Snapshot of the past

A photograph capturing the badly charred framework of the old Highway Guest House in Main St, Drouin in 1975.
The then 90-year-old building was gutted by a spectacular fire on December 29. It was Drouin's second major street fire since World War II.
Whilst the historic weatherboard structure was still standing due to the great efforts of Drouin and Warragul fire brigades, a decision was made to demolish the building.
All four shops in the front of the building were destroyed in the blaze. Insurance assessments were predicted to run into the many thousands of dollars.
Sgt Des Mills, speaking to The Gazette, said it was extremely fortunate that there was no wind at the time of the fire, otherwise nearby buildings would have been endangered.
He praised firefighters for controlling the blaze after a two-hour battle.
During this period, Princes Hwy traffic was diverted around the town. Half of the highway was again closed later that day for an overhead crane to clear the top half of the burnt out building for safety reasons.
The old guest house was owned by Mr and Mrs Bert Williamson, who conducted an estate agency in the building. They were away on their Drouin South farm when the fire started at 9.50am.
A family, proprietors of the fish shop, were the only people living in the building. They evacuated safely after their kitchen was found ablaze.
The old guest house contained about 16 rooms in its hey-day, but it hadn't been used by boarders in the years prior to the fire.
Photograph and information courtesy of The Gazette.