Our History
Our Story: From a Swinburne Classroom to the Slopes of Mt Hotham
Every great ski club starts with a shared passion for the mountains, a bit of ambition, and—in our case—a Wednesday night meeting in a tech college classroom.
Here is the story of how a small group of young enthusiasts turned a dream into the club we call our winter-home today.
The Spark
- October 1971
It all began on Wednesday, October 6, 1971. A group of young, eager skiers gathered in Room WA103 of the Administration Building at the Swinburne College of Technology. They shared a simple goal: to build a community centered around the sport they loved.
Founding & Incorporation
Just nine days later with an initial crew of 19 founding members, the group accepted a draft Constitution, set the very first annual membership fee at a grand total of $20, and launched an aggressive recruitment drive.
By Sunday, October 17, the very first committee was officially formed to steer the ship:
President: Bill Nash
Secretary: Geoff Abbott
Treasurer: Brian Spurrell
Executive Committee: Frank Turnbull, David Lawson, and Phil Mackenzie
Securing the Dream
at Mt Hotham
Just two days after official constitution, an application for a site at Mt Hotham was lodged with the government. On January 28, 1972, the club received the ultimate late-January present—the application was approved, and the site was ours.
Sweat, Blueprints, and Bureaucracy
Turning a patch of mountain into a functional ski lodge required an immense amount of DIY spirit and cooperation. Specialized subcommittees for Finance, Building, Social, By-Laws, and Construction were quickly assembled.
President Bill Nash and Secretary Geoff Abbott became regular faces at the Public Works and Lands Departments, navigating the legalities of alpine building. By June 1972, members voted on four potential designs, selecting the layout that would define our lodge.
True to the club's hands-on ethos, it was our own Secretary, Geoff Abbott, who personally drew up the technical plans for both the heating and septic systems. Structural engineers finalized the working drawings by October 1972, and the plans were officially lodged.
Breaking Ground
- November 1972
The final green light came on November 10, 1972, when the Shire of Omeo officially issued our Building Permit.
Two days later, on November 12, 1972, the real muscle work began. Members headed up the mountain to partially clear the site. With the committee greenlighting the excavation, the laying of the foundations, and the construction of the base brick wall, the first physical footprint of our club was firmly planted in the Mt Hotham snow.
What started as 19 young enthusiasts in a college classroom had officially become a permanent piece of Australian skiing history—built on teamwork, persistence, and a collective love for the slopes.