FARES PLEASE! October 2011 Celebrating 40 Years News from the Ballarat Tramway Museum
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FARES PLEASE! October 2011 Celebrating 40 Years News from the Ballarat Tramway Museum 40 Years On Trams 38 and 40 pass at Gardens Loop for the first time in many years on 18th September 2011. The last tram operated by the State Electricity Commission had left here on 5th September 1971. Photo: Warren Doubleday Ballarat Trams are Ballarat History 2. Fares Please! Family Day – Celebrating 40 years After our 40th anniversary event, held in WIN Television gave us good coverage May, the Committee of two, Richard Gilbert twice prior to the event, and after, and the and Neil Lardner set their thoughts on an Ballarat Courier advertised the event in the appropriate event marking the weekend of ‘Mars Free Listings’ and the museum took closure of the Ballarat Tramway system in out a Display Advertisement in the 1971. As the Members event had been a Classifieds. The Courier produced a full series of social gatherings at the Depot with page of coverage after the event in the social a Grand Dinner at the Brewery Tap Hotel, it gatherings section of the paper. was obvious a parallel event wouldn’t work The big day on Sunday 18th September and an entirely different concept needed to dawned and the weather was our first bonus. be developed. From 8am the marquees were placed in From attending COTMA Conferences and position, the Ballarat Engine and Machinery learning of the successful activities Club arrived and set up, the trams were conducted at other museums, it was decided placed in strategic positions around the to draw on the Sydney Tramway Museum depot fan and the Lions Club set up their experience of a Family Day. A lot of barbecue. The crowds started arriving from thought went into the style of the event and 11am as the Face Painting Fairy set up, from the start it was decided the event along with our Sales Table and Balloon would focus on the Depot area. It was also Giveaway table. Alan Snowball placed our decided the event would be free of charge Tower Truck alongside the two veteran cars with a gold coin donation option. That that were provided by members of the option, and our Sales Table, made a engine club. welcome contribution to the cost of the day. Our wonderful Master of Ceremonies, the A further decision was made to offer many Tram Controller, Roger Salen, arrived in his of the tasks and attractions to ‘like groups’ black top coat and top hat and he announced and not be run directly by us. The the events and departure of each tram. Committee decided the business of running the trams was ours and the business of From midday the event was in full swing providing other entertainment could be the and trams departed well loaded but we province of others. found they returned extremely well loaded. Two trams were then sent off in convoy to A couple of meetings were held and the handle the crowds and the face painting structure of the event was drawn up. The queue became embarrassingly long. The ‘like groups’ were contacted and Federal member of Parliament, Catherine negotiations commenced. The Ballarat City King, patiently waited in the queue with her Council had to give permission for an son, Ryan, for the sought after artwork. ‘event’ to be held in the gardens and an on site meeting was held with David Lewis and The crew rostering had been somewhat light the ‘event’ and the detail of the site on, and we were blessed with members management agreed to. turning up to offer their services to drive, conduct and be generally helpful around the The local ABC Radio contacted Richard site. The meal room buzzed with Gilbert and arranged an interview. The conversation and co-operation as the engine interview, and photographs taken, were then club members joined in for refreshments placed on the ABC website for 4 weeks. and lunch provided. Fares Please! October 2011 3. Fares Please! Balloons were everywhere Catherine King MHR and son Ryan Family Day th 18 September Alastair’s model tramway was a great attraction Tram Controller Roger Salen Photos: Warren Doubleday Austin Brehaut Richard Gilbert The Lions Club provided essential nourishment Face painting was very popular Fares Please! October 2011 4. Fares Please! By 4pm the crowds diminished and the pace slackened. The last tram made its journey The New Board and we all retired to the depot meal room to There are no changes from last year and the consider and reflect on the event and, in a Board personnel are Greg Rodgers way, it was just like that last day, the 19th (President), Richard Gilbert (Vice September, 1971. The last tram had run, the President), Alastair Reither (Vice players