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Ta^ Yfl'" >ftni P'"
m m m ^ H m ^ k
r
— — » — -
OPENED BY~ FEDERAL
TREASURER
^ •
AN ENTHUSIASTIC- GATHER-
ING
1
|
1
'-- J - . . ..
On Monday of last week tbfe
fine hall erected by the restdents
of Taliygaroopna and district
toThe. memory of t^e dig r,i
tnct soldiers who seryed in the
G J ea l t w * r wasformally open ~
ed by the Federal Treasurer
(Dr. Earle Page) in the pres- 5-
ence of a large gathering.
T
e «fran\ (Pre!fdeS m ff the
i. b.trang ... x (j/iesiaent - n V of oi LU me ®'T
teommittee) was m charge of
,, nt
a most enthusiastic character.
Genesis of the Memorial
Upon the signing of the
armistice between the nations
at war in Europe, residents of
TaHvgaroopna considered a that inai
the almost certain end
of the
bloody struggle should
Id be
signalised, and that the boys of
the district ? who had played
such a gallant part in that
struggle should
have their
memories preserved for
all
time. Accordingly, on September
12, 1919, a representative
gathering assembled in the
Mechanics' Institute under the
chairmanship of Mr R. Thomas,
who had at that time been a
resident of the district for over
40 years, and who could lay
claim to being "the oldest inhabitant."
There was but one
opinion at the meeting, and
Uhat was that the gallant deeds
of the boys should be placed on
lasting record, but the method
of so doing was one for discussion.
After considering
several suggestions, the happy
idea of building a public hall
'to the memory of the soldiers
'was adopted, and a committee
'was formed to give effect to lhe
proposal. The chief executive
officers were Mr Thomas {who
was elected President) and Mr
R. E. Wilson, who undertook
the onerous duties of honorary
v
secretary.
A canvass of the district was
made, and in amounts varying
from 5/_ to £15. the committee
was able to gather a sum of
£282 17/- by the end of September,
1920. At the same date in
1921 the total had been indecided
to go "bald-headed"
creased to £423/2/-, and in
1922 the amount in hand was
£667/4/3. The liberal response
made to the appeal so encouraged
the committee that it was
for an amount, that would enable
a hall to be built that was
in every sense worthy of the
object. A "queen" competition
was then organised, and in 10
weeks the various committees
handed in no less a sum than
£618/13/3, bringing the total to
nearly £1300. By the end of
November of the same year the
total had reached £1651/3/3.
A word must be said here of
the fine work done by the young
'queens" and their committees.
Not only Taliygaroopna, but all
the outlying districts and the
towns as far south as Shepparton
and north to Numurkah
were "combed," and the result
of the self-sacrificing labors of
lhe ladies was show n in the fine
sum realised. It may be said
that this effort put the copingstone
on the efforts of the gen T
eral committee, for without thj?
fine result the erection of the
fine hall that stands to-day to
the memory of the soldiers and
to the whole-hearted generosity
of the district people would not
have been possible.- The ladies
directly concerned, were Miss
Doris Wisely (Queen of Sport),
Miss Mabel Voice (Queen of
T>eace), Miss Marjory McKenzie.
(Queen of The Diggers), and
Miss Doris Palmer (Queen of
Charity). Each had a most enthusiastic
copimittee working
for her, and the number of efforts
promoted by each was
Region.
Meantime the general committee
had continued its activities.
Mr Thomas had continued
to be the guiding influence in
the committee, and members
speak in the very highest terms
of the fine work done by him.
In March of last year, however,
he had to resign his office owing
to having decided to retire
to private life and settle in
Brighton. Mr T1 Strang was
thereupon elected to fill the
vacancy, and he has done fine
work in that position ever since.
After having spared no effort
in the position he had undertaken,
the secretary (Mr Wil-j
son) was transferred to Harrow
in October, 1922, to the great;
regret of the committee, the
members of which realised the
loss his departure meant to the
movement,'-His-Dlafee-was taken;
by Messrs A. Canet and J. E.j
Trewin, and the result of their
work is seen in the fine memor-i
ial erected. On them rested the
bulk of the work and the re-1
sponsihilityj and-they ;resppnd-]
ed~ in a manner worthy of the!
effort.
