During my time with this group I have written about a number of lessons learned from my past. I will not repeat any of these writings, however I will state that a number of instances from my past have made me very suspicious of ‘shallow’ friendships that have presented in my past.

On a number of occasions I have been befriended by people who may not have my best interests at heart. On the other hand I have been contacted by certain members of the community who require my expertise to assist certain community groups with special projects and activities. Having spent 50 years of my life so far, growing up and living in small rural communities, I am well aware of the ‘self-help’ and ‘community support’ philosophy that exists within rural communities. I have always been willing to participate in any activity that will be of benefit to the broader community, and it has always been done ‘pro bono’. Unfortunately there are a very small number of people in the community who participate in these activities, with their own personal benefit being their priority. I have learnt through experience, over many years, to be somewhat suspicious of any person who puts themselves forward in a forthright manner to become involved in any such community activities.

Over the years I have also been the target of baseless and defamatory rumours about certain community activities, however upon investigation, these rumours have been initiated by the very people who are involved in these activities for their own benefit.

Needless to say, that over the years I have developed a very cynical approach to people, until they prove themselves worthy of my trust. I trust nobody, until I am satisfied that they share my passion for supporting the community by way of voluntary contribution, not self-gain.  Many may find this ‘probation’ offensive, but that is the way it is, and if you don’t like it, then you best leave, because you will not fit the desired criteria, and will most likely not show the desired commitment and passion for advancing the benefit for the broader community.

​
Barry O’Connor
10 May 2023. ​

The Peter Lalor Housing Cooperative

This story originates from the family history that I wrote in 2020. Lalor was my first known ‘community’ for eight years, until my parents moved to Wollert in 1956. I do remember many of the residents, and events where families would share meals in their homes, and also the functions that were held in a Nissan Hut, on the land near the railway station. Many special events were held there, such as birthdays, Christmas and other community get-togethers, with almost all of the community attending.  I do have vivid memories of the tables groaning under the weight of the food that everybody had made especially for the event. I also have vivid memories of the masses of crayfish that were obtained by members of the community. I am not sure which family had the contacts, but there was always more than an ample supply of crayfish at every event.

My father (Allan Murray or ‘Bill’) and his eldest brother (Austin James or ‘Jim’) were experienced woodworkers and carpenters. After the war they became involved with a project involving returned servicemen who were tradesmen.  The group formed themselves into a co-operative, and with assistance from the Government and the local MP, they commenced a project to build each other’s homes.

The co-operative was the brain child of Frank Purcell. Frank Purcell was a member of the Australian Labour Party and planted the first ‘seeds’ for a special committee to assist with the rehabilitation of returned service personnel. The PLC evolved out of a number of years of ‘wheeling and dealing’, which Frank was known for. Whilst he did not hold an executive position in the PLC when it was formed, he remained the public relations advocate for the project. He took over the role of Chairman in 1947, when the current Chairman, Peter Russell, stepped down.

The project commenced in a paddock located on the eastern side of the railway line between Epping and Thomastown. Initially the streets were unmade, the water had been reticulated, but the electricity was not to come until 1952. The lack of electricity added a considerable amount of time to the completion of the early homes, as only hand tools could be used.

The name for the area was chosen by the men themselves. The new suburb was named after Peter Lalor of the Eureka Stockade, who later went on to become a parliamentarian. (Just a note on the pronunciation: The older and original residents always called it La(w)lor. The newbies call it La(y)lor).

An area of the suburb Lalor, near the railway line, was allocated for War Service Homes, within which returned servicemen and women could secure finance to build a home. My father, was the nominated builder on these homes, however the owners were to do as much of the work themselves using local specialist tradesmen, with Bill supervising the work.
 
In 1954 there was an issue with the finances of the Peter Lalor Co-op. Whilst Jim and Bill were the nominated builders on the project, they did not have any early involvement in the management or the finances of the organisation. At its peak at the end of 1947, the PLC employed 153 workers. They had a factory set up to make prefabricated walls, which were then transported to site. The plan was to build 1000 homes. The plan was not achieved due to the PLC being placed into voluntary administration in 1954.
 
The Administrators findings are some 30 pages of legal technicality. The bottom line was that the executive of the PLC accepted deposits for land and houses, did not keep an accurate record of the terms of the deposits, did not place the funds in trust, but used them as general revenue.  The exact number of houses that had been built by 1954 is unknown, but from records it appears that there were around 200 homes and a total of 388 rateable properties in Lalor at that time. The failure of the PLC was attributed to a number of additional causes. Some being the fact that early homes were sold for around £400 ($800 or 25%) under the construction cost; there were constant material shortages including cement, roof tiles and timber; decisions were being made on compassionate grounds rather than actual costs; and the obvious lack of support from Whittlesea Shire Council and other Government Departments.
 
The PLC did own some of the land, however the administrator sold it to Coolnong Estates Pty. Ltd. who quickly on-sold the land at an even bigger profit. A search of company records suggests that Coolnong Estates was a company of NSW based investors. It is most unusual for the administrator to have sold the land to people who profited, when many of the shareholders in the PLC actually lost money. It was reported that the PLC held deposits of £25 each for some 800 blocks, which had not yet been built on.

​

​Barry O’Connor,
15th April 2023.

The precious objects that I will detail in this story are normally kept in the ‘emergency’ briefcase. That is, the briefcase containing important items such as personal documents, passport, computer backup hard-drive, and other items of importance such as my 30 year service medal from the CFA, my National Medal, and the citation from Benalla Rural City Council for my Citizen of the Year in 2014. The briefcase is the one that you grab when you have a need to urgently evacuate the house.
​
The container that I have brought along today is one of the items in the evacuation briefcase. It contains a number of historic items that are very special to me:

The first badge is the membership for the Wollert and District Youth Club which I joined when I was 14. The club only had two rules; Rule 1. We do not discriminate against anybody based on race, colour or creed. Rule 2. There are no more rules. The club was the oldest in the Victorian Associated Youth Clubs at that time.

The second badge with the VAYC logo on it is the Keystone Award, which I received in 1966 at the age of 18, for my work with youth in the community. The Keystone Award was the highest award in the VAYC and awarded for exceptional work for youth in the community. The container is the one that this award came in, and it has never been removed from its case.

The next badge is my old Keon Park Technical School badge. The moto is ‘diligence and integrity’. I was indeed fortunate to have attended this school, as many of our trade teachers were tradesmen who had returned from WW2 and decided not to go back on the tools, but took up teaching. This was very special for the students, as these teachers did not learn everything they knew from a text book, but had firsthand experience in the workplace and could relay tips and tricks that they had experienced firsthand.

The final item in the collection is the medallion from my days as a Shire Councillor on the Shire of Kilmore for six years, 1979 -1981 and 1985 -1987.  I should point out that during my first term as a Councillor; I was also managing one of the largest Kenworth Truck dealerships in Australia at Footscray. During my second term I was the owner/operator of a Mitre10 store in North Essendon. I was also on the board of Mitre10 Southern Pty. Ltd. which was at that time, the store owner operated co-operative that controlled the Mitre10 organisation.  The controlling interest in Mitre10 is now held by Metcash.

On joining the Shire of Kilmore Council, I was elected Chairman of all of the sub-committees, with the exception of Town Planning. It was deemed inappropriate to have a monopoly. In the initial period there were some financial and operational irregularities detected and the result of this was that the Shire Secretary and the Shire Engineer were both subsequently dismissed, and a CEO appointed. Kilmore was the first municipality in Victoria to take this step.

