Up the Mighty Murray! – Episode 9: Football Sons of the Sunraysia

 

 

Episode 9           Football Sons of the Sunraysia

 

From Mildura to Robinvale and Euston in the Sunraysia League

 

Map of the Murray River

 

                                                            To Robinvale and Euston  

 

Mildura, with its sunny winter weather and Murray river setting has a riviera-like attraction for Melburnians wanting to escape the cold mid-year gloom. Houseboat adventures and sumptuous river cruises, combined with outback experiences, fill the itineraries of visitors to the Sunraysia.

 

The region also has a history of attracting migrants, from Europe in particular, and Australian soldier settlers to take up employment and business opportunities in irrigation farming.

 

As we discovered in episode 6, the Canadian-born Chaffey Brothers were big players in the establishment of irrigation farming settlements along the Murray at both Mildura and Renmark. The Chaffeys responded to an invitation from Victorian parliamentarian (and later Australian Prime Minister) Alfred Deakin for the establishment of irrigation in Victoria during the 1880s drought. Their Mildura scheme was severely impacted by the 1893 bank crash and the ensuing depression, which saw land values plummet. A Royal Commission into the failed scheme laid much of the blame at the feet of the Chaffeys, finding a lack of capital and mismanagement as the principal reasons for the problems at Mildura. George Chaffey, in his evidence, countered with the point that a group of malcontent irrigation settlers had whipped up agitation and created chaos for the scheme. Their principal beef being the unfulfilled expectation of free water. The Royal Commission found that some of the problems were in fact due to failed public policy in the planning and execution of the scheme.

 

George Chaffey retreated to the USA, never to return, while William remained in Mildura becoming a leading figure in the community and the town’s first mayor. Somewhat ironically, the bridge over the Murray River at Mildura is named the George Chaffey Bridge. 

 

Possibly the most successful soldier settlement experiment in Australian history belongs to Red Cliffs. The town of Red Cliffs is situated on the rich, fertile Murray River plains about 15 km south of Mildura. The land at Red Cliffs was acquired by the government from the unfinished Chaffey Brothers scheme and subdivided for soldier resettlement. Immediately after World War I returned servicemen were offered 15 acre blocks and tools to cultivate vines for the production of sultanas. The ambitious scheme involved clearing 15,000 acres of river frontage land for irrigation. 

 

The first allocation of blocks in 1920 attracted 276 soldier settlers and by 1924 a total of 700 blocks had been taken up. Settlers came from all states of Australia and also from allied countries – the UK, France, Canada, New Zealand and Italy. The pioneers of Sunraysia irrigation farming were required to make repayments on their land allocation and the additional funds advanced for the establishment of their vineyards. Some became prosperous farmers, while others were short-lived ‘blockies, with physical ability, agricultural experience, management skills, and the vagaries of the weather and markets the key determinants of success or failure.

 

The initial task for the settlers was clearing the vegetation from their blocks, and this many accomplished with the aid of an unusual piece of heavy machinery called ‘Big Lizzie’. She was basically a huge prime mover with trailers, built to replace the camel trains that carried wool and other heavy loads in the sandy country north of the Murray towards Broken Hill. Upon reaching a flooded and impassable Murray River in 1917, ‘Big Lizzie’ was repurposed to assist in the clearing of the mallee scrub for the Red Cliffs irrigation scheme. Years later, the machine was repurchased and retired at the irrigation area and now stands as a central feature in Red Cliff’s Barclay Square.

 

Post war (World War I and II) soldier settlement schemes were a feature of other sections of the Murray, including the Riverland (at Cobdogla, Waikerie and Berry), Robinvale, the Swan Hill area (at Woorinen, Tyntynder and Nyah), and the Murray and Goulburn Valleys (at Nathalia, Numurkah, Strathmerton, Stanhope and Yarroweyah).

 

After the Second World War, European immigrants, especially from Italy and Greece, were attracted to the Sunraysia and took up properties in the area devoted to citrus growing, vineyards for dried fruit and wine making. Hence the saying, “Mildura is where the Mediterranean meets the outback.” Today Mildura continues to attract newly arrived migrants and refugees, often without the benefits of land ownership, looking for opportunities to become involved in small-scale farming in co-operative arrangements.

 

Robinvale and Euston lie on opposite banks of the Murray 90 km upstream of Mildura. The small riverside town of Robinvale is named after a local lad (George Robin Cuttle) who died in the battlefields of France in World War I while serving in the British army. Vale Robin. The Robinvale area was occupied by the Latji Latji and Dadi Dadi Aboriginal people whose cultural activities, including canoe trees, camping and burial sites, remain in evidence today at Bumbang Island Reserve.

 

British pastoralists first settled the area around Euston and Robinvale in the 1840s. Euston was a crossing place on the Murray for livestock and became an important river port in the 1880s.

 

A town was established at Robinvale in the 1920s servicing the wheat farms of the mallee. Impetus for growth was provided by the extension of a rail line from Manangatang in 1924 and four years later a bridge over the Murray was built, replacing the punt crossing to Euston. 