It is, interesting;to note,.how
the fine amount of £1917/(10/1
was raisedt, The-particulars are
as followi—-
Queen^GqmpetitiOft, £618/13/3;
public subscription, £390/17/-;
farmers* wheat appeal., £149
17/2; Taliygaroopna West
Patriotic League, £5/15/9; producers'
defence fund, £8/5/0;
People's Party- £10/9/4; bal-"
ance of welcome home Tund_,£4 "
1/-; Taliygaroopna Ladies* Red,
Cross, £10; Paramount Picfnrps
9hennarinn £2/6/ • Tal-1
lyg'a™^^^^
8/1; Trtlm^o^^'^P^ti
nub, £50; {5hii»; Of i'SbWPftrton, j
£B0• /orials etc (or^aSS by
bSSffi^h^^^tatel.iS 1
v
£lgl | m ount transferred
Mechanics' account. £51/10/3:}
^
^
^ ^ ^ toter" cash "received "to
; 30lh' Ap^l, 1924, £1817/10/1.
neBrly
,
/ , f .^v"""* 1 *
The Taliygaroopna
impo
its" purpose'
acU^i^^^.jehJtjhr .JVJJ^iy aai- as • &!». public JJUUWV
balMt'-if^toubtf*! iPt-here is la
better anywhere in the prfvip,c.e5,
Though the whole pf
this accounts in connection with
'the?, wqgkshave not yet been rtceived,
It Is estimated that lot
'total icosUof the building w(ll'
amount to ,abou.t £2700. At tl>e.
i^^ion. of the movement Hfr
T. J.- Kittle, of Shepparton, gaye
, the committee invaluable as-'
stance, and-to another Shepp^rtoj^gentleman
who desires
to, remain unknown in the matter
the committee are indebted
!for the Ikn prep aration of „t the IU. plans _>
*" 4 th f °r s i * h t of the work,
-rp he h site chosen r,h nsp_« for fnr the fho hall hail is ic
tliat on nn
which the
. hjl
Mechanics'
did duty for so
. many yearSf formerly stood> and
some
15 feet of the adjoining
site was also purchased, giving
the hall a ground frontage of
53 feet. The front of the buildins
*«S is an I" tti-iestiiis arresting one, oue, and ana it ^
may be taken for granted that
no visitor to Taliygaroopna
_
will
fail In QfonH
fail to stand and admire its
graceful lines A huge rising
sun occupies the centre front
Underneath in bold lettering is
the title, A.I.F. Soldiers' Mem-
orial Hall," while on either side
are shields naming the theatres
of war in which the Australian
soldiers
served—Egypt,
Gallipoli
5
France,
Belgium,
Palestine',
and Mesopotamia.
In a
lower centre is a tablet with the
inscription,
"To
commemorate
•the
services
of
those
who
fought in the Great War—1914-
•1918."
Surmounting the whole
is
a
captured
German
trench
mortar,
a
scroll
underneath
bearing
the
lettering
"A.I>.
1914-18." The foundation stone
was laid by Colonel Bourchier,
D.S.O., C.M.G.,
M.L.A., on
New
Year's Day
last, and
bears
an
'inscription
setting
forth
that
'fact.
The
building
is
of
brick
throughout.
The
brickwork
and plastering was done by Mr
T, E. Tuttle, of Numurkah, and
he has been congratulated on all
sides upon the excellence of his
"work.
On this "job" he has exditorium
celled
himself.
The
carpentry
work was
done by
Messrs
W
Pryde and Son, of Shepparton,
while the ornamentation is the
work of Mr IL Goodsir.
Internally, the hall has been
equally well designed.
The auhand
is 3 0
feet by 60 feet
providing - seating accommodalion
for about 300 people.
A
' raised bioscope cabin has been
' installed,
while
on
the- rightform
corner
is a
small
plat-
that
will
serve
useful
purposes.
Lighting
and
ventilation
have
been
given
great
care.
