Wednesday February 23, 2011
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Region farewells Bill Bursill The Passing of an Australian Ski Industry Legend - Samuel William (Bill) Bursill (February 6, 1915 – February 5, 2011) The Australian ski industry representatives gathered with the family and friends to celebrate the life of Bill Bursill at St David’s Presbyterian Church Campbelltown on Monday February 14, 2011 and afterwards at Glenalvon. Ed Denny from Thredbo described the celebration “as a warm family and friends tribute to someone who was much loved. The breadth of his achievements were talked about and shown via a slide presentation. A truly remarkable man.” Born in Campbelltown, to Samuel William Jnr and Eleanor Jane Young, he had the distinction of being the great grandson of convict William Bursill who was transported for life to Australia at the age of seventeen, after being arrested in 1820 on the suspicion of stealing two rings. Bill’s grandfather Samuel William Bursill Snr was the mayor of Campbelltown from 1909 to 1913 and he subsequently bought the fine Georgian Mansion in Lithgow Street called Glenalvon. From 1919 until 1935 Samuel Jnr concentrated on dairy farming at Rosslyn and Bill and his siblings walked from here to Campbelltown Primary School in Lithgow Street, taking a billy can of fresh milk to their grandparents at Glenalvon. Aged eighteen years, Bill joined his father in the business and took over the Bursill Store in 1945. He subsequently met and married Valerie Hall (who was a young graduate pharmacist at the Campbelltown pharmacy) on October 28, 1939. They had four children, Donald, Graham, Helen and Robert. Bill continued to help his father run the Bursill Store and he and Val lived on top of the shop in Queen Street for a few years before building on an old tennis court next to Glenalvon. After selling motor vehicles and running the general store, Bill went into property development; firstly in Campbelltown, and then eventually building flats, motels and houses from Thredbo to tropical North Queensland and plenty in between. His introduction to snow was in the winter of 1945 at Mt Franklin in an Army camp hut where he and Valerie went for rest and recreation. The ski technique employed was what Bill called the “lavatory crouch”. After the closure of the Mt Franklin army camp, Bill and Valerie stayed at the Hotel Kosciusko and after that they progressed to the Chalet at Charlotte Pass where he joined the Kosciusko Alpine Club and supplied building materials for the construction of the KAC Lodge. It was at the Chalet that Bill met Tony Sponar in the early ’50s, and Bill was invited to join a group of ski enthusiasts from Sydney to visit the
Thredbo Valley in 1955 to discuss the location for a ski resort. Asked to join the original Thredbo syndicate applying to establish the resort, Bill declined however he told Tony that, if it came to fruition, he would build a commercial lodge in the resort. Nothing was heard until Bill answered a knock on the door at his house in Sydney, and there stood Tony saying that permission had been granted to build the resort and that Tony had already bulldozed the site and dug the sewer trench for Bursill’s Lodge. So how could Bill knock back the opportunity? Bursill’s Lodge emerged from two large insulated cool rooms clad with timber from car packing crates in 1958 with the help of the Austrian ski instructors Leonhard Erharter and Helmut Pfitser working on the internal fittings. They taught Bill to ski Arlberg style in the afternoons. Dick Joyce was the carpenter. The lodge had eight bedrooms downstairs and upstairs a big open space with two bedrooms for Bill and a toilet. Tony and Elisabeth Sponar were the first Bursills Lodge managers. The next people to run the lodge were Leo Pockl and Maria. Rudi and Chris Schatzle leased it for twelve years. Eventually the lodge was sold to Ferie Oosterhof of Alpine Tours. Today the lodge is owned by Ed Denny and a business partner and operates under the name of The Denman. Bill Bursill supported a carpenter in Campbelltown to make skis from Australian hardwood however the cost of labour proved too great so Bill sent the Australian hardwood to Japan to be manufactured and distributed them in Australia through his family business, Bursill’s Sports Gear. A keen skier, Bill enjoyed competition and participated in the Thredbo Masters’ annual ski race most years. The last time he was on course was in 2009 at the age of 94. He was the complete sportsman – he body surfed, snorkelled and love to spend a large amount of his ‘recreational’ time building and cruising on boats. His project over the last thirteen years was designing and developing tourist accommodation and houseboat hiring in Lucinda, a small coastal village about 120 km north of Townsville. He continued actively in all aspects of this up until last year. Fortunately the resort suffered only very minor damage from Cyclone Yasi – as Bill always said “we will be protected by the (southern end of Hinchinbrook) Island”, and the resort was. A nonagenarian, Bill died just one day short of his ninety sixth birthday. He was brother of John (Jack) (deceased), Marjorie (deceased) and Keith (deceased); husband of Valerie (deceased); father of Donald, Graham, Helen and Robert; Bill will be missed by his many grandchildren and great grandchildren, friends and acquaintances.
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We’re locals, supporting locals Keeping the local dollar here!
COOMA Twin Cinema 76 Commissioner Street Friday 25th February – Super Tuesday 1st March 2011 THE DILEMMA: Rated M 1 hr 50 mins Screening: Friday & Tuesday @ 6.15pm, Saturday @ 3pm & 7.30pm, Sunday @ 3.15pm
MORNING GLORY: Rated M 1 hr 47 mins Screening: Friday & Tuesday @ 8.30pm, Saturday @ 5.30pm, Sunday @ 1pm & 5.30pm
BLACK SWAN:
GNOMEO & JULIET:
Rated MA 1 hr 48 mins Screening: Friday & Super Tuesday @ 8.15pm, Saturday @ 8pm, Sunday @ 6pm
Rated G 1 hr 24 mins Screening: Friday & Super Tuesday @ 6.30pm, Saturday @ 2.30pm, 4.15pm & 6pm, Sunday @ 12.30pm, 2.15pm & 4pm
JINDABYNE Cinema Snowy Region Visitors Centre Friday 25th February – Super Tuesday 1st March 2011 UNKNOWN: Rated M 1 hr 53 mins Screening: Friday & Super Tuesday @ 6.15pm Saturday @ 2pm & 6.15pm Sunday @ 12noon & 4.15pm
CLOSED Thursday & Wednesday
TRUE GRIT: Rated M 1 hr 50 mins Screening: Friday & Super Tuesday @ 8.30pm Saturday @ 4.15pm & 8.30pm Sunday @ 6.30pm
Coming Attractions: 3rd – 9th March 2011 Hall Pass, Gnomeo & Juliet
Movie Info Line 64571 777 www.snowymovies.com.au
$1000 ONEY M G N I D SPEN
For 4 people for 7 nights Airfares & accommodation Simply spend $5 at the Cooma Ex-Services Club to enter.
*conditions apply
LTPS/10/12094
www.coomashow.com.au All sections of the schedule and heaps of other information now available on our website