The CEO was appointed on a performance contract, and this process was later extended to all senior Council employees.  I was involved in introducing a Development Infrastructure Levy which came about after ratepayers had to cover the cost of upgrading supporting infrastructure, following a number of residential developments within the shire. The levy ensured that the developers covered these costs, not the ratepayers.

​I also introduced ‘program budgeting’, or cost/benefit analysis, which was a program designed to give Councillors full details and financial impacts of projects/programs both for the initial cost, the ongoing costs, life expectancy of the project, and the number of ratepayers/residents who benefited. We were criticised on a number of occasions for not taking up Government Grants. When assessed, these grants were for short term political gain and would not meet Kilmore Council’s long term cost sustainability targets.


Barry O’Connor.
March 2023.

My working career started at the age of 15, when my father informed me that his building business was not currently able to support me pursuing a senior technical education towards a diploma in aeronautical engineering, or mechanical engineering.

My first employer was the Commonwealth Bank where my real education actually began. I was fortunate to have worked in a number of areas of the bank. I worked in branches where everything was completed by hand, larger branches where accounting machines were used, and then onto computers. During a staff training session, I put forward a suggestion that the bank should consider getting into home and contents insurance. At this time I was working at Moonee Ponds branch as the lending officer, and was somewhat bemused by the fact that our home loan clients would need to obtain a certificate of currency for their home and contents insurance every year, and lodge the certificate with the branch where their home loan was held. I suggested that if the bank was to offer home and contents insurance, they would have accurate knowledge of the currency of the insurance and the premium could be added to the monthly loan repayment.

The product was introduced six months later. Whilst I was not directly rewarded, when a new sub-branch was established at Meadow Fair Shopping Centre, in Broadmeadows, I was offered the position, at the age of 24, without it being advertised amongst the staff in the normal manner. This position was indeed a challenge and the branch business grew over three years, to the extent that it had to be upgraded, with double the current staff. This meant that the new position would be offered to other staff members, based on the bank’s seniority criteria. My options were very limited. I would have to take a side move for around four to five years, until a suitable opportunity came up for further advancement.

At this time my first wife and myself, had purchased a dairy farm at Beveridge from a relative, and it was being run by a share farmer. Unfortunately the costs were increasing and the production was falling. I decided to leave the bank after eleven years, and take on the dairy farm myself. In addition to the dairy, I also ran an agricultural contracting business. This proved successful and worked well until the Milk Board decided to dispense with whole milk contracts in 1977. This change made the operation of the dairy on ‘dry’ land, with only butter fat returns, unviable.

I returned to the workforce, whilst initially still milking morning and night, until the herd was ‘dried’ off. The initial position as Credit Manager was obtained with General Electric Electrical Wholesale Division in Richmond, and after sorting their credit department issues and introducing system changes, I had worked myself out of a job.

Just as I was finishing up, I was approached to take over a similar role with their National Catering Equipment Division. The same processes were introduced to this division, and I had worked myself out of a job, yet again.

I soon obtained a position a lot closer to home in Brunswick, with a scaffold hire company. Again, after analysis of their systems and processes, introduced a self-reporting  computer system that could be managed by the Accountant without the need for a Credit Manager. Out of a job again.

A job was advertised with Kenworth Trucks in Preston. I applied, and at the interview had my plans somewhat shattered, when I was advised that they were moving to Footscray.  I worked for them for five years, starting as the Credit Manager and then Branch Manager, producing profits and increasing market share. During my time at Footscray, I developed a computerised inventory management system that later went worldwide with the parent company PACCAR, and was later licenced to General Motors in America. Senior management changes saw a number of senior managers, including myself, leave the company in 1983.

The next move was into a hardware business. This became a new franchise branding, for a small local type hardware called Village Hardware, within the Mitre 10 group. During this period I was approached to take up a board position with Mitre 10, which I held until the business was closed in 1986 due to an excessive, and unjustifiable, four fold rent increase.

Following closure of the business I was approached by a friend to ‘help out’ for a couple of months, in his large industrial plumbing business. I worked as a Project Engineer ‘to help out’, however a couple of months turned into two years. It was time to move on, as my friend was anticipating selling the business and retiring.

Subsequent employee positions were held with Komatsu Earthmoving Equipment and then Nissan Diesel. Analysis of the systems and processes in both companies saved many millions of dollars in inventory investment and direct operating expenses, whilst improving customer service and market share. 

Whilst having no formal degrees or diplomas, I was never idle for any length of time, and at no stage during my working life, have I ever applied for the dole. I believe in the philosophy that if you have a job, you do it, and then move onto the next challenge. I found in later life, that my reputation was sufficient in obtaining senior executive positions with international companies. The key to success, I believe, is to be a good listener, analyse what processes can improve the business model and be flexible in your approach to change management, which is inevitable in any business restructure.


Barry O’Connor.
November 2022.
 ​

I have always had a fascination with flight, having built and flown model aircraft for many of my younger years. I did at one point during my secondary education; aspire to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering; however this was not to be.
​
My story begins with afternoon tea on the back verandah at our property ‘Condarra’ in the Samaria Valley, 25km south of Benalla. Our mail usually arrived mid-afternoon, and on Wednesdays the delivery also included the Weekly Times and the Benalla Ensign. This particular Wednesday afternoon, in late October 2012, we opened the Benalla Ensign to the headline, ’Benalla Rejects the Bald Archy’. Both my wife and I looked at each other and then contacted some key people including local decision makes and the Director of the Bald Archy Prize, Mr. Peter Batey. The background to the story was that the exhibition had been offered to Benalla exhibition fee free, as Peter Batey had his early education in Benalla. The key factor was that the Benalla Art Gallery had already committed to exhibitions for 2013.

In an effort to retain the exhibition within Benalla Rural City, key Swanpool people were contacted, included some committee members of the Swanpool Community Cinema, which would be in recess during July and August 2013. A general consensus on lodging an ‘expression of interest’ was achieved and a meeting was held with Peter Batey at the Swanpool Memorial Hall in November 2012. He did express some concern about the lack of hanging space and exhibition lighting, however he was assured that all would be in order, if we were to be awarded dates for 2013 which coincided with the cinema winter break. Two weeks later we received confirmation that we would have sixteen days in the July/August period.

Next came to process of recruiting volunteers, researching the lighting and securing additional wall space. The recruitment of the volunteers entailed visiting with representatives of all seventeen community groups, including our three local fire brigades. Whilst some community members thought that we were ‘off with the fairies’, there were 66 members who stepped up to support the concept.

The event ran for sixteen days from 10th to 25th August and attracted a crowd of 3,378 over the sixteen days, a record for the Bald Archy Prize exhibition.  At the end of the exhibition a function was held to thank those volunteers who had supported the event, and over $22,000 was distributed to their nominated local community groups.

Given the enthusiasm and commitment of the Swanpool and district community members, an extraordinary result was achieved, and the members were left in no doubt that for a combined effort of a positive and enthusiastic group of people, ‘The Sky is the Limit’.


Barry O’Connor,
​23rd October 2022.

​ 
Barry O’Connor,
September 2022

At various times throughout life, we are presented with circumstances offering options, which require careful consideration. Some are not so important as perhaps, “What do I wear today?”  However, others need some careful consideration, as the wrong choice may not be beneficial to yourself, or your family. Yet others, present as the lessor of two evils, which one will have the least adverse impact?
 
Such an option was presented to me just a few years ago. At this time my wife and I had both retired from our corporate positions in Sydney and moved back to Victoria to be closer to family. Our destination of choice was a farming property located in the very fertile Samaria Valley, just 25 kms south of Benalla.
 
