A Kiosk, a Counter, and a Craperie

History—it is such a simple, familiar, and profoundly human word … and a uniquely human concept. We all possess personal, family, and life-defining histories … stories written, remembered, or sometimes only imagined, and often embellished by wishful thinking. History shapes our goals and aspirations, but it is never recalled or reported in quite the same way by those who experienced the moment, let alone by those who later seek to recall or report it. What might be my factual memory could be your ‘I remember it a little differently’ moment.

Human history consists of countless remembered moments, each unique. Twisted, altered, reshaped, and revised, our history can never be perfect, accurate, or identical upon retelling. Like smoke rising from a winter’s fire, its ghost-like networks are in constant flux. Even the memory of a single event will never be retold the same way twice. History depends on memory, and memory is never fixed. Ultimately, though, a collective history will form from a group consensus of ‘how it was or happened’.

From time to time, new information—or a revision of the old—will change perceptions of the past … that is inevitable … but for all that, the past cannot be altered. It is what it is—or was.

Lorne’s history grows out of the hills, forests, and beaches that edge the small crescent-shaped bight that stretches from Eagle Rock [Split Point] in the north to Point Grey in the south. We now call it Louttit Bay. It is a story that the people of modern Lorne crave to tell in a place worthy of the telling. Reiterating from a previous article [see ‘One down, One to go’: SCT: p 18; 17/10/25], the following dot-points list some of Lorne’s story:

• The land links between the ancient Otway rainforest and old Gondwana.
• The sea rushing in to fill Bass Strait and close the land bridge to Tasmania as the last major ice age ended, and polar caps melted—a process that remains incomplete and ongoing today.
• The long history of the Gadubanud—the original Otway Aboriginal tribe and the rightful ‘traditional owners’ of the Otway forests … [NB: although a group known as ‘the Eastern Maar’ currently claim traditional ownership of most of Western Victoria (including the Otways), this is quite incorrect. This ‘group’ only came into existence in 2011 as a legal construct to meet ‘ownership’ requirements under the Act and cannot—indeed must not—be allowed to usurp the rightful claims to antiquity that belong solely to the Gadubanud].
• The shameful Blanket Bay murder and the subsequent massacre of the Gadubanud at Aire River: https://tinyurl.com/yc4uzh3k
• The importance of the ancient Aboriginal feasting sites—middens—that line the shores around Point Grey.
• Lorne’s early settlement story—the arrival of the Mountjoy brothers, the establishment of their cattle run, and the hinterland history of potato farming.
• The timber industry—the extensive railways and horse-drawn cartways that cut through the steep Otway valleys, fed the region’s 330 sawmills with massive mountain ash and messmate, then trundled the timber to the transport piers at Lorne, Wye River, and Apollo Bay.
• The clear-felling that stripped the hills—the LHS has an impressive photographic record of the deforested hills behind Lorne—and which, even in distant hindsight, still stirs strong emotions among timber families. But regardless of which side of the Otway logging debate one supports, the Otway’s timber history is central to the success stories of colonial Melbourne, Geelong, and the goldfield towns of Ballarat and Bendigo.
• “Thar’s coal in them thar hills”—the coal mines at Benwerrin and Wensleydale.
• The tourism boom of the late 1800s, the guest house era, and the tug-of-war between temperance and alcohol.
• The creation of ‘The Road’—Howard Hitchcock’s bold idea, the hardy First World War diggers who came in droves to build the road with picks, shovels, wheelbarrows, and dynamite, and the modern challenges of maintaining this national treasure, now billed as the largest single war memorial in the world.
• The ‘Couta Decades’: fishing families and the unique pier-based crane and rail system they devised, which avoided Lorne’s shore’s boat-unfriendliness by lowering and lifting their couta boats onto the pier, where they unloaded endless tonnes of fresh couta into the Co-op.
• Lorne’s key role in Victoria’s surf lifesaving history, the introduction of the surfboard, and the notable achievements of Lynch and Cooper during the 1960s surfing revolution.
• The transformation of Lorne into a tourist hotspot and day-tripping destination featuring 21st-century hospitality trends.

“What an opportunity,” we all thought. “Where better to feel Lorne’s story than within a re-created, low-key, LAAC-complementing, site-sensitive, and reimagined Co-op building?”

If the old girl is truly doomed [as we have been told] and if we must move on to a reimagined space—but with similar lines and footprint—then let’s infuse it with Lorne, past, present, and future by providing exactly what our township craves … a space for our Lorne Historical Society [LHS] to reflect and celebrate Lorne’s close regional history in the relaxed, welcoming setting of an alfresco bistro-cafe.

