06/06/2025
100 years ago today - the Red Cliffs, Red Cliffs East and Yatpool schools competed and otherwise took part in the Mildura Grand Carnival.
As reported by the Sunraysia Daily:
"The Mildura Grand Carnival opened under most favorable weather conditions on Saturday afternoon [June 6]... the glorious sunshine animated the hundreds of children that were taking part in the programme and also the the large number of spectators, who felt that they had not traversed muddy roads in vain. It was children's day at the Carnival, but it is doubtful if the children enjoyed themselves more than the adults, who, as they watched the graceful movements of the 260 girls at the maypoles, the Boy Scouts' display and other attractions, came to the conclusion that it was an entertainment that they were very glad they had not missed.
The attendance was estimated to be between 2500 and 3000...
The tug-of-war aroused great excitement, which extended even to the grown-up spectators, who called frequent encouragements to both sides as the panting contestants became redder and redder in the face. In the first heat the Convent school defeated Merbein. Red Cliffs then defeated the Lake school, and the third heat saw the Mildura Central school outpull the High School. The Red Cliffs team proved too weighty for the Convent school in the semi-final, their anchor man being rather difficult to dislodge from his position. The Mildura Central school overcame that difficulty, however, when it defeated Red Cliffs in the final.
[The Red Cliffs team was made up of Engstrom, Gardiner, Oxenham, Byrnes, Morris, McLeod, Creek, Binns, Bate and Gray.]
Fifteen district schools were represented on the ground, including Merbein Central, Merbein South, Red Cliffs, Red Cliffs East, Irymple, Irymple South, the Lake, Nichols' Point, Gol Gol, Yatpool, Koorlong, Convent, High School, Mildura Central and Mildura West...
The maypole display was most spectacular. Thirteen teams, each comprising 20 girls, marched from the ground into position in the arena. Of these groups Mildura Central school contributed three; Merbein, Mildura West and Irymple, two each; and Irymple South, Nichols' Point, the Lake and Red Cliffs one each. There were 260 school-girls in all, each team wearing her own costume in the colors of her school. Miss Virtue, the physical culture organiser of the Education Department, directed, and she was assisted by the thirteen teachers in charge of the teams. These were Mildura Central, Misses Webster, Nunn and Squires; Mildura West, Misses Lewis and Jordan; the Lake, Miss Taylor; Nichols' Point, Miss Crebbin; Irymple, Misses Gilbert and Lloyd; Irymple South, Miss Heaysman; Merbein, Miss Higgins and Mrs. Loutit; Red Cliffs, Miss Knott.
The Minuet was very gracefully performed, every movement being undertaking without a mistake by either team or individual. The girls then skipped around the maypoles, prior to taking the ropes for the first figure, which is generally known as the barber's pole, and consists of winding the ribbons in graceful fashion around the poles. This was done with more effect in the second figure—the spiders' web—which involved intricate winding, and resulted in each maypole having an appearance not unlike that of a spider's web. The third figure—the tent—was the one that brought the most applause. The ribbons or streamers were joined together breadthwise, and the spectacle that was presented was thirteen tents of different colors. This was most effective, and was enhanced by the children popping their heads between the streamers and singing:
Come lassies and lads
Get leave of your dads,
And away to the maypole hie.
For every fair
Has a maypole there
And the fiddlers standing by,
And Johnny shall dance with Joan,
And Polly has got her Joe,
And trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it everyone.
And trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it everyone.
This is the original Maypole song, and was sung in England hundreds of years ago. The music and the words give the rhythm to the dance. The final figures of plaiting and tossing the ribbons and skipping in and out brought this display near its conclusion. Throughout the sun was shining and it did not go back into the clouds until after the children had marched off...
Miss Virtue expressed pleasure at the conclusion of the display. "They did not make any mistakes," she said, "and although I expected them to do well, I was rather afraid that some might go wrong in the plaiting, especially when undoing the plait, which is by no means easy; but you can always depend on children. I think all will agree that the children looked very pretty going through their movements on the green grass. I notice very great improvement since I was here two years ago."
K Connar of Red Cliffs was second in the girls' under 15 race. L Norris of Red Cliffs was first in the "running with football" race. Red Cliffs came third in the needle-and-thread race.
L Norris came third in the Elementary School's Championship.
In the overall "table of points", Red Cliffs came sixth.
In the attached picture, Red Cliffs Primary student Clementina Mason is dancing on the extreme right. The photo is from the Mason family, and appears courtesy of the Red Cliffs and District Historical Society.
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