Newsletter #232, April 2018

 

What attracts people to Inverloch, both residents and our many holiday visitors, is the coast and the water; in short, its natural beauty. Many Australians live at or near to the coast. This probably explains why many of us love coloured photos and panoramas of the coastline and beaches.

The photo below allows us to delight in a view which possibly highlights all that we love about Inverloch. One can immediately see the beautiful and glowing colours, together with the wide vista across the Inlet and the sur-rounding countryside.

The sandscapes are forever changing Anderson Inlet and the jutting piece of land that is Point Smythe. Mother Nature works miracles to change regularly what we see—the beaches, the water, the trees, the coastal out-line, and so on. This photo was taken in 2016, and al-ready changes are evident. But that’s modern life! So its important to notice change and record its impacts. These days with digital cameras, drones and satellites in space we can record changes with increasing accuracy and detail. What might we have seen if an aerial picture could have recorded that land and seascape in 1918?

The Committee has been working hard in recent months, planning ahead and:

  •  arranging guest speakers for meetings
  • organising excursions
  • organising the annual fundraising raffle
  • preparing for our meetings with Bass Coast Shire in an attempt to find a base for Society operations
  • developing new ideas for fundraising merchandise to help pay for the preservation of what we have
  • organising the August 2018 Exhibition at The Hub
  • promoting our activities on community radio 3mfm
  • locating material to feature on the information panels around the newly renovated Ripple
  • producing a monthly newsletter

The Society’s office bearers keep the Society moving and current, and being a busy and lively group, the amount of work generated can be large and challenging. They are all VOLUNTEERS, that classic group of Aussies who help guarantee that our communities function and help ensure that the diversity and richness of the broader Australian society works and is preserved.
A special thank you to all of our volunteers who keep things ticking along.

Aerial view across Anderson Inlet and Point Smythe taken at Inverloch in 2016

Record of Cypress Tree Removal

In the March 2018 Newsletter, I wrote about the removal of the Cypress trees from the perimeter of the Inverloch Football Oval (sometimes referred to as the Recreation Reserve) and of course, the activities and events that take place there are by no means confined to football or sports. Tree removal is now complete and isn’t the change remarkable? The two photos below speak for themselves. Everybody seems to be in agreement that from all sides the area now looks extremely bare. For posterity the Society has a complete set of photos — before removal, during removal, and after. Come 2050, members of our Society will have a good record of the event.

Felled Cypress trees at Inverloch Foot-ball Oval before final removal. March 2018
View across the oval and along Bayview Ave towards Powlett St. April 2018

2018 Raffle

Our annual fundraising raffle will take place during August to coincide with the Exhibition at The Hub. Lloyd Bennetts has volunteered to organise the raffle. More details to follow.

Ripple Restoration

The final stage of Bass Coast Shire’s restoration of Ripple on The Esplanade at Inverloch is renewal of the heavily deteriorated information panels. The Shire has asked the Society to help by locating suitable photographs and documents to tell Ripple’s story; research is underway. The original wooden wheel that formed part of the Ripple display was removed due to deterioration. The Society funded The Men’s Shed to restore the wheel which will be returned to complete the restored site.

Anzac Day

As we do each year, the Society will lay a wreath during the ANZAC Day ceremony. Inverloch RSL is a strong supporter of our work and aims. As you may have observed, they have their own splendid historical display at the RSL, curated by Col Leveson. Col does outstanding preservation and presentation work.

May Excursion

May is traditionally an excursion month. On 23 May we will be off to the State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi. Our visit will not include any time underground. Please check the May newsletter for more information.

John Hutchinson, President.