We had updated the rainwater storage and reticulation system and had plans drawn up for an extension to the house. Whilst completing some basic plumbing maintenance it was noticed that the pressure pump was coming on at times, when there were no taps on in the house. This can sometimes be attributed to the hot water feed tank located in the ceiling, as it refills after the hot water has been used. However, the stop/start process continued, so it was possible that there was a leak somewhere in the system, however there were no obvious signs. The house being brick veneer had a number of steel vents located in the lower brick foundations to supply ventilation to the sub-floor area. A couple of these were carefully removed and it was discovered that there was in fact a small leak under the house.
 
It became apparent that when the main cold water distribution line was originally installed, it was in galvanised steel and had simply been laid along the ground, and not saddle clipped up under the floor bearers as normal. This resulted in the pipe being in contact with the ground, and over time it had rusted from the outside in, creating a small, but growing, leak. The options were to try and work within the very limited sub-floor space and attempt to remove the pipe, accessing it through the holes where the sub-floor vents were, or ripping up the floor to access the pipe. Option one was chosen, as my wife was not at all attracted to the idea of having the floorboards in the house lifted.
 
Now the sub-floor option would require some very strict planning, to ensure that the house was not without a water supply for more than a day. Prior to the leaking pipe being removed, there was a trip to Benalla to get high pressure PVC fittings and lengths of pipe to the dimensions of the pipe to be removed. The vents were removed and in one location a couple of extra bricks were also removed to allow access to a pipe junction which had to be unscrewed. Fortunately, the take-off points were located near where the vents had been positioned. The removal of the vents allowed my arm, up to my upper arm, to enter the subfloor cavity and unscrew the copper take-off pipes and slide the length of leaking galvanised pipe out from under the house.  Once removed, the steel pipe was laid out on the ground and the PVC pipe assembled to the same dimensions, with the take-offs matching the original positions.  
 
Next came the subsequent set of options. Whilst assembling the replacement PVC pipe, I looked over towards the house to see the tail of a black snake disappearing through the vent hole into the sub-floor area.
 
Whilst contemplating what the next move would be, I completed the assembly of the reticulation pipes ready for reinstallation. Now my thought process was not assisted by the request from my wife, on what the time limit would be before water was restored.
 
My options were, to take my chances with the snake during the underfloor installation, or incur the wrath of an unhappy wife, who was inside the house, without water.  Again, option one was chosen.  I inserted the main sections of the distribution lines, then reached through the vents to reattach the take-off’s, making as much noise as I could, hoping that the snake would retreat to the other side of the house sub-floor area.  
 
Well, it seemed to work.  The take-offs were reattached without incident, while the vents were replaced after allowing a couple of days for the snake to reconsider its ‘options’.
 
Barry O’Connor
August 2022

My sense of community started at a very early age. When I was only 8 years of age my parents moved to Wollert, which was then a small mainly dairy farming area, 28 km. north of Melbourne.

Being a very small community, everybody knew everybody, and it was very much a community with everybody involved in community activities.

From about the time children could hold a tennis racket, there were tennis lessons for the youngsters to provide the future senior players for the tennis club.

The Primary School had a good number of students, with many using different ways of getting to school. In my case, it was a relatively short walk for myself and my brother, but others used bikes, and in one case four members of the one family would ride one horse to school. Many others rode their ponies. There was a paddock at the rear of the school building for the horses and ponies to graze during the day.

From the age of 14 you were eligible to join the Wollert and District Youth Club. I was involved with the club for a number of years in official positions including President and Treasurer. This club promoted interaction between the younger members of the community and involved indoor sports such as volleyball, badminton, and at times ‘mini Olympics’.  The club also organised outings, and I can remember going to Kooyong to see the tennis, and when they were in Melbourne, the Harlem Globetrotters. We also visited operational factories in the evenings, such as Tarax, Carlton United Breweries, and the Herald Sun. On the evening excursions we would stop at a café in Northcote and get hamburgers etc. on the way home. The club had two rules. Rule 1. We do not discriminate against anybody based on race, colour or creed. Rule 2. There are no more rules. At the age of 18, I was awarded the ‘Keystone’ award from the Victorian Association of Youth Clubs for my work with youth in the community.

At the age of 16 you are eligible to join the local fire brigade. My memories of those days, was that there was usually a fire somewhere after the school bus had dropped off the children, who smoked and then started a fire, or in the summer months, steam trains were often the culprit. The replacement crew situation at Wollert was simple, but effective. The first crew would go out as soon as the fire was detected usually around mid-afternoon. Those working out of the district would return home around 5.30 or 6 pm, and the five or six replacement crew would then take a car to the fire, so that the early crew could go home to milk the cows.

I have been fortunate for around fifty years of my life thus far, to have grown up and lived in small rural communities. At different times during my rural life I have been privileged to have been involved with some extraordinary people who have combined their talents and enthusiasm to achieve some extraordinary results for the benefit of the broader community.

One thing that I have benefited from by living in small rural communities, is the fact that they keep you ‘grounded’, and focused on what is important, not only to yourself, but also the broader community.


Barry O’Connor
​May 2022.

One end was for the normal hens, and the other for the bantams. This was a very favourable position, as the chicken ‘homestead’ got the morning sun, and was shaded by the huge gum tree from the hot afternoon sun. 

I was encouraged by my mother to enter some of my duck eggs in the Primary School section of the Whittlesea Show. To my surprise, I won first prize.  On visiting the show, I was fascinated by the displays of live poultry and how they had been groomed for display. I was sufficiently encouraged to consider preparing some of my bantams for subsequent shows.

One of my hatchings of bantam eggs revealed a pure white rooster, which is unusual from Rhode Island bantams, which are multi coloured. As I was to discover, these appear to be very rare and are a throw-back to previous blood lines, possibly Japanese breeds. I thought to myself that this might just be a winning live entry in the show poultry sections, once he had matured. I should explain at this point that I was 10 years of age and was working with my father at weekends and received £1 ($2) for two, eight hour days.

My little ‘Snowy’ grew and had a beautiful red comb which was a bold contrast to his magnificent white feathers. My father had a friend who had been involved in poultry showing for many years, and told him of the white bantam rooster that I was grooming for showing. Through my father, this friend immediately offered me £1 ($2) for him. I rejected the offer at that point.  A week later the offer increased to £2 ($4). At that point, I asked my father to tell his friend that I would consider the offer and let him know next week.

At this point in history, the fickle finger of fate intervened.  One calm evening, there was an almighty crash in the backyard. We rushed outside to see what the horrendous noise was. Alas, a huge section of the gum tree had fallen onto the chook ‘homestead’, flattening it to the ground in a pile of dust, broken timber and scattered feathers. I was shattered to see the lifeless remains of ‘Snowy’ crushed flat under the wreckage.

Moral to the story: If the chicken is hatched, take what you can get for it!!!!


Barry O'Connor
March 2022

Whilst researching my family tree, I came across a book titled ‘Time, Tide and the Tyrell’, a history of the Shire of Wycheproof, written by Jennifer McLennan and published in 1994.

The first chapter is dedicated to ‘The Pioneers’ of the region. One particular section in this initial chapter relates to Edward Shepherd, who is often regarded as Wycheproof’s first resident, was employed as a stockman on the Charlton and Wycheproof stations in 1853. Whilst employed on Wycheproof station, he was in charge of 2,000 cattle, and later became manager of Thalia station, before selecting land elsewhere in the region for himself. Edward Shepherd retired into Wycheproof township in 1905.

What was important to me was the mention of the stations that Edward Shepherd had managed.  Whilst my Great Grandfather, James O’Connor did not hold Wycheproof station, he did erect the first hotel in 1874. It was operated by James for 10 years, and in 1884 he sold it and purchased Thalia station.

