Community
28 July, 2026
St Arnaud 100 Years ago: business changes hands and an interesting discovery
What was happening in St Arnaud 100 years ago.
100 Years Ago
July 1926
Football: St Arnaud played Cope Cope at King George’s Park in cold but fine weather. Scores- ¼ time St A 2-8n C C nil, ½ time St A 3-10, C C 2-3, ¾ time St A 5-8, C C 3-4, final scores St A 12-15 defeated C C 7-4. Best players for St Arnaud Walton, L Crone, McAuliffe, Proctor, L Hill & Evans and for Cope Cope Osborn, Rowarth, Bartholomew, Penney, Michael & Lang. Litchfield 8-5 defeated Donald 6-8 and Watchem 10-12 defeated Birchip 10-10. St Arnaud Juniors North end 3-9 defeated South End 1-4. Kooreh 7-9 defeated Swanwater 3-5 at Kooreh and Redbank defeated Stuart Mill 4-5 at Redbank.
Death: Mrs Isabella Schultze relict of the late Martin Schultze died age 82 at the residence of her daughter Mrs P Evans in St Kilda where she has been confined to her bed for the past four years. Isabell leaves three daughters and one son, two sons are deceased including Emile who is believed to be the first St Arnaud boy to be killed during a war (in 1899 in the South African War). Martin Schultze was a well-known contractor who built many important buildings in St Arnaud prior to his death in 1889.Many residents gathered at the station to form a funeral procession to the cemetery where Isabella was buried with her husband.
New School: The tender for Mr J Perryman of Brunswick to erect a new Roma Catholic Primary School in St Arnaud for a price which exceeds £4,000 has been accepted. There were four other tenders received and work is expected to commence within the next few weeks.
Business Changes Hands: Mr W L Kell in conjunction with H B Corben & Son of Melbourne, monumental masons have purchased Mr D Ferries business and will conduct business on the vacant block next to Read’s produce store, The block in owned by L Crone. The Ferries family have conducted the monumental mason business in St Arnaud for many years.
Interesting Discovery: While Andrew Arbuckle of Waterloo Plains was rabbiting at Tottington he dug out a burrow under a demolished building and found a bottle containing three letters, a ‘Mercury’ dated 14-9-1887 and a penny. One letter dated 15-9-1887 read, my name in James E Mead of ‘Fernimead’ Beazleys Bridge and a builder of this house for which the future occupiers have a fine lot of furniture waiting to be put in.’ Second letter, ‘Tottington 16-9-1887- I and George Mead owner of this estate and will bury these letters that someone may drop across someday. This is the first year I live here. I have 30 acres of wheat, a lot of sheep, wheat and horses and will build a garden, piggery, fruit trees and poultry.’ Third letter Tottington 16-9-1887- ‘I am the better half and decidedly the owner of the gent who is the owner of this estate- by the name of Susan Maria Mead on the 20th April of this year till 12 o’clock in the day known as Susan Maria Smale a daughter of Samuel Smale of Lake Marmal near Charlton. (A long description follows of the country and events happening in Australia)
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