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Shops, Hotels Close While Bega Protests
BEGA, Tuesday.All business ceased and even hotels closed to day while 3,500 people from many towns on the far South Coast met in the main street of Bega to protest at the “deplorable conditions” at the Bega District Hospital and demand a new building.
Before the meeting, the Bega district band marched down the main street,
followed by contingents of representatives of the C.W.A., the Red Cross, and parties carrying the banners of Bega, Bermagui, Tathra, Wolumla, Eden,
Pambula, Merimbula, Tanja, Cobargo, Bemboka, Candelo, Naroona, Kameruka, Quaama, and Tilba,
Councillor L. R. Gowing and the president of the Bega branch of the Australian
Primary Producers’ Mr. Cecil Square , led the procession, carrying a large banner, reading: “Build our hospital now.”
Today was pig sale day and hundreds of farmers joined with the townspeople in the march.
Speakers declared that beer boxes were being used as cribs for newly born babies at the hospital, which was built in 1888
and few improvements had been made since that it had only two general wards in which all patients must be treated that farmers from outlying areas could not receive efficient medical attention as doctors could not travel to them and they could not be admitted to hospital because of shortage of beds and staff.
They also pointed out that the nurses quarters were two miles from the hospital and it cost £70 a month for transport.
The meeting decided to send a deputation to the Premier, Mr. Mcgirr and carried a motion protesting at the “callous indifference shown by the Government to the hospital requirements of this district.”
It was also resolved “that the State Treasurer, who, according to the Minister for Health and the Hospitals Commission, is entirely responsible for the delay be
required to inspect personally the deplorable conditions under which our hospital functions, or accept the advice of the Minister for Health, who previously.
recommended the building of a new hospital and commence its construction.”
Loud cheers greeted the resolutions.
FLOODS NEAR BEGA. FAMILIES MOVED.
Sydney’s Mild Respite.
Although Sydney enjoyed unexpected mild weather yesterday, serious flooding occurred in the southeastern corner of the State, particularly at Bega, where some families near the river banks were moved by police to higher ground. The inconsistent behaviour of the weather in New South yesterday puzzled the State Meteorologist, Mr. Mares.On Wednesday night rain was falling over the whole State, and the disturbance causing it was moving, eastward. It was logical to expect that rain would fall yesterday. over the whole of the eastern half of the State, With fine Weather following from the westward.The disturbance moved eastward according to expectations, but the weather was fine and mild in most eastern parts, while rain persisted in scattered places in the west. FLOOD WATERS
BLOCK ROADS. The only heavy rain recorded in the eastern half yesterday was in the south eastern corner. from Ulladulla southward along the coast rain fell incessantly, and around Bega and Eden every low lying flat was transformed into a lake. The rain showed no sign of slackening last night, and old residents predicted widespread flooding.
Bega was cut off from Candelo by flooded creeks, which covered several bridges on the road and blocked communication. North of Bega the. Prince’s Highway was open, but it was blocked south of Pambula by flood waters. The water was over the road between Bega and its port, Tathra, but traffic could still pass.The fire brigade was called to pump eight feet of water out of the cellar of the Hotel Bega in Carp Street.The Bega police shifted residents from houses near the river-banks and arranged to have them billeted with families living on higher ground when reports were received yesterday that flood rains had fallen on the watersheds of the Bega and brogo rivers, which join at Bega. Around Eden a number of places, have had more than eight inches of rain in the last three days.
BEGA VICTORY BALL
BEGA. Friday. At a grand victory ball held Here last night Miss marie Rixon was crowned "Queen of the Services" by the president of the Bega Subbranch of the Returned Soldiers' League.
Mr J.H.Robbie. Proceeds from the ball and from the Queen Competition. which raised 1,958. will be used to build a ball and clubrooms for the R.S.L. in Bega
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Bus “Lost’ In Blizzard Reaches Bega.
BEGA, Sunday. The bega - Cooma bus, which had been reported lost in a snow storms between Nimmitabel and Brown Mountain arrived in Bega late
yesterday afternoon. It castled passengers who had been snowbound at homesteads between Nimnijtabel and Bega and at Nimii tabel Hotel.
The bus ran into a snow storm four miles from Nimmitabel on. Wednesday, and returned to Cooma Because of the breakdown of communications with Cooma, it was not known that the bus had reached Cooma. The driver Mr. Fred Piper. said it was the worst blizzard since 1880 It took him 10 hours to drive the bus the 18 miles back to Cooma Snow was over the running boards of the bus.He said sheep had been bogged in the snow near the roadside for days. They were unable to move, and a serious loss was inevitable.Mr. Piper drove the bus via bombala down
Cantawandlo Mountain. a detour of almost 100 miles.