The original Thalia station had been divided and the section James purchased was known as ‘Killarney’ station and was at that time, 2,000 acres of freehold land and 7,000 acres of leasehold land. James established farming operations including a very successful horse breeding facility. James specialised in race horses, as well as riding and carriage horses. His carriage horses sold for around £100 a pair. He also supplied riding and carriage horses to the Governor, Lord Hopetoun.  
 
In subsequent chapters of the book another site came to notice. A school was proposed for Fort Cameron. This was somewhat unusual, as most schools were named after the locality, not the family who had the most students attending. The Cameron family who were in the area were the descendants of my Great Grandmother, Janet, or Jessie Cameron who come to Australia with her family from Fort William in Scotland. The Cameron family have a long history of military service spanning centuries. The Cameron family who settled in the area east of Wycheproof had 15 children, which perhaps explains the naming of the school after the family.

Local history books have been a great source of information about family related activities over the years. There is another book which contains a great deal of history about my paternal family, however it went out of print decades ago, and I am currently searching second-hand book shops for a copy.
​

Barry O’Connor.
27th February 2022.
 

​​Trigger No. 1:  Watching train journeys on television, as I do regularly; I was watching a special on the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer train. This brought back a flood of memories from a trip my wife and I took in 2000. We were living and working in Sydney at the time, and the Olympic Games were to be held in Sydney. The planned event locations meant that we would have to go around exclusions zones to travel to and from work. In my case it was not as bad as my wife’s, as she would take more than double her normal 1½ hours, to and from work each day. It was decided that the best option was to take leave and travel. Following some research we booked an ‘around the world’ airline ticket and set off on thirteen weeks leave.

The second major leg of the tour took us from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada, to board the Rocky Mountaineer train trip. The last stop on this trip was at Banff, where we were booked into the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. On arrival we were given our room key and the location of the room was explained. It was not until we got to the room that we realised that we had the most spectacular views from the hotel, across the valley to the mountain range beyond. 
 
There was only one problem, the room walls sloped in rather steeply. For me being, 190 cm in height, it meant walking with bent knees around most of the room, except for a small area near the entrance door. We managed the situation and enjoyed a couple of very special days exploring the township and surrounding areas.

​​Our room's location at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, grey turret, top right hand side.

​This is a similar image to one of the windows in the room.   We did not have a lounge at this window, but a café style booth with bench seats on either side of a central table.   However, the view is the same as we had from our room. The other window in the room contained the king sized bed.

Trigger No. 2: I was watching the news about yet another change in the Japanese Government, when I reflected on some of the more unusual events that took place during my visits to Japan on business. I was part of a group of engineers, marketing and sales people from around the world, who were asked by Nissan Diesel to work on a world standard specification for vehicles that could be sold in any country in the world, with the only option being right or left hand drive. 

One day we were to take a break from our meetings. We were collected from the proving ground at Gunma, and taken to the nearby village of Mashiko. This is one of the areas in Japan that is renowned for the production of ceramics and pottery.  The coach stopped outside this very narrow lane within the village. Myself, and Johnny Marks from South Africa, were the tallest members of the group, both being around 190 cm. An older Japanese gentleman walked down the lane towards us. The older gentleman was from the business we were about to visit, he would have been all of 150 cm tall, and when he stooped over he was even shorter. He took myself and Johnny Marks by the hand, one on either side of himself, and walked us back down the lane. One of our group did take a photograph, however I do not have a copy. 

The man took us to what appeared to be a small factory building, which was in traditional Japanese style and looked very old.

​Inside there were potters throwing dinner plates in one room. In the next, were mainly women, decorating these plates with two blue bands, similar to the one shown here, but the bands were about half of the width. In the next room the plates were dipped in glaze and placed on racks. I believe that the kiln area was off to the side of the facility, however we were not taken in there due to space restrictions and safety concerns.

​As we walked out of this smaller building into a huge enclosed space, we were greeted with the sight of literally hundreds, if not thousands, of these plates on racks. There were also rows and rows of racks with serving trays, bowls of various sizes, and a variety of other crockery items, all decorated with the same two blue bands. It was then explained to the group that this business supplied the crockery for most of the 5 star hotels in Tokyo, and they had been doing it for over 400 years. These hotels replace their crockery every 12 months, so there is a constant flow of work for the factory.

Trigger 3: Whilst watching the telecast of the Melbourne Cup, I noticed a horse called ‘Tralee Rose’. This brought back a flood of memories from times past when my father, who had a magnificent tenor voice, would sing this song to my mother, when coaxed at public events.  The original Tralee Rose was also Mary O’Connor, the beautiful young girl who inspired the annual Rose of Tralee International Festival. The song ‘Rose of Tralee’ dates back to an original poem written in 1846 by Edward Mordaunt Spencer. The words of the song are credited to Edward Mordaunt Spencer and the music to Charles William Glover, and from records, it appears to have been written around 1850, although no accurate date was located. The song had a revival in 1930, when John Mc Cormack sang the song at the Tralee Festival. It was later recorded by such greats as Mario Lanza and Bing Crosby. 

The chorus,

Though lovely and fair as the rose of the summer
Yet, 'twas not her beauty alone that won me
Oh no! 'Twas the truth in her eye ever beaming
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

Barry O’Connor.

These words rang in my ears many times during my childhood. As we grow, adults tend to give you the minimum of information by saying ‘don’t do that’, or ‘don’t go in there’. But you ask yourself, “why??” Is there something in there that may harm me, “what is it??” and yes, in the absence of any further information, you invariably ignored the basic warnings and went about seeking confirmation as to why you had been given the instruction.

There were a number of these warnings given to me over the years, but I still sought out the confirmation. One specific incident occurred as we were about to go out. The plan was to move the calf that we were rearing, from the milking shed and tether it out in the paddock so its mother could feed it that night, as we would not be home to milk her. I was told to wait until my father came to assist, as the calf was now rather large and very strong. I duly ignored the instruction and went to the milking shed to move the calf on my own. Well, I untied the calf and was walking out through the yard, which was very muddy at the time, when the calf bolted. I did not let go of the rope and was dragged through the mud and manure for some considerable distance, until the calf stopped at its mother to drink. I was covered in mud and manure from head to toe. My father arrived and secured the calf to the post it was to be tied to. All my mother and father could do was laugh at the sight of me soaked, and in need of an urgent bath and a fresh set of clothes to go out.

History is a marvellous thing, we cannot change it, we can only learn from it. Ignoring instructions does become part of your adolescent leaning process; fortunately my learning process did not result in any serious ongoing injuries.

​
Barry O’Connor.
September 2021.

​Whilst living in Sydney I became involved with motor sport. As a member of the Southern Sporting Car Club, I developed a four door MK2 Ford Escort into a fairly competitive circuit car. In March 1998 I was accepted as a member of the club team to compete in a super sprint event at Amaroo. Amaroo was a very picturesque circuit located in the suburb of Annangrove. This was to be one of the last events at Amaroo, as it was scheduled to close in August that year to make way for a housing development.

Super sprints in club motorsport are time trials, and are run against the clock with only two cars on the circuit at the same time. My nemesis was Alistair Browne from the Alpha Romeo club who always seemed to produce a better lap time than myself. On this particular day I was determined to better my existing lap time and take the points from Alistair for the first time. The car had been tuned and was running perfectly, and with the first lap I was able to reduce my pervious lap time of 72 seconds, down to 66 seconds. However there were further improvements to be made. During the day, subsequent runs continually reduced the lap times down to almost 60 seconds.

