General News
9 August, 2025
Flashback: August 7 1975
$84m gamble paid off: Doubt stricken wheat farmers in the Mallee and Wimmera gambled $84 million on rain and won.
Heavy rains saved the state’s 1.3 million hectares (2.8 million acres) of wheat from what looked a “hopeless situation”.
Wheatfarmers in the Mallee and Wimmera invested $84 million in sowing and prayed for rain.
“The heavens certainly opened” Australian Wheat Board chairman Mr JP Cass said.
“There’s no question about it - if this rain had not turned up, we would have been in trouble.
“It’s great news for farmers. A lot of wheat was planted last month needing rain to get it moving.”
Mr Cass said the rains meant Australians should fulfil its wheat export commitments.
“With good follow-up rains we should have seven million tonnes to export,” he said.
“If the rain had not come, it could have been as low as one or two million tonnes.”
Subject is tourism: On July 30, the Wimmera Regional Tourist Authority held a pleasant afternoon gathering at the Hopetoun Community Hotel.
The Chairman of the Authority, Cr W McKenzie, outlines the current situation and its hopes for the future.
He told the gathering of the new package deal self-drive tours the Wimmera Authority was putting together in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism.
Cr McKenzie also mentioned that any funds that emanate from the membership drive this year would go to the Regional Authority and for this year at least, 25 per cent would be rebated to the local organisation that collected the membership fees.
Campervans the fashion: Many holiday makers are now switching to the outdoors, accommodating themselves in campervans.
Holidays makers can now make the ‘great’ outdoors really great by towing a Topagee campervan.
With an outside length of 11’4” including towbar, and overall width of 6’4” and registered weight of 6 cwt, the Topagee is an ideal compromise for families requiring maximum accommodation, but lacking the necessary finance to purchase a conventional van or a car capable of towing one.
Rainbow outlcassed: Hopetoun, with too many talented players, gradually overcame a relentlessly determined Rainbow side to run out comfortable winners.
The scores were not a true indication of the game.
With Hopetoun kicking to the town end goal, they had first use of the ball as L Poulton to Big Jim handballed to Conway to Reid saw Hopetoun’s first goal on the board within two minutes.