| Fabulous |  |
| Posted: Saturday, 22 August 2009, 3:56 PM | |
| It was so lovely to enjoy the parade on Friday and do so in the company of my great school friends, Alison, Judy and Kerry. To see faces from years ago like Glen Hollis, Greg Lee and others in the parade was fantastic. Hello to you all. It was as though time had stood still. I wish I had kept in touch with more people, but never too late. Merbein Centenary Committee you deserve to be congratulated. This weekend has been good for the soul. Merbein provided us with a great childhood and youth and now many, many lovely memories. Miss O'Connor, (Bernadette Wells) if you are looking for a new project for publishing, how about the school years, with all the class photos from at least 1963 to 1975 (my school years.) It would have been nice to have copies of some that were on display at the primary school. The display at Merbein primary was superb. Where were the rest of you? particularly those of you that are still local? We will have to have a renunion next year or at the latest 2011. Please reply with your email contacts so that a register can be kept for future renunions so there is a contact address, and pass it on to others. Love and best wishes. Thanks for the memories. Laurel Donaldson. | |
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| Old Resident . | |
| Posted: Friday, 21 August 2009, 2:19 PM | |
| Joan Fiebiger . The headmaster at that tme was Mr Finlay I had his wife for my teacher in grade 5 & 6 .As did Hassa Man. Lyn Camp . Nee Driscoll . Cheers . | |
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| Old Resident | |
| Posted: Friday, 21 August 2009, 2:02 PM | |
| My name is Lynette Camp _ Nee , Driscoll .My parents were Paddy & Glady Driscoll ,of 5 Park St Merbein .I remember so many of the people that have written in . I went to school with Margaret Ely . My mum used to pick Martin Mcarthy's block every year . We were great friends with Doll & Billy Pettigrew .Graeme & Barry Driscoll were my cousins . I wish you all the best with your celebrations . Sorry i can't be there . | |
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| CSIRO | |
| Posted: Thursday, 20 August 2009, 12:25 PM | |
| Congratulations to the CSIRO on such a wonderful display,such history there, would be good to have permanant display kept in Merbein | |
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| The Man men | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 10:48 PM | |
| Seeing the names of Len and'Hassa' man reminded me that in one of the 'Merebin' year books I have stashed away some where one of the Man boys' ambition was to be a man and the other was to make a woman a man!!! I also remember the Melbourne Cup of our Intermediate year when Mr. Crean [ no probably not Mr. Crean ... it would have been the Headmaster whose name escapes me!] decreed that no children would listen to the cup !!! However as all the teachers ambled off to listen; Peter Thomas [Jack Thomas's son] pulled out his portable wireless and the girls ran over from the Domestic Arts centre and we locked ourselves in the woodwork room to listen to the race. Who won....... we were too excited at our daring for me to remember!!!! Then there were the boys who could reach out of the windows in rooms 1 & 2 and get their milk and drink it under the desk in class. And Mr. de Mott standing in a swirl of smoke from the heater in room two and saying .."I am the genie of the lamp" ... why do I remember that!!! Miriam Pettigrew, Val Hogan and I getting kept in for nearly all our lunch time by Mr. Murphy because we couldn't stop laughing! Remember the Saturday night dances in the Methodist Hall and the double deck chair style seating at the front of the hall for movies. What fun it has been reading all the comments, being reaquainted with different names and having all the memories flood back. Just wish I could be there. Joan Fiebiger [Norman] | |
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| Football Season | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 10:08 PM | |
| As a boy growing up in the town in the 1970's my life revolved around football. My hero was Tommy Bland (god rest his soul). Each Saturday I would sit behing the goals and watch the cunning, thick set and hairy, number 26 kick many of his 100 goals in a season (except for matches in Robinvale of course). I would get as nervous as hell when Mum would drop me off out the front of the post office to collect the mail. She would make me go inside rather than use the post box. Tommy worked in the PO and he would always hand the mail over into my shaking hand. I also sold the footy guides out the front of Fishers on Fridays after school. I would wait for the bus to deliver the guides then take them over to the barber's shop