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By email, 7/1999:...
Snowy Mountains Scheme - The First 50 Years
Historic Vehicle Rally - October 1999
Street Parade & Display, 16 - 17 October 1999.
Cooma and Jindabyne
An invitation has been extended to
many car clubs in NSW, Vic, Qld and the ACT to
participate in a grand parade and display of historic vehicles representing the 1920 to 1974
era as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme 50th Anniversary Celebrations in October 1999.
Negotiations with these car clubs have been met with great interest, enthusiasm and
willingness to be part of such a unique and historic event with an estimated 300 - 400
vehicles being registered for the event.
The rally consists of a vehicle display of
the expected 300 to 400 vehicles in Commissioner
Street, Cooma on Saturday 16th October
at 9.00am followed by the Grand Parade in Sharp
Street commencing at 1.30pm. Rally entrants will register
at the Cooma Railway Station,
Bradley Street, from 8.00am where the Cooma Monaro Railway society are
kindly providing use of the station facilities including light refreshments.
After the parade all vehicles will travel to the Station Resort, Jindabyne for an overnight stop.
In an effort to reduce possible traffic congestion on the main Cooma to Jindabyne Road,
entrants will have the option of traveling to Jindabyne via Bobundra and Dalgety where an
observation event will be conducted.
On Sunday 17th October
rally entrants, after enjoying a marvelous fully cooked country
breakfast, will travel from the Station Resort, to the main display area in Banjo Paterson Park
as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. The display will be from 9.00am to 3.30pm.
These two events will support other planned 50th Celebration Events including the Avenue of
Flags and Citizenship Ceremony in Cooma and the Lake Jindabyne Reunion Picnic. Over
8000 ex-workers of the Scheme have already registered their names on the Snowy data base
to attend the Celebrations with various estimates of attendance figures made by informed
sources ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 people for this reunion in Cooma and Jindabyne.
The general organisation and coordination for the vehicle parade and display under the
chairmanship of Noel Gough, an ex-worker (1950-1960) of the Snowy Mountains Authority,
will be conducted by the host car club, Classic and Historic Automobile Club of
Australia, (CHACA) Bega Branch, with the close co-operation and support by representatives
and office bearers of other car clubs, the Snowy Mountains Authority, 50th Celebration
Events Managers, Julie Brooks and Co, Sydney, the Station Resort management, Jindabyne,
(CHACA) Wagga Region, CHACA, Monaro Region, Cr Neen Pendergast, Snowy River
Shire Council. Assistance is also being provided by Rob Burns, SMA 50th Projects, Greg
Riddell, SMA Transport Manager and Greg Roberts, Tourism Promotions Manager, Cooma.
Bert Knowles, OAM, ex Supt of SMA Vehicle Workshops.
Vehicles in the parade and display will represent those used on the Snowy Scheme by the
SMA, Contractors and private individuals during the early days of the Scheme. The range will
include many popular cars of the era 1920s to the 70s:
. . . other construction plant items including
the radiator grill from the "Mighty Antar"
[similar]
used on the Snowy Mountains Authority, a Berryman Loader and a selection of
present day vehicles used by the Snowy Mountains Authority.
Those wishing to enter the Parade and Display would need to contact the host
club, CHACA Bega, as soon as possible for a registration form. The registration fee of $30
per vehicle covers a suitable commemorative plaque and quality rally pack with excellent
maps of the Snowy Mountains Area. A full list of those participating will be published and
made available at the rally.
Entrants are being encouraged to book their
accommodation at the "Station
Resort", Jindabyne, where a special rate for accommodation has been arranged including a
sumptuous 4 course dinner on Saturday night with 1960s entertainment by the "Shaylenes"
from Cootamundra. It is important to book early as there will be a huge demand for
accommodation by those attending the 50th Celebration events over that weekend. The toll
free number is 1300-369-909.
The Station Resort is situated close to Jindabyne, 900 metres above sea level in
Man from Snowy River country and only minutes away from beautiful Lake Jindabyne and
the Kosciuszko National Park. Set amongst 20 rural hectares, the Station Resort offers
Motel/Lodge style accommodation for up to 1500 people.
Please do not hesitate to contact Yvonne Flood, CHACA Bega, (Host Club)
tel:02-6492-2346 for registration forms or Noel Gough (see below),
for further details you may require.
To book accommodation in the general area, contact the
Cooma Information Centre at 1800-636-525.
"When Noel Gough arrived at the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme
during its first year of construction he had no idea of the adventures and challenges he would
face. The Snowy Scheme, spread out from Cooma to Khancoban and Kosciusko to Talbingo,
covers 3,200 square kilometres of mountainous rugged country.
In his book Mud, Sweat and Snow, Noel writes about his own experiences and
of the many dedicated and adventurous people during the first decade of the Snowy. They
managed to overcome the rawness, the loneliness and the remoteness of this huge wilderness to
build roads, camps and townships for Australia's most famous engineering landmark.
Noel Gough was one of those early employees of the Authority who
contributed to the construction of the Scheme. His book of recollections creates a memorable
insight into the living and working conditions of that time. I commend the
book
to readers as an interesting and lively personal account of those early days."
Murray Jackson,
Commissioner, Snowy Mountains Authority (1994-98)
Noel Gough
Chairman, Historic Vehicle Rally,
tel:03-9370-0938,
fax:03-9370-0937,
mob:04-1944-8990
After...
189+/- historic vehicles turned up at the rally including many Land-Rover
Series Ones,
as used from the early days of the Scheme, also
a D8 Cat', two snow ploughs, a Tourna-Pull (sp?) "widow maker"
scraper (which just made it up the hill).
National Parks had the first Land-Rover imported into Australia in their lobby.
A radiator, all that remains of the Scheme's three Mighty Antars,
was also on display during the anniversary.
Noel Gough has written a book,
Mud, Sweat and Snow,
about the development of the scheme.
Go to the
SMHEA
and
4wdcalendar
pages
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