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Number 19, January 2022

End of Year Working Bee and BBQ

We had a great weekend on December 4th/ 5th, moving Ken's old carts and stump jump plough down to the compound and then moving everything from shed 3 to Shed 9. Above: John and Leo getting ready to unload carts.

We started Saturday with loading up the cart, jinker and smaller red horse cart onto John's massive 5m long trailer, which came in very handy!

The shed they were stored in was on the verge of collapsing, only being held up by the creeper that grew over the top!

The jinker is a very old horse cart that Ken had had for 50 years, but I've no idea where he got it from! Thanks to my niece's husband Justin for his help, too!

Here John secures the load, ready to take down to the Community Hub.

And here they are arriving, ready to be unloaded.

Then it was the turn of the Stump jump plough. It was lifted with a tractor on to the trailer, but I have no idea how they unloaded it, as I wasn't there! Great work by John and Leo...

Then it was a matter of getting them into the shed; from left the jinker, small red cart, historic cart and plough. This was Sunday, when were joined by Norm Houghton (second from left), who very helpfully put up all the boards around the inside of Shed 9.

We also ransacked Ken's collection of other items including a butter churn (at left), cameras (centre), toys and kitchenalia, kettles, tins, paintings and other various items at right. There was also an old rocking chair, so maybe we could set up an old sitting room to give the full early 20th Century experience! Also a lovely painting by Kate Whitehead from 1992, Whitehead is a good old Forrest name! From left: David, Leo, John and Norm.

More items for our museum/ workshop, now it all needs to be documented and explanatory nores need to be prepared!

We finished with a well deserved BBQ, along with other members of the FPRC who were having their own working bee (and helped out with ours too!)

Thanks to everyone who helped on the day, and thanks also to my late father Ken for all the items he'd collected over the years!

