What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1916

This is a look at what happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1916, 100 years ago. These references all come from digitized newspapers available on Trove, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper  There were many references to the War and how the community was supporting the war effort, but this is mainly a look at the non military activities in the town.

The Australasian of February 5, reported that local potato and onion growers complained to the Railway department that they could not get their produce away promptly on the rail and that owing to the delay during hot weather the potatoes shrivel up.

On another railway matter on March 30 the Ballarat Courier had a report that the McDonalds Track Railway (or the Strzelecki line) construction was abandoned due to the scarcity of rails and the difficulty of obtaining them. The line was finally opened on June 29, 1922.

The Argus on April 5 reported that the Post Office at Koo Wee Rup had been connected to the telephone trunk line between Springvale and Korumburra.

The Argus April 5, 1916

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2097150

The Lang Lang Guardian of April 19 reported that Mr Ward, a resident of Koo Wee Rup picked up a bottle on the Kilcunda Beach and it contained the following note, dated March 10:  From two boys bound for the Front on the Star of England A15. Having a good trip; a lot of the boys had a bad time on the first night out. Would finder kindly drop Mrs Brown, 170 Albert Street Newtown a line just for the novelty and also to my mother Mrs Feehan, Edward Street Adelaide. Wishing you luck and good bye. From two soldiers boys J. Feehan and J. McPherson. On the back was written - Will see you when we get back. This note was written three days after sailing. We can just sight Melbourne.  J. Feehan was John Walter Feehan and he survived the War; I have no information about his mate, J. McPherson. (Read the article, here)

The Argus on April 27 reported that the Main Drain had a siltation problem due to a build up of sand which varied in depth from four feet to seven feet. The sand was so vast at the 10-mile (just east of Cora Lynn), that it needed to be removed to prevent inundation of the adjoining land. It was estimated that the removal would cost about £20,000, unless it could be used in some commercial way such as in concrete.

The South Bourke and Mornington Journal of June 22 had a report on the state of a drain in Station Street. The defective drainage of Station Street about five years ago was said to be responsible for the death of Mrs Laurie, who was stricken with typhoid fever. The drain in front of her premises was filled with evil smelling stagnant water. A few months ago a young man from adjoining premises was seized with typhoid fever. Fortunately he recovered. The drain is certainly a menace to health….it is hoped that the Board of Health will order it to be  thoroughly disinfected and made so that stagnant water will not be in front of shops and dwellings. 

The Lang Lang Guardian of September 13, reported on the return billiard match between Lang Lang and Koo Wee Rup at the Palace Hotel. Total scores were Lang Lang 564 and Koo-Wee-Rup 487. The individual results were - Eason 150 points beat Smith 85; Keighery 114 lost to Donnelly 150; Athelstane 150 beat Boag 108 and Henderson 150 beat Bickett 144.

Lang Lang Guardian September 13, 1916

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119513925

The Dandenong Advertiser of September 28 reported on recent floods which caused enormous damage and great suffering in many homes.  Sadly Lyle Raymond Loveday was drowned whilst out rabbiting. The paper reports that the boy was an exceptionally promising lad and would have been 12 years old on the day after the fatality. A son of Mr T. Cunningham of Tynong was also drowned in a drain in front of his house. Mrs Cunningham saw her son disappear, but was powerless to save him. The flood waters had broken through the McDonald, Seven Mile and McGregor drains.  The report goes on to say that the Dalmore country is submerged, most of the settlers having managed to wade or drive to Koo Wee Rup. (Read the article, here)

On November 22, the Lang Lang Guardian reported on a Ball held in aid of the Red Cross - over £3 was raised. The winner of the best lady’s costume was Miss Daisy Morden as Peace - her prize was a case of cutlery donated by Mrs D. McNamara of the Royal Hotel.  Mrs Cochrane representing Spring was second. Other costumes, all of a patriotic and imperialistic nature, were Miss M. Saunders - The Allies; Mrs Boag - Victory; Miss Williams - Red Cross nurse; Miss Cameron - Britannia; Mrs Scanlan - Lady Doctor and Miss A. Dixon - Anzac.

