Key Stanthorpe events in 1934:
Jan 5
• Thulimbah State School Picnic (Enid Halloran, Best Dressed Girl)
Jan 9
• Drowning Fatality, Death of William Drennert, Broadwater
Jan 12
• Frost registered on Thursday morning (29.9 degrees). Below freezing every month of the 12.
• New Abattoir to be erected at Toowoomba, Darling Downs Abattoir & Export Pty Ltd
Jan 30
• The Fruit Growing Meeting – Great Meeting at Thulimbah
• Question of erecting a concrete building capable of holding about 20,000 cases of apples, packing house and cool store. Committee appointed to work with Mr Ranger, COD Manager to work out details. Mr Ranger to prepare a comprehensive scheme giving COD power to acquire surplus fruit 120 growers present. Meeting called by and pooling and organised marketing of the same.
“Unless provision was made for the large increase in production that was bound to come in a few years at the most, the growers would lose a lot of money. 60,000 cases would be exported but had only been able to secure 38,000 for export. Of 145,000 Granny Smith Trees in the district, 81,000 had still to come to bearing. Worst year for fruit growing in Australia. 6,000 tons of peaches to be destroyed in Goulbourn Valley (no market). Stanthorpe had the advantage of early export to English market. A levy of 1 d a case was proposed to create a revolving fund.
6 February
• Stanthorpe Shire to strike a rate of 1d in £ for the hospital
February 23
• Minister for Transport Visits Stanthorpe (J. Dash)
Deputations from Thulimbah for the lease of land 60 feet fronting the Thulimbah siding and
running 100 feet back, accommodation of goods shed to be double.
Stanthorpe requested continuance of State Highway through Wallangarra – it had been declared to a mile east of Stanthorpe then turned East and crossed the border.
Stanthorpe had lost a good deal in the transfer of passenger traffic to Kyogle and they felt
they should have the National Highway going through the State as far as possible.
• Request that the Railway Station be lit with electricity and that the trucking yards be moved to a site outside town.
April 10
• Raids on SP Betting Shop in Maryland Street, Frank Clifford and eight other awaiting aireless call of the Kings Cup are fined £15.
April 13
• “Jumping the Rattler” – travelling on a railway without paying the far. Risk a few days in
gaol to save themselves “humping the bluey” along their roads in the search for work. The clergy condemned the government for prosecuting the free travellers. One country lock up has so many free travellers as enforced guests for a day or two that the lock-up keeper made them chop their own wood and cook their own food.”
April 17
• Texas Freezing Worker employing 300-400 rabbit trappers a day handled on occasion.
May 22
• Stanthorpe Wins Toohey Cup
May 25
• Silverspur Pasturage Reserve thrown open for selections.
June 19
• Tenterfield regains Toohey Cup
July 31
• A Warning in Advance – Dry Period Predicted
August 10
• Hitler’s Hope for Peace: “No Need to Fight for Century”
August 14
• Charles and Elsa Chauvel filming “Heritage”
August 21
• Studio Stills from “Heritage”
September 14
• Fruitgrowers Conference Important proposals agreed to 300 present. 1933 season, bad, 1934 season worse, export prices ruinous, export to England undertaken to relieve local market, hampered by quality and immaturity.
September 25
• Stanthorpe Police investigate possible links with “Pyjama girl” and a local missing girl
Four day search.