There
are
six
pivoted
windows
running
along
each
side, while three additional win_
dows
are >placed in the
front.
There is no front door, entrance
being gained by means
pf double
doors at each .side, but the re-
| quired exits are provided
near
; the stage.
The stage is 30 feet
f by
16
feet,
and
the
scenery,
specially
painted by Mr
Barry
[jaegers, is all that could be de-
^ sired.
A
cove ceiling of Wunderlich
metal is attractive, while
the floor is of narrow
jarrah,
specially laid for dancing purposes.
A cement dado five feet
high runs right around the inj
terior, ,the upper portions of the
- Walls being of plaster. Two anj
tte-rooms, each
20
feet by
15
, feet, take up
the rear of
the
(building, one of them being inj
tended for use as a library.
It
i s intended to light the building
; with electric light, and a plant
for
the purpose has
been
or-
; dered.
For
Monday's
function
'"make-shifts" had to be resor-
' ted to, but the results were emi-
; nentlv
satisfactory.
The
Numurkah
Shire
Council
lent
a
spare dynamo
while the Wun-
'ghnu
Bowling
Club placed
its
engine at the disposal
of
the
committee,
and
Mr
Bert
Mc-
• Phersom (Numurkah)
made the
necessary^ connections, and attended
t 0 the plant during the
• evening celebrations.
• The committee may well
congratulate itself on the compietion
of a task that has cost
the members a great deal of
time and labor. T 0 erect such a
hall was almost a gigantic undertaking
in such a small community,
but the promoters evidently
knew their district, and
(heir faith was abundantly justjf
ied. The hall will stand for
all time as a memorial to the
district soldiers who served in
< the Great War, ajid it will be a
memorial also (although not
erected with the intention) to
the splendid generosity of the
i district inhabitants
... .. _ ,
j
Visitors: Arrive
j Taliygaroopna was in a little
, bit mt of or a "stir" when the time
approached for the, arrival of
the train that was to bring to
j the township the distinguished
visitors who were to take part
I in the day's ceremony.
These
included Dr. Earle Page
(Federal
Treasurer), Mr W. C. Hill,
M.H.R.,
and
Colonel
Bourchier
(the member for the Goulburn
Valley-in-the-State.'Parliament)',
lV^©
Pag]e ;«. aaC(9mp«inied ;
the
Treasurer, and received a warm
welcome from the ladies, with
'whom she fraternised naturally
and unaffectedly.
The visitors
were met by the President (Mr
Strang)
and' members of committee
and
formally welcomed .
to Taliygaroopna
They were
then conduced^:to
the %all; fgfa
wlncb proudly waved the Union
Jack.
The Dinm-hr
^rly
400 people
ialli^^^
tebles
w f®
decorated, mauve color
P^dominating,
and
the
ladies
-Ilie-jWllW wore
6 1 1^-
colpwrt.-. .a&ronsl
Urv
;? V 16^1®^? 1 . t^tab,e sat Dr.^f
lap
- the .... - , „ iinavoidablh , ir_J)5
#.B<|uroh^;^[r hn^l
— — - ^
rewijti, and_Mt.ftnd Mrs J.
table. Several apologies wereI
. received , for jnon-attendancp. iuvu-ausuuauue,| j
including those from General!
lEHiott Crs S. Garonne (Numurjca'h
. shire President),
Tuckett, and J. Wisely. The
Shepparton-fcaed played selecions
at intervals • during the
proceedings. The tables were
lavishly supplied i n the Tall^garoopna
ladies' best manner,
and the''guests were loud in
their praise-of-*the quality of
(he viands: and of ths kind attention
paid them by the voU
untary waitresses. More than
two full sittings were needed
but I...1 the it. ladies 1 • - never"faltered ... ."hi.'
their self-imposed task, and the
manner m.> nno» in which mh;»h all^were <.n at- „«
tended to was
" „
a
»T.:*!'?IV
triumph of s suocessful
*Z
organisation/
After the loyal toast had been
appropriately honored,
Cr. W. A.
. .. .