From the Lang Lang Guardian of December 20, 1916. The annual examinations conducted by the London College of Music were held in Koo Wee Rup. Pupils from as far away as Fish Creek, Korumburra and Wonthaggi were present as well as those closer to home from Tooradin, Clyde and Cranbourne. Miss Harris was the Koo Wee Rup Music teacher and she ‘presented’ twelve pupils of whom eleven passed. Miss V. Rundle and Miss M. Ryan became an Associate of the London College of Music, having received 82% and 80% on their examinations. As a matter of interest, all the students could have arrived in Koo Wee Rup for their music examinations by train - Tooradin, Clyde, Cranbourne, Fish Creek and Korumburra were all on the Great Southern line and the students from Wonthaggi would have caught the train from there to the rail junction at Nyora and then continued onto Koo Wee Rup. (See full report, here)

The same report, as above, also lists results from the Koo Wee Rup State School. Merit Certificates (awarded at the end of Grade 8) were obtained by Eric Glasscock, Arnold Eason, Claude Einsiedel, John Shelton, Stanley Coates, Edward Leeson, Bessie Colvin, Hope Dalley and Beryl Morden. Eric and Arnold also won awards for the best scholars in the school and Edward and Bessie  won a prize for the best essay on ‘The history of the British Navy’ not a topic that I imagine many Year 8 students would be required to write essays on today!  Qualifying Certificates (end of Year 6) were awarded to Violet Johnson, Henry Thompson, David Mickle and George Burhop. The awards were presented at a picnic held in the school grounds, where there was a large attendance of parents and friends who provided the children with an inexhaustible supply of dainties.

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1915

This is what happened in Koo Wee Rup and surrounds in 1915, 100 years ago. These references all come from digitized newspapers available on Trove, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper  There were many references to the War and the soldiers who enlisted and served, but this is a look at the non military activities in the town.

The year started off with an arrest -  Elizabeth Allen, a resident of Fitzroy, was arrested on warrant by Constable Anstee on Mr. Strafford's farm, Iona, on Tuesday. Allen and her husband band were digging potatoes on Koo-wee-rup Swamp and she had a serious quarrel with another married woman named Ellen Fielder on Tuesday morning. It is alleged that Allen went into the house occupied by Mrs. Fielder, and pulled her out of bed on to the road by the hair. Mrs. Fielder issued a warrant, and Allen was locked up on a charge of assault. She was admitted to bail, and will appear to answer the charge to-day  (The Argus January 7, 1915)

On January 8, the Wonthaggi Licensing Court granted  Denis McNamara a licence to operate a Hotel in Koo Wee Rup. This Hotel was named the Royal Hotel and opened in Koo Wee Rup on September 9, 1915. There were six applications to open a hotel at Koo Wee Rup, you can read about them, here.
(Powlett Express, January 15 1915)

On February 24 the Lang Lang Guardian reported on a severe storm in Yannathan. The storm was described as unprecedented.   All day the weather had been threatening, and thunder showers which visited other parts of the district left this locality untouched. But at about 4 o'clock, while about 30 ladies and gentlemen were witnessing a cricket match in Mr Stewart's paddock between the Lang Lang and Yannathan teams, a densely black cloud, lit up constantly by vivid flashes of lightning, was seen approaching from the south-west. When the first drops of rain fell players and spectators left the field for the shelter of the Mechanics' Hall, and while there the storm burst, and for about ten minutes the elements were in almost indescribable tumult. A hurricane blew jinkers about the hall yard, and everything in the shape of boxes and loose timber was lifted by its violence. Then something in the nature of a cloud-burst descended, and rain and pieces of ice fell in such density that looking across towards the Union Church, only a shadowy outline of the building could, be seen, and the hall yard was soon under water. Deafening peals of thunder and constant flames of lightning combined with the downpour, and twice the crash of a falling tree was heard. The door of the church being opened, all made a dash from the hall and entered, but were drenched in doing so. As suddenly as it broke, the storm abated, and very little rain fell during the remainder of the afternoon. 
Sadly, the storm also caused a fatality - seventeen year old Don Cameron, who was employed by Mr W.H. Gardiner, of Yannathan. He was working in a paddock was struck and instantly killed by lightning. His parents were from Beaconsfield and he was buried at Berwick Cemetery.

