Scotch College

Koomerang skis confidently into its second half-century

WORDS: Mr DOUG DRAFFIN • HONORARY SECRETARY, KOOMERANG SKI CLUB.

If you’re a keen skier, have you considered joining what is arguably the most successful ski club in Australia, with lodges on four different mountains – a family club with strong Scotch connections?

As an old boy of Scotch, Koomerang Ski Club offers you more variety than other clubs. If you have a son at Scotch he can become a junior member, entitling him to book his parents in at one of the Koomerang lodges.

Koomerang’s flagship lodge is at Mt Buller, in a prime ski-in/ski-out location with accommodation for