The Yarrawonga Mulwala Community Learning Centre Oral History Group invites you to take a step back in time as they reach back into their files to present a story of years gone by.

This month we are featuring an interview with Alexander ‘Macca’ McKenzie conducted on the 30th September 2022.

Macca was very involved and a much-loved figure around the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club.

I was born in Lawford Street, Moonee Ponds which was adjacent to the Maribyrnong River.

The river was well patronised by rowers, canoe makers and just people enjoying the river fishing.

It was the start of the Depression, we as kids had a wonderful time, we were as happy as anybody could be.

Our parents naturally had concerns because we had very limited means, but that did not stop us from all in our area being happy families.

We were very united in our efforts to be great community contributors.

My education started at the Moonee Ponds West State School where I can recall as far back as maybe the sixth grade; I think we had somewhere around 50 to 60 boys in the same class.

I had many jobs until I was 28 years of age, worked in factories, outdoor, until I got a job as an interstate truck driver.

I stayed in that job for 32 years and it was the most magnificent thing I could have done with my life, because we were continually travelling.

Being a truckie, working for the government and working all over Australia, including Tassie, you were not looking to go anywhere, you were always going somewhere.

We lived out, cooked out and thoroughly enjoyed everything that we had done, and we were able to travel the whole length and breadth of the country.

When decimal currency came in, we delivered the coins to all states of Australia, including Tasmania, not the notes.

Going north to Darwin quite regularly, the road from Alice Springs to Darwin was bitumen, otherwise, most of the roads away from the main cities were corrugated.

To preserve any delicate cargo that we would have, we would put them on the train.

It had flat tops; you could drive the trucks onto the flat tops.

Just as a point of interest how tough it was in those days, and yet so enjoyable, was that on the goods train between Port Augusta and Alice Springs, the gauge changed at Marree halfway up, between Port Augusta and Alice Springs from four foot eight to three foot six.

It had a carriage that the truckies were supplied with bunks, six bunks of hessian and straw palliasses and a wood stove.

There were sleepers we cut into foot blocks, you were supplied with a metal plate, an axe to cut because of the wood fire.

It was very primitive. We had to take our own supplies.

The icebox was the width of the whole carriage, but my word, it was a wonderful experience.

I worked as a truckie at a job at the Essendon Airport.

Arthur Affleck at that point of time, was the relieving airport manager and the original Flying Doctor pilot.

As time went by, he became involved with civil aviation; he was just wonderful.

There were two mechanics, and I was the roustabout.

Arthur would come down at lunchtime and have a yarn with my boss, Horrie. They went to school together.

He and Horrie, as young blokes, designed and made their own glider and they took it out in bits and pieces to Beveridge.

There was a very steep hill there. They got all the bits to the top and assembled it and took off from the top of the Beveridge hill without a motor.

My wife and myself elected to come to Yarrawonga because we looked the country over and found it had satisfied our retirement requirements.

So, in 1987 we retired here and we got involved in the golf. We just wanted to play golf.

Alexander McKenzie passed away on March 21, 2024 aged 94 years.

At his memorial service at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club resort, he was described as “a true gentleman, a man of integrity, a complete and utter stickler for rules, a dedicated club captain, board member, humble life member, a truckie, a leftie, a devoted family member, a birthday singer, a Ben Hogan advocate, a Peter Thomson admirer, a reciter of poetry, a mentor to so many juniors and a very competent golfer.”

The Yarrawonga Mulwala Community and Learning Centre Oral History Group is currently seeking new members.

If you have skills in basic IT, typing and/or audio editing it would be an advantage. Training and support are provided.

Please contact the YMCLC on (03)57443911 for more information.

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