For the last sprint of the day, I was lined up with Alistair Browne. I was determined to beat him and break the 1 minute barrier. After getting a blinding start, I led into the first corner. The third corner was a sweeping bend called Dunlop Loop, this is where the wheels fell off, literally!! After exiting the sweeper, an axle broke and the right rear wheel decided to leave the scene without permission, and took off into the bush. In the process of departing, the wheel managed to unbalance the car rather abruptly. I was desperately trying to regain control, however the car failed to respond at this critical point in the proceedings.

It is said that when a person is under severe stress, their life flashes before their eyes. This did not happen to me. What was flashing before my eyes, were the trees on the outside of the circuit, with the added complication that they were upside down.  I do recall saying to myself in a millisecond, “This may not end well”. One also tends to become very religious in these circumstances.

During the bumps, thumps and the bangs, I managed to turn off the ignition and firmly grasp the steering wheel to avoid my arms being thrown around inside, or outside, the vehicle. When the noise stopped, the car was on the grassy infield facing in the correct direction of travel, and upright. I do recall the flag marshal running up behind the car, speaking on the radio, “I think he’s dead”. To which I replied, “I am not dead, please help me out of the car”, or words to that effect. I emerged from the wreck unscathed, with only bruising to my shoulders from the racing harness.

A quick inspection of the car revealed that during the airborne activities, the other rear wheel had also departed.

From Alistair’s description, “When I came around the corner, the Escort was completely inverted, three metres above the track, and sideways to the direction of travel. You were still going that fast that I could not catch you, however when you hit the ground between rolls and flips, I did manage to catch up”.

Degree of difficulty….not rated as the jury is still out on whether the driver problem created the mechanical failure, or the mechanical failure created the driver problem. Artistic merit and presentation, as rated by Alistair Browne,…10/10.

After the compulsory medical check I was released to inspect the remains of the Escort, which had by this time been returned to the pits on a tilt bed truck. One bystander, who obviously had a Degree in Mechanical Engineering, offered his considered opinion, “It’s stuffed”. I could have done without that input at the time, but unfortunately the mighty Escort’s injuries were extensive and proved fatal. In a brief, but moving ceremony, the log book was closed and the Escort deemed gone forever at 19.00 hours on Sunday 29th March 1998.

The remains were transported to my local panel beater who offered a similar response to the trackside expert, only in more colourful language. His assessment was that the car had rolled from side to side, end to end and corner to corner, seven times. The impact was so severe that the axis of the body had been twisted around 5 degrees. The only panel on the car that was not damaged was the passenger side rear door, shown in the image below.

​Barry O’Connor,
August 2021'

​PS: The surviving mechanicals were salvaged from the wreck and installed in a two door Escort shell. This car then won the club circuit championship a number of times with subsequent owners from the same car club.

My 'cringe' experiences are separated into three periods:

1. During my early childhood my major cringe periods were when my Mother would mention the words, ‘Hypol’, which was a cod liver fish oil, which tasted terrible.  Believe it or not, the product is still inflicted on the community today, albeit in a number of formats that appear to have had the taste genetically modified to be more acceptable. The second cringe moment would be when my Mother would mention ‘Milk of Magnesia’. This was an equally disgusting product that had the consistency of liquid chalk and did not taste much better.  This product is also still available through health food shops.
2. My second cringe period was going to the Dentist. In my younger days a dentist in Preston suggested that he remove all of my teeth and replace them with dentures. Fortunately my parents thought it better to get a second opinion, which resulted in me keeping my teeth and having a new Dentist. Our new dentist was Mr. Podbury who had his dentistry next to the Plaza Cinema in Reservoir. I think that he treated most of the children in the adjoining northern suburbs. When I moved to Sydney in 1995, I was fortunate to locate a dentist near our home that practiced painless dentistry. Since moving back to Victoria, I have been unable to locate a dentist in the region who subscribes to the same processes.  I still have my original teeth, although some at the back are now missing, but I do not have dentures or plates.
3. My current cringe moment is when I look at the television and a politician’s lips are moving. I find the whole political process at the moment rather disgraceful. Not only do they avoid answering the question directly, but they then proceed to expound their own virtues, and continue to make derogatory comments about the opposition members. Perhaps if some of these ill-mannered ‘elected representatives’ got on with the management of our taxes for the benefit of the country, we might all be a lot better off. When the next State and Federal elections are held, we as Australians need to think very carefully about the candidates and vote for the person who we believe to be capable of doing the job without resorting to insolent behaviour.

​​
 
Barry O’Connor.
July 2021

​My earliest memories are of our house in Lalor. My father and his older brother were the nominated builders on the Peter Lalor Co-operative Housing Project when this house was built. My parents lived in a small cottage in Station Street, Thomastown when they were first married in May 1944. I was born in June 1948.
 
The home in Lalor was at 18 Vasey Avenue and was completed in October 1950. It was a triple fronted brick veneer home with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The rooms were of an ample size and the most unusual feature of the house was that the laundry faced the front street. This is not clear in this image of the house taken in 1950. There was town water connected, however the electricity was not connected until 1952. I do remember the ice man coming to fill the ice chest in the early days. There was an automated telephone connected, however the only phone box was at the Railway Station and was a 600 yard, or 560 mt. walk uphill along an unmade road. The road and drainage system was not installed until 1960, at which time my parents had moved to Wollert. The ‘night cart’ was eventually replaced with a sewerage system in 1973, 26 years after the project commenced.
 
Below is a current image of the house taken in 2018.

​The layout of the buildings has not changed, however the shed has been rebuilt and is now a garage. The fenced section at the rear of the yard was the fowl and duck run with a number of fruit trees.
​

​Barry O’Connor.
June 2021.

'Having written previously about 'The Year that Made Me', I considered recent activities and what the challenges had been.'

The year that challenged me was 2013. The activity started in 2012 and continued on into 2014 During this time I was the Chairman of the Swanpool and District Community Development Association and a volunteer in a number of community organisations including the Benalla U3A and the CFA, which I had been involved with for over 30 years.

By June 2012, I had reached the final stages of research for the Diamond Jubilee history book being written pro-bono for the Samaria Fire Brigade, to acknowledge 60 years of continuous volunteer service to the community, which would fall due in September 2013. The research had been in process for around three years and the final draft of the book was now ready for review and editing by fellow researchers at the Benalla Family Research Group. At that point in time I was the Samaria Fire Brigade Secretary/Treasurer as well as being the brigade representative on the Benalla and District Fire Brigades Group.  I was also involved with the Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria Group, which is the volunteers representative organisation with 52 brigades in my area of responsibility.

Later in 2012 a war of words erupted over the rejection of the Bald Archy Prize Exhibition which had been offered to the Benalla Art Gallery by the creator and director, Peter Batey. Peter had been educated in his early years in Benalla. The controversy received extensive coverage in all forms of the media. The basic issue was that the gallery was already committed to a program for 2013/14 and could not accommodate the touring exhibition. The news reached myself, and my wife, while reading the Benalla Ensign one afternoon, as we sat down for afternoon tea. We looked at each other and decided that, as the Swanpool hall was likely to be available during the cinema’s winter break, we might be able to retain the exhibition within Benalla Rural City. We immediately canvased some of the key local decision makers, gaining a general consensus that we should at least put in a bid. My wife, Pamela, contacted Peter Batey and he agreed to consider our proposal.  In November 2012 Peter Batey came to Swanpool from his home in Coolac, New South Wales, to speak with us and look at the facilities. He was very impressed with the hall, but expressed some concern about the lack of hanging space and lighting. He was assured that if we were to be allocated dates for the 2013 tour, we would have the required infrastructure in place. We must have been convincing, as two weeks later we received an email confirming that we would be allocated the dates of 10th to 25th August 2013.

