In the June 4th. edition of the “South Gippsland Times” (The Sentinel), a photograph of myself and fellow Committeeman Ray Burtt appeared, seeking the preservation of the two main entry gateposts to the lamented and lost Pine Lodge built by Cal Wyeth in Ramsey Boulevard. An Inverloch friend of mine quipped to me as I was shopping in Inverloch,- “Oh, I see your photos in the paper again!” I can assure members that neither Ray nor myself are on any kind of ‘ego trip’ !
Can I explain further.
That most recent photograph in “The Sentinel” brought a true and real treasure to the Society’s attention, when I was telephoned by Daryl Hunt from Leongatha, who had seen the photo in the newspaper and explained to me that he had a video of the opening, the building and the early years of Pine Lodge. He told me he had once taught at Leongatha Technical School where another member of staff was one Harry Wyeth. Harry produced a copy of the movie, and offered a copy to Daryl. Years later, Daryl noted our photo in “The Sentinel”, and as a result he contacted me, wondering if I was interested, and did we have a copy of the movie. The answer was no! I was staggered that such a movie existed.
It is clearly a very old 8mm. black & white movie, it is a copy, so consequently it is not sharp in focus, and over the years has lost some of its technical quality. Whilst we regret the loss of clarity, it is a remarkable record which we thought we would never see. At the moment we are carefully examining the movie, and will most likely make it available for public viewing for the September Exhibition.
We are always grateful for all the help we receive, from the smallest photo, written notes, maps, old documents and the spoken word. We are also aware of the need for our regular exhibition (the whole of September this year at the Hub), to be enthusiastically attended and supported by many local people and those whose connection with Inverloch spans many years.
The Society has received two grants from the Bass Coast Shire Council one of which defrays the cost of hiring the Hub for the whole of September, The Council conducted a thorough examination of the value of our submission, which was submitted with the assistance of Lynn Kirk and Ray Burtt. This means our exhibition offers free entry to all people who wish to see it. That is fantastic news, and we are very grateful to the Council for their support!
Secondly, we have received a grant to build a full scale model of the Rocket Launching Equipment in a setting that will do justice to a much better understanding of what ‘that rocket business is all about’ – to quote a friend who wondered what Ray and myself were talking about! I am also happy to tell you that our practical friends at the Men’s Shed in Inverloch are making the Rocket equipment for us. This is great inter- community group news in our busy town, and we are so thrilled and grateful that such cooperation has been achieved. A few days ago, both Ray and myself inspected the progress of its construction at the Men’s Shed. It looks magnificent. Following the Exhibition, it will become a permanent feature of the actual Rocket Shed down near the pier, sitting directly behind the replica of the “Ripple” boat, built by the Clocktower Committee so many years ago.(See their photo is this Newsletter)
The Inverloch Historical Society, like many others like us, rely upon the generosity of public grants to preserve Victoria’s history. It is not always easy to make submissions in these computer oriented times, and so it was with some disappointment we learned that we had failed to gain a grant for ten display boards for exhibition use. Many of our old boards have reached the end of their lives and are beyond repair, so we have a dilemma on our hands. The Society wishes to mount a quality and well prepared exhibition to display all that is good about the town and district, in a world where negative and bad news seems to abound. We are therefore seeking a way around our problem, hoping that some local generosity can assist us.
Bob Speed is one of our longest serving members. His happy and passionate interest in all things associated with Inverloch history is a delight. Recently he loaned me a beautifully framed sepia print of the holiday times at the pier, sometime around 1920. The Society has numerous photos of the pier, but this one we had never seen. We’d like to share it with you in this monthly Newsletter. What detail, what hats and what fun people were having. This must be the New Years Regatta, where everybody created their own fun, with no computers and other diversions to keep you at home out of the fresh air.
John Hutchinson, President