Latrobe Valley Social History History Social Valley Latrobe Latrobe Valley Social History Celebrating and recognising Latrobe Valley’s history and heritage Celebrating and recognising Latrobe Valley’s history heritage and Latrobe Valley’s recognising and Celebrating Contents Acknowledgements 2 Chapter 3: Communities 69 First peoples 70 Acronyms 3 Co-existence, the mission era and beyond 71 Preface 5 Settler communities 72 Small towns and settlements 73 Introduction 7 Large town centres 74 Housing 77 Chapter 1: Land and Water 9 Town and community life 80 Evolution of a landscape 12 The importance of education 82 Ancient land, ancient culture 14 Sport, recreation and holidays 84 Newcomers 19 Women’s social networks 86 Frontier conflict 21 Church communities 87 Mountain riches 24 Health and hospitals 88 A ‘new province’ 25 Migration 91 Responses to the landscape 28 Don Di Fabrizio: From Italy to Morwell 95 Access to the Valley 30 Lost places 96 Fire and flood 33 Looking back, looking forwards 98 Transforming the land 35 Pat Bartholomeusz: Dedicated to saving a town Hazelwood Pondage 37 and a community 99 Reconnecting to Country 100 Chapter 2: Work and Industry 39 Conclusion 101 Introduction 40 Aboriginal workers 41 Bibliography 103 Mining and timber-cutting 42 Primary sources 104 Farming and the growth of dairying 44 Maps and Plans 104 The promise of coal 46 Published Works 104 A State-run enterprise for winning coal 49 Industrial History 105 Ray Beebe: a working life with the SEC 52 Government Reports, Publications and Maryvale paper mill 53 Legislation 106 War-time and postwar industrial expansion 56 Newspapers and Periodicals 106 Women’s factory work 58 Secondary sources 107 ‘Lovely La Mode Corsetry’ 59 Publications 107 Working for the SEC 60 Local History Publications 109 Workers united, and divided 62 Heritage and Conservation Reports 111 New industries 65 Unpublished Works 111 Privatisation and economic downturn 67 Digital Resources 112 Latrobe Valley Social History 1 Acknowledgements The social history has been developed through extensive research and consultation, and in close consultation with Andrew Rhodes, Andrew Manning and Ann Kirwan of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The assistance of the following people and organisations is also gratefully acknowledged: Ann Lovison, Yallourn North & Geoff Duffell Marianne Robinson District Historical Society/Old Brown Coal Mine Museum George Kanellopoulos Marie James Barb Derham, Country Graham Goulding, Moe & Mike Answerth Women’s Association District Historical Society/ Pat Bartholomeusz (Traralgon) Association of Affiliated Historical Societies of Peter McNab, Mid Gippsland Barbara Johnson, Traralgon & Gippsland Family Historical Society District Historical Society Helen Lilley, Office of the Rae Mackay, Latrobe Valley Bob Johnson, Traralgon & Latrobe Valley Mine Mine Rehabilitation District Historical Society Rehabilitation Commission Commissioner Brett Millsom, Department of Professor Ian D. Clark, Ballarat Ray Beebe Jobs, Precincts and Regions Jenni Hardy, Latrobe Valley Rhonda Hastie, Office of the Bruce Lougheed, PowerWorks Authority Latrobe Valley Mine Bruce McMaster, Morwell Jennifer Barfoot Rehabilitation Commissioner Historical Society John Hutchinson Soula Kanellopoulos Chris French, Yallourn Steven Haby, Prahran Association John Lawson Mechanics’ Institute Daniel Miller, Gunaikurnai Land Kathleen Dalton, GLaWAC Steve Lovison, Yallourn North & and Waters Aboriginal Keith Brownbill, Advance District Historical Society/Old Corporation (GLaWAC) Morwell Brown Coal Mine Museum Dianne Hurren, GLaWAC Leo Billington Tegan McKenzie, Latrobe City Don Di Fabrizio Council Libby Scott, Gippstown Elaine Andrijczak, Morwell Heritage Park Val Prokopiv, PowerWorks Historical Society Lloyd Hood, GLaWAC Vicki Hamilton, Asbestos Elizabeth Triarico, Italian Council of Victoria / GARDS Lorrae Dukes, Latrobe City Historical Society, Melbourne Council Fay Langstaff, Country Lorraine Bull Women’s Association (Traralgon) 2 Latrobe Valley Social History Acronyms ACHRIS Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register and Information System ACM Asbestos-containing materials ACT Australian Capital Territory ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions APM Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd CRB Country Roads Board CWA Country Women’s Association DELWP Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning GARDS Gippsland Asbestos Related Diseases Support Inc. GIAE Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education GLaWAC The Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation GTLC Gippsland Trades and Labour Council NSW New South Wales PROV Public Record Office Victoria RFA Regional Forest Agreement SEC State Electricity Commission of Victoria SLV State