Kilmore Free Press (Kilmore, Vic. : 1870 - 1954), Thursday 31 October 1878, page 2


A. VISIT TO BENALLA. It is soime,.time over a year, since I uas last in Benalla, and it is almost needless for me to say. that, the changes there are numerous., Allow ma to commence first with the improvements, the Council have made. The pathway. from, the bridge to the Post office, has been constructed+ in a ,a creditable manner indeed; in, fact, in. the summer time I should think. one feels. the benefit derived from it, in its.being. raised, above the dust line, and in the wintery above the mud. line. AJthough this Shire h,.

had .some difficulties re defaulters, it has: pulled so well together as a whole that it is now. in a flourishing condition. Mr. Martyr is not secretary now, but his place I should think is ably filled. by. a gentleman of my acauaintance, Mr. J. Knox, and I am. also glad to be able to. say that Mr. J. Clarke holds the. position. of coi'ketor. Leaving the Shire, let me note ohangns about the township itself,, afterwards I shal come to the inhabitants. Thera are few if any changes in Bridge street,. with t exception.of Mr. Roe, who as far. as I o remember, has changed sides (of the st:? only) and has gone into a. much more re-. spectable shop; and I hope he still continues to do a good business. Then there is Mr. John M'Nally, who has got into an entirely new place, next to the Colonial Bank. As far as I could see his business. is in the hardwareline, a line in which I have never thought he would venture. Almost opposite there Mr. Shortell has opened a house called the Benalla Club, his wines are good, as I was. treated in the house, the landlord. "shouting," the bar is a nice little tidy place, clean and neat; next to him is Mr. who had not yet even got the length of puttin his name on the shop, perhaps this is intentional, as people might, feel curious to see what sort of an individual. kept the establishment, and I believe that is the fact. Going round the corner, past. Hamilton's Hotel, stands a house with no, name on it, as well as the above draper's shop,. but as far as I could judge from the smell,. (the shoI.being shut when I passed) it must have been a butcher's shop, but I: don't: know and did not like to ask,. A little. further. down we notice our old friend Mr.. M'Burney, busy among his drugs, if anything he is. the least. bit stouter. than usual and fullsrin the face; he must have been, getting on f'ell as-he has got the length of:' an assistant, but perhaps he had one beafore,. which I cannot definitely say.. Then coames" a. block. of new buildling, shops. painted. black, Why, I don't know.. I saw a shoe-. maker busy in one of them, Going on I. found: that Dr. Nicholson had so greatly improvedhis place that Ldid not know it.. In fact if he had: not been standing under.. his verandah at the timel i:was passing. and hailed me, I should have gone further on for his house. As it was I went in and hadi a glass of very good old whisky.. Continuy. ing my rambles, I passed Geo. Sfharpe, MI.L.A's house, which of course I did not know until I was informed of the fact upon; enquiring afterwards. I think. that it is.. \-itthout exception the handsomest house in, the town of its size. That is about all the. changes so far as I went that I saw, and now referring to the inhabitants of this And: of the bridge, first comes.my old friend the. " bttle" alias G. Louch, who has a signr board asl.rge, and certainly much.broader, than himself. I could not find the slightcstdifference in him, turn him round as I would, he is in the Commission line now, and has a very awkward oE-ce door,. at the back of the " lut" but when, once inside things look little brighter,. and to judge by the paper strewn about, a: 'good general business muss be done, by him.. Next comes the barber saiae as usual, then? Marcus as. short ao-ever. I7thintk Marty.;. must have left the town with a good redn-. tation as thle i/ortl. cc.Lasern .rn:sgn nmakes. -out. In the Colonial Bank are Brock, little Jones, and two young gentlemen I don't know, and never saw before, and the, " yellow" one I hope I shall never see again. Brock and Jones are the same, on for any-. thing in the shape of fun. Brock ina-usuall cricket mad, and so are a.faw more in the. jtown, but I am a cricketer myself so Idoa'~ blame them for that, Mir. Hamilton.keeps. his hotel of course in his usual efficientstyle, and.doea..I believe..a good trade. I heard he was married again, but did notsee hi.. better half. Mr- A" Robertso. . think has just returned, Idid not know much of him, but I hope to know more. Mr..M'Burney in just the same. as usual,. only richer I should think, and not married,. although there was somea talk of it not, long ago. The doctor looka.very well under, his dual duties of Doctor and Justice of the. Peace,.and so does Meissrs. Birbury, Jar-man, Willis: and a few others. of my ac-. quaintance. Going across the river the. first place of consequence is Weaver's, who, is,I have not the sliightect doubt,fully a stone. heavier than when I saw him last, juet the. same old stick, not a bit of a changein him, anyhow, the hotel still keeps up its-name, and old Sam still waits the table, in hlis, usual polite way. Mr Turner hano. gotmarriedl since I.was last up, and my old friends E. Watts, is still alive and doing his besti to make .good beer. His brother, Mr. J. Watt, has dissolved partnership with Mr.. Boger, on account of the latter going home. and has taken in.Mr. M'Bean., a gentleman of standing, and- one likely, to. furtheri the.. interests both. of the business anadof the. town. Our Lawyer, Mr. M'Donnell, is, still at the same old business but has. changed his offie to the end: of Weaver's. Hotel. He does not look one whitchanged, in.fact, his hand has the sametouch and his hair the. same color as when.-L saw him some 20 months -ago; he has got an opponent in business by. the name of O'Leary.. The local cricket ground has-basn much improved, a grand stand of good structure having been erected on.it, and as for the ground itself it is muchknicer and better looking than. when I.saw it last . 'Thanks.to the exertions of a few members. of the club, Tailkingrabout Cricket and; seeing that- the Benalla have such a goe d ground formedi principally by nature, would: it-not be as well for them to try some artifi-. cial means for the purpose of.dispensirg 1 with the cocoa nut matting, as some of itheir, bowler!s best balls rise to such an extent as. to injure ths batsman and miss.the stumps. If I might be allowed to give the club. an. advice I should say--practice more as an eleven in your- own particular fields. I. noticed on- Saturday last, that altough. the wicket keeper stopped the balls,very well, he was occasionally rather lame, such is. the case with a few others,. but it is-very hard to get a team that will field as.well. as Benalla, lIspeak regara-tg country teams. only,.and now. Mr. editor 1Ž nkl have' taken up a considerabl of your valuable space with. my it but I. trust that your numerous ill ap-.. preciate what I.have sai rust th P when I visit the town n intend doing on the Prin of nr day, I shall meet with thl.kind wishes Of' thos.e, whom I appirecia's.o -highly; . f ALr,.wK.