for distribution. I think I got 5 cents a guide. I can remember people buying the guides out of sympathy. I still reckon the most embarassing moment of my life was when my heroes (Merbein FC) were training pre-season at Kenny Park. The sprinklers were on one half of the ground and the players were training on the other half. Mum was driving me home through the park after some groceries at Fishers and it was about 35 degrees in the shade. The vinyl seats in the car were as hot as buggery and we were both sweating like hell. As we drove around the ground Mum said to me that the sprinklers looked lovely and cool. Knowing what was going on in Mum's head at the time I immediately shut up and closed my eyes hoping that she wouldn't do what I thought she was going to do. But sure enough, she stopped the car, and ran out onto the oval in her floral dress, her 'bingo arms' flapping as she ran. Mum danced joyfully under the sprinklers for five minutes (seemed longer) whilst my heroes looked on in amazement. Needless to say I sank down under the dash! Looking forward to getting 'home' on the weekend. Thanks Cousin Leon for helping to organise the event! Damian McKee | |
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| Fabulous event. | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 9:28 PM | |
| Well done to all those people involved in organizing the many events and reunions held in Merbein and district. We had a great time trying to recognize and remember the siblings names of all those we caught up with, during our brief stay @ "home". Such a fun time, we are so glad we made the trip. Thanks to the vivid memories being posted on this site, we are able to relate to many of those hilarious situations and stories.Makes you grateful to have grown up in such a great town. Enjoy the rest of the celebrations. The Dickie girls | |
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| A great time was had by all | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 5:08 PM | |
| I must say what a great idea it was to have the Chamberlain Family reunion at the Settlers Picnic at Kenny Park. Thanks to Kevin Forbes and Peter Chamberlain for all their organisation. Thank you to the Centenary committee for all their hard work to organise the picnic and all the other festivities that are going on. My young family and I have come home but left my parents (Leon & Margaret Huon) in Mildura, still celebrating. My dad has been enjoying himself catching up with all the people he taught about 55 years ago, he will talk about this forever. It has been, and continues to be, a very special time for both my parents, mum is the only surviving child of Albert and Elsie Chamberlain who settled in Irymple in 1911. A big thank you again to all the people who have worked hard to put this all together. You should be very proud of yourselves as all the activities I was involved with were great. Clare Whitten | |
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| Memories of growing up in the 60's/70's in Merbein | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 3:01 PM | |
| Learning to swim in the channel (and to duck under when water ganger Ken Hindman drove around the road)... Sitting up on the back mudguard of the tractor... Building cubbies of sweatboxes and diptins... Swimming in the floodwater on Paeschendale Ave... Picking asparagus on the channel (and there was etiquette to it!)... The "new"school bus being called the "pug-nosed"bus while the distillery bus (which I called the "celery"bus) still had a "nose". My primary school teachers Hazel Dowsley, Robin Pain (later Edwards), Mrs Anderson, Sue Plain, Lorraine McGregor (I remember her in a green tent dress with wrap around sunglasses) and John Sherwill (who taught me how to write properly). I loved all my primary teachers (which many people of my vintage marvel at). I will be in Merbein from 21st to 23rd August and hope to catch up with as many old friends as possible.Alison George | |
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| My early days at Merbein High | |
| Posted: Wednesday, 19 August 2009, 1:29 PM | |
| From Merbein West Primary School, two teachers and into the big world of high school, time tables, switching rooms, new teachers and friends. Catching the bus at Mrs Mounty's store at Merbein West, getting to know the other kids and feeling like a small fish in a big pond. What about the undefeated hockey team - NiebreM, uniform inspection, the arrival of the transportables, lockers with no locks and French lessons. Looking forward to the weekend when friends we meet are still friends and time will stand still for a short while. Thanks to all that have put in the hard yards to make this all possible. Can't wait. | |
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