Balmain Bros. mail car arrived shortly after the passenger. Bus.
bega had been without mail for three days. the longest period in the history of the town.Telephonic communication is now restored between Bega and
Cooma.When the bus was unable to get through to Nimmitabel, six soldiers who were passengers decided to walk the remaining four miles,
Bega Mail Plane Damaged
BEGA, Wednesday Landing the teeth of a westerly gale, the Sydney-Bega mail plane crashed into fence-post this morning. The plane and passengers were not hurt. but the plane was damaged.As the plane touched down at Frogs Hollow aerodrome it was slow around by a strong gust of wind.It struck the fence-post and damaged one of it wings.A new part will have to be sent from Sydney before the plane can take off for the return flight.
1932 carnival procession in Bega
Many children who attend the public school at Bega have to travel quite long distances daily to the town.
With a view to providing bus fares for them the Parents and Citizens' Association recently organised a carnival and a street procession. which were well supported. Among the best of the tableaux presented were those arranged by the children themselves. One of the outstanding figures depicted Grace Darling. who was represented by Miss Margan. The shawl worn by this young lady was of rare weave. it is over 130 years old. and is probable the only one of its kind in Australia to day
Today is an extra special day for Mrs Isabelle Margaret Cunningham, of Carp Street. Bega .
and a special day for the town.
Because today Mrs Cunningham celebrates her 100th birthday; and she is a native of Bega. She is believed to be the first 100-year-old to have lived here all her life, a life which spans six British reigns and one that has seen unaccountable changes. But for all her years in Bega a century of the world’s history Mrs Cunningham has lived in two houses only, and these are only doors apart. She was born on this day in 1874 at “Viewforth,” now the home of Mr Dan Gowing. The other house was “Limerick” where she still is, cared for by her eldest daughter, alma. The “News” late last week dropped in to congratulate Mrs Cunningham and catch a glimpse of her remarkable life. She is a small woman, the years have made, her small, and although they have also taken toll of her sight and she is a little hard of hearing, Mrs Cunningham has an excellent memory — not that many could doubt what she says. She remembers even small details and her family readily admits that she does better than them in recalling people and events of the past. Mrs Cunningham was the daughter of Dr and Mrs John Shiels who came from Edinburgh about 1865.Dr Shiels died when he was 44, it was then the family moved into the present house Mrs Cunningham received her early education in private and the State school in Bega before going to Sydney Girls’ High School when she was 15. In those days she traveled to Sydney by boat. It left from Tathra, a I good coach journey from Bega. In her youth Mr Cunningham had a special love for music and even now she listens to a lot of music on the radio. She married Charles Joseph Cunningham, a solicitor from Sydney. They lived in Bega and he was a partner in the firm of Bland and Cunningham which was before that of Rawlinson and Bland. Mr Cunningham died about 30 years ago. He and his wife had a family of eight, four boys and four girls. Seven of the children are still alive but only one lives in Bega. When active, Mrs Cunningham took a great interest in the charity work. She was a founder member of Bega Red Cross and was also in the benevolent society. During her 100 years, Mrs Cunningham had been blessed with remarkably good health. In all that time she has been into hospital only once, that was about three years ago for a mild heart attack. It will be a family affair. She has six grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren
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BEGA AS IT WAS
An earlier age of life at Bega and in this district has been recalled.
There was an age when there was no T.V. and there were no picture theatres in this district, but Bega historian Sister Bernice Smith recalls the Star Theatre at Bega. Sister Smith states that the first picture palace was built at Begs In 1912 and before that pictures were shown in the School of Arts, now demolished the Star was build of concrete bricks and had an earthen floor. Apparently fire regulations were very lax in those days and the smoke must have been a hazard because on cold nights great drums were placed down the centre and fires stated in them to keep the audience warm tickets were three pence and six pence, but no three pence tickets were sold when the lights went out.
This description, and more, is given in Sister Smith’s “Pioneering Days in Bega” a work witch all with an interest in this district and town will find absorbing She mentions the early settlers and that none could have survived with out help from the few others around and they had to make the things they needed for survival She tells of the time of the saw pit to cut timber, there were no sawmills, and the pit was a hole in the ground with a frame on top to hold the log and a special saw the pit Saw to cut it. One man on top and the other in the pit probably with his eyes full of saw dust. It was from Gowing and Kelly’s mills at Tanja that timber for the floor in the Sydney G.P.O. was cut. Those who came to settle the Bega valley first came as cattlemen from the Braidwood area.
Sister Smith tells of the natives of the mogareeka tribe who roamed over most of the Bega Valley and then in a later period of the Chinese. Friday night was the night of the great gathering as friend met friends and families got together and ended up at Mrs Cole’s pie shop in Church Street for hot pies and gravy all for three pence. And Bega once had a town crier who advertised various functions. Sister Smith described him as Peter cleaver, who would go around ringing a great brass bell. The long work of Sister Smith ends with these words. Visitors to the Bega museum can read the stories of floods. Fires, butter and cheese factories, the gold mines, the early industries and of the people. We have a really beautiful district settled from the 1830’s by our pioneer families. Let Us be proud of it as we are of those who worked to make it so productive.
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