Wodonga & District Express 1966 Pt1

January – Melrose Drive was named after a property of the same name on the northern end of that road.  Previously the whole road as we know it today had gone by the names Rifle Range Road, Cemetery Lane and Carroll’s Lane.

Two booklets on dollars and cents were to be mailed to every household from the Decimal Currency Board.  One containing all information, the other a fold over card to be used when shopping and providing conversion figures.

Cyclists were being warned by police against leaving their bicycles on the footpath in the shopping area in town.

J.P. Mylon announced some cancellations of poorly patronised busses on the Albury, Wodonga and Bonegilla timetable.

Approval was received from the Country Roads Board for the construction of a bridge over the creek in Lawrence Street west, to replace the present ford crossing which is not passable at many times of the year.

A letter home from Vietnam written by Alf Tarrant to his sister Mrs Kothe told that he had learnt of a custom of the country when he admired a print on the wall of a host couple and it was wrapped up for him to take with him.  He further wrote he also admired the wife but the husband had perhaps not heard.

February – Banks were to close for two working days prior to decimal currency being introduced on Monday 14th.  This was to allow time for all balances and banking books, ledgers to be converted to decimal currency amounts.

1st February saw the end of 6 o’clock closing for drinking at hotels in Victoria.

A two day strike involving 36 unions in Victoria would have a flow on affect to the community due to loss of pay suffered by those being stood down due to limited electricity being available.

27th February saw the switch over to a new automatic dialling telephone system.  Wodonga subscribers would have Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) access to Melbourne and certain other areas. Other calls would require the assistance of an operator by dialling 011.