On March 3, the Lang Lang Guardian had a report headlined 'Tramps at Koo Wee Rup' - For some years past residents of the Swamp have complained, without any remedy being applied, of the great nuisance of tramps camping at the bridges and frightening horses. An example of the real danger of this habit was given on Saturday morning last, when Mr R. Glen was conveying a load of potatoes in a dray, and when at Mallcotl's crossing the horse shied at a couple of tramps camped at the bridge; with the result that the dray was capsised and the potatoes tipped into the drain. Mr Glen was thrown out of the dray and was badly shaken, but it was wonderful that be did not sustain severe injuries.

In March the Koo Wee Rup Railway Station handled 54,000 bags of potatoes and 14,500 bags of chaff, the whole of £24,000 (Lang Lang Guardian April 21, 1915)

Lang Lang Guardian April 28, 1915

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page13333589

In April there was an unusual sighting of an aeroplane flying over Koo Wee Rup - see the report above.

In July a 'Plain and Fancy Dress Ball' was held at Koo Wee Rup. The successful ball was a fund raiser for the Red Cross. Over 220 people attended the ball at the Mechanics' Institute (Hall) and £22 was raised. You can see a list of some of the participants and how they were dressed, here, in the Lang Lang Guardian of July 28, 1915.

Constable Anstee was busy again in September, when he along with Constable Allen seized a large quantity of whisky, beer, and stout in cases from the store owned by John, A. Kirwan at Iona. The report goes on to say that for some time the police have suspected that there was trafficking in liquor at Iona, and they watched the store owned by John A. Kirwan. They saw a man leaving the store with a bottle of whisky, and he admitted to the police that he obtained the liquor at Kirwan's. Kirwan was charged with having trafficked in liquor illicitly. (Dandenong Advertiser September 23, 1915) Kirwan's store was actually at Vervale (Main Drain Road south and Fourteen Mile) and was taken over in 1916 by James and Edith McMannis, read about this, here.)

We will finish with this report about a 'Cinematograph' entertainment at Yallock held on November 25. A cinematograph is a motion picture film camera, which also serves as a film projector and printer. It was invented in the 1890s in Lyon by Auguste and Louis Lumière - according to Wikipedia.

Lang Lang Guardian December 1, 1915

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119513192

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1914

This what happened in Koo Wee Rup and surrounding areas, 100 years ago in 1914. These references are from various newspapers available on Trove http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

1914 started off with an attempt to start a soccer league in the area. The Lang Lang Guardian reported on January 14, that Mr Frank Garwood of Modella wanted to start a British Association Football League. The League would cover the area between the two Railway lines - Koo-Wee-Rup to Lang Lang and Garfield to Longwarry.  There was already at least one team practically formed at Modella. Mr Garwood urged anyone interested in playing the English soccer game (NOT rugby, as he emphasized) to contact him.

Lang Lang Guardian January 14, 1914

Read the full article here - http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119510085

The Weekly Times reported on February 21, 1914 on Mrs Agnes Hudson’s will. She left Real Estate worth £5595 and personal property of £1634.  Mrs Hudson had died on December 10, 1913 aged 86. She owned The Grange, the oldest extant house in Koo Wee Rup. 1914 also saw the death of David Mickle (her son by her first marriage to Alexander Mickle), who was born in 1858. His death was reported in The Argus of November 25.

On March 1, the Lang Lang Guardian reported that the erection of the Lubecker Steam bucket dredge on the Lang Lang River was nearly complete. The dredge had been imported by Public Works Department Engineer, Carlo Catani, from Germany at a total cost of £4716. It spent a few years working on the Lang Lang River and when it finished there in 1916 it moved on to work on the Main Drain.

On April 8, the Lang Lang Guardian reported that 92 crates of rabbits, each containing 24 pairs was sent off from the Lang Lang railway station. That’s 4,416 rabbits! No wonder the paper reports that it was now an important industry!