While the Lorne Historical Society’s ‘home’ and record repository remains above the Erskine Bridge [where, incidentally, everyone is welcome to visit and explore], a thoughtfully designed and curated display at the pier precinct would bring the charm of our little slice of paradise to the passing crowd.

So, after two decades of prevarication, waste, and weasel words, what has GORCAPA actually delivered? A ten-seat kiosk, an eight-bum loo, and two small wall-mounted display cases for Lorne’s memorabilia. How shameful! What a farce! How completely have our hopes and dreams been crushed!

Mean-spirited and wasteful to the bitter end, GORCAPA and its predecessor GORCC have frittered away hundreds of thousands—uncountable and unaccounted for—on unimaginative designs that a layman could have whipped up in ten minutes for free on the back of a paper napkin.

Our Community Reference Group tried. We have shared their frustrations and their pain. We can only wonder how it took so long for them to disassociate from the process. Thank you: John Higgins, Pete Spring, Ian Stewart, Clive Goldsworthy, Bob Sinclair, Chris Tutungi, Mary Rose Yuncken, Karen Pitt, William Butler, and Heather Threadgold—we owe you much for your efforts, even if the grey-faced turkeys from Baines Court, Torquay, failed to listen.

After all this time, instead of a meeting place where we could honour our history together, we get a counter, a kiosk, and a craperie. It’s no wonder the community is angry … no wonder at all.

John Agar
Feature Writer

A word from the chairman

Hello
Come on Mother Nature! Here we are at Cup Weekend and I don’t think we’ve seen Spring yet. As I write this column at 3pm, the temperature is 11 degrees, feels like 5! We have certainly appreciated the recent rains, but our gardens are now looking for a bit more sunshine (as are we). Bring it on! And how clever were the Gran Fondo organisers to pick the fine Sunday in between two miserable ones.
Our newest food outlet has arrived, Le Comptoir Pigalle, a beautiful bakery and patisserie under the veranda of the Lorne Theatre. Many will be familiar with Le Comptoir café and bakery in Aireys Inlet and we welcome them to Lorne and wish them success. And if you can’t find anything there to tempt your palate (highly unlikely), there is always the donut shop next door! Rumour has it that some locals are crossing the road to avoid the calories coming out the doors!
Once again Lorne comes alive for the Cup “long” weekend. There are many activities for those not heading to Flemington, kicking off with the Foreshore Market on Saturday morning. The market is full of artisan goods, fresh foods and refreshments, and is an important fundraiser for our local school, so please come along and support this worthy cause. Our cricketers are itching for a game after winning by forfeit last Saturday with opponents Colac unable to field a team. On Saturday, they will take on City United at Stribling Reserve from 12 noon. Come along and support them while enjoying a quiet beverage and sensational views. And while you are at it, consider taking out a social membership to support the Club. $50 gets you into 7 home games and gives you a 15% discount at the bar. Irresistible! On Sunday, the Aquatic Club is running a fishing competition with weigh-in closing at 12.30pm and prizes for juniors and seniors. On Monday night, the Country Club will host its traditional Cup Eve Dinner, and just to finish it off, head to the Aquatic Club on Tuesday for lunch and a quiet punt. Bookings are required for the Cup Eve dinner and the Cup Day lunch but the other events are open and free. No reason to stay home, the garden can wait until next week!
It is great to see that Anglesea Transfer Station has become a Paintback drop-off location where you can recycle old paint and containers. This is a great initiative to keep these items out of landfill (and out from our sheds and under houses). We welcome new initiatives by the Surf Coast Shire and GORCAPA to increase recycling opportunities. Now what about some purple bins on the street for glass recycling!
Following your overwhelming response, the public community meeting regarding the Point Grey Co-op building redevelopment will be held on Sunday November 8th at 10.30am at Stribling Reserve Pavilion. This may be your last opportunity to have your voice heard on the future of this important community asset. Please register your attendance here [email protected].
Cheers (and good luck if you are having a punt)

Lorne Ward Events Calendar

November

1 – Lorne Market, 9-3pm, www.lornemarkets.com

1-4 Tide to Treetops Exhibition, Dee Matheson & Veronica McDonald at Community Connect 10am-4pm each day

2 – Tide to Treetops exhibition opening, 3pm meet the artists

2 Lorne Aquatic & Angling Club – major fishing competition no 6, weight cut off 12.30pm. Free roast lunch for competitors, $10 non-fishing members.

8-9 Tide to Treetops Exhibition, Dee Matheson & Veronica McDonald at Lorne Community Connect 10am-4pm each day