There is an old saying, bite off more than you can chew, and then chew like hell!! This was about to be chewing on a monumental scale. Firstly, we had to meet with representatives of all of the seventeen local community groups, put our proposal to them, and request their assistance with volunteers. The plan was to allocate donations from the event proceeds to our local community groups based on their contribution to operating the event. This was not payment for service as this would raise issues with payrolls and associated taxes. The hours would be simply a guide to allow us to reward the community groups contributing to the event. Some seemed very sceptical and some thought we were off with the fairies, however enough volunteers stepped up to fill the roles.

Next we had to address the lack of lighting and the hanging space in the hall. We were able to obtain some wall modules on permanent loan, and the Swanpool Men’s Shed refurbished them and installed the latest in art gallery hanging equipment. Lighting was addressed next. Fortunately, there had just been a paper issued in March 2013 by the Smithsonian Art Museum on the latest energy efficient and zero emission gallery lighting. We attempted to source this new lighting format, but supplies in Australia were in industrial flood lighting fittings and in the wrong Kelvin colour range for art illumination.

Middy’s in Benalla contacted the manufacturer, and yes, they could produce the lights in the correct colour range, but could only supply industrial light fittings. The order was placed. The lights duly arrived and were installed in the hall and on the wall modules. It is believed that Swanpool was one of the first locations to install this new Cree (chip) lighting in a gallery in Australia. This lighting format is now used almost exclusively in art galleries and conservation workshops around the world. The hall gallery space was set up to ‘world’s best practice’ for art exhibition lighting, viewing height and distance.

Now that we had these two main issues sorted, we needed to organise a roster for the 66 volunteers and provide the necessary training and certification for us to be able to run the event. Among these were, obtaining a liquor licence, food handling certification for the volunteers and the facility, event approval from Benalla Rural City Council, design and source merchandise to promote Swanpool and the event, and obtain an insurance extension along with running orientation sessions for the volunteers. The advertising and promotion timetable was commenced in March and ran until the exhibition closed in August. Special vests and aprons were sourced for the volunteers, as we had them all attired in similar dress as used when the cinema is operating. This allows visitors to instantly recognise the volunteers, if they needed assistance or advice. The first event set attendance records for the exhibition with 3,539 visitors over the 16 days, with 1,700 meals bring served in the dining room. Volunteers contributed 1,630 hours to the running of the event.

However, that was not the only event that I dealt with in 2013. I had just completed a community survey in conjunction with Benalla Rural City Council in February 2013 and completed the second edition of the Swanpool and District Community Plan in June 2013.

During the Bald Archy event, the fire brigade books arrived from the printers and a quick review located the fact that one page had been duplicated and one deleted. All copies had to go back to the printers for correction.

In July, just prior to the Bald Archy Exhibition being set up, we held a ‘Christmas in July’ in the hall for the local community and friends.

On 14th September the Diamond Jubilee event took place in the Moorngag Hall for the Samaria Fire Brigade. The book was launched and service awards given out to the volunteers.

In December 2013 we ran the annual Swanpool Swap Meet and Village Market.

I was glad to see the end of 2013, however I was to be further surprised by being nominated as the Swanpool/Lima Local Hero on Australia Day 2014. Following this award I was required to go to Benalla for the formal Australia Day event. I was indeed very surprised and honoured to be named Benalla Rural City, Citizen of the Year.

Whilst I was challenged during 2013, it was a very rewarding year, as I was equally supported by my wife and a very talented and enthusiastic group of extraordinary volunteers in the Swanpool district.


Barry O’Connor.
​May 2021.

James was Shire President at the time of the split and the formation of the new Wycheproof Shire in April 1894. The new shire had an area of 620 square miles and a population of 1850. The shire was subdivided into three ridings.  James served an initial term on the new shire from 1894 to 1898.

Later in my research, I came upon a news article by accident, which revealed that during his time on Council in 1885, James was also involved in the ‘Dog Netting Fence’ project that covered 204 miles from Tyntynder to the South Australian border, to prevent wild dogs and other vermin from entering 1.2 million acres of farmlands to the south.

There is more to the story of James O’Connor which would fill another thirteen pages, however the 'aide-memoir' which prompted the new investigations came from my eldest daughter in March 1998.

Barry O’Connor,
24th April 2021.

My predicament was that the two car garage on the property that we purchased in 2017 was not insulated. The main problem was that the roof was very low, painted dark grey, and the temperature inside the garage was oppressive on sunny days, usually being over ten to twelve degrees higher that the outside atmospheric temperature.

What could I do to reduce the temperature inside the building, so that I could work in the garage on sunny days? It was all a bit too hard, so I parked the project for a number of months until I could think through the processes required.

First attempt: install a rotary roof ventilator. Yes, it did reduce the temperature a little, but not enough. 

Second attempt: paint the exterior of the roof white. Again, a modest reduction in temperature was achieved, but still not enough.

Third attempt: explore the possibilities of installing some form of insulation material under the roof without having to remove the roof sheeting to do so. A number of options were explored, however many options were cost prohibitive. Parking the project up for a few more months allowed me to consider some unusual options. During my working career I had a dealer who kept his workshop cool by spraying water onto the roof of the workshop. The water was recovered into a large storage tank and a pressure pump recycled it in a volume that allowed the water to cool in the tank before being resprayed on the roof. The system worked fine until there were a series of exceptionally hot days and the water would not cool sufficiently to provide the required cooling effect on the workshop roof. The cost of installing such a system on my garage roof would prove to be cost prohibitive.

Having restored a number of cars and trucks over the years, my next thought was to cover the underside of the roof with automotive sound deadening and heat reduction material. This material is a three layer product with aluminium reflective sheet on the face, a ten millimetre thick foam centre layer, and then an adhesive layer. This product can be found on the underbody of most cars and is normally used under the bonnet and boot lids and inside the doors to reduce heat and noise in the passenger compartment.

The next step was to locate a suitably sized product that could be used on the shed. A product was located and other than some minor trimming, was in a size that could be installed with a minimum of fuss. Well, maybe not a minimum!

How do I install this product on my own and still have the sheets aligned correctly to the roof?

An installation process was then developed. Firstly, I needed to align the cut sheet to the underside of the roof panels. It was impossible for one person to install the two and three metre long sheets with the entire adhesive protection layer removed, and have them aligned correctly. Light bulb moment, use 10mm thick bamboo plant stakes to hold the sheet, with the adhesive protective layer in place, and position the sheet in the required location. The next step was to lower the first one metre of the insulation and remove the adhesive protective backing from the sheet and then stick the insulation to the roof. A paint roller on an extension pole ensured that the entire adhesive surface made contact with the underside of the roof. The process was to then lower the insulation one metre at a time and repeat the process, until all of the insulation was attached to the roof. Just to ensure that the insulation stays put, I reinserted the bamboo garden stakes.

​Did it work? I suspect you are asking yourself at this point in time. A test was done midway through the process. The outside air temperature was 28 deg.c. The temperature under the insulated roof was 26 deg.c, and under the non-insulated section 36 deg.c.
​

Barry O’Connor.
28 March 2021.

​The one moment that stood out for me in 2020 was in fact one day. That day was Tuesday 6th October.

Early in the year I had embarked on a project to investigate in more detail, the history of both my maternal and paternal family trees. Part of the process was to locate the resting place of my Australian ancestors. On my paternal family branch of the tree, I located three ancestors who were in unmarked graves. My Great Grandmother, my Grandmother and my Grandfather were all in unmarked graves.