Lang Lang Guardian April 8, 1914

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119510495

The Lang Lang Guardian reported that on April 22 that a 3 lb (1.3kg) potato was on display at Lang Lang, having recently been displayed at Koo Wee Rup.

On April 23, the Bunyip Free Press reported that a Caledonian Society had been formed in Koo Wee Rup. The inaugural meeting was attended by members of the Bunyip and Cranbourne Caledonian Societies. The purpose of the Society was to promote Scottish culture. Mr R. Laidlaw was elected Chief and the Chieftains were J.Hudson (the son of the aforementioned Agnes Hudson), H. Beattie, Mr Christie and Mr Bethune. A Highland Gathering was planned for December 28 with prizes for Highland dress, piping and dancing, tossing the caber, throwing the hammer and putting the stone (which I presume is the forerunner of the shot put) and tossing the sheaf.

On June 24 the Lang Lang Guardian  reported that the old Yallock Mechanics Institute was being demolished. The replacement Hall was finished a few months later and officially opened on September 30. The Hall was 26 feet  by 50ft, with a 9ft stage; there was a supper room which was 26ft by 10ft and two other rooms each 20ft by 12ft.  These last two rooms were made from the timber of the old hall. The dance floor was built of Tasmanian oak.  The cost of the hall was £300. The opening ceremony consisted of a concert, then supper at 11.40pm followed by dancing. The Hall (or part of it) was moved into Bayles in the early 1930s (Report of the opening of the Hall was in the Lang Lang Guardian, October 7 1914).

Also in the news - John Colvin was given the contract to enlarge and renovate the Koo Wee Rup Hall (South Bourke and Mornington Journal, September 3, 1914).   In October, the Bill to authorise construction of the Koo Wee Rup to McDonalds Track Railway was passed - construction began in August 1915 (The Argus, September 22 1914). In November , the  additions to St John’s Catholic Church were opened. (The Argus, November 2, 1914)

And finally my favourite report from 1914 was from the Lang Lang Guardian of October 28. Reverend Butchers, the Presbyterian Minister from Cranbourne, was driving to Koo Wee Rup to conduct the wedding of Mr A.C Colvin and Miss Johnston, unfortunately he was thrown from the vehicle and his collar bone was broken and his shoulder dislocated. Lucky for everyone, one of the wedding guests found Rev Butchers on the road, drove him home and then secured the services of the Church of England Minister and brought him out to perform the wedding. Weddings were much simpler in those days. Mr Colvin had started a cycle shop in the town in 1909

Lang Lang Guardian October 28, 1914

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119511491

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1913

This is a look at what happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1913. In retrospect, 1913 was the last normal year for many years for Australians as 1914 was the start of the Great War. After that, for the next four years, communities like Koo Wee Rup devoted most of their time and energy to fundraising and activities to support the war effort. The community also had to deal with their young men going away to fight and then the sadness when they were killed or injured. So here’s a look at 1913 - a year of optimism and community spirit.

In March, the Presbyterian Church was lined with Wunderlich metal plates, a very modern choice of building material. St Georges Anglican Church held their first ‘Fruit and Flower’ Show on April 28 at the Hall. The event was enthusiastically supported by the public and the range of exhibits was of good quality. The exhibits encompassed 271 categories of fruit and vegetables. The evening finished with a concert and over £20 was raised for the Church funds. (Lang Guardian March 12 1913 and April 30 1913)

Lang Lang Guardian March 12, 1913

On May 3, the local football started with five teams - Koo Wee Rup, Yannathan, Lang Lang, Yallock and Tooradin. (Lang Lang Guardian May 7, 1913)

Also in May, a skeleton was found in a gravel pit just outside the town. It was believed to be that of an Aboriginal. The police were called and the skeleton was sent to the Coroner’s Office. There was no report to what happened to the skeleton after that. (Lang Lang Guardian May 21, 1913)

The Argus of June 16 reports that the long promised dredge has arrived at the Lang Lang River. This was the Lubecker Steam bucket Dredge, imported by Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, from Germany at the total cost of £4,716. After it worked on the Lang Lang River it was moved to the Swamp and worked on the Main Drain, Cardinia Creek and the Yallock outfall drain. All that remains of this grand machine is a set of wheels on display at the Swamp lookout tower, on the South Gippsland Highway.  It was fortunate that the dredge arrived when it did, because once war was declared in August 1914, it would have been impossible to import German machinery.

