The community’s invited to come and celebrate the history of Toolangi and Castella as the Toolangi Primary Schools hosts an open day for the town’s ‘History Weekend’.
The magnificent History Weekend will be Friday 18 February with old fashioned games in the school playground, photos and memorabilia from the school’s history and tours of the school.
Guests are welcomed 10am- 2pm and light refreshments are provided. Contact school if attending on phone 5962 9255.
On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February the CJ Dennis Hall will also be hosting the Toolangi-Castella History Exhibition.
A have a number of older residents are attending the exhibition, so its requested all adults attending have proof of double vaccination and Covid check in at entry to hall and wear masks in hall and when mixing.
Please register to attend the exhibition, by phoning or texting (0409 313 877) or email docbernie@hotmail.com with name, phone, number attending, day/days, approx times attending.
Program: Saturday 19th February – C J Dennis Hall Toolangi- History Exhibition
9:00 am: Welcome to Country & Smoking Ceremony by Taungurung traditional owners
9:35: Brief opening speeches, dedication of exhibition to local historian Bob Pockett
9:45: School children from Toolangi Primary School singing Toolangi song on steps of hall.
10am- 10:30am Morning tea served at side of hall, provided free by project. No food/drinks in hall.
The History Exhibition will be open from 10am-4:30 pm Saturday. Hall divided by screens, upper hall seated presentations, lower hall wander through the fantastic exhibition. Presentations 20 minutes, with 5 minutes for questions. Presentations will take place on Saturday only.
10:30 -11:00 Presentation 1 – Taungurung by Brad Letman & Shane Monk
11:00-11:30 Presentation 2- C. J. Dennis (author and poet 1876-1938) by Jan Williams
11:30-12:00 Presentation 3- Alex Demby’s stories- the ’39 fires and logging, by Kristy Demby
Lunch served outside 12:30-1:30 provided free by Project
1:30-2:00 Presentation 4- The Scientific Observatories of Toolangi, by Geoff Biggs
2:00-2:30 Presentation 5 – Toolangi-Castella Timber Tramways by David Pockett/Ken Olcorn
2:30-3:00 Presentation 6 -Gould League & Toolangi Forest by Anne-Maree McInerney General Manager, Gould League Victoria
3:00-3:30 Presentation 7 – Dept of Environment, Water, Land & Planning- DEWLP’s roles and history in Toolangi, by Garry Dash
3:30pm Afternoon tea at side of hall, provided by project 4:30 pm Exhibition closes
Sunday 20th February, History Exhibition continues at the hall, wonderful historical photos and films and amazing memorabilia, archival film of logging, filmed interview shorts, etc.
Opens 9:30am Sunday and closes 4:00pm – no food or drinks provided on Sunday at hall, but Coffee Van (coffee, tea, malted milks) located outside hall for Sunday, sausage sizzle at CFA (lunchtime), refreshments at Tennis courts behind hall 2pm, Devonshire teas at the Singing Gardens tea rooms 1:00pm -4:00pm. BBQs and tables available at Toolangi Reserve and behind CFA, just past DEWLP.
Other Sunday events in Toolangi as part of the History weekend are all very close to C. J. Dennis hall.
Toolangi Restored Tennis Courts’ Grand Opening will be held on Sunday 20 February, behind C.J. Dennis Hall.
12:00 official opening
12:30 demonstration match by local professionals
1:00 court opened for organised children’s events
2:00 afternoon tea provided-light refreshments.
Delicious Devonshire Teas available at the Beautiful ‘Singing Gardens’ tea rooms, the original site of C. J. Dennis’ Toolangi home, Sunday afternoon, 1pm to 4pm, as well as coffee and soft drinks. Relax in this charming, old-world setting. Across the road and a few hundred metres down from hall.
Open Gardens: The magnificent garden of the ‘Singing Gardens’ will be open on Sunday 20 February from 10am-4pm and just across the road the beautiful ‘Wirilda Garden’. (read more about both of these magnificent gardens on our history web site https://toolangicastellahistory.org.au )
Toolangi CFA intend to have an Open Day at their Toolangi Fire Shed and a sausage sizzle from late morning to early afternoon. Currently they are restricted at level 2 by Region 13 due to Covid restrictions, but this is most likely be lifted in February, to allow for the open day and sausage sizzle.
Gould League of Victoria will run a number of one hour sessions on Sunday 20 February, suitable for all ages groups, at the Toolangi Forest Discovery Tree, located behind the CFA and the Forest Discovery Centre. Maximum 30 people/ group.
Our Forest, Our Future sessions- 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2pm.
Learn about plants including beautiful Dhulangi, Taungurung language for the stringy bark-messmate for which Toolangi is named; animals including Victoria’s endangered faunal emblem Leadbeater’s Possum, which lives in the Toolangi State Forest; impact of fires; environmental stability; conservation and recreation.
Forests and the Food Bowl sessions- 10am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:30 pm.
Learn the importance of forests like Toolangi State Forest to environmental sustainability and water quality. Session includes a gentle 2.2km loop walk to the beautiful Yea River, meeting magnificent Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) which is the world’s largest flowering plant and the world’s greatest carbon bio-sequester, and learn about other local species. Sessions 10am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:30 pm.
We encourage interested visitors and families to enjoy walking the Toolangi-Sculpture Trail – behind the Forest Discovery Centre and Yea River Walk, just across the road from the Forest Discovery Centre, both short easy walks of a few kilometres, to enjoy the beautiful Toolangi Forest.
Learn more about the amazing Toolangi-Castella history on our recently released web site: https://toolangicastellahistory.org.au