"The A.I.F." wi
When
!i.?
the r0^M call
S j
t
thniFjmniro-rocnnnriaH oe rni^iln
lusSaHa as readiiv as V,>tnri«
Ausu-ana as Teaaiiy as Victoria,
and no part of Victoria as
did the"northern areas. In this
respeel Taliygaroopna fully
held - her own. T h e m e n whol£
they , were honoring that day
fought for the greatest Empire
in the world,- 1 and he was confident
that they would do the
same again if the call came.
After eulogising the Australian
soldier, who, he said, had been
placed in the most dangerous
positions always ? and had never
yet ;, "turned., dog," the. speaker
paid a compliment to Dr. Page,
and- said-he roas "the beat politician
in Australia:*'
The Rev.. Wilfred Dau supported
the toast, and at the
suggestion of the chairman it
was drunk in silence.
Mr J. McKenzie proposed
"Federal and State Parliaments,"
and cordially welcomed
the distinguished . Parliament-
anans to Taliygaroopna. Each
" ad done excellently in the past,
w a s expect,ed, of them
m th e "future.
Mr J. ; Thompson supported.
/Dr Earle Page, who was
warmly received, opened by a
. generous reference to Colonel
Bourohier's services to the constituency,
and expressed the
hope that he would have a
walk-over, (Dr. Page's hopes
- borne out, "The
^Wre
full y
,f Ool0nel "
being, the
only
one
nominated
for
the
Goulburn
J aIIe y
seat.—Ed.
"L.")
Dr.
Pa^e
P aid a
compliment, to
M r
HiI 1 '
and
expressed his appreciation
of Mr
Hill's assistance
to him
as
leader of
the
Federal
Country
Party.
Mr
Hill's
intimate
knowledge
of
country
conditions
and
his
practical
suggestions
for
the
overcoming of difficulties peculiar
to the man on the land made
him
an
invaluable
member
of
the party.
His contributions to
debates were always listened to
with attention, especially on the
subjects of fruit and wheat, and
his opinion was widely sought.
. P r e s e n t juncture, said
Dr. "" Page, ™ when it " — might be said
that the sword of Damocles was
hanging over the head of the
Government, it might not be
right for him to outline the
future policy of the Government,
but he would like to say
something of the. way in which
the future should be faced if it
should happen that the sword
did not fall. Continuing, Dr.
Page saidc—You may have
noticed that some two or three
weeks ago the Prime Minister
and myself came to an arrangement
with *regard to the contesting
of the next election if
the Composite Ministry was
then still in existence and if a
platform mutually satisfactory
to the organisations and to the
two parties could be drawn up.
This has been savagely attacked
in some quarters.
First of all, with regard to
taking my«. action,- I do not intend
to defend it, because I hold
that it is the job of the leader
to come to decisions and if
those decisions are unsatisfactory
to the, majority of his followers,
then he should not be
the leader. All I would like to
point out is this—that every
day some important question
of policy arises on which it is
essential that I • should make
decisions and that the effect of'
those decisions on big questions
is more likely to have a great
influence on the future of the
party than any arrangement
that may be come to regarding
the conduct of an election. If
it is proper for a leader to do
the one,;thing;it must .be proper
to do the other. In both cases
the party has the right to disagree
with the decision and
jettison the leader if the decis-
ion is sufficiently important to
warrant that step.
The--position-that'we must
face is this—the Government
functioning satisfactorily? If
it is then it should continue,
and if it comes to an election
with-a record that meete with'
-tlmr approval of both parties
that stand .behind it, and if it
can frame a policy satisfactory
to both organisations for the
next Parliament, then, what
justification is there for smashing
it to pieces? If its record l
is not, satisfactory to. either or
both parties, then the arrangemenfe^m'ust
^ automatically , come
to an end- I take it that politi-
°al parties are only formed to
try and securis-practical attain-
^Jf;
If it" is found that these-ideals
can be best-translated
actu&l >effect by the co-opera-
respoMibiht^. in a Qoyernm
Wt, ^at|on mi^y,tna^ers of
principle these two parties are
able to agree-io translate them
Mer M M o i W s ^ -
tr|^stvwiete( rf<>rin«l,-is
herng
and rational sensible men must
take the ne^ssSry necelsarr steps to en-jjn
co-operatioiu.in_the future.
