PAGE 32 - “THE STAR”, Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Lions chip in for kids By Brad Lester IT’S a 200km trip from Inverloch to Licola in Victoria’s High Country, but Klaus Edel does not mind the drive. He regularly makes the two hour journey to give disadvantaged young people from across the state an opportunity to experience adventure. The president of the Inverloch and District Lions Club is passionate about upgrading a house at the Lions Licola Wilderness Village that provides outdoor camps for youngsters on the banks of the Macalister River. He and other Inverloch Lions are responsible for maintaining house number 10 – named Wombat - in the village owned by the Lions clubs of Victoria and southern New South Wales. Licola is the only privately owned town in Victoria. Inverloch Lions have rebuilt a bathroom in the house by upgrading the
flooring and showers, replaced the front verandah and built a path. Next they will fit new curtains. Beyond the house, the Lions have improved the surrounds of a pool, maintained a flying fox and built a table for children with disabilities. The next project will see the roof replaced in the mess hall, capable of seating 200. It could be a $200,000 job. “They have got hiking, they have got climbing, they have got canoeing. It’s all for disadvantaged children. We sponsor one week stays,” Mr Edel said. “There is no television, no mobile phone reception and only one general store across the road from the village. Too many children these days are not active and even after one week, the most inactive children are active.” Campers have access to sport and games, a modern indoor stadium and nature. “The big thing is they get fellowship because they all have to help each other,”
Mr Edel said. Inverloch Lions recently sponsored four children from the Inverloch-Kongwak Primary School to attend and do so every year. The volunteers even drive the children to Warragul where they catch a bus with other campers. “In the last year 10 years, there have been up to 40 children from Inverloch go up there,” Mr Edel said. “You just get total satisfaction from helping, especially when you see the children’s gratitude and the use they get out of it.” Back at Inverloch, the Lions club continues to run the popular monthly community farmers’ markets. Students from Bass Coast Specialist School have hand painted jute bags to sell at the market as a fundraiser towards new equipment. All profits from the market are dispersed by Lions throughout the Inverloch community. In the 2013-14 financial year, that amounted to $27,000.
Job done: Inverloch and District Lions Club members Adrian Marriner (left) and Greg Dyke proudly display the path they built to the club’s house at Lions Licola Wilderness Village.
• OBITUARY
Hard times inspired achievement BOB Stone was born on May 26, 1925 to Ron and Gertrude Stone, store keeper and real estate agent in Somers, Victoria. In the 1929 depression, the Stone family was dependent on others paying their bills and like most in regional Victoria were hit hard. The Stone children were often seen running
around and going to school with bare feet. This period of time had a big affect on the young Bob Stone and much later he always made sure his children did not have to endure the same hard ship. Bob was a natural athlete and a strong swimmer. It was because of his known physical ability that when a six year old boy fell into a well,
the boy’s sibling ran up the road some 200 metres to fetch Bob, who jumped into the well to try and save the boy. Bob was 16 and in June the water was very cold. As the efforts were becoming futile and Bob was struggling to breath, he was about to give up on his rescue attempts when he felt the child’s hair brush his arm. He pulled himself
The thirtieth in a series of columns marking 50 years of Leongatha Lyric Theatre in 2015
1996: 42nd Street and Room to Move THE main agenda item at the first Lyric Theatre committee meeting in 1996 was the upcoming musical 42nd Street.
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Director's fees were settled with Neil Goodwin and the show needed at least 10 young men to join the cast for the show to go on. An information night was held at the end of January and when a video of the production was shown, over 80 potential cast members turned up to meet Mr Goodwin. Auditions were held in Foster, Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Korumburra, Mirboo North and Leongatha, and a cast of 40 was selected. In February, discussion about choreography for 42nd Street resulted in the decision to offer Lyric equipment to the value of $500 to Lisa Pellin for her forthcoming ballet concert in lieu of cash for her choreography services. Lisa Pellin also played the lead role of Peggy Sawyer. Mr Goodwin was to play the role of Billy Lawler. Richard Pegler and Neil Warren worked on set construction, which would include tiered seating and a thrust stage. In March, it was determined audiences for 42nd Street would be capped at 384 per night and the budget would be
and the child out of the well on a rope helped by his brother Frank. Luckily the child survived and Bob received a bravery award from the Royal Humane Society. In his 16th year Bob travelled to the city to play football for Melbourne. Even to this day it is said he is amongst the youngest to play in the senior side. He played football for Hastings alongside John Coleman, and won the best and fairest for Hastings and the league five times (over the great John Coleman). He also played for St Kilda. Because of the distance and cost of travelling from Somers to Melbourne, Bob decided to play amateur football instead. He ran for Victoria as an amateur. At later stages in his life he played three seasons for Mirboo North and was playing coach with Stony Creek for three years. Both teams were in the grand final for the six years. Bob and his wife Jean established the Dumbalk East tennis club. Many years later he built a tennis court at Bahla Bluff, his property at Inverloch. Many a family tournament was played there with so
• Bob Stone much fun for all. Bob joined the navy in 1942 at the age of 17 and he was to serve on the mine sweeper Castlemaine from 1943- 1945, working in northern Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific Ocean. The Castlemaine was one of the first ships to enter Hong Kong harbour when the allied forces took it from the Japanese. After the war, Bob became a builder and married his sweetheart Jean Bourne, whom he had known for several years. They had four children: Lewis, John, Kaye and Martin. They worked for Bob’s Uncle Frank Berryman at Mirboo North in 1954. Then in 1958 they brought a grazing farm, Koombahla, from the Carmichael family near Dumbalk. Arriving at the thistle infested 200 acre
performances. Room to Move was cast by mid July with rehearsals on Tuesdays andThursdays. A few of the cast members were making their debut on the stage and the play dealt with contemporary social problems. The season went well and the show was described as a “quality production”. At the end of the year, it was announced The Pyjama Game would be the major musical in 1997, directed by Joe Fairhurst. Colin Mitchell was keen to design the set and auditions were planned for late January. Although a musical director and choreographer had not yet been engaged, the committee was negotiating several possibilities and was confident of success.
