Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria April, May 1994: Built in 1937 for the Ski Club of Victoria and dedicated to a pioneer skier, Cleve Cole, this hut was illustrated in the club’s journal `Schuss’ as a rubble stone gabled building with casement widows and stone chimney. Larger than most cattlemen’s huts, the design had a porch and wood box, a living space with a 10 person bunk at one end and a bunk room with heating slabs at the other. In the centre was the fireplace. A kitchen and eating alcove adjoined on the south side{ see also Stephenson: 206}. A memorial stone on the wall of this hut was inscribed with the words: `In Memory of Cleve Cole Died 1936′{ Stephenson: 214}. His death arose from a disastrous skiing trip across the Bogong High Plains with (Percy E ) Mick Hull and Howard Michell, all three being very experienced{ MP p.70}. The architect was Malcolm McColl, Tom Fisher and Harold Doughty acted as labourers on the construction while the stonework was formed by Art Downer and the foreman was M McLaren{ Stephenson (1982): 360f.}. McLaren remained on the site from the 21 February to 17 May 1937 to complete the work. The foundations were in place by March 1937. The huts origins are linked with the August General Meeting of the SCV when a committee, consisting of Gordon Brown (chair), Harold Brockhoff, V Letcher (Vic. Railways), AW Shands, D Gray and D Stogdale, was initiated to raise funds for a memorial hut on Mt Bogong. Other members coopted to the committee were H Doughty (scouts), AW Keown (Vict. Railways), Miss BM Kermode (treasurer and part of the Government Tourist Bureau) and M McColl (architect, designer of hut). Apart from its memorial function the hut would allow access to `really excellent ski runs, better than exist elsewhere in Victoria, becoming accessible to skiing enthusiasts on the highest mountain in the State'{ `Australian & New Zealand Ski Year Book’ 1937, p51}. This could not be achieved without `a substantial building’ and stone was opted for as the least likely to deteriorate in those conditions, resulting in a cost estimate of 500 pounds and a public appeal. Within 6 months, up until March 1937, they had raised 350 pounds and after a visit to the State Tourist Committee, they obtained 200 pound State Unemployment Fund grant for use to employ local labour in the hut construction. McColl (architect) and Doughty worked on erecting the hut in the summer of 1936-7, preparing three construction stages: the first being the public bunks (for 10) and living space (with fireplace), the second being a club bunk room served by heating slabs in the rear of the fireplace (locked, as club rooms), and the last stage was the kitchen, meal annexe and bathroom{ ibid.}. This plan also obtained approval from the SCV Hut & Trip sub-committee. This hut was one stage in a grand scheme for the mountain, one which might cause considerable controversy today. Then skiers used the Staircase Spur and Bivouac Hut to ascend to the slopes. This route was developed to Cole’s plan which had meant the removal of `young timber which grows so vigorously along the crest of the ridge but more clearing and widening of the track was needed. A better solution was a new all-weather access road up the Big River Valley or another around the north or south face of the mountain and entering Camp Valley below the tree line ibid.}. Meanwhile the hut site access time had been cut down by an hour by road and track improvements via Staircase such that 4 hours on horse and 5 hours on foot from Cooper’s property to the site was typical{ ibid.}. The Lone Scout section of the Boy Scouts Association had provided for the transport cost of the 11 tons of building materials from Melbourne to Tawonga (Cooper’s). Local carter, Dudley Walker, packed the materials across the next 8 mile stage, costing some 19 pounds per ton and taking 6 weeks (February 21- April 7th) with 8 horses. Bright builder, George Sharpe who was experienced in stone construction, was selected to provide quantities and labour costing for the hut. Building materials were provided by H Parsons P/L at cost and D&W Chandler (Fitzroy hardware merchants) also provided discounts. The shell was of stone, with 2 feet high, 15" thick foundation walls set in reinforced concrete, with a damp course and the 12" thick walls built on them. Steps led to the entry area which had a large wood box and ski rack (20 pairs) and from there to the living area with its stone fireplace lined with fire bricks and flanked with two large drying cabinets (heated by slabs in the side of the fireplace and fitted with shelves for boots and hooks for clothes). Water from a spring some 420′ distant, was piped into the kitchen bathroom section with its sink and draining board, shelves and a wash basin. There was also a colonial oven, a washing recess and hand pump, and a shower. This hut was thought to be the first to use double casements (double glazing) in a snow resort. The floor level was elevated and the roof was kept to a shallow grade to stop the snow from sliding off and building up around the entrance and windows. The final cost would be about 600 pounds. `The hut has been erected on a site which has a most commanding outlook with glorious views in all directions, has substantial firewood supply right on the spot and is very easily approached from the summit of the mountain'{ ibid.}. A little over 10 years later, the hut had deteriorated considerably to such an extent that its structural soundness would be questionable unless urgent work was done in the Summer of 1948-9. So reported its designed, Malcolm McColl. The main problem was a lack of flashing to one side of the chimney which allowed large quantities of snow to penetrate a 2" gap into the hut ceiling. The roofing also needed renailing and the stone chimney itself was not only too short (requiring an extension pipe to stop it smoking) but had nearly disintegrated. It needed rebuilding. The front steps had been almost destroyed as the mortar had not set in the original construction. The last painting was in 1941 and this too needed redoing at least annually. The putty was falling out and the window sashes coming to bits{ DCNR file H.019905 Report on Inspection of Cleve Cole Memorial Hut November 28-30 1948}. McColl thought that if the standard of maintenance was not kept up the users of the hut would not take care of it. In 1949, the SCV revealed plans to reduce the wear on the hut by building another unlocked shelter with two bunks and a stove nearby. The public would then be charged for access to the original hut on the same scale as members were for the club section of the hut. The money would go into a trust fund to maintain the building. The hut was thought to be the only comfortable accommodation on the Mountain and must remain accessible to the public if only to carry out the development plans of its namesake{ DCNR file H.019905 letter from SCV (H Cartledge) 13.12.49}. With the rapid development of Kiewa scheme and all its infrastructure, more people would soon have easy access to the area. Along with the repointing and rebuilding parts of the stonework, painting the woodwork `new green’, renailing the roofing and inserting flashing, other works planned included provision of new high pressure chrome plated taps to basin and sink, one inch boarding to porch interior walls, new glass panes and puttying, new Whitco casement stays to all windows, painting of ceiling with Muraltone along with other interior woodwork, painting the kitchen and shower in light tones, removal of the wall between the kitchen and meal alcove and install kitchen bench around the alcove with shelves above, install shelves around bunks, repair Caneite ceiling and strapping, decrease number of bunks in clubroom and provide storage instead, and wired glass to lower bunk windows. The SCV also reacted to the complaints of local people over the locking up of the hut. The SCV pointed to the generous help provided by the old generation of cattl
Posted by Graeme Butler on 2020-07-02 06:21:58
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