1984
A massive Murray Goulburn fire raized the cool store, costing the company $10 million.
Ninety fireman battled the blaze for up to 20 hours.
Rochester, Elmore, Lockington, Echuca, Shepparton, Bamawm extension, Tennyson and Bendigo attended the blaze.
The cool store was filled with 3500 tonnes of cheese and butter.
— David Major was named vice-captain of the Victorian a country Cricket team to play Queensland at Albury on the Australia Day weekend.
Major, David Lanyon and Graham Turner had just starred in a game against the touring Weet Indies team at Benalla.
Viv Richards was as dismissed for 11 by Lanyon after he spilled a caught and bowled chance that ricocheted into the hands of another Vic country player.
Major scored 40 before being caught by Larry Gomes off the bowling of Roger sharper.
Lanyon (24) and Turner (28) were not out in the run chase.
— Pam Fry was named citizen of the year by the Australia Day committee.
She had spent the last 28 years working at Rochester hospital and only retired a few months earlier.
She has been a member of St John Ambulance, state emergency service and women’s business organisation.
— People proposing a new Australian flag were described as traitorous by guest speaker at the Rochester Australian Day ceremony Mark Cuni.
He said just on 29 years ago the Advance Rochester Association meeting heard a motion which moved to celebrate Australia Day with a public event.
And it was 1966 that the first citizen of the year award was presented.
1994
Thyme Out business operators Heather Johnstone and Janette Smelling won the Echuca Regional Development Award for Women in Business in their very first year of operating the business.
— Sean Geoffrey Ronald Williams featured on the front page of the Campaspe News with his mother Louise and elder brother Dillon.
He was named after both his grandfathers, Geoff McCarty and Ron Williams. He was born in Bendigo on December 21 to Wayne and Louise. Wayne had recently become Elmore’s new senior football coach and missed the photo while at work at Rochester Tyre Service.
— Des Pentreath was named Rochester Shire’s Citizen of the Year, the supermarket owner nominated by the Lions club.
Melissa Lee, 18, from Rochester was named Junior Citizen of the Year.
The winner of the community group of the year was Campaspe River Reserve Committee.
— Len and Blanche Major celebrated 60 years of marriage.
Blanche was born in 1909, a few months after Les.
— Rochester parents Kathleen and Stan Cochrane were full of pride on Australian Day when their son Robert was awarded the Australian Police Medal for service to policing.
Robert also had a son and son-in-law working on the police force at the time of the award.
2004
Victorian RSL president Major General David McLachlan was guest speaker at Rochester’s Australia Day ceremony.
Committee secretary Les Anderson said his committee approached the RSL boss in July last year.
— Kim Moon was elected president of the Great Northern Show, with the event being held amid the 150th celebrations for the town.
She had been involved in the show since childhood, a member of the committee for 12 years.
Now 30, she is one of the show’s youngest ever presidents.
— Caitlin Watson of Rochester Secondary College was recognised as one of the top performing students of 2003 with a scholarship to pursue a career in the medical and health field.
Other award winners were Mark Gadsden, Jodie Pargetter, Janelle Wright, Eliza Jane Hodgens and Gracie-Lee Sciotto.
— Brydie Lawford was named Rochester and district’s young citizen of the year. The 17-year-old was school captain at the secondary college and on the SRC.
Don Thompson was named citizen of the year for his 50 years of volunteer work in Rochester.