Also in June, skating was held at the Hall to raise money to line the walls and to install an ‘up to date’ acetylene light plant. The report is below.

Lang Lang Guardian June 25 1913

In September, £900 worth of improvements was carried out at the Koo Wee Rup Railway station including improving the level crossing and the railway yards. (Lang Lang Guardian September 17, 1913)

In October, Archbishop Mannix carried out confirmations at the Catholic Churches at Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang. (The Advocate, November 1 1913) The same month, a local Cricket Association was formed which consisted of teams from Koo Wee Rup, Modella, Lang Lang, Tooradin, Yallock and Yannathan. The first match was played November 1, 1913.  (Lang Lang Guardian  October 29, 1913)

There were reports in various papers of floods in November -  the Main Drain overflowed at the bridges, 2,000 aces of potatoes were inundated and  the school ground at Five Mile School was under water amongst other damage. Carlo Catani visited the area and was reported as saying that the reports of damage had been greatly exaggerated. (Read more about this, here) So as we have seen over recent years there was a gap between the reality of the floods and the rhetoric of the government (or Melbourne Water) – so no change there.

On December 10, Swamp pioneer, Agnes Hudson passed away, aged 86. Agnes was born in Scotland and came to Victoria with her first husband, Alexander Mickle. They settled at the Yallock Station. In 1861, Alexander died and she was left a widow with two young children and was eight months pregnant with their third child.  She later married Andrew Hudson and had two more children. After Andrew died in 1888 she moved into The Grange, in Koo Wee Rup. This house, off Sybella Avenue, still remains. (Mrs Hudson's obituary is in the Lang Lang Guardian December 17, 1913)

Finally, my favourite report for 1913 is this one - a cheese maker from Koo Wee Rup wrote to the Commonwealth Offices in London seeking their help to find a wife. His ‘golden girl’ had to be a ‘tall, fair lump of a Protestant’. A not very romantic description and sadly, I don’t know whether he turned out to be lucky in love.  It was in the Adelaide Mail, from October 18 1913

Adelaide Mail October 18, 1913

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59639808

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1912

This is a look at what happened in Koo-Wee-Rup and surrounds, one hundred years ago, in 1912. These references are taken from various papers on-line at http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

In January, Mrs McKenzie, who had been Head Teacher at the Koo Wee Rup State School for the previous 22 years was entertained in the Hall, prior to her departure to Moolart, where she had been transferred. Over 100 people attended the function and were entertained with performances by her previous students amongst other amusements. Mrs McKenzie was presented with a book of Shakespeare’s poems and a purse of sovereigns (South Bourke & Mornington Journal, January 25 1912)

The South Bourke and Mornington Journal reported that on Saturday, February 17 the Pakenham Magistrates Court was crowded with onlookers to hear the case between two Koo-Wee-Rup residents, William Himbeck and Matthew Killeen. Himbeck had accused Killeen of assault and using bad language. Several witnesses were called from both sides and the evidence given was very contradictory. The paper reports that some witnesses heard very bad language indeed, whilst others heard only the pure Australian accents undiluted with profanity. The Bench found Killeen guilty and fined him £1 for the assault with 28 shillings in costs and five shillings for the bad language with 20 shillings in costs. So all up that was £3 and 13 shillings; a fair bit of money at the time as the average wage for a factory worker was about £3 per week and for a man employed under the Rural Workers Award the weekly wage was £2 10 shillings.

The South Bourke & Mornington Journal of July 4, reported that a concert was held in the Koo Wee Rup Hall with 300 in attendance to raise funds to build a shelter shed at the School. £16 was raised and a dance was held after the concert. The shelter shed was built by John Colvin and completed in October.

