Tooleybuc
TOOLEYBUC will celebrate the centenary of both the unofficial 1924 and official 1925 openings of the bridge at their Australia Day breakfast and duck race.
Breakfast will be served in Mensforth Park from 7.30am on Sunday, with raffles and speeches while the ducks get in a row to race.
While the official government opening of the Tooleybuc bridge was postponed to January 1925, district pioneer Joe Lockhart and his wheat carter Jack O’Loughlin took matters into their own hands on their journey to Piangil in December 1924, according to a report in the August 5, 1995 edition of The Guardian.
Construction of the new bridge was completed prior to the NSW harvest save for a fence on the Victorian side, but only construction workers were allowed to cross.
Wheat carters, along with the rest of the public, were still relegated to the old punt, which had a three-ton load restriction, requiring carters to unload and reload their five-ton burdens on both sides of the river.
Mr Lockhart and Mr O’Loughlin took it upon themselves in the wee hours of the morning to sabotage the punt, planning to cut its pulley wires either side of the river.
Upon being interrupted by a passerby returning home from the pub, the men hid from sight in the punt as it floated downstream, and they had to paddle themselves to the side of the river to get out again.
In the morning, another farmer came across the men’s forged notice of the closed punt, moved the barrier on the new bridge and crossed the river into Victoria with his harvest.
The punt was found two miles downstream by the Moulamein police, but the damage was done, and the bridge was declared open to the public the next afternoon.
The bridge was later opened by government officials and town representatives with a ceremony and banquet (of which Mr Lockhart was an organiser). Mr Lockhart claimed himself as the man to have officially opened the bridge.
Bridge centenary memorabilia will be available to purchase for the community to take a little piece of local history home.
Piangil
THE Piangil and surrounding community are invited to keep the Australia Day celebrations going with a free barbecue lunch at the Piangil Community Centre from 11.30am.
Piangil Memorial Park and Recreation Reserve Committee secretary Glenda O’Bree said this was the community’s inaugural Australia Day barbecue.
“Our community supports the Tooleybuc breakfast celebrations every year, and we’re looking forward to reciprocating with a lunch for our joined communities,” she said.
The barbecue is free along with pavlovas, lamingtons, tea and coffee.
Attendees can bring their own drinks, salads and alcohol.
Nyah
THE Nyah District annual Australia Day breakfast celebration will feature special guest speaker AFL under-18s co-ordinator Ricky Coburn of the Bendigo Pioneers on Sunday morning.
A gold-coin donation breakfast will be served from 8am at Nyah West Park.
The flag-raising ceremony will include presentations of the Junior Citizen Award and Lions Citizen of the Year before Mr Coburn’s address.
Attendees are encouraged bring their own chairs and water.
Woorinen
BREAKFAST will be served at the Woorinen South Community Centre from 8am on Sunday for Australia Day.
Breakfast is $5 for adults, $2 for children 12 and over, and free for children under 12.