retired into the Depot and the big President), Carolyn Cleak (Treasurer), Peter day was over. Winspur (Secretary), Stephen Butler, The event has been held, the occasion Warren Doubleday, Simon Green, Neil celebrated and the business of the museum Lardner, Andrew Mitchell and Paul Mong now moves on to see us continue operating, (Ordinary Board Members). preserving and respecting this important This year the Managers are: part of Ballarat history. Technical Services Manager: Richard Gilbert Alastair Reither Assistant Technical Services Manager: Annual General Meeting Warren Doubleday The Annual General Meeting of the Operations Manager: Peter Winspur rd Museum was held on Sunday 23 October Marketing Manager: Richard Gilbert at the Depot. Thirty-one members Museum Services Manager: attended. Previously circulated Resolutions Warren Doubleday to update the Association’s Rules were put Training Manager: Greg Rodgers and carried at the meeting. These changes Depot Services Manager: were necessary due to amendments to the Dave Macartney Act. The recommendation from the Board Chair, Safety & Incident Management that Richard Gilbert be appointed a Life Committee: Greg Rodgers Member under Rule 5 was carried by acclamation. President Greg Rodgers spoke of Richard’s Bereavements considerable achievements over a period of Margaret Reither, mother of Alastair, passed over forty years. He also indicated that he away on the 9th October. She was only 67. felt that after forty years it was probably Over 100 attended the funeral and the now appropriate in the coming years to Museum was well represented. consider others who have also made a major Margaret first brought Alastair around to the contribution to the Museum. In response, Museum in 1990 and joined him up as a Richard indicated how much he had enjoyed Junior Supporter as well as joining herself. being part of the development of the At the time few would have been able to Museum and how one of the things that look forward twenty years and see her made this so was the small size of the task young son becoming the person responsible and the group compared with other rail for all maintenance and a vital part of the based organisations of which he has also day to day running of the Museum. She been a part. will be missed. After the meeting members were invited to ride in Tram No 38 which has just returned Jeff Constantine, the first manager of the Portland Cable Trams, passed away on the to service after thirteen years. For some of th them it was their first ever opportunity. 10 October after a long illness. Many will Afternoon tea and much conversation remember him as a very nice bloke. followed. Fares Please! October 2011 5. Fares Please! The Last Day of the S.E.C. Tramway For reasons which have long escaped me I General meetings before Entertainment took no photos of the last day of the meetings. It was resolved that the quorum operation of trams by the State Electricity for a general meeting be fifteen. It was Commission. Recently, I asked Richard ‘pointed out that Clause 46 should be Gilbert if he had any and he responded that rewritten so as not to be ambiguous’. It was he had spent much of the day in a meeting. recorded that ‘Mr.S.McCarthy finished My diary for the 19th September 1971 is reading the constitution at 12.52pm’. He brief: “BTPS Meeting 11:45; Last Day of then moved ‘that the constitution as SEC Tramways; Rode last Lydiard St Nth; presented be adopted, and that the Home 2am.” This prompted me to look for amendments required by this meeting be the minutes of that meeting. inserted in the Memorandum and Articles to I found two sets of minutes! They are be prepared for the Society’. The Motion essentially the same, but I will refer to those was carried. A vote of thanks to Shane for in the Minute Book. his work was carried. The meeting was held at the Provincial The only other business raised was that Hotel and opened at 11:58am with the ‘Mr.P.Nicholson requested the members President, Hal Cain, in the chair. Thirty present to help in preventing any damage or members were present. The purpose of the violence that may occur with the tramway meeting was to consider the proposed closures’. The Chairman then closed the Constitution. At the meeting to form the meeting at 1:00pm. The vital business of Society in May, Shane McCarthy had put approving the formal structure of the forward a series of suggestions as a basis for Society over, we were then free to ride the a constitution.1. This meeting then trams. appointed Shane, Mark Plummer and By 19th September 1971 the only route Melton Foo as a committee to draw one up. operating was from Lydiard Street North to It was to be ‘submitted for approval to a Sebastopol.