On July 5, which was Arbor Day, nearly all the residents of the district turned up at the State School with their horses, carts and spades and planted 50 trees at the School and they laid out the teachers garden and the school garden, planted hedges and erected fences. The ladies of the district provided lunch and afternoon tea. The report goes on to say that a new school building is badly needed as the existing one is too small to accommodate the sixty children.  A new Koo Wee Rup State School building was erected in 1915 and burnt down in May 1950.  The original building had been erected in 1884 between Koo-Wee-Rup and Bayles and relocated into Rossiter Road in 1910 relocated again in 1919 to become the Dalmore East School (No.3925) later known as Island Road School. Island Road School closed in 1974 and the building was relocated back to Koo-Wee-Rup, and became part of the Primary School. (The Arbor Day event was reported in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal on July 11, 1912)

On July 16, the School was closed by order of the Health Officer, Dr Harkness, as three children were suffering from diphtheria. Diphtheria could be fatal and in 1912 257 Victorians died of the disease. (Report from the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of July 25, 1912.)

In September, the Railway promised to erect a small sheep and cattle yard at the Station. Locals had complained that the nearest livestock loading yards were at Monomeith, five miles by road. (The Age, September 4, 1912)

The Age September 4, 1912

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196253130

In October, Yannthan defeated Koo-Wee-Rup in the Lang Lang District Premiership League final – Yannathan scored 4 goals and 11 behinds and Koo-Wee-Rup 3 goals and 9 behinds. (The Argus, October 2 1912)

A report in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal on October 10, said that the London Bank purchased the land on which their premises stood. Whatever their original premised were, they were obviously demolished as the existing building (the A.N.Z Bank) was built in 1919.

On November 26, The Argus reported that the passenger platform at the Koo-Wee-Rup Railway Station was lengthened to accommodate the new longer trains and in December a new train was added to the timetable - a Goods train with a passenger carriage attached.  This would leave Koo-Wee-Rup at 6.50am daily and meet up with the Warragul train at Dandenong from where it would leave at 8.57am, eventually arriving in Melbourne at 10.04am. In comparison to today, three hours to get into town isn’t too bad. In 1912 you would have had time for morning tea at the Dandenong Railway Station Refreshment Rooms, which had been built at a cost of £750 in 1908 and there would have been a clean, functioning toilet at the Station - so compared to getting stuck on the Monash Freeway for hours, it sounds like a great alternative. (The report on the extra train comes from the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of December 5, 1912)

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1911

This is a look at what happened in Koo-Wee-Rup and surrounding areas one hundred years ago, in 1911. These references are taken from various papers on-line at http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

On January 9, The Argus reported that The maize crops on the Koo-wee-rup Swamp have been completely destroyed by a plague of caterpillars. The cabbages and potatoes arc now being attacked.  More more bad news for the local farmers was reported in The Argus on February 7 - Potato diggers on Koo-wee-rup Swamp have ceased work, owing to Irish blight being discovered in the district, and many of the men have taken their departure for other potato districts. Strict measures have been taken by the Government to prevent the disease from spreading, and also to prevent potatoes affected form being marketed. This was not the end to the disastrous season the local farmers were having because The Argus reported on March 23 that the potato blight was also attacking carrot crops. To top if off the Weekly Times of March 25 reported that due to prevalence of pleuro-pneumonia among cattle, the sale yards at Koo-wee-rup and Lang Lang have been closed. It wasn't until May that the sale yards were re-opened after the outbreak had been checked.

Continuing on with the ordinary year, on June 12, The Argus reported that Main Drain (or Koo Wee Rup canal as it was called) had overflowed at Cora Lynn and flooded the surrounding area. There was also one foot of water in the newly built Mechanics' Institute (Public Hall). As we can see from the later report, below, this postponed the official opening of the Hall. This report said there was three feet of water through the Hall. The Hall was officially opened in August - the event was presided over by Shire President, Cr W. Carney and official guests were W.S Keast, M.L.A, after whom the hall was named and Mrs Keast. This was reported on in The Argus of August 9, 1911.