Forrest History Timeline - January

Year	Day	Place	Event
1918	23	Forrest	Daily average number of letters Colac to Forrest is five
1918	23	Forrest	Forrest Road Users Assoc asks CSC to metal Station Street. CSC refers to Riding members
1919	22	Forrest	Sports write up. The little valley known for many years as the Yaugher valley, nestles at the foot of a network of spurs connecting up with the Otway Dividing Range. Along the upper portion of the Barwon River, winding its way through well-kept but miniature farms, it is possible on a very warm day to have a tolerably good time. With its pretty mellow bends and cool flowing river the home of the trout and the blackfish, it is one of the ideal spots of nature. The Forrest sports give fine entertainment. The well managed athletic, chopping and equestrian events having always the greatest satisfaction. The picnic parties along the river, rich in tree ferns, are deservedly popular. The special trains to and from Forrest are timed to suit the convenience of holiday makers
1919	27	Forrest	Tender for Cottage at Forrest for J. Asplin. Laird & Buchan
1920	9	Forrest	Forrest Hall Committee asks OSC for a grant for a library. Refused
1920	9	Forrest	J. Muir gets butcher licence from OSC
1921	5	Forrest	Charles Malhoff obit. Aged 84. Been at Forrest for over 40 years and a colonist of 63 years
1924	28	Forrest	ref to Forrest Branch of the Vic Farmers Union
1927	7	Forrest	Special trains from Alvie, Colac and Geelong for the Sports to be held on the old sports ground in P. Hurley's paddock and at Yaugher. There are 2 sports days on the same day one by the Forrest Athletic Club, the other being the 30th annual meeting of Forrest Athletic Sports. Very odd but due it seems to breach between WD Axemen's Assoc and VAA
1927	14	Forrest	Working bees busy preparing the new sports ground at Yaugher. Provision for car parking.
1929	18	Forrest	Sports 28/1. Special train from Alvie 8.25, picking up all the way and dep Clc 9.05 and Birre 9.50. Sideshows, merry go round, plenty of car parking etc.
1929	30	Forrest	At the sports the band of the Colac 23rd Battalion played.
1931	28	Forrest	The SRWSC tunnel goues through range at Phillips and Hennigans to connect both arms of the Barwon. Three men working at each end.
1932	4	Barramunga	Barramunga Sports held Sat 2/1 at Barramunga, the profits to set up a football club. Woodchops, foot races.
1932	13	Forrest	Many campers in residence around Forrest, esp the willows on the banks of the Barwon. Good fishing, trout. The arcadian life appeals to many campers who return annually to the pretty and convenient camping ground.
1932	15	Forrest	Sports Day. Woodchop, horse events (open trot etc 1 mile), foot racing, dancing comps, musical chairs, novelty motor bike race, boys and girls races. Special trains from Glg and Colac and grand ball in hall at night.
1932	15	Forrest	Unemployed Relief Com'tee for Forrest ratepayers who are without work. OSC refused the Committee a grant. 32 men affected at Forrest. Committee would spend its own funds giving the men a day's work occasionally until the money was gone. First job was to cut a firebreak on the western side of the town.
1933	4	Barramunga	Held annual sports last Sat in Dec. Woodchops mostly, sawing match, ladies chop, ladies foot race.
1933	4	Forrest	Trout and blackfish up the river entice anglers. Many campers at the Willowbend on the Barwon at Forrest
1933	25	Barramunga	Contractor for the UG Rd clearing, grubbing and forming 2.25 miles. 8 men employed. The long cutting built by the selectors is being transformed into a passable section of road.
1933	25	Barramunga	Ref to Mrs Haigh's Junction House hosting guests
1933	25	Forrest	Tunnel between east and west branches of the Barwon for Bellarine water scheme closed a/c funds run out.
1934	19	Forrest	Swimming pool is in T. Gale's paddock.
1936	1	Forrest	Methodist Inspector report. Home Missionary is J. Hoare. The parsonage is a rough job built by working bee and never painted in its life but money now in hand to do so. The Church is in falrly good condition, and its parsonage, but badly situated on the poor edge of town and both buildings adjacent to the public hall.
1936	20	Forrest	Foundation Day Sports. Special train to Yaugher. Fares from Winch, Armytage, Colac, Irre, Birree (then to Yaugher).
1937	25	Forrest	PicNic Sports Club will hold usual Foundation Day sports. Been held past 41 years.
1945	1	Barwon Downs	Stella Wilson Diary entry. Catholic Sports held this day.
1951	12	Barramunga	Progress Assoc. sports at Forrest 20/1
1951	21	Barramunga	Progress Assoc. 50 members. Sports to raise money for a hall.
1952	1	Forrest	FHS Doc 2035. Around 1952 Forrest had four sawmills, three general stores (Neale's, Muir's, Voake's), café, bake house, hotel, post office, Eric Gourley's butchery, FCV, Lands Dept, 2 garages ( McDonna's and Jones's,) Police Station, three churches, public hall, lodge building, tennis courts, railway station. A banker called every week to work the sub-agency and Talkie Bell attended every Friday for film shows.
1953	16	Barramunga	Spurrell is the teacher there
1955	14	Forrest	Bernard Seebeck obit at Forrest, age 82
1955	24	Forrest	Bernie Seebeck obit. Born Daylesford and came to Forrest/Barramunga 56 years ago. Widely travelled and a lover of books. He cut all the timbers for the Forrest Methodist Church
1955	24	Forrest	Football Club asks OSC for funds to repair grounds. Club has been premiers twice and runners up in past three years. Ground has sunkk in the past wet years and is full of holes that fill with water. Cannot play finals there
1957	14	Forrest	Colac's first set of triplets born to Mr and Mrs T. Stewart of Forrest. Colac Herald starts an honor fund to help the parents.
1957	23	Barramunga	Cricket team. V. Redman, K. Wynne, J. Mulgrew, N. Gray, N. Schuller, K. Harrington, R. Hamill, L. Harrington, R. Redman, J. Wynne.
1958	27	Forrest	G. Riordan's milk bar and café and dwelling in Apollo Bay Raod burns down. Been operating it for past three years.
1958	27	Forrest	Milk bar and café on AB Road at Forrest burnt down. Been run by G. Riordan for three years
1959	30	Forrest	Foundation Day sports woodchop etc

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