 

In the 1930s land along the river flats was leased for market gardening by Italian families, forming the beginning of Robinvale’s prosperous horticultural history. A post WWII soldier settlement scheme and a migrant resettlement program from the late 1940s resulted in the rise of horticulture in the Robinvale area. Irrigation agriculture is the basis of the economy of the district with grapes, dried fruits, olives, carrots and almonds the principal products. Today Robinvale is a multicultural community with significant Aboriginal, Italian, Tongan and Vietnamese populations. 

 

Euston lock and weir 15 was constructed in the 1930s damming water back on the Murray River for 60 km. Initially the structure provided navigational benefits for the river trade, but today its main functions are for irrigation, water management and recreation. Additionally, a fish ladder at the lock provides opportunities for monitoring native fish and the collection of breeding stocks of Murray Cod and perch.

 

The ‘Murray Whalers’, or ‘water-borne swagmen’, were river nomads of the early 20th Century and Great Depression era. Some of the Whalers were dropouts who had abandoned the city life, but many were either retired or unemployed bush workers. They travelled up and down the Murray (also the Darling, the Lachlan and the Murrumbidgee) in row boats in search of whatever work they could find. They eked out an existence along their ‘road’, the river, trapping rabbits and foxes, catching fish (Murray Cod were their ‘whales’) and bartering where they could. The ‘whalers’ gained a reputation as being river tramps, among them individuals given to stealing rather than working for their sustenance. Some ‘whalers’ remained on the river, continuing to enjoy a simple life through their twilight years, content in their semi-permanent bush camps long after the hard times ended. What a great name for a footy team, don’t you think?  Up the ‘Murray Whalers’!

 

Today, canoes and kayaks, row boats, paddle steamers, house boats, slow tinnies and barbeque/fishing pontoons, speed boats, jet skis and wave runners all use the river, but with differing impacts. Recreational use of the waters of the Murray and other inland rivers is something people have always taken pleasure in and should be able to continue to enjoy. However, the effects of fast boats and other craft on river banks cannot be ignored. Wash created by boats and jet skis, waste water and litter, and water pollution from fuel, are the main concerns regarding recreational boating. Stream bank erosion not only damages the native vegetation but also increases the turbidity of the water, both of which impact negatively on aquatic life. Speed advisory and wash signs cannot be placed on the entire length of the Murray, yet in the most popular places they seem to be ignored by some boating enthusiasts. All creating more work for the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Roads and Maritime Service to monitor and manage. 

 

The Sunraysia Football League has been a fertile nursery for the VFL/AFL over many years. Consider the following line-up of former Sunraysia young guns who made it in the big time.

 

Sunraysia ‘Sons’

 

B: Sean Bowden, Matthew Croft, Paul Prymke

(Imperials, Richmond), (Imperials, Western Bulldogs), (Mildura, Melbourne)

HB: Joshua Hunt, Matthew Knights, Richard Vandenberg

(Imperials, Geelong), (Merbein, Imperials, Richmond), (Wentworth, Hawthorn)

C: Andrew Embley, Colin Sylvia, Brett Sholl

(Robinvale, West Coast), (Merbein, Melbourne), (Irymple, Carlton)

HF: Sam Kerridge, Chris Tarrant, Jason Akermanis

(Mildura, Adelaide), (South Mildura, Collingwood, Fremantle), (South Mildura, Brisbane, Western Bulldogs)

F: Mark Alvey, Brendan Bower, Ben McGlynn

(Wentworth, Footscray, Essendon), (Mildura, Richmond, Essendon, North Melbourne), (Wentworth, Hawthorn, Swans)

Foll: Mark Lee, Adam Goodes (c), Dale Weightman (v-c)

(Mildura, Richmond), (Merbein, Sydney), (Imperials, Richmond)

 

I/C: Nathan Bower, James Heath, Jamie Lawson, Shane Robertson

(Mildura, Richmond), (Wentworth, Sydney), (Wentworth, Sydney), (Imperials, North Melbourne)

 

Emerg: Greg Hamilton, Darren Bower

(Red Cliffs, Richmond), (Mildura, Richmond)

 

Current AFL players from the Sunraysia include: South Mildura’s Robbie Tarrant (Richmond) and Lochie O’Brien (Carlton); Imperials and Merbein player Josh Carmichael (Collingwood); Wentworth’s Oscar Faulkhead (Gold Coast); and Red Cliff’s Dylan Stephens (Sydney Swans).

 

Another day at the footy in the Sunraysia League

 

 

 

 

Match of the round

Saturday 10th June 2023

South Mildura v Robinvale-Euston

at the Mildura Sporting Precinct

 

 

 

Bulldogs          v          Eagles

 

South Mildura (‘Bulldogs’ in ‘Cats’ jumpers) were a foundation club of the Sunraysia Football League in 1945. At first the Bulldogs struggled both on and off the field, and were ‘poor cousins’ to the established Irymple and Mildura clubs. They eventually broke through for their first premiership in 1968, following that with flags in the following two seasons to complete the hat trick. But only one further September success has been celebrated at Sarah Oval – the 1998 premiership.

