came along in a horse and cart and ran over their castle.   They played marbles out there too, but had to pick up their marbles if a horse-drawn vehicle came along. To  buy  the   marbles (and also boomerangs), they saved empty bottles and sugar bags and took them down to Mr. Long's near the creek (bridge) who would buy them for a few pence. Once a family friend got them a real football for 5/-    that took a lot of saving-up !

The Plant boys loved to go to Mr. Simon Stoddart's slaughterhouse.  If they were very quiet, Mr. Harry Pickering, the slaughterman, would let them climb up to the rafters, to watch. Mr. Pickering would throw, with careful aim, a long pointed chisel to a vital spot behind the bullock's horns, killing it instantly, so that it felt no pain. He was very skilful and never missed the spot. The bullock then had to be dressed and a big wheelbarrow full of water was ready waiting for the tripe to be thrown into it.  The boys would wheel it outside and wash the tripe, then it was washed over again in a bath of clean water.  The boys thought they were a great help.

On the way home, they would call in at Granny Scarffe's.   She was an old lady of over 100 years, who lived in a 1 roomed hut built of split palings behind Mr. Mark's home in Argent's Lane.  (Click on the thumbnail image, right, to see Granny Scarffe) Granny always gave Noel and his brothers a handful of boiled lollies, and a piece of fruit cake.  However, because her eyesight was failing she didn't know when the cake was mouldy.  The boys would thank her for it, but when they got out of sight they would feed it to the ducks, or geese, or sheep, or whatever happened to be about.  The Marks home still stands but has been removed to Grey St.  Young teenage boys used to go out shooting rabbits and hares, as one way to make some pocket money .

"Loch Park" History, from Reg. Marsh:

From 1880 on, Traralgon was an area "on the move", according to my grandfather Marsh. Loch Park was where I spent all my early youth (34 Henry Street).  West of Lock Park Road was mainly open grazing land but in the area were several small but important industries - abattoirs, a poultry farm, and a shearing shed, all of which functioned until the early 1930's.

The abattoir was at the corner of Grubb Avenue, and Kay Street, and the land on which it was situated was bounded by Grubb Ave., Grey Street. Roosevelt Street, and Kay Street.   Grubb Ave., was named after the late Mr. John Grubb who operated the abattoir and the butcher's shop at 50 Franklin Street, until the latter part of the 1800's.  My grandfather purchased 50 Franklin Street, and leased the abattoir.  My father took over the business on the death of my grandfather in 1917.  My father built a new abattoir in about 1935, on his land at Traralgon East (now Campbell's).  The Grubb property was later sold to the A.P.M. who built homes on a large part of it for their employees.

Before my time, I understand there was a small brickworks in the vicinity of Grey Street, and the Roosevelt Street  intersection.  In Fairview Street, there was a shearing shed which was used by graziers in the locality.  My father hired the shed when he had his sheep shorn.  I can remember when I was very young having to help take food and refreshments to the shearers.  As far as I can recall, this shed was situated at approximately Nos. 27-29 (Fairview Street).

Between Kosciusko Street and Washington Street, on the Highway, where the Shell Service Station is now, there was a poultry farm conducted by a Mr. Clarke and his family.  His children were my age.  A large portion of that area now has A.P.M. homes built on it.