winton

WINTON HOSPITAL. MAIN BUILDING DESTROYED. WINTON, June 16. About half-past two o'clock the afternoon the alarm was given that the Winton Hospital was on fire. Before the Fire Brigade arrived on the scene efforts were made with buckets and a small hose to combat the flames. The fire made its way above the ceiling and quickly spread throughout the main building. The water mains only reach the edge of the Hospital reserve at the top of Oondooroo-street, about 300 yards from the building. After a delay, sufficient lengths of hose was coupled to reach the fire, but all efforts to save the building were futile, although a good pressure was obtained and the Brigade worked strenuously. Attention was given to confining the fire and saving the nurses' quarters and isolating the Hospital. This was successfully done after the patients had been conveyed to safety. Almost all the furniture, fittings, drugs, and instruments were saved. There were about twenty patients in the Hospital, all of whom can be accommodated in the isolation ward. The fire originated in the kitchen. The property was insured with the State Insurance Company; the building for £48.000, the furniture and contents for £800, and the Delco lighting plant for £600. Source: Morning Bulletin, 19Jun 1922 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/54021469#

The 20 Mile Pub was located on a stock route west of Winton until it was sold and dismantled in the 1950s. The Winton Historical Society has a photograph taken in the 1920s and is trying to identify the people and the car in the image. The Society's Bruce Collins says back in the 1920s the pub did a good trade from the traveling public. "The station owners would come in on their buggies and sulkies and whatnot and always welcomed," he said. "They'd have a corned beef sandwich and possibly a beer or a rum, I imagine." There was another rest stop 40 miles out of Winton, which was where many travelers stayed overnight. Mr. Collins says as transport became more reliable the rest stops were bypassed, which led to the demise of the 20 Mile Pub. He says the pub was an integral part of the district for many years. "It wasn't the Hilton, but it was a piece of history," he said. Source: www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2013/11/28/3900792.htm#:~:tex....