A
tic
on the mSW^iM^al
and^fifc-"W0Uld be the
fQlfcvto v il5impj3: drift;
If
co-opera-
Lion, then, of course, the Composite
puoiwi Government must im- "*»
nediately come to an end, and
:he question of working arrangements
at an election wou',d
not arise.
I would like to ask those who
'condemn these arrangements
;as»:to what practical alternative
they:can'offer, if they desire *a
continuance of co-operatiqn
except . .the' arrangement that
has :b"een agreed - upon? It is ia
mis-statement to say that it
strangles the: growth of either
party; Both parties have the
capacity to grow under these
arrangements. It is true not by
means of a suicidal fight at
each other's expense, but at the^
expense of the Opposition.,
Every citizen who thinks he is
a better man than the sitting
member is still at liberty to offer
himself to the electors as a
candidate.
Quite apart from the ques_
, ly as he would like, but still ai?e
of ah "" agreement s "" all, . I
would like you to look at tii e i
1,ositio R * .T, ake y 0 ^ 0 ^ memhfir_
her, M„ Mr Hi Hill's.-pase. rs-case. He He suDDorts supports ,
lhe Government. He sits up all
night helping us to get measures
through which perhaps, in
every particular, are not exacta
lot better than nothing. He
sinks his individual prejudice
and opinions for the commoin
good; and after he had supported
' the Government for thrqe
yoars loyally, it would be hardly
fair for members of the Ministry
who did not happen to have
the same political brand on
their slioulder as he has to
tear him to pieces if he is willing
to support a policy that is
agreed on by both parties. How
would they attack him? Has he
not supported' their policy and
their progranyne for the last
three yeafs^ Is he not equally
responsible with ; them for the
passage of the legislation and
for the administration that he
has supported? It is absurd, if
one follows the matter to its
logical conclusion. *to suggest
that I. for instance, should be
able to do anything else but
support Mr Hill.
Dr Page went on to review
the " public questions now
agitating Australia in the same
vein, saving that the country's
resources were so rich and.
varied that they only needed
developing on proper lines to
assure all classes of thorough
prosperity. He asserted the
resolve of the country party to
promote decentralisation and
by procuring conditions of living
for country people as good
as those in the towns to assure !
the country of a happy and
1
healthy rural population.
Dr. Page concluded a speech
that was freely punctuated
with applause by paying a tribute
to the culinary artistry of
the ladies, saying that the
viands of which he had partaken
of that afternoon reminded him
of the cooking of his mother.
"Our" Members
Mr Hill and Colonel Bourchier
each made a short and!
appropriate address, which was
well received. Mr Hill said that
the Composite Government had
done excellent work. The;
•Country Party had every faith |
in Dr. Page and in the Prime
"Minister (Mr Bruce).
Other Toasts
The toast of "The Press"
was given by Cr. Dudley, supported
by Cr. W. A. Trewin;
"The Ladies" was proposed by
Mr R. McKenzie s and responded
to for the ladies by Mr R. E.
Patterson, and the toast of
"The Visitors" was given by Mr
J. E. Trewin, who was supported
by Mr J. Sandilands. Mrs
Page responded to this toast in
a nicely worded speech, in
which she congratulated the
people of the district on the
erection of such a fine memorial
to the soldiers. She eulogised
the culinary achievements
of the ladies, and admitted
that she had a most enjoyable
time. Dr. Earle Page proposed
the health of the chairman
in suitable terms, and Mr
Strang replied.
The Hall Opened
The hall was then cleared by
the ladies in preparation for
the formal "opening" ceremony,
which Dr. Page preformed in a
warmly worded speech. He
congratulated the people on the
'fine spirit that had actuated
'them in providing such an edifice
to the memory of district
soldiers, and said it would be
an everlasting symbol ithat they
were not of those who forgot
what was owed- 4 to the soldiers.
The memorial they, had decided
-uponowas* hfe tbO_u«hi; a peculiarly
fitting. one," and believed
the soldiers, themselves would
agree- - that the' the-best use had naa
been made of.the money P ro " i
vided.
Besides commemorating M
the deeds
of the soldiers, the
ball would serve a useful pur-1
pose in
"DrT
a social
Page's*
and
declaration.
community
sense.
I
hat "the hall is now open was
received with loud applause.
^ Cr. tJampbell -was the leading
spirit in an
unrehearsed; mcident,
when -he made an appeal
for further funds to wipe off the
small) debt remaining, on
the
hall, a.ndMin a. ;few minutes
he
washable „to announce that over
£70 had been promised. _
The following is a list of the
contributors,
many
of
whom
had <previously^generously suprteA;--the.y-fiiadMessrs
S
W-
MIJ'
Mrs Eddy,
W'
! S
^
^
J
t
TSfhnrv? ! S
G. BitSWm, i 'Mrs Thorne (Albury) |
R
Kilpat^^ctor
McKen Zie, |
5 each^ m j l M C
Son
R., F
Thomas W C HilI, Col. Bour-; h
chier, .M, A. Watson
?/2/- r
eaphr£*£* ,eolm \
David j
A * *
itte.^«8ttWHtaid«r
Alex.
The VteKora Depart
N-ji •••,.,•>-
SSffTi
of
lhe
on
' ^ ^ J W t e ^ i
' ie oert v
the new hall was
ib Concert that
Ulettl? om in
R.^Hioitnas
' ~ ' ' "'
r-of
the memorial committee) occupied
the """ chair. The pro- *
gramme was supplied by Shepparton
district residents, and it
worthy to note that Mr R.
Kilpatrick (Numurkah), with
his customary generosity, defrayed
the total* cost of conveying
the performers to Taliygaroopna
and back home again.
Mr Kilpatrick's name also appears
in the list of donors
above." The programme was as
under:—
Pianoforte
solo,
Prelude
in
Rachmaninoff,
Miss
Gladys
Manning; song, "The Deathless
. Army,"
Mr
Geo.
Foster;
song,
"serenade"
(Guonod),
Mrs
Shuttleworth;
recitation,
"Lasca,"
Miss
Jean
Dudley;
duet,
. "Watchman,
What
of
the
Night?"
Messrs
James
and
Crone;
song,
"My
Ain
Folk,"
Miss
Annie
McDonald;
comic
song,
"Burlington. Bertie,"
Mr
Spivey;
pianoforte
solo,
"The
i Dancing
DoH,"
i.i.oo Miss
^••"•jj- Gladys
Manning;
song,
"Oh,
Promise
j Me," Mr Geo. Foster; trio,
"Sweet and Low." Low," Miss Mannj
ing, Mrs Shuttleworth. and
Mr
W. Crone; recitation, "A Trip to
j Blackpool,"
Miss
Jean
Dudley;
song,
"Old
Scotch
Mother
of
Mine,"
Miss
A.
McDonald;
quartette,
"The
Catastrophe,"
Messrs Foster, James,
Walker,
and Crone; comic song,
"What
do
you
think
of
That?"
Mr
Spivey; National
Anthem.
The Dance
The
dance that followed
the
concert wound
up
a red-letter
day in the history of Taliygaroopna.
There was a large attendance,
and dancing was enaged
in till nearly sunrise. The
music was provided gratuitous- |
ly
by
Tuttle's
Shepparton orchestra,
and Mr J. Pullin kindly
conveyed the players free of
charge.
A
recherche
supper
i was provided by the ladies,
I
At
the
conclusion
of
the
dance a quantity of cakes, etc.,
i that had been
over-abundantly
I supplied for the various feasts
! were sold
by bruce auction, and
* ho tirpfi
but well-satisfied parj
ticipants in the day s most suci
cessful doings were free to seek
well-earned rest, though for the
! ladies that did not come till the
j following night,
for,
following
I'"?
custom
of
ladies
everywhere,
they assembled in force
i,ho
next
d a y
in
order
"clean
"P" and
P ut the hal1 m
lts
P r0 ~
proper order again,
$