Road trippin' to Patche

For the past fortnight  Brisbane-based mural artist Fintan Magee has been painting a giant mural on the walls of the Patchewollock silo. Nick Hulland farmer of Patche is the subject of the social-realist styled Fintan Magee.

Fintan in action, Photo: Wimmera Mail Times

 The mural depicts a tree dying and new growth to represent the bush life cycle. Fintan said the silos project was about making art more accessible; "bringing art out of the galleries and making it part of people's everyday lives".

Nick, whose grandfather settled in the Patche district under the post-World War I Soldier Settlement Scheme, said that if the Patchewollock mural "promotes our little town in any way, that's good".

And already the mural is attracting inter-state visitors to the town (after they work out where it is actually situated), many more people are planning a 'road trip' to see this and the Brim silo.

The proposal for the next silo art piece is for Adnate to work on the surface of the Sheep Hills silos in November.

Morton Plains' Madonna

Rewriting this post, as it was corrupted in draft, so hoping I remember the details. When conducting the first 'Wimmera in Photographs' Collection Day, I was told to look out for the Madonna of Morton Plains.  

The Madonna's tree

The Madonna of Morton Plains

The 'Madonna of Morton Plains' is a framed print which was placed on the trunk of a box tree near the Morton Plains homestead. Over the years the bark of the tree has slowly grown over the frame embedding it in the tree.
At the Birchip Collection Day, I asked about the story behind the Madonna, and received 3 very different versions.
The first version was that a lady had seen a vision of Our Lady, and then placed the picture in remembrance.
The second was that there had been a murder in the vicinity, and in an act of compassion, a sympathiser of the victim erected the frame.
And finally, that a child was buried nearby, and when the road was diverted to over the spot, the picture was placed near the new verge.

Not sure how one would go about validating the claims of version one.
Investigating the claims of the second version - the murder, the only reference I could find in Trove was from 14th September 1875:
An inquest was held to-day (in St Arnaud) on the body of Davie, an aboriginal, who is supposed to have been murdered on the Morton Plains by being thrown into a fire. The inquiry resulted very unsatisfactorily as the aboriginal witnesses denied the statements previously made by them to Europeans. The natives now stated that the deceased fell into the fire while in a fit. The deceased, prior to his death had made a similar statement to Mr. Miller, a publican in the district, who was a witness at the inquest. A verdict was returned that death was caused by congestion of the lungs and injuries received from burns, but it was not known how the injuries had been caused.  

The third version - the burial of the child, the road (where the Warracknabeal-Birchip Rd meets the Sunraysia Hwy) was diverted, as shown by the yellow road on the Warmur Parish map, which was gazetted in May 1956. The Madonna tree is on Allotment 90A, and the Morton Plains homestead is to the south of the Warracknabeal-Birchip Rd in the Watchem Parish.
The third version appears to have the most legs (1875 seems too long in the past, and was it truly a murder?), but then again if the burial was a marked grave would a road be constructed over it? 
 Leasees of Morton Plains were William Lockhart Morton and Joseph Raleigh 1846-1847, Raleigh 1846-1847, Thomas Pyke 1847-1853, Charles Lyon and Compton Ferrers 1853-1864, George Cunningham Macredie 1864-1870, Charles Mills & Co 1870-1873, Walter, George & Edward Simmons 1873-1876.
From that possibles are:
Eliza Kate Morton born 1847 died 1848, father "W"
Robert Pyke born 1847 Werribee died 1854, father Thomas Henry Pyke, mother Sarah (1405) 
Clare Mills born 1870 died 1873, mother Kate
Baby Simmons born 1873 one day, father George Lewis Simmons, mother Mary McGuire (2920)
William Simmons born 1872 died 1875, father Edward Joseph Simmons, mother Jane Brown (13296)
I don't know, maybe it is just a curiosity!

Tarrying at Tarranyurk

Prompted to share a couple of bridges in flood.
The previous photos of the old Tarranyurk Bridge on the "Bridges in floods" post were taken in March 2008 and April 2011.

The Wimmera River swirling into the Old Tarranyurk Bridge (Dimboola Courier)

These are from the Dimboola Courier and were taken on Tuesday 20th September 2016, as the flood peak moves towards Jeparit.
Hang in there Tarranyurk! 

The partially collapsed deck of the bridge, the current bridge is to the left (Dimboola Courier)

Began this post on 22nd September, but now updated, so it was possible to add a few more flooded old bridges taken on 24th.

Firstly - Antwerp, the flood peak had moved on from around Antwerp, but evidence of the higher level was apparent with debris still piled up against the old bridge deck, which as shown is only just above the water level. 

<< The new & old Antwerp bridges

Below the old bridge with its missing span, from the previous flood in 2011.

Both Tarranyurk bridges

Arriving at Tarranyurk, the flow of the river was evident, with little whirlpools and frothy spume whipped up around the piles.

  The bridge deck at Tarranyurk  >>


Moving on to Jeparit - the peak had again been and gone, onto Lake Hindmarsh. 
The waters had only reached part-way up the cross-members of the trestles.

Above & below - Jeparit

Soldiering on the land

A PROV “Soldier On” exhibition will be at Horsham Library from Monday October 17th until Friday 25th November, and then at St. Arnaud Library from Tuesday 29th November 7 until Friday 16th December.

Victoria sent about 90,000 men and women to serve overseas in the First World War, about 70,000 of whom survived to return home. As the war continued, the issue of repatriating returning soldiers became increasingly urgent. As well as providing War pensions and other financial assistance, State governments of the time set up ‘settlement’ schemes to support returning soldiers with work. These ambitious and controversial schemes involved subdividing large rural estates into smaller parcels of land for family farming blocks and leasing them back to discharged service-people. In Victoria around 11,000 farms were created. Each potential settler was required to be certified as qualified to apply, and if successful to remain in residence on that land for 5 years. In this way remote rural areas set aside for such settlement were guaranteed a population expansion for a number of years

Erecting a standard soldier settler home (SLV)

The First World War Soldier Settlement Scheme had been administered by the Lands Department and culminated with the majority of farmers walking off the land and ultimately a Royal Commission. The Soldier Settlement Commission (later called The Rural Finance Commission) began in 1945 to oversee the WW2 Soldier Settlement Scheme.

Oliver Telfer's (ex-22nd Battalion Gallipoli veteran) first house, Lascelles, 1922 (Vic. Museum)

The Public Record Office Victoria have digitised selected documents from Victorian Government files kept on returned World War One soldiers who were approved to lease a block of farming land in Victoria. These government records will help family and Australian history researchers understand the individual experience of a soldier settler, as well as the historical context of the Victorian Soldier Settlement Scheme.

An Exhibition Launch with a talk from the Exhibition Curator Kate Luciano of the Public Record Office Victoria, will take place at Horsham Library on Monday October 17th at 6.30pm. Bookings are essential via visiting the library or phoning 5382 5707.