By Callen Column
Readers have asked, “Where have you been able to find all this historical information?”
The answer; and excuse the pun! under the infamous Alba Paloma’s “Tree of Knowledge” on Nicholson (The historical name of our Main St.)
It’s here I regularly meet “Bryn Jones” the President of Healesville’s Historical Society for coffee. All his research has resulted in the “Callen Column” running this series of his work.
The feedback from readers last week was terrific, so here is Part two Written by Bryn Jones:
During its early years the Healesville Golf Club struggled both financially and with membership numbers. It was also hampered by the limitation of using a public park and having part of its course on private property. This meant the club was constantly appealing to locals to join the club and great emphasis was put on the necessity to attract visitors to use the links. This was a recurring theme in the subsequent AGM and club news items.
As early as July 1911 the club reported that, “The new links are proving a source of attraction already to visitors and residents; no day passes without a sharp click of the ball being heard within our beautiful public park”.
The first ever match played in Healesville was in December 1911. It was between Healesville and Lilydale and resulted in a win for the visitors. The Healesville team consisted of Dr Shaw and Messrs Waters, Wilson, Strange and Downey. It is not known whether Healesville’s golfers subscribed to the philosophy; learn the fundamentals of golf or not?
But by May 1912 the club distributed a circular letter among local residents, “Support was needed as a matter of urgency to enable the club to provide an up-to-grade Golf Links”. The emphasis again on what a benefit – “A source of considerable profit it could be to the town”.
Miss McAuley, “being a most generous benefactor” bore all the initial expenses of the club, which included the services of an expert “Mr Fred Findlay” of the Metropolitan Golf Club, who was to report on the state of the ground, a suitable layout and the clearing of land. As the Healesville Guardian remarked, “This should be an incentive to the people of Healesville to make the links a success”.
Miss McAuley also expended £30 of her own funds with consideration given to a “Professional” to give a few lessons to those who do not know the game thoroughly, thus giving the local people greater interest in the game.
When the nine-hole golf course was ready for play it stretched over a large and diverse area with four holes on the Recreation Reserve, Four on Miss McAuley‘s block on the opposite side of Don Road, and one hole at her “Wildwood” on McAuley‘s Road which later became “Badger Creek Road”.
The first Tee, was probably located in the western corner of the park near an entrance to the Recreation Reserve. Apparently the course continued along a tunnel where the trees were cleared parallel to the present Badger Creek Road. At the site of the present “Living and Learning Centre”, where the golf course turned left at the rear of the cricket and football club oval and across Don Road to Miss McAuley‘s fenced paddock.
During this period the Healesville Guardian opined, “That in Miss McAuley, the golf club has a splendid champion”.
