SOME of the happiest memories I cherish in the decades I have worked as a journalist stem from my association with The Dandenong Journal during the time when the late Greg Dickson, the “boy” from The Ouyen Express took over the paper.
Greg’s late mother owned The Express.
I can recall the excitement of the staff when Greg married a nursing sister Miss Zerbst, also from the Mallee and of Zig, his wife, patiently helping out at the office at 1 Scott Street on a Wednesday evening for the paper to hit the streets and of it costing tuppence.
Zig was not the only family helper.
Des, Greg’s brother, who served in the air force, also assisted.
Queues of people of all age groups used to line up to get the local news and the queue started at Dickson Lane, where the old weatherboard building stood, and finished up around the corner of Thomas Street.
Many people in the queue ate sandwiches and cakes as they chatted to one another and exchanged views on the ever changing face of the then Shire of Dandenong, which was to develop into a thriving and vibrant multi-cultural city.
Around the corner in Lonsdale Street, just up from the hotel and Titcher’s Pharmacy, Steve de George’s Fish Shop did a brisk trade.
A lot of memories of the friendly Dandenong of yesteryear are etched deeply in the minds of old residents as they reminisce, especially as the Dandenong and District Historical Society is this year celebrating its 50th anniversary.
When Greg sold The Journal, he donated his collection of the South Bourke and Mornington Journal and Dandenong Journal dating back to 1877 to the historical society.
Greg dedicated many years of the latter part of his life to caring for Zig who suffered from dementia by looking after her devotedly.
Sadly she outlived him.
We did not have a permanent staff photographer but used to get a lot of our photos of weddings from Graham Southam in Thomas Street – a former Argus photographer – and also from Beaver Photographics.
After Beaver Photographics was sold, a large collection of historical photographs were rescued by Marjory Criddle.
She not only donated the photographs to the historical society, but later the negatives as well.
Exchanging local stories
In Greg Dickson’s days as the owner cum editor of The Dandenong Journal, Greg used to exchange local stories with owner/editors of other district local papers and friendships were forged between staff members of the respective papers as well as with the chiefs.
I can vividly recall Jim Swords of the Swords family’s Dandenong paper The Advertiser which operated in Walker Street, taking me under his protection when I was a cub reporter and escorting me to report at the Dandenong court and council meetings.
To get news in those days, I was fortunate to have 120 words a minute Pitman’s shorthand. I wish I had retained that.
Herb Thomas of the then Pakenham Gazette often visited the Dandenong office and he and Greg exchanged stories to print.
Herb died in 1979.
Herb’s late father, Albert Edward Thomas, founded the then Berwick Shire News and Pakenham and Cranbourne paper which was started in Berwick in 1909 and moved its offices to Pakenham.
It became the Pakenham Gazette in 1917.
Herb’s son, Ian, and his wife Dorothy ran the paper, and Ian retired in 1999.
Their son Paul has been managing director since 2000.
Herb, Ian and Paul totalled three generations of the family to be presidents of the Victorian Country Press Association.
Their company now trades as Star News Group.
