With the opening of the yachting season approaching, it would seem to be a good time to look back at the start of the very popular Walpole Yacht Club. A certain tourist holidaying at Rest Point in 1956 probably had no idea that he would be indirectly responsible for the… Continue reading
Throughout Walpole & Districts people are saddened by the recent [June 2015] passing in Denmark of Doreen Whale. Many will remember her as the inaugural manager of the Walpole Tourist Bureau as it was known in the 1980s. Prior to that time the committee of the Bureau had one aim… Continue reading
In May 1982 the Walpole library became the 200th State Library. This milestone brought the then president of the State Library Board, Mr Robert Sharman, to the town for the official function to recognise this status. Also present were Mr HD Evans (MLA for Warren) Mr Colin Crombie (Manjimup Shire… Continue reading
In December 1954 I arrived as a new bride to the Bow Bridge district where my husband, Bruce Smith, together with his father, Jim, owned and operated a sawmill. The mill was originally built by Jim’s twin brother Jack in 1938, who along with his wife Marie lived in an… Continue reading
When one walks past the Walpole Family Centre on Swan Street it is interesting to consider its origins. In 1972 a small group of mothers formed a committee to raise funds to establish Playgroup, as it was first called. The sum of $200 was needed. An anonymous donation of $50… Continue reading
In April 1979 the last can of cream left Walpole & Districts. Gordon Brass was the dairy farmer who firmly pushed down the lid on the can and joined the ranks of bulk milk producers in the area. Gordon and his family farmed on a North Walpole property which was… Continue reading
The news in the Walpole Weekly (April 22, 2015; “Town Jetty to close for two months”; cover story) that Walpole town is to have a new floating jetty caused me to search my file in order to find a previous article which heralded the provision of a new jetty in… Continue reading
1982 marked the end of an era in Walpole & Districts when the last two manual telelphone exchanges were connected to the subscriber trunk dialling (STD) network. Nornalup was the first to go in April 1982; Jarrah Glen in June 1982. Mrs Kirree Shaw manned the Nornalup exchange for 21… Continue reading
One fateful day in October 1978, the community of Walpole & Districts woke to the news that Tinglewood Homestead, the renowned guest house, had been destroyed by fire. Feelings of shock and disbelief spread throughout the region at this news. The beautiful, historic property on the Deep River was an… Continue reading
The Norwegian barque Mandalay left Delegoa Bay in Africa in 1911 to take on cargo in the Western Australian port of Albany. Good weather favoured the ship and as she sailed gracefully over the Southern Ocean off the south-west corner of the Western Australian coast Captain Emile Tonnessen and his… Continue reading