Library Victoria VHM Victorian Historical Magazine YTLC Yallourn Trades and Labour Council Latrobe Valley Social History 3 Broadbents Map of Victoria, 1940s (source: State Library Victoria Map Collection) 4 Latrobe Valley Social History Preface The Latrobe Valley is a regional area of Victoria Latrobe Valley and its development, industries, with a rich and layered past, with many stories of immigration, land and water management, and people, places, communities and happenings. tragedies in more recent times, such as the extent The sources for investigating the history of the of asbestos-related disease, the Churchill fire of Valley, both as a region and as a network of 2009 and the Hazelwood mine fire of 2014. places, are many and varied. In drawing on a wide Similarly, there is an emerging body of work about range of sources, this report endeavours to bring the Gunaikurnai. together many different views and perspectives of the Latrobe Valley. The work of the Centre for Gippsland Studies, located in the Latrobe Valley, in promoting and The European history of the Latrobe Valley from encouraging the study of local history over the early colonial period has been richly several decades, and the broadening of historical documented: there are countless local histories of understanding gained through the contributions the towns, hamlets, shires and settlements, and to the Gippsland Heritage Journal (1986–2006) their minutiae — the individual stories of schools, has also been significant. The Centre for churches, businesses and organisations across Gippsland Studies has developed an impressive the Valley. There are also thematic histories, local history collection, which is now housed in studies of planning and industry, farming and ‘The Gippsland and Regional Studies Collection’. closer settlement, railways and transport, and The various local historical societies also hold coal. There are works exploring Aboriginal history important local records and have supported before and after European settlement, notably many publications in local history. those by Phillip Pepper, Alfred Howitt and Peter Gardner. A large body of significant work on the This social history of the Latrobe Valley covers a history of the wider region has been produced by range of topics. Whilst it is not comprehensive, it Meredith Fletcher, Erik Eklund, Julie Fenley, Don endeavours to fill a gap in the available material. Watson, Patrick Morgan, David Langmore, It seeks to understand the relationship the people Stephen Legg, and others. of the Valley have had with this place over time, against the broader background of significant Primary source material includes published economic and social change and a changing journals and diaries, maps and plans, newspaper landscape, and the role of people, communities articles, historic photographs and artworks, and and place in shaping this story. The social the archives of some of the more significant history of the Latrobe Valley will continue to be institutions in the Valley’s history. The history of told and retold in different ways in the future, the operations of the State Electricity and will continue to be enriched by new voices Commission of Victoria (SEC) has also been and perspectives. amply documented, as has the history of Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd (APM). There A comprehensive Resources Guide forms a is a large body of statutory, legislative and legal companion to this history. This will assist readers, material that includes royal commissions and researchers and others in exploring any of these government inquiries, which relates directly to the subjects in more detail. Latrobe Valley Social History 5 The view over the Latrobe Valley from the Mt Tanjil trigonometrical station, north of Moe (source: Sutherland 1888, Victoria and its Metropolis, vol. 2, p. 1) 6 Latrobe Valley Social History Introduction The Latrobe Valley is a distinct place that has a Morwell, Moe and Traralgon boasted ample and unique story in Victoria’s history. It is a well-appointed public hospitals, public education geographic area that is abundantly rich in (including primary, secondary and tertiary), and natural resources and one that thrived as a place an impressive public transport network of rail and of human habitation and endeavour long before buses that connected townships to one another, the beginning of British colonisation. There is a ferried workers to places of work, and provided strong sense of containment about the Latrobe services to Melbourne. Valley. It has clear boundaries and land-use patterns that mark it as visually distinct and The idea of the ‘public good’ underpinned social which encouraged particular ways of life: from life in the Valley. Communities were strong, active farming, coal-mining and timber-milling to and relatively