The Argus June 14, 1911

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10909711

In other matters not connected to farming or floods, The Argus of February 10, 1911 reported on a Victorian first for the town of Cora Lynn - The parents of children at the Cora Lynn State School, in Gippsland, have secured the distinction of appointing the first school committee in Victoria under the new Education Act passed last year which provides for the constitution of such committees in place of the old boards of advice. Well done, Cora Lynn! You can read the full article, here.

On October 7, The Argus reported on a a proposed extension of the railway line from Nar Nar Goon to Cora Lynn and on through the Gippsland Country - that never happened! There was later report on October 17 (read it here) that said the proposed line was to go from Cora Lynn to Modella and then onto Mirboo.

The Argus October 7, 1911

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11622072

We will end on a sad note, on October 26, The Argus reported on the sad news that the body of a newly-born male child in an outhouse there. Constable Watt had taken the body to the Morgue, and a post-mortem examination had shown that suffocation was the cause of death. I can't find a follow-up report so we don't know who this unfortunate little child was.

What happened in Koo Wee Rup in 1910

The first article I wrote for the Garfield Spectator in 2010, was a look back at what happened in the town 100 years previously (read it, here) I thought that was such a good idea, I started doing the same for Koo Wee Rup for The Blackfish, so this is the first Koo Wee Rup article on that theme. 

This is a look at what happened in Koo Wee Rup and surrounds in 1910.  Most of these references are taken from The Argus, on-line at  http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper. 

In March, at a sale of Crown land at Koo Wee Rup -  two 20 acre allotments sold for two pounds, ten shillings per acre. Four other five acre blocks sold for five pounds per acre. There was a report in July about the State revaluing land held by settlers from the Crown There are in all some 800 settlers on the swamp. The board which had charge of the matter investigated the cases some time ago. Its method has been to take the length of time a man has been working a property and the amount he has expended on it, and to consider both these important points in arriving at the value of the land. The price was originally fixed when land had a fictitious value. It is on record that a Koo-wee-rup block at the time of the "boom" brought something like £40 per acre, while others realised £20 and £30. Some time after that the State thought £10 an acre was a fair price for some of the best land, and this price was fixed, while other blocks were appraised as being worth £9, £8, £7, £6, and a few as low as £2 per acre.
By the time the settlers had to  clear the land, maintain drains and farm the block many were facing financial hardship so they were granted relief by having the land re-valued and some had their payments suspended. (The Argus, March 2, 1910 and July 23, 1910. I have quoted from the July article, you can read the full article, here.)

Victorian Government Gazette June 8 1910

The township of Cora Lynn was proclaimed on May 31 and the Cora Lynn Cheese Factory opened in December of 1910.

The Argus February 18, 1910

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10835571 

The Koo Wee Rup State School was moved into the township, to Rossiter Road, from Bethune’s Road.  A tender for the removal of the school was advertised in February 1910 and the school opened in Rossiter Road in the September.

Locally, the town of Wonthaggi was proclaimed on September 14. The town and the associated coal mine was good news for the Koo Wee Rup Swamp - The opening up of the Powlett coalfield has provided a new and profitable market for produce grown on the swamp. Tons of potatoes, onions and chaff are being despatched to Powlett from the Koo-wee-rup station at frequent intervals. (The Argus May 30, 1910)

In November, the Yannathan Butter Factory was turning out six tons of butter per week, up from 3½ tons at the same time the year before. (The Argus November 12, 1910)

Headline in The Argus February 12, 1910

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10834034

Finally, we will end on a sad note. In February, a body was found in a bag in the water at Tooradin. The victim had been seen before in the township of Tooradin and he was camped near where his body was found. When the bag was pulled from the water, a hand was protruding from a hole in the bag. This led to speculation as to whether it was murder or suicide, as the victim could well have tied the bag himself. An inquest, two days later, returned the verdict of suicide. The body was not identified, however it was said that he was of  'the swagman class'. (The Argus, February 12. The Coroner's inquest is reported in The Argus of February 14 - it is quite interesting about how the  body was found, how the man was living before his death, but sadly no evidence as to the identity of the man. Read the article, here)