Local tales fashion Stories of Drouin

Local stories of a war hero, a schoolboy at the turn of the century, a young girl growing up on Jackson’s Track and well-known family businesses all featured at the fifth “Stories of Drouin” presentation.

A history of the Drouin State/Primary School and Drouin Fire Brigade together with Judy Farmer’s Australia Day speech also featured.

The presentation of nine stories attracted about 90 people, including some who travelled from Sydney and Dandenong, to the Drouin Anglican Church Hall.

Volunteers compiled a snapshot of all nine stories lasting 40-minutes and enthralling the large crowd.

“It’s a fantastic project,” “Yes it’s hard work…but it’s absolutely fabulous to hear stories we didn’t know and the families to hear,” Judy Farmer said.

Forty one oral history stories are part of the collection, with hopes further grant money will allow another 10.

Brian Maunder gave a history of Drouin State/Primary School which opened in 1877 with 80 students. It grew to 360 students in 1952, 450 in 1960 and a peak of 500 in 1970.

Mr Maunder utilised the memoirs of Iris Maxfield who vividly remembered arriving at the Drouin Train Station in 1948 and started teaching the next day.

Mrs Maxfield had a grade two class of some 30 students, many of whom were behind on their studies. In the aftermath of World War II, she recalled limited resources, no uniforms, students bringing their food in brown paper bags, wood fires in each classroom and fresh milk being provided by Drouin Butter Factory.

Reading her grandfather Robert Smith’s precious memoirs from the 1900s, Vicky Metcalf said a highlight of the schoolboy’s day was stopping by the blacksmith establishment in Main St.

“I can still hear the sound of two hammers going clang clang, clang clang, clang clang,” reads his memoirs. “The pungent smoke still lingers in my nostrils.”

He also recalls the owner often joking about the schoolboys picking up any red hot metal dropped in the shop.

Peter Cusden told of growing up at the Old Northern Junction Hotel, Store and Post Office in Drouin West. Due to its many spare rooms, his mother decided to open a small store and post office.

He told the amusing tale of an order of 70 pounds of sugar being mistaken for 70 tonnes of sugar, which arrived in 230 bags at the time of a sugar shortage following World War II. The Cusden family’s ample supply meant they didn’t need to buy sugar until five years after leaving the shop.

The story of the Jindivick Store run by the Pretty family was told by Keith Pretty, Jack Pretty and Lorna Parke.

Keith recalled one of his duties on his wedding day was to shovel the cow manure off the footpath from the church to nearby hall. This was due to a farmer who walked his cows down the road daily to be milked.

The trio also recalled stories of the store’s truck, fondly named the “Jindi Bus”. As well as collecting supplies, the bus took cattle to market, transported the town’s football team to Saturday games and locals to the pictures and dances in nearby towns.

Doug Colquhoun shared his own story, that of the family butchery and his father Wes’ war service.

Fighting in World War II, Wes was part of a raid in Italy when their Lancaster bomber lost navigation. As a result, the crew mistakenly flew across Brest, France which had more German anti-aircraft gunners than Berlin.

The bomber managed to limp back across the English channel with Wes already badly injured. It crashed into a paddock with Wes the only survivor. With a broken back, neck and internal injuries, he recalled a nurse saying “this one’s a goner, don’t worry about him”. He thought “but England’s too cold, I don’t want to die here”.

Jane Marks spoke about growing up at Jackson’s Track, walking in the bush and family.

She moved into Drouin to get a job and, despite being deaf, gained a position at Drouin Primary School as a Koorie educator in 1975. She held that position for 25 years.

“You couldn’t hear them properly but you could read lips,” recalled daughter Terry, who took over the role and has remained for 17 years.

David Proposh shared the story of his family, the old flax mill and timbermilling. He shared the process of turning the flax mill into a sawmill.

The building was used during filming of the Lionel Rose movie. After selling the mill, it burnt down. The site is today known as Flax Mill Close.

John Atkins shared the Drouin Fire Brigade history with the new station opening 10 years ago a highlight.

Judy Farmer’s speech “If Only the Trees Could Talk” considered the life of the “Settlement Giant” on the corner of Settlement Rd and Springwater Dr.

Not having a straight trunk saved this tree which has a girth close to the Ada River Tree. Despite being half the height, it’s girth measures just 2.5m shy of the Ada River Tree’s 14.85m.

“Stories of Drouin” is a joint project of The Committee for Drouin, Radio 3BBR and the Drouin History Group.