The initial search did locate the grave of my Great Grandfather, James O’Connor in Swan Hill, who died on his property at Ultima in 1903 aged 62, however his wife Janet Margaret, or Jessie as she was known, lived on for many years. She died in 1940 at the age of 92. It appears that she was buried with James, but there was no reference to this on the grave stone. It is somewhat puzzling that her burial place is not marked. She had three daughters and two sons living at the time of her death.  It may have been due to the size of the gravestone and the cost of having it transported to Bendigo and engraved again.

​Further investigation revealed that the cemetery records were incorrect in relation to Great Grandmother’s resting place. The O’Connor family that she was shown as being buried with, were no direct relation to my family. When I presented my evidence to the Swan Hill Cemetery Trust, the records were amended.

​My Grandfather, Michael O’Connor died in September 1948, just three months after I was born. He was living in Flemington at the time. The marker for his grave is still in the garage, as his resting place is in the Fawkner Cemetery.  I have been in contact with the Cemetery Trust, however we will wait for a suitable time to travel to Fawkner to place the marker.


Barry O’Connor.
20th February 2021

I have no memory of my paternal Grandparents, as my Grandfather died in 1948 when I was just four months old.  My Grandmother died suddenly of a heart attack in 1928 at the age of 47. This left my Grandfather with five children aged from 21 to 12. My father was the youngest.
 
During the early stages of the Covid lockdown I continued a project that I had started some years earlier, to write a detailed family history. This project was recommenced after the family tree was researched by fellow volunteer members at the Benalla Family Research Group. My curiosity was aroused whilst looking at the names and dates on the chart. What was the story behind these ancestors?
 
My Great-grandfather was James O’Connor who was born in 1840 in Clare, Ireland, the son of Bridget and Martin O’Connor. He migrated as a single man aboard the ship ‘Marco Polo’ in 1864. James went to Happy Valley near Ballarat, and worked in the mines until he saved enough to buy a horse and dray. He then contracted the supply of timber to the mines.  Within a very short time, he had several horses and drays. He later made the acquaintance of the Cameron family, who lived at Linton near the mines he was supplying.
 
It has been confirmed in family letters, that Ewan and Ann Cameron and their family, migrated to Australia in 1853 because of the Highland Clearances.  Their family comprised five daughters and three sons. Unfortunately the two youngest daughters died during the voyage.
 
In 1873, James married the youngest surviving Cameron daughter, Janet Margaret (Jessie). He left his staff in charge of the mine timber supply business and set off in search of a new location for his family to live. He rode up and onwards past several gold mining centres – Maryborough and Inglewood – till he came to Mt Wycheproof. Here he stayed for a while and was greatly impressed with the possibilities for agricultural pursuits in these parts. He took up some building lots at the foot of the Mount and went back to the town of Lucky Womans near Ballarat, and gathering together his belongings, sold all he did not consider necessary for a pioneer and set off in two drays with his wife and young daughter.
 
James O’Connor was one of the founding fathers of Wycheproof and a Councillor on the St Arnaud Shire 1885-1894. In May 1893, he commenced work on splitting the huge shire. The Wycheproof Shire was formed from what was the North Riding of the St Arnaud Shire. 
 
James was Shire President at the time of the split and the formation of the new Wycheproof Shire in April 1894. The new shire had an area of 620 square miles and a population of 1850. The shire was subdivided into three ridings.  James served an initial term on the new shire from 1894 to 1898.
​
James built the first commercial building in Wycheproof, the Mt. Wycheproof Hotel in 1874, which he operated until 1884 when he sold the property. At this time, James purchased 2,000 acres from the Buckland Brothers and established ‘Killarney’ Station at Thalia, as a farming operation and horse breeding facility.  James was a horse breeder of some renown. He had very well bred stallions, which won numerous show trophies over the years. James not only bred thoroughbred horses, he specialised in carriage horses, particularly pairs. Advertisements for the sale of these horses appeared regularly in the Age newspaper.
 
There is a letter in the family collections stating that the Governor of Victoria, Lord Hopetoun was supplied horses by James. Lord Hopetoun visited the property at Wycheproof to inspect and ride his prospective purchases.
 
The support James appears to have received from his wife is encapsulated in a contribution from a cousin Helen Whiteman, during research:
 
Jessie O’Connor was a formidable lady and a staunch Catholic, and also proud of her Scottish ancestry and very anti-British. The Cameron’s migrated as a result of the “Highland Clearances” and Jessie was in the habit of speaking Gaelic whenever possible and English as little as possible. This would fit with James’ Irish Nationalist politics. Jessie was also the driving force behind James’ support of building churches.  James employed several single men who then found possible wives. Jessie was not going to have unwed women on the property so insisted a church be built so that they could be properly married. Jessie also believed in educating all her children and the girls were raised to be strong and independent. There is a story that Isabel was to be sent to boarding school in Melbourne but the school they chose did not suit Isabel. James had to attend some stock sale in Melbourne, so took Isabel on the train and deposited her at the boarding school and then went to the sales. This took a few days. By the time he got back home, Isabel was already there. After much negotiation Isabel went back to school in Melbourne at the school of her choice.
 
It would appear that James and Jessie made a formidable team. It would also appear that the girls inherited their mother’s tenacity.
 
James O’Connor was not only a Shire Councillor for 14 years; he also made a significant contribution to the Wycheproof community. James was a leader in the building of the first Catholic Church in 1877 and was actively involved in any project involving the advancement of the community.  He served as a Water Commissioner, a Racing Club official and was actively involved in the project that saw the railway extension to Wycheproof. Friday, September 28, 1883, was a memorable date for Mount Wycheproof, for on that day the long awaited "official opening" of the railway took place.
 
In 1883 he was nominated along with John Ryan, William Hamilton and Henry Blabey as a trustee of the land reserve for the Mechanics Institute of Wycheproof. In 1885 James was nominated as the President of the newly formed Agricultural Show Committee.
The following year he was nominated as one of the trustees for Wycheproof Show Grounds. He, along with fellow Crs. Tipping and Stewart, commenced work on a project in 1890, which saw the Mt. Wycheproof Hospital officially open in 1898. During his time on Council in 1885, James was also involved in the ‘Dog Netting Fence’ project that covered 204 miles from Tyntynder to the South Australian border, to prevent wild dogs and other vermin from entering 1.2 million acres of farmlands to the south.
 
As the children were married and the family expanded, in 1886 James O’Connor turned his attention to further land holdings in an area called Ultima. At this point in history, it only existed as the name of a leased pastoral run of an estimated 168 sq. miles, or 107,520 acres, between Wycheproof and Swan Hill.
 
The subdivision and development of Ultima undertaken by James O’Connor appears to be following on from the revocation of a number of large leases in the area. It is believed that the Government had become frustrated with the inaction of the leaseholders in developing the properties. The allotment areas and locations were detailed in the legislation passed in September 1862. These requirements were implemented as land was opened up for development, however much of the marginal agricultural country remained as leasehold, as many prospective farmers would not commit funds until they had time to inspect and initially work the land.
 
In 1887 James was still living in Wycheproof. He was still a Councillor in the St Arnaud Shire,  and was re-elected President of the Wycheproof Agricultural and Pastoral Society, as reported in The Australian newspaper on 25th June.
 
From the Swan Hill Guardian 10.6.1891:
Ultima Run:
The above Run, the property of Mr. O’Connor of Wycheproof, consisting of 168 square miles of the finest mallee land in the district, six miles from the town of Swan Hill, has been cut up into 650 acre blocks or thereabouts, and is not thrown open for sale – it may be purchased in one lot if so desired.
 
