1970
Kyabram Chamber of Commerce agreed to a proposal for a Miss Mardi Gras competition at the 1970 Waterwheel Festival.
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The proposal involved businesses nominating a girl as a candidate with a minimum entry fee of $20. Candidates were to be judged on their appearance, deportment and the suitability of their clothing for the mardi gras.
Chamber president Richard Isaac said the new competition would solve the problem of the winner being judged on how much money they had raised.
In previous years the entrant from the cannery, having the powerful support of its staff, had always won. He was hoping for 20-30 entrants as a result.
– A $349,610 price tag was attached to the proposed installation of a Tongala sewerage system, adopted in principal by the Deakin Shire Council.
It would provide for the 300 treatments at present in the town, designed to expand in the future to more than 600 treatments. It was to be administered by a Tongala Sewerage Authority, yet to be appointed.
As a result of the program all septic tanks would be abandoned.
– After 15 years of selling and servicing tractors and farm implements in Kyabram, Kevin Andrews had moved into his own business at the Rural Mart in Albion St.
A well-known member of the community, he was a foundation member of Apex (which started in 1957).
Having worked as a mechanic’s sister and later as a Ford tractor dealer with Bill McMaster-Smith. His wife Beryl and children, Mark, Dean and Tracey, were supporting him in his new endeavour.
1980
A visit to Kyabram by 16 cabinet ministers allowed the townspeople to lobby for support from the state government.
Kyabram was one of five towns on the cabinet tour, with Moe and St Arnaud among the others.
Kyabram Town Council Mayor Anne Adams hosted the visit, which took place in Kyabram Fauna Park, the hospital, high school and Kyabram Preserving Company.
– Kyabram Fauna Park was preparing for a number of construction projects and for up to 1000 visitors a month in 1980.
The year before ,11,000 people paid to see the developing tourist attraction on Lake Rd, and in a dozen days of January, 780 people had come through the gates.
Figures had doubled since the year before and president Gary Gledhill was excited about the future.
A nocturnal house was one project to be discussed with the cabinet ministers during their visit to Kyabram and the plan was to also lobby for a regular maintenance grant for the park.
– A decision was made not to construct The Avenue under the private construction scheme, after it was abandoned by the local government arbitrator at a hearing of objections.
Five objectors were represented at the hearing and although some of their grievances were not upheld, the decision was made to abandon the project and send it back to the Public Works Committee for consideration.
– Kyabram Town Council was owed $8238 in general rates, with $6293 of that owed by one person.
An auditor’s report delivered to council showed that the funds were owned by the ratepayer on three separate assessments. Earlier in the evening Kyabram Water Authority revealed that the same person owed $2347 for services.
1990
Tongala teenager Byron Eaton was showing signs of recovery after being involved in a car accident near Tongala in October 1989.
He had spent 14 weeks in recovery since the accident, when he was on the way to play golf with a friend.
Byron had spent six weeks in the neurology ward of Alfred Hospital before doctors allowed him to be moved to Kyabram.
Since returning home he had made significant progress under an intensive physiotherapy program.
– An extensive development and sealing program for Kyabram’s car parks was unveiled by Kyabram Town Council deputy engineer Harold Major.
At the time 152 parking spaces were available south of Allan St and 91 in two northern parks, while 124 cars could park in Bradley St and 240 to the north and south of the town centre.
– Historic Karlsruhe mansion sold for $125,000 after no objections were received to the proposed sale.
Karlsruhe had been bought from the adjacent landowner for $40,000 five years earlier, when it was suggested as an ideal tourist venue.
Council received a grant of $115,000 under the Community Employment Program and this almost fully restored the structure.
A further grant of $35,000 was obtained to construct a toilet block, but the new owner was expected to complete significant work on the surroundings.
– Kyabram was expecting to see more “booze buses” as the new program was being introduced to the area for Easter.
Two prototypes of the state-of-the-art bus were being tested in the lead up to the traditional heavy traffic period.
A bus was on route to the Goulburn Valley to increase the campaign against drink driving, with Victorian Police planning to breath test one million drivers in 1990.
Thirteen of the special purpose vans, worth more than $100,000 each, were being spread around Victoria, with the Transport Accident Commission also planning to spend $3 million on a media campaign and add 60 new speed cameras to police cars.
2000
Kyabram and Tongala police were both in possession of the new Silver Eagle radars on vehicles, which had a range of about a kilometre.
Drivers were about to get a taste of being caught before they had even seen the police car and police were urging motorists to abide by speed regulations.
– The fourth annual Girgarre Moosic Muster was in the final stages of organisation, with Girgarre Development Group boss Jan Smith expecting a big crowd and more than 200 musicians to attend the event.
The event had become renowned as not only a valuable experience for newcomers to the music scene, but as the ideal place for established artists to ply their trade.
2010
Kyabram’s Nikki Tranter was leaving Australia to complete a juvenile justice course at a United States university.
The 20-year-old was attending George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia — just out of Washington DC.
The student exchange program was for the fourth year of her Sociology of Corrections course at La Trobe University in Melbourne.
Her parents Malcolm and Patricia were planing to visit her during the year, planning to take in the Pentagon and FBI headquarters — both near the university.
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