 

In 2022 South Mildura finished last and were without a win for the season. In 2023 to date the Bulldogs have one win to their credit and sit one rung off the bottom of the ladder.

 

The Robinvale-Euston FC (known as the ‘Eagles’) was formed in 2015, linking a perennial Sunraysia performer with a Millewa League battler. Euston had just one premiership (2008) in its trophy cabinet after eight decades of trying. In contrast, Robinvale had won nine SFL premierships prior to the merger. Falling player numbers drove Robinvale’s cross-river alliance with Euston, a natural choice given the close proximity of the towns.

 

In 2022 Robinvale-Euston finished fourth with 11 wins from its 16 matches, but were eliminated by Ouyen United in the first week of the finals. So far this season the Eagles have won six of their seven matches and stand on top of the ladder.

 

The last time they met: round 14 2022 – Robinvale-Euston 17.19 (121) defeated South Mildura 7.8 (50). 

 

Robinvale has two noted VFL/AFL sons, Allan (‘Butch’) Edwards (Richmond, Collingwood, Footscray) and Phil Egan (Richmond, Melbourne). The latter has been in the spotlight regarding the Hawthorn racism review, which he authored in 2022. Robinvale is also the birthplace of Australian first-class cricketer and Sydney Swans player (2 games in 1984) Jamie Siddons.

 

The match

 

The current ladder positions of the two sides strongly suggested an easy win for the visitors at the ‘P’ in Mildura and that was exactly what happened. The red and white Eagles soared from the first bounce and were never troubled by the battling Bulldogs.

 

Scores

 

Robinvale-Euston 8.3 17.8 22.12 30.20 (200)

South Mildura 1.1 2.3 2.5 4.8 (32)

 

Around the Sunraysia League grounds

 

Wentworth 12.12 (84) defeated Merbein 12.10 (82) at Kenny Park, Merbein

 

Ouyen United 7.15 (57) defeated Red Cliffs 3.8 (26) at Blackburn Park, Ouyen

 

Mildura 21.15 (141) defeated Imperials 11.2 (68) at Brian Weightman Oval, Mildura

 

Irymple – bye

 

Meanwhile …

 

In country South Australia it is inter-league football time.

 

The River Murray League competition pauses for the Eastern Zone Carnival against the Hills Football League at Summit Park, Mount Barker. The ‘Murray Cods’ will have to be at their very best to overcome the boys from the Hills. It has been 26 years since the River Murray League defeated the Hills League.

 

“Play On” (source: River Murray FL on Facebook)

 

Final score: RMFL 14.8 (92) defeated HFL 11.5 (71)

 

The Great Southern League met the Southern Football League at Strathalbyn.

 

All eyes on the ball (source: RMFLTV on YouTube)

 

Final score: Great Southern FL 13.14 (92) defeated Southern FL 10.15 (75)

 

The Riverland League played the curtain raiser game against the Hills FL Country Division at Summit Park, Mount Barker.

 

On the last line of defence (source: RMFLTV on YouTube)

 

Final score: Riverland FL 14.13 (97) defeated Hills Country Division 3.5 (23)

 

The SANFL Country Football Championships will be held in the Barossa Valley on 8th and 9th July between six competing zones. Both mens and womens games will be played at Nuriootpa and Angaston. A SANFL match between Central District and Adelaide has been incorporated into the fixture.

 

Next episode: a detour up the Murrumbidgee to Balranald in the Central Murray League

 

 

 

Read all episodes of ‘Up The Mighty Murray’ and Peter Clark’s previous series Here.

 

 

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About Peter Clark

is a lifetime Geelong supporter. Hailing from the Riverina, he is now entrenched on the NSW South Coast. His passion for footy was ignited by attending Ovens and Murray League matches in the 1960's with his father. After years of watching, playing and coaching, now it is time for some serious writing about his favourite subjects… footy, especially country footy, and cricket.

Comments

  1. Colin Ritchie says

    Thanks for this magnificent series Peter, I just love the way you interweave footy together with the history of a place to create your stories. Certainly a labour of love!

  2. Riverina Rocket says

    You are gradually getting closer to the epicentre Peter!

    Quick question: What league did Euston play in prior to the merger with Robinvale?

    And wasn’t Euston a candidate for the national capital…?

  3. Peter Clark says

    Thanks Col, I am returning to my old Social Studies and Geography lessons … nearly 60 years ago.

    Riverina Rocket, Euston (the ‘Bombers’) played in the Millewa FL and won the 2008 premiership.

    I haven’t heard of Euston as a proposed site for the national capital … far too close to Melbourne!

  4. CITRUS BOB says

    Wentworth was the town that was looked at as a “possible” capital of Australia. Herb Henderson (Footscray) ws regarded as the best full-back of his day and kept Coleman goall less. Harold Ball played in Melbourne’s premeirship team before being killed in World War II. Hassa Mann and Len Mann where premeirship players for the “Dees” as well. All came from Merbein.
    Raed the article “Murray Men’ by Peter Hanlon in The Age (August 2015)
    Well done Peter. we must keep these names alive.

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