Bill Cahill in conversation at Victoria Hall Melton South July 1974 Chaff Mills Melton’s hey day, as I call it in the days when more hay was grown in Melton and Rockbank than, I’d say in any where in Victoria. We had two chaff mills. If I can remember rightly I’m sure of this, that in one month the amount of hay and chaff that went from Melton to Melbourne was about 1800 tons, that’s hay and chaff. There was a lot of hay went from the Melton Railway Station. I have often seen whole train load going down the Schutt and Barrie, that’s Bonnie’s father’s mill at West Footscray. The mills in those days employed up to from 18- 20 men in each, that was before electricity when the mills were run on steam then, there was no power. At times those chaff mills they got a lot of shipping orders, to the Philipines and other Asian countries. They’d work shifts at night on the second shift at night time they would have an old hurricane lamp hanging above from the ceiling just over the chaff cutter, you could hardly see yourself, or see the anything. Well they worked through the whole night they might have an order come in for perhaps 100tons up 500 tons of chaff to go a boat would be in and be waiting to be loaded in Melbourne and they’d have to go and work two shifts. Then they brought in casual labour to help them through and get the order cut and get it down by rail to ship board to send it away. Talking about the hay I’ve seen wagons of hay in the farmers carting to both mills and also hay going down to West Footscray. There would be a quarter of a mile without exaggeration wagons and teams would be waiting to get into the mill, they would come down at the weighbridge at about 3-4- o’clock, 2 o’clock waiting for the bridge to open to weigh their loads, the ones that would be running late would be there at the weighbridge about half past 7 - 8 o’clock. They would be lucky to get away by night before getting their load off. A funny episode I remember well was a farmer from up, Alan Hurley you would remember him, Sam McCorkell he would put on his load in the afternoon or evening leave it up the yard, and would leave Toolern Vale about 12 or 1 o’clock in the morning and he would get down to the weighbridge and when it was breaking day he would bring half of his fowl yard down with him. The fowls would hop up on top of the load and have a ride down and when it came daylight they’d hop off and away they’d go, and I suppose everybody had some of McCorkells poultry. [laughter from the audience] That always tickled my fancy and everybody would be laughing about the fowls getting off his load of hay. I reckon that was about one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard of. The Victoria Hall, where we are tonight was originally known as the Exford Hall. I believe Bonnie’s father was the original builder and owner of the chaff mills here round the corner which is known as Wards today. Later on I understand that his father had a chaff mill here were this hall is, then Dixon Bros were just a bit on the other side. I believe Bonnie’s father sold it to Dixon Bros, and they shifted this part of the mill here and took it over and joined it up. That’s the history of the early chaff mills. Is that right Bonnie? You might like to correct, I’m about right am I? Bonnie answers yes. The original audio tape was recorded on the reel to reel tape recorder by Bon Barrie using his own tape recorder. Transferred to CD by Tom Wood using computer technology capable of adjusting the recording to a legible speed for reproduction to compact disk. Bill Cahill article featured in the The Mail Expresslocal identities

VHS Cassette containing video recording of the Thompson's Foundry Band performance at the 1987 Australian National Band Championshipsnon-fictionVHS Cassette containing video recording of the Thompson's Foundry Band performance at the 1987 Australian National Band Championshipsthompson's foundry band, launceston, 1987, boosey & hawkes, australian national band championships, western video productions, alex lithgow

The label on the tape reel says '1958 ABC Anzac OBS' in pencil. It is likely that it is one of the annual "Anzac Commemoration Ceremony for Students" events, usually held just prior to Anzac Day. The ceremony provides a valuable opportunity for students to gain an appreciation of the Anzac spirit, the significance of the Shrine and the meaning of Anzac Day. The ceremony was usually broadcast on the ABC for students that could not attend. The inscription 'The story of the Yarra' is to be confirmed when tape found again as it doesn't appear on the Media image. TBC.A record of a ceremony at the Shrine run by Legacy for students.Square cardboard box, front with black with red and white print. Rear, white background with black print. Clear plastic spool with magnetic tape.Box, Pyrox in red print. Special sound recording tape for highest frequency response. Black Magic Tape. The latest and best Recording Tape, in white print. Rear of Box, Pyrox, Black- Magic-Tape, the ultra in sound recording tape, suitable for all tape recorders, this reel contains:- Supplies available from Pyrox Ltd., 14-36 Queensberry St., Melbourne and at Sydney, in black print. Spool, clear plastic, VP785 in white ink. '1958 ABC Anzac OBS' hand written in pencil on white sticker.anzac commemoration for students, wreath laying ceremony

Exact contents are unknown. From the title it is a recording from the Annual Federal Conference of Legacy Clubs held in Melbourne in October 1961. Photo is a sample and will be updated when the tape has been located again. Photo TBA.A record that the conference proceedings were worthy of being recorded for future reference.An audio tape on a clear spool in a red square cardboard box with the brand BASF. Plastic red keeper attached to spool and green leader tape.Container, Magnetophoneband, BASF, TYP LGS,black print, front and rear. Langspielband Long playing tape, green print on white background. Front and rear. 540m, 1800 feet red print on white background. BASF plus logo 1865, white print on green background. Green edge, made in W-Germany, 540m Langspielband in black print. 1800 feet Long playing tape, BASF in white print. Inner container black print, title, date, 2, handwritten in blue biro. Spool, clear. Magnetic tape, brown. Leader green. Keeper, red. Spool, BASF, black type on red background. White circles in ascending order on red background. White sticker with blue border, handwritten ll 2- 1. Magnetic tape, brown with green leader, langspiel LGS 35, Longplay. conference, legatee