WHEN ninety-nine-year-old Jim Maher made a visit to the Royal Mail Hotel recently, he was met by his forty-six-year-old self.<\/p>\n
As part of the Discover Historic Sebastopol project, a 1970 photograph of Mr Maher, a former tram driver, has been made into a mural and installed on the side of the pub.<\/p>\n
He is pictured with tram 37, and conductor Marty Cahill, outside the hotel which was the last stop on the Sebastopol line.<\/p>\n
Previously a qualified cook, Mr Maher gained employment on the Ballarat tram network where he wore badge 40 on his cap for 13 years. He was not only a driver, but at times a \u201cconnie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a roster to come out on this line every week, or Victoria, or Mount Pleasant, and so on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very good job, and at that time, it was good pay for anyone who didn\u2019t have a trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe passengers were very good, and you got to know a lot of them because they were regular riders to work every day in those days.\u201d<\/p>\n
The last tram ever to run on the Ballarat network, tram 40, was conducted by Mr Maher, travelling out to the Sebastopol Royal Mail terminus and back into the Wendouree Parade depot in September of 1971.<\/p>\n
Mr Maher and his wife Mary moved to Sebastopol as newlyweds in the late-1950s, having met at a dance at Elaine, and the Borough has since been his home for 65 years.<\/p>\n
He said having a permanent version of himself in the community, who is 53 years younger, is quite amusing, but being part the neighbourhood storytelling initiative is special.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s history, isn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aileen Loader, Mr Maher\u2019s daughter, said people often remark that they have fond childhood memories of her dad on the trams.<\/p>\n
Her family is \u201cchuffed\u201d that the photo is being shared and enjoyed by others, as her dad approaches his 100th birthday in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften people who are in these photos don\u2019t get to see themselves, but dad has been able to see himself up there,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s very much a storyteller, he\u2019s lived a lot of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s worked in shearing sheds, travelled a lot… People seem to gravitate to him to hear those stories, not just about the trams, but in general.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom his perspective, keeping history going is important. The whole extended family are so excited, as are dad\u2019s friends, and the parishioners at St James. They\u2019re so rapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sebastopol Historical Society president Bruce Harris said Mr Maher has been his neighbour, \u201ca grand old fella and friend\u201d for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis real-life stories are vital in preserving our local history from a bygone era, lest they be lost to both the present and future generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
An inset photo of a horse-drawn tram making its way along Albert Street is also part of the mural, and beside the imagery are information boards about both the Sebastopol Line and the Royal Mail Hotel.<\/p>\n
Discover Historic Sebastopol is a Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre initiative funded by the State Government as part of the Spotlight on Sebastopol project.<\/p>\n
In an aim to revitalise the area, and increase community pride, artwork and history signs sharing stories of the suburb are being installed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHEN ninety-nine-year-old Jim Maher made a visit to the Royal Mail Hotel recently, he was met by his forty-six-year-old self. As part of the Discover Historic Sebastopol project, a 1970 photograph of Mr Maher, a former tram driver, has been made into a mural and installed on the side of the pub. He is pictured […]<\/p>\n