Ghostly murder

A new local non-fiction book has just hit the stands, and is being snapped up (over 300 copies were sold in the first month).
The book is ‘The true story of the Maryvale Murders and the Langley family ghost’ written by Rupanyup’s John Henry Ellen.

John was approached by Langley descendant Neil Langley to write the history of his aunt Maria Langley and her daughter Louisa Jane Sugers, who were murdered near the Sheepwash Reserve on what was then Maryvale Station in 1874.

The remains were not found till 10 years later in 1884, and prompted a nation-wide hunt for the murderer, supposed to be Maria's husband Robert Cook.

In the meantime the remains were housed in the stables of the Edenhope police station, here they languished until their presence was raised in the Victorian Parliament in 1917.

The political pressure saw the skeletons conveyed to the cemetery and buried in an unmarked grave.

Now years on the full story from the Langley family's point of view is recorded, including the story that maybe Maria's ghost has appeared to wayfarers.
The story employed family papers, newspaper articles, and provides a historic perspective to describe the times and the environment of the story.

A Trove of papers

The National Library in Canberra have digitised a number of Wimmera newspaper editions from the First World War era.

The Sanctuary in the Shrine of Remembrance

This digitisation is part of the efforts to commemorate the Anzac centenary. The newspapers include -

• Birchip Advertiser & Watchem Sentinel
• Donald Times
• Hopetoun Courier & Mallee Pioneer
• Nhill Free Press
• Rainbow Argus
• Rupanyup Spectator & Lubeck, Banyena, Rich Avon & Lallat Advertiser
• Stawell News & Pleasant Creek Chronicle
• West Wimmera Mail & Natimuk Advertiser

The newspapers can be accessed online at the Historic Australian Newspapers page of Trove.
Trove is the National Library's free federated online search service. It focuses on providing access to its national repository of all types of Australian material.

The Library will be conducting a free introductory session for people interested in learning more about Trove and the digitised newspapers, at the Horsham Library @ 2pm on Friday 25th October. 
Bookings are essential and can be done by calling in at the library or by phoning 5382 5707.

10 years on

It is hard to believe that it's 10 years since the fire that gutted the 'Dimboola Hotel', but that is just what the 'Dimboola Courier' reminded us of this week. See their full article.

The fire races along the Lochiel Street flank of the hotel (Courier)

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but is believed to have originated in the office area on the ground floor of the hotel, on the Lloyd Street side of the building. 
The fire caused an estimated $2 million worth of damage, destroying both floors of the hotel and the adjoining Dimboola Cafe which was under the common roof. No lives were lost and physical injuries were minor, but the impact of the blaze was felt across the whole district.

The facade, post fire

The rubble strewn staircase

The future of the building has been in doubt for the ten years. Just this year the Courts ordered  the property owner to carry out Protection Works to make the Dimboola Hotel safe - to demolish most of the building except the facade.
We still wait to see what will happen on the site.

Brimming with memories

It's great when an item - a photo, a reunion, a chance comment, a blog post, a throw-away line - starts a conversation. The earlier 'Railways - Patchewollock line' post back in January has unearthed some great photos.

The Patchewollock line branched from Murtoa, efforts to extend the line were due in a large part to the lobbying of pastoralist Edward H. Lascelles. He started construction of the private line, but it was completed by Victorian Railways. The line was changed from broad to standard gauge at the same time as the main line to South Australia. The line beyond Hopetoun was closed in December 1986 and the tracks removed.

The photos concern the railway station at Brim. The photograph above was taken from on top of one of the Brim silos in the 1960s by Merwyn Wardle. He and his family lived up on the hill behind the station.

Brim today - the Goods shed in front of the silos

The row of grain silos

The line opened to Brim in January 1893 (the township wasn't surveyed until 1890). The station handled grain and stock and had a passenger service, now only the grain traffic remains. 
The Railways Department constructed a grain shed in 1894 for storing shareholders wheat (apparently the railways own the floor & the farmers the 'shed'). By storing the wheat farmers could take advantage of increased prices during the winter off-season. 
Over the years the shed stored wheat, barley, oats and super-phosphate.The Farmers Grain Shed was also used for community functions - weddings, dances, flower shows... 
Stockyards were built to allow farmers to send stock to the Newmarket sales and elsewhere. Stock loaded on a Sunday were dispatched on Monday morning via the train returning from Patchewollock, and would reach the Melbourne early Tuesday in time for the markets. With the advent of more livestock transportation by road, the stockyards were dismantled.
The concrete silos were constructed in 1938. 
The passenger rail service was replaced by a bus service, with the Vline bus stop next to the entrance to the rail yard.

The Pig Pen shed - when the Australian Wheat Board introduced wheat bulk-heads in 1946, they were known as "pig pens".
The platform & its buildings, the pig pen, farmers grain shed, fuel depot, and the gangers quarters have all been removed or dismantled from the rail yard.
The Gangers quarters with its extra 2 room extension was jacked up and shifted to Wardle's 'Klondyke' farm on the back of Keith Hunter's truck in the early 1970s.

The Gangman's quarters

The silos and the Goods shed are the only surviving historic buildings remaining at Brim.

The Goods shed with the platform mound behind