Then the big transition to Merbein High.
Interesting enough I saw Johnny 'Mocka' Morrish the other day in Ballarat walking the lake. Hasn't changed much at all.
We also hit the channel 7 news when Peter Driscoll and co were detained on the netball court. The days when the strap was still the feared form of discipline.
As for the local icons, I do remeber Billy Ling, he must have been the victim of much childhood teasing and intolerance, and what about 'Deafy' who lived down behind the race course near the entry to the sand bar in a liitle lean-to shanty? Joey O'Halloran was also a great family friend, and never visited our home without a box of lollies or a 'box' then tin of icecream. A great person.
I have really enjoyed all the messages people have posted.
I hope that when I return on Friday 21st that I can catch up with many friends.

Laurel Donaldson.

At the time I joined, my mother worked part time as the cleaner of the bank and I had been good friends at school with the Manager Ralph Churchill's son Richard. Incidentally I haven't seen or heard of Richard for close on 40 years and wonder if anyone is still in contact with him.

Anyway, some memories stand out. I remember signing a form when I joined which set out a large number of conditions. One in particular was "bank officers must conduct themselves professionally at all times in their intercourse with customers". To this day I still get a chuckle thinking about this.

I joined just after the advent of decimal currency Remember the television and radio ads with "on the fourteenth of February 1966". My first task (which seemed to last for weeks) was rubber stamping dollar signs (over the pre existing pound signs on all the cheque books for customers. In those days cheque books generally didn't have customers names printed on them and staff would just have to recognise the signatures.

Two staff would sit at large raised benches and hand post all cheques and deposits in two enormous ledgers. Customers would come these staff if they wanted to cash a cheque and they would either ok them or further refer them to the Manger if special approval was required. Of course there was no such thing as the enormous number of referral fees and other ways to catch you out as exist today. Also savings accounts actually paid interest. Statements were recorded mechanically and another staff member carried out this duty. About 18 months later hand posting of ledgers ceases and this task also became mechanised. Pens that worked were always on hand for customers and woe betide the staff member that failed to keep an eye on this.

The bank was open to customers from 9:30am to 3:00 pm (Monday-Thursday) and this exteneded to 5:00pm on Fridays.

I remember during summer time after closing that we (staff) would play cricket in the large floor area at the front of the bank. We used a 12 inch ruler as a bat and a ping pong ball as a ball and used a small rubbish bin as a wicket..

Each teller would have a loaded pistol in their caged area. Every six months we would go down to the washaways near Cowanna Bend for pistol practice. The pistols and associated ammunition were so old that with many shots a large flame would come from the barrel and sometimes the bullet would just drop out of the end of the barrel after the pistol went bang. We were not required to have shooting licences and to this day I wonder what would have really happened if anything exciting had ever happened in quiet and innocent old Merbein.

I also remember things such as going spotlighting for rabbits in Mike Milton's mini minor, camping trips on the Murray and parties with staff members.

I transferred to Melbourne Office during 1968 and remained with the CBC Bank for a total of seven and a half years before moving on to other fields, but still fondly remember the time with the bank.

People I remember working with at Merbein branch (with apologies to anyone I have forgotten) were:
Ralph Churchill (Manager), Vern Johnstone (Accountant), Tony McKenzie, Philip Bailey, Phil Packer, Jeff Crozier, John Doody, Peter Driscoll, Alan Burge, Steve Drury, Dick Pomeroy, Stuart McInnes, Mike Milton,Helen Taylor (formerly Syer), Cynthia Treadwell, Robyn Holcombe and Sue Hogg.

I hope some of these will be returning for the celebrations.

Bill Dorrington

Diane Cameron

As you can imagine the Telephone Exchange was entertaining to say the least. Many of you will remember having to crank the handle on the phone handset (all of this prior to automated telephone exchanges of course). Well the turning of the handle activated a shutter that covered a hole that had your number recorded underneath it at the exchange. The operator would plug the front jack into the hole and answer "Number Please", if it was local then would plug back jack into requested number and give a ring and when answered throw both switches over to enable conversation. If it was a trunk call we would take the details and ring a corresponding exchange and get them to connect the other party. Most of us had 3 digit numbers - ours was Merbein 583. We had one party line, that mean a line shared by 3 families who had to wait for one or the other to get off so as they could call. From memory we had about 650 numbers at the Merbein Exchange and there was Merbein South numbers as well and I think Yelta as well.

Night shift started at 10.00pm and finished at 7am. Merbein was classified as a "sleeping station" which meant we had a bed. Things usually quietened down about 1am and with a bit of luck we could sleep until say 5am. We had a bit of string connected to the light switch so when a shutter fell you could reach behind you in bed, pull the string and set about answering the call which meant pushing the shutter up and silencing the night bell. I vividly recall the night when about 3am a shutter fell and I answered to be greeted with "Quick ring the Fire Brigade our house is on fire" Now to activate the Fire Alarm as you can imagine there were certain procedures to be adhered to. The shutter was bright red with a vivid white surround underneath. Well 3am it was and what did I do, promptly pushed the shutter back up to silence the bell which meant I was staring at 650 blank shutter covers not knowing who had originated the call! What to do??? Oh well at the worst could say it was a false alarm or electrical surge I decided to ring the fire siren.
The sleepy town of Merbein was soon alive, and calls were coming in thick, fast and furious, bell was clanging like crazy "Where is the fire????" I kept answering I will get back to you. As luck would have it Kevin Gervasoni answered the phone at the Fire Station. "Where's the fire Fletch, Oh don't worry can see it from here, it is at Priesig's boarding house"
A very relieved Ralph Fletcher was able to answer all enquiries with renewed confidence.

Many a romance was kept going by "free calls" Neville Mitchel was a regular caller as Lesley was nursing in Melbourne. Ivan Chislett used to bring down a couple of bottles of "Merbein Special" and call a lady down near Charlton. ..in fact there were lots of fun nights we had down there. Regular chats with the girls at Carnavon who were 2 hours behind us often took place.
Rodney "Scobie" McIvor was the other Post Office employee who did the night shift and many a night there would be a card game going on. Sometimes Rodney would be sleeping so soundly that Alan Erskine Snr used to have to come over from the Roxy Cafe and wake him up as the bill was ringing loudly into the night.

Some of the ladies who worked on the exchange in my time were;-
Val Horsefall, Dawn Henderson (Sedgeman), Joy Stevenson (Thompson) Kay Rickard and Elaine Tyson

Ralph Fletcher