City’s colourful character

FORMER Dandenong mayor Frank Holohan has long been an avid reader of the Journal.
He was first featured in the paper when he and wife Majella were married in 1962.
Frank also appeared regularly during his local government career, even belting out a fortnightly column called The City Speaks on his typewriter during his mayoral term.
A collaboration with editor John Woods in 1985 produced the Journal’s first colour front page.
“The colour page came about because of an agreement with John Woods that if I could get $10,000 from Nissan he would place the announcement on the front page in colour,” Frank said.
“Well, Nissan came good with $10,000 as the main sponsor and on that day we raised over $50,000.”
Frank said John Woods was always referred to as “the 13th councillor as he always seemed to get the inside information”.
Frank’s favourite part of the paper has always been It’s None of Our Business But….
However, one thing still puzzles him.
“Where John Woods and his sidekicks got their information from is one of the many mysteries that have been around Dandenong for many years. I may have to plead guilty to a few leaks!
“The Journal always had a photographer at all functions and events and on the Monday when we got to council an envelope would be on our desk with large black and white copies for us to keep.
“Some of us got lots, particularly if you were the mayor.
“One year the joke was that the Journal was printed on the back of my photograph.
“It is my belief that the Journal was a friend to all councillors and staff in the years I was in council.
“The reporting was always fair and responsible and, whilst sometimes we may not have liked it, if it was critical of yourself there was always a very good reason to report it that way.
“What of that wonderful lady Marg Stork. She would, on many occasions, ring the mayoress of the day and just talk to her while putting together for publication the events that had been happening.
“She would always remember special events in your life that needed to be remembered so another phone call would take place even many years after my retirement from council.
“It is great now to see the masthead of the Journal in its present form with news and sport in the Dandenong area back in print.
“In the past glory days of the Journal, Dandenong sporting activities, in particular Dandenong Football Club’s great days in the VFA, gave great reports of all the goings on.
“What a pleasure it is to now go to the paper holder out front each week and take out the Journal and sit in the sun and catch up on all the local events.”