The sale of the Ultima Estate was conducted over 2 days. The first day selling commenced at 2 pm with the sale of township blocks. These met with spirited competition and all offered were readily bought at prices ranging from £3 to £15/10/-. Two township sections only, were offered on the first day. Messrs. Nicholls, Wilkins, Franklin, Sutton, P. Fenton, Hattam, Taylor and Bell being the largest buyers. The sale of the Mallee blocks then proceeded – the nearest to Swan Hill being offered first. These allotments varied in size from 420 acres to 640 acres and prices ranged from £75 to £105.
The sales continued as the land was developed over a number of years.
 
From the Bendigo Advertiser, on 25th February 1899:
“The well-developed Wycheproof property of James O’Connor of 1,270 acres freehold and 7,000 acres of leased land is to be sold as he is moving to Ultima”.
Reported in March 1899 was the situation that there were insufficient funds to extend the railway line past Lalbert to Ultima. The cost of the extension would be £250. At that time there was only £150 in funds available. The Premier declared that if the additional funds were not raised, the line would be taken to Lalbert and no further. A meeting was held at the home of James O’Connor and it was agreed that the members present would raise the funds required. £30 was raised on the night. A directive was sent to the Minister advising that the money would be available on 1st April. The Quambatook to Ultima rail extension opened for traffic on 1st March 1900. The train journey from Ultima to Melbourne took 13 hours to cover the 221 miles.
 
27th July 1899, as recorded in the ‘Ultima Centenary’, the new official post office opened and James O’Connor was appointed the first Postmaster. Prior to this, the General Store owners the Cuttle family, had provided an official service, initially from the front room of their house and later the enclose verandah section of their store. James held the Postmaster position until 1902, when daughter Annie Eileen took over.
 
In 1899 a lot was happening in Ultima. James O’Connor having sold land at Wycheproof, had built an ‘imposing’ new home. He also built a large wine hall (café), for which Jessie held the licence, and the Cuttle family built a large new store. In 1900 Herbert Cuttle wrote to the Minister requesting a Primary School for Ultima. Some months later, the Education Department suggested that the O’Connor café might be a suitable site for the school. On the 28th August 1901, James O’Connor donated a block of land for the new school. PS No. 3426 was officially opened on 19th February 1902. Reported in the Quambatook Herald on 7th February 1902 was an article regarding the opening of the new Public Hall. Hall committee President, James O’Connor was unable to attend,  so Vice-President Herbert Cuttle presided. It was a grand event with music and dancing until 5 am.
 
O'CONNOR.—On 27th July 1903, at Ultima, James O'Connor, of heart failure; aged 62 years. R.I.P.
The late James O'Connor was born at Tierrmaclane, Clare Castle, County Clare, Ireland, and belonged to a very old and much respected family of some standing in that county; He arrived in Victoria in 1864, and followed mining pursuits at Ballarat for some years. He then moved to Wycheproof, where he built the first hotel, also entering very extensively into farming pursuits, He afterwards took up the Ultima station of 168 square miles, now the terminus of the Ultima railway,  as a public man he was always foremost in matters relating to the welfare of the district.
He had been for 16 years a councillor in Wycheproof and St. Arnaud shires, having resigned
a few years ago from all public offices owing to ill health. Like all Irishmen, the late Mr. O'Connor had an unquenchable love for his native land, and always took a prominent part in every Nationalist movement.
 
Jessie lived on until her death in 1940 at the age of 92. They are both buried in Swan Hill.
 
I would have loved to have been able to know my Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother, as they appear to have had an extraordinary life.

Barry O'Connor
October 2020

The current infection status for Benalla is that we have had three cases reported in March/April so far this calendar year. We currently have no reported cases, or patients in hospital, all due to the diligence of our community members. Our township, and surrounding communities are complying with the regulations, however many of our businesses have closed, or are on limited trading programs, due to the restrictions.
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Our service, community and social organisations have closed down their regular meetings and events with most being managed by their executive via the internet. Our senior citizens rooms, which are also utilised by over 300 members of our U3A, have been closed. As a result, almost all of the 47, U3A courses on offer this semester have been cancelled, or are being conducted remotely. The art gallery was to be opened for limited days and hours, but is still closed due to tighter restrictions. Our sporting clubs are doing what they can to retain interest in their activities, particularly for the junior members. Most of the regional leagues have now cancelled the 2020 season because of the uncertainty surrounding the restrictions easing.

Almost every day I hear of yet another regional event being cancelled, due to the uncertainty of restrictions being imposed and the current reluctance, given the risks, of many volunteers to participate. Why would people go to all the trouble to prepare these events only to have them shut down due to a sudden change in regulations, or by a reported case of COVID19? It should also be noted that insurance for these events is now almost unprocurable due to the uncertainty of compliance, or the sudden changes in regulations. In Benalla Rural City we have seen two large historic motoring events, SCRAP, Wall to Wall, various other community annual events and the Benalla Festival, cancelled because of uncertainty. These events are generally held annually and provide funding for local businesses and the not-for-profit community organisations to continue their community support work throughout the year. With these events now cancelled, substantial funding and program support will be lost to our community, for at least one year.
On a personal level we all need to wear masks whilst out and about. Please remember that when you smile at a person they cannot see you!!

Whilst on Zoom or Skype, remember to comb your hair and put a clean top on, it does not matter what else you are wearing, the others cannot see it!!

Have you gone through the cupboards to clean out all of the ‘stuff’ that you have not used for decades? What are you going to do with it? Vinnies is a good option, but please ring beforehand to check that they are still open. RedB4 bookshop is currently closed due to restrictions. Benalla Buy, Swap and Sell on Facebook, is a good option, because people do not have to travel far to pick up the item/s. The alternate is to store the items in a safe place until Vinnies or the RedB4 bookshop re-open.

Have you started writing that book you were always going to write? I have been busy and expanded on the background of our family trees, with three books that are almost complete.

Stay alert for the next episode of “Are We Having Fun Yet?’


Barry O'Connor
August 28, 2020

My sporting achievements are somewhat underwhelming. I did play football, basketball and tennis from an early age, but I can confidently say that I participated.

Going through the storage boxes I found some unused tennis balls. They were still firm, but I would suggest if hit, they would disintegrate into a cloud of dust. I did play competition tennis initially for Wollert, and in later years for Beveridge. I did not make it to the higher ranks, however we did have a great coach in the early years. Lancelot Greer was a former prisoner of war, and was in Changi with Weary Dunlop. ‘Lanie’ as he was known, was still winning district competitions and championships when he was in his fifties. I must have been somewhat of a disappointment to him, but he actively encouraged myself and the other children in the district to persist and practice, practice, practice.

It was whilst playing for Beveridge that we were competing at Yan Yean. We had been relatively successful throughout the day and were well up in the games score as we entered the mixed doubles. It was the last game of our set and as I reached to return a low ball, I felt something like a kick to the back of my right leg. I finished the set a little uncomfortable and then started to feel pain as I cooled down. I returned home with the assistance of other team members and the leg stated to swell. Nothing could be done on Sunday, so first thing Monday morning we rang our doctor in Whittlesea for an appointment.

I was indeed fortunate, as our local GP’s at the time were Dr. Bruce Reid, who became the club doctor for the Essendon Football Club and Dr. John Tickell, who left Whittlesea to take up a position with the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

A quick examination revealed that I had in fact torn my Achilles tendon rather badly. An appointment was made for an operation at the Warringal Sports Hospital in Heidelberg and the tendon was eventually restored, albeit after some weeks in a cast over summer.
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Barry O’Connor.
July 2020.