Isabel Wells was born in Beechworth in 1914. Her father, Mr. Newey, was a butcher; his shop was in Ford street and he took over from his grandfather. The family business, along with the local residents, was supplying the main government institutions in the region, like Mayday Hills Hospital and The Ovens and Murray Home, making a large percentage of his profit. Mr. Newey was also a captain of the fire brigade and Isabel mentioned that there were more fires happening in those days. The menace of a huge fire was impending in Beechworth for many years, due to the lack of adequate water supply and the absence of trained firefighters. The first fire brigade in the town was voluntary and was formed in 1858 under Superintendent Luke Reilly. A few other schemes deployed the following years, with all failing to sufficiently control the fires that occurred, until the creation of the first reliable fire brigade in the 1870s. The worst fire in the town's history happened on 23rd March 1867; it swept through many shops and the post office, leaving behind a damage cost estimated at £12,000. Isabel's mother was in a wheelchair, suffering from osteoarthritis; thus, Isabel had taken over the responsibility for looking after her mother and assisting her with daily living needs and personal care activities. She used to play golf and tennis and she was a member of the town tennis club. In terms of social life, Boxing Day was a big occasion for the town, with horse-races and games taking place. According to her narration, the use of cars was a turning point in the town's social activities, since people were able to visit nearby places and take day trips, such as having a picnic at Lake Kerferd or Buffalo. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Isabel's account of her life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant as it offers valuable information about the business activity in the region and provides a deeper insight into the operation of butcher shops and meat supply during the first half of the previous century. Additionally, it offers invaluable information about the everyday life of people living in Beechworth, and highlights aspects of the overall social life and activities.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Isabel Wells/ isabel wells, beechworth, mr. newey, ford street, butcher, mayday hills hospital, the ovens and murray home, fire brigade, 23rd march 1867, fire, osteoarthritis, boxing day, horseraces, lake kerferd, buffalo, picnic, cars, firefighters, luke reilly, wheelchair

Published: Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- ), 11 December 1933 Published title: The New Straight Moonee Valley Published caption: Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Monday 11 December 1933, page 6 The finish of the Koombahla Trial Handicap, the first race run on the new and longer straight across the flat at Moonee Valley racecourse. Magoot won, with Affability second and Great Bear third. This picture, taken from the members' reserve, shows the new straight in relation to the old one (the latter will continue to be used for races of less than seven furlongs), with the finishing post on the right and the new Judge's box in front of the old one. In the distance can be seen the starting points for races over nine furlongs and eight furlongs and a half on another course track. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203362672 Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: This photo, taken from the elevation of the stand in the Members’ Reserve at Moonee Valley Racecourse, has been framed in order to highlight the new straight, the finishing post, and a new Judge’s Box. In the foreground is a crowd of racegoers in the Members area, showing significantly more women in attendance than men. It is a bright, sunny Tuesday afternoon. The women are wearing small or large brimmed hats and are mostly swathed in generously cut coats with long sleeves that are mid calf length. Some women carry umbrellas to protect them from the sun. The men are wearing suits and hats. The women and men are mostly standing in discrete, rather than mixed groups. More spectators are standing on a banked area in the centre of the track, a large crowd is trackside on the left and another crowd is located to the right of the photo along the final straight. There are stewards on horses in front of the members reserve, and a field of 12 horses approaches the winning post. On a slope at the rear of the photo is evidence of a fairly new housing development, evidenced by the small number of trees. Beyond this there is some vacant land to the left and then more dense housing is evidenced to the right. In the photo the white fencing delineating the course and spectator areas creates wonderful lines and curves. It is a very sharp and clear image. The race underway is the Koombahla Trial Handicap, which was won by Magoot by a length from Affability, with half a length back to Great Bear. At this juncture, Magoot won 3 of 4 starts, and subsequently on Saturday 30 December 1933, with a new up and coming young Flemington trainer J M Murphy, and popular mount Harold Skidmore, Magoot was the favourite and winner of the day’s principal event at Moonee Valley. The Weekly Times that day reported that Magoot had been sold to Launceston sportsman Mr W C Learoyd. The winnings from this race, 400 Pounds , was apparently sufficient to offset the cost of the horse, and would be the equivalent of approximately $9,500 in today’s money. The same article describes Magoot as a “Magpie” gelding as his bloodline was Magpie Tullalah from New Zealand. Sadly, on 9 October 1935, the Examiner (Launceston) reported that Magoot had to be destroyed after falling and breaking her shoulder while running in the Grovedale Handicap in Geelong, but such was her reputation that she warranted an accompanying photograph. Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 on private land by its owner WS (Sam) Cox – after whom the prestigious horserace, the WS Cox Plate is named. It is located 6 km from the Melbourne CBD in the suburb of Moonee Ponds. It became a non-proprietary property in 1935, and today the Cox Plate, run over 2040 m. each October, is the richest weight-for-age race in Australia for 3 year old and over, under Weight for Age conditions.” According to the Austadiums website, Moonee Valley has a “unique amphitheatre track and was the first Australian metropolitan track to conduct night racing.” This amphitheatre style is evident in Hugh Bull’s photo. THE NEW STRAIGHT AT MOONEE VALLEY. (1933, December 11). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 6. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203362672 Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Monday 11 December 1933, page 6 THE NEW MOONEE VALLEY TRACK (1933, December 11). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved September 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11719604 Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 11 December 1933, page 7 MAGOOT SOLD (1933, December 23). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 22 (METROPOLITAN EDITION). Retrieved September 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141384672 Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 23 December 1933, page 22 SMALL BUT GOOD (1933, December 30). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), p. 48 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved September 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223210074 Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 30 December 1933, page 48 MOONEE VALLEY RACES. (1933, December 11). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 13. Retrieved September 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17031425 Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 11 December 1933, p. 13 ACCIDENTS AT GEELONG MAGOOT DESTROYED (1935, October 10). Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), p. 3 (DAILY). Retrieved September 1, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51958216 Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Thursday 10 October 1935, p. 3 Wikipedia, Moonee Valley Racecourse, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonee_Valley_Racecourse eMelbourne, the city past and present, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01003b.htm Wikipedia, Cox Plate, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._S._Cox_Plate Austadiums, Moonee Valley, https://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/moonee-valleyPhotographer notations on slide: "New straight at Moonee Valley Race Course - Age 11 Dec 1933 B8".horseracing, race courses, moonee valley, 1930-1939