100 years ago
10 November 1921
Villers–Bretonneux Fund
It has been decided to hold a concert in the Dandenong Town Hall, on Thursday 17 November in aid of the Victorian Villers–Bretonneux Fund. During the War, hundreds of French towns and villages were utterly destroyed, and the inhabitants scattered. Numerous towns throughout the world have adopted French towns and villages, with the object of raising funds to assist in their re-establishment. Victoria has adopted Villers–Bretonneux, a town which will be forever associated with the great traditions of the AIF and where so many of our own boys made a great sacrifice. The whole of the proceeds of the concert will be devoted to the fund.
50 years ago
9 November 1971
A cottage in the country
HOTLINE on October 14th told how a woman pensioner who has reared 17 children – ten of her own and seven of a sister who died, longed for the peace and quietness of a cottage in the country. Mrs S the woman’s daughter wrote to HOTLINE to say that her mother after a very hard life felt tired and defeated. She would like a small house in the country where she could be with her niece and have a cow and a few chickens to supplement her pension. After having read the request in HOTLINE, Mrs P of Princes Highway, Officer, tells me that the woman and her niece could find the peace they sought on her 83-acre property at Officer.
20 years ago
12 November 2001
Building a basis for prosperity
Dandenong’s largest employer was a success story of the past 50 years, the Premier Regional Business Awards breakfast has been told. Cook’s Construction only has 45 employees at its head office in Fowler Road, but more than 1000 workers across Australia. After being started soon after World War II by David Cook the company grew until by the middle 1970’s it was a major player in the road construction industry under the leadership of Mr Cook’s son Bruce. In the past 20 years the growth has quickened with interstate acquisitions taking it into the mining field where it has provided large earth-moving equipment. Working with firms, such as Rio Tinto and BHP, Cooks Construction has had a turnover of more than $200m in recent years. Cook’s Construction won the Naidoc Award for its commitment to an indigenous employment policy, the breakfast was told.
5 years ago
7 November 2016
A Healthy result
Greater Dandenong has two finalists in this year’s VicHealth Awards. The Dandenong-based Alcohol Diversion Program is in the running for the Preventing harm from alcohol category, it was revealed on Wednesday 2 November. The council’s All Nations Cricket for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants event is vying for the Building health through sport award. Finalists will join international and Victorian dignitaries in government and health promotion at an awards ceremony on Thursday 1 December where the winners will be announced.
Compiled by Dandenong & District Historical Society