He was very saddened by the loss of his wife Jean in December last year. Bob was lucky enough to celebrate his 90th birthday surrounded by family and friends at the RACV Inverloch on May 26. Bob died peacefully on Wednesday, June 24 after suffering a stroke on the previous Sunday night. He was a great but very humble man and will be sadly missed. His grandson Sam Stone said, “What a wonderful life he lived. A time of change, many challenges and also much delight. He was undoubtedly as terrific a father as he was a grandfather. “He made many sacrifices over his time and worked hard for his family. The qualities of this great man are many but some of the stand outs from my point of view were his strength, wisdom, honour, humility, his can do attitude, his warmth, his gift of telling so many great stories and above all his ability to inspire the people who held him most close. “A great man who lived well and shall live on through our collective memories.”
Mayor’s message
Strong cast: many people were keen to audition for the 1996 musical 42nd Street.
between $28,700 and $30,000. The cast of 42nd Street rehearsed every Sunday, using the Lyric playhouse and studio. Musical director Sue Arney and rehearsal pianist Carmel Slater were involved with the rehearsals. A week before opening, ticket sales had totalled $7300 and booked tickets that had not been paid for had totalled $6300. The musical ran for 11 performances in May and June, and produced one of the best opening scenes ever witnessed by a Lyric Theatre audience. Lyric's committee decided Michelle Dal Masetto would direct Room to Move in October. The play was to open on October 4 for seven
farm with one cow, a truck and a heap of debt and after working hard on the farm, he became a successful sheep and cattle grazier, increasing the farm to 700 acres over time. Martin, the youngest son, and his family bought the farm in 1986 and have continued on with excellent management, keeping the property weed free and financially rewarding. Bob and Jean purchased a bare vacant two acre block at 29 Henderson’s Court, Inverloch 35 years ago and built a family home which would become known as Bahla Bluff - the house on the bluff. It became the most popular play ground for their 15 grandchildren and later seven great grandchildren. It was recently sold for the family by their son Lewis, who has a real estate business in Inverloch. Bob and Jean Stone made many sacrifices on behalf of their four children. They sent them to boarding school which was a great start in life for them. Bob spent his last two years at Seahaven aged care home at Inverloch, where he was well cared for and loved by the staff.
Cr Kimberley Brown
Council achievements recognised AFTER nominating a variety of projects for the 2015 Tidy Town Sustainable Communities Awards, I was very happy to hear council has been named a finalist in five categories. The projects recognised are the All Terrain Wheelchairs, Sustainability Festival, Stop Tagging Start Street Art and Keep Phillip Island Beautiful: 2014-15 Summer Recycling and Littering Project. I’d like to mention, in particular, the Stop Tagging Start Street Art project for being named finalists in two categories. This project was a joint effort by council, Wonthaggi Police, Wonthaggi Business Association, Wonthaggi Secondary College Satellite VCAL Program and local artists,
and I congratulate everyone involved for receiving the recognition this great initiative deserves. The street art project has certainly brightened up some of the alley ways in Wonthaggi and I’m looking forward to seeing what other street art surprises pop up on our blank walls in the future. Everyone involved in these projects is deserving of this state-wide recognition, and fingers crossed we bring home some awards from the finals to be held on October 17.
Around Bass Coast School holidays have come to an end! I hope everyone had a lovely break (for those of you lucky enough to be on holidays!). It’s important to remember school zones are being enforced again, so remember to slow down and observe 40km/h speed limits around school zones,
pay attention when approaching school crossings and take extra caution in wet weather, allowing plenty of time to stop at crossings.
Mayor’s diary I will be speaking at the Gippsland Community Leadership Program dinner, which gives community members throughout Gippsland the opportunity to develop their leadership skills throughout a year long program. Gippsland Local Government Network will be meeting again on Friday, July 17, this time not too far away in our neighbouring shire, South Gippsland. The ordinary council meeting is also coming up again on July 15 and as always, everyone is welcome to attend from 5pm onwards in the council chamber, Civic Centre Wonthaggi.