Melbourne Cup Day brings to mind the mentions of horse racing in my research about the lock building communities. In addition to setting up the footy oval, cricket pitch and tennis courts, the men also made a race track for race meetings.

Lock 4 and Lock 7 communities both enjoyed the races. This article from TROVE details some fun at the Lock 4 races in October 1928.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/109375764?searchTerm=lock%204%20race%20meeting&searchLimits=

The second image from the Searcy Collection SLSA depicts horses at a country meeting in SA in the 1920s.

 

On Thursday October 22, I am privileged to have been invited as guest speaker at the SA  Murray Irrigators’ AGM being held at Banrock Station from 4 pm.

I have chosen to speak about the stages of lock construction, giving an insight into the type of labour required of the men who toiled along the River Murray and also built lives for their wives and families.

By examining some of the images of lock/weir construction, one can get a feel for the tenacity and strength these workers displayed in building the great structures which allow irrigation of our precious crops.

Murray River Paddlesteamers, 57 Murray Esplanade, Port of Echuca has copies of the book ‘Harnessing the River Murray’ for sale.
Other outlets include Book City, Mildura Mall, Mildura Tourist Information Centre, Deakin Avenue Mildura, Swan Reach Museum 20/22 Nildottie Rd, Swan Reach SA 5354, Phone:(08) 8570 2019, Mannum Dock Museum, Mannum, T H Books, Renmark and Digital Print,135 Gilles St, Adelaide SA 5000, (08) 8232 3404. Print On Demand Click here!

1924 04 10 GRG53 16 unit 1002 file 472 LOCK 3 Hospital petition

In 1924, the workers at Lock 3 near Overland Corner were obviously frustrated at the provision of medical-care and petitioned for an arrangement with the Barmera Hospital. Although the proposal was initially approved, as works were nearing completion at the site, the matter was not proceeded with. The men and their families moved on to Lock 2 about September 1924 for work there and an agreement was entered into with the Morgan hospital.

On Monday July 6, 120 people attended the Mildura launch of the River Murray book by Helen Stagg. The Carnegie Centre was filled to capacity and extra seating was brought in. Mildura and District Genealogical Society President Lyn Grant welcomed those present and introduced Brian Grogan OAM who spoke of his involvement with dam works in Victoria in the 1970s. There were parallels he believed in the tight social fabric of the work-camps, just as had been the case in lock camps many years earlier. He mentioned the importance of social histories of these works and commended Helen on her research. He then introduced author Helen Stagg who gave a slide show presentation of the background to her research, the structure of the book followed by some extracts from the text. Those present commented on how they enjoyed the insights the presentation provided into the lives of these long-ago communities. An enjoyable afternoon tea was served while Helen signed copies of her book.

MLA Mr Peter Crisp was present and mayor of Mildura Glenn Milne, and many descendants of lock-building families, some of whose stories are part of the book’s oral history, were also in attendance.