10 years ago today,”Harnessing the River Murray: Stories of the People Who Built Locks 1 to 9. 1915-1935″ was launched. I am not sure if you know what was involved in the writing, or how it evolved so here goes:
As a child, I was frequently told stories by my mum of her younger days growing up in the lock camps where her father was employed as an engine driver. He had spent almost 20 years on the works, from Lock 1 to Lock 5, then Lock 6 and finally Lock 7, before finally moving the family to Mildura on the completion of Lock 7. Over several years, I had been in touch with Max Pearson, of Waikerie, also a child in lock construction days, and discovered his passion that the history be told and recorded. So it was, that when I was undertaking my Masters in History, I interviewed Max as part of an Oral History project before writing my final Masters submission on the lock history. I was hooked!!

I had already invested a lot of time and developed a passion too to tell the little-known stories of families whose lives were lived in extraordinary conditions on the banks of the Murray at various locations. So when I realised at the end of my Masters, that in 5 years time, it would be 100 years since the great scheme began at Blanchetown in South Australia with the laying of the Foundation Stone on 5 June 1915, the duty fell to me to bring together the history in the form of a book. I wanted to commemorate the unsung men, women and children, who together with great engineers and relatively simple steam driven machinery like derricks, flying foxes and pile drivers, harnessed the Mighty Murray.

Max Pearson put me in touch with others in Adelaide who had also grown up on the locks, and I had contacts too in Mildura where I was living. I interviewed these people on several occasions, and a few of them (Max, Charlie Adams and Thelma McGair) were ‘frequent companions on my writing journey’ as I would phone or visit again and again to investigate some new aspect of the history that I had discovered at the State Records of South Australia. I also interviewed Murray Brooks, Ian McPhee, Marjorie Francis and Phillis Pickering, and used my mother’s memoir as well.
I made many trips to Adelaide to utilise the Engineering and Water Supply Department records at SRSA and also to Melbourne to the Public Record Office Victoria for the Education Department records for schools at Lock 7 and Lock 9 which were supplied with a teacher by the Victorian Education Department.

Slowly it all came together. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority together with SA Water organised a re-enactment of the 1915 Foundation Stone Ceremony at Lock 1 on June 5 2015 and the opportunity for my book launch.

On June 5 2015, a large crowd assembled in a large marquee on the lawns at Lock 1. There were displays of historic photos of the works supplied by SA Water, the PS Marion arrived with many people in appropriate attire from years gone by, the brass band played and the school children sang. And a centenary plaque was unveiled in honour of the occasion. It was AMAZING!!

I also held a launch at State Library of South Australia, Olivewood Historic Homestead & Museum and Mildura & District Genealogical Society Inc.
It was 5 years from when I first envisaged the book to its launch in 2015 and now it’s another 10 years on.
Those I interviewed have now all passed away but their memories as well as the documentary evidence is recorded for ever. Thanks again to all those who helped me along the journey in any way. Books can be ordered from the printer: https://www.digitalprintaustralia.com/bookstore/list-all-products.html?keyword=harnessing+the+river+murray&view=category&option=com_virtuemart&virtuemart_category_id=0&Itemid=222