THERE were speeches, the cutting of a 150th birthday cake by one of the district’s oldest residents, Margaret Monk 97, the launch of several history books and the unveiling of commemorative artworks.
But the centrepiece of Poowong’s sesquicentennial celebrations last Saturday night was the conversation, laughter and memories shared by a wide cross-section of community members seated together at tables in a packed community hall.
Master of ceremonies for the night, Russell Motton, whose family settled in the district in 1875, a year after the first application for land in the Parish of Poowong in April 1874, called it right.
“The turnout here tonight is testament to the pride and spirit of our community,” he said while welcoming special guests including the Federal Member for Monash Russell Broadbent and his wife Bronywn, Gippsland South MLA Danny O’Brien and South Gippsland Councillors Nathan Hersey, Adrian Darakai, Mick Felton, and Jenni Keerie.
Throughout its history, he said, the Poowong community had demonstrated its credentials as a can-do, self-help and resilient people, not only able to provide for itself but also ride the shocks and challenges thrown up along the way.
When the terrible ‘Red Tuesday’ bushfires of February 1, 1898 killed 12 people and destroyed 2000 buildings in Gippsland, including the original Poowong Hall, they built it again twice more.
When the district’s kids needed a swimming pool in the 1960s, they didn’t wait for government grants or handouts but set to and raised the money and did the work themselves on a facility that is still enjoyed by all today.
The same thing with the magnificent recreation reserve, sports stadium and other facilities, which according to Mr Motton, “the people of the district have shown great enthusiasm to provide over the years”.
And when, in July 1985, Unigate sold the Poowong Butter Factory to Drouin Butter, and it was closed down in just three days, after almost 100 years of operation, the town survived the shock, dusted itself off and pressed on to shape a glorious new future.
Mr Motton made particular reference to the Poowong Consolidated School which he said had the benefit of many excellent teachers over the years, instilling strong values and a sense of community pride in its students, still evident in the district today, as one of Poowong’s secrets to success.
But he also mentioned other community groups and shared projects which had made the community strong.
And while acknowledging the obvious changes, including the fact that where there had once been 16 dairy farms on his road, there were now only two, from grey Fergies to air-conditioned GPS monsters, hand milking to robots and blackboards to computers; he foreshadowed that residential growth would see Poowong continue to grow and prosper.
“Poowong retails its agricultural heritage and remains a charming rural town,” he said.
“Our wish for our community is to unite and thrive for another 150 years and beyond… and as a town of 700 people, we can continue to be able to tell others how proud we are to come from Poowong.”
They were sentiments echoed by Russell Broadbent and Danny O’Brien who said how honoured they felt at being invited to joined Poowong’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
Member of the 150th Anniversary Committee Stephen Halliday launched the updated history books and the commemorative artworks, paying special tribute to Heather Gregg who compiled both the 125th anniversary version of the town’s history ‘Since We Were A Century’ and the next 25 years, 1999 to 2024, books were sold and the birthday cake was shared around to conclude the proceedings but few people left the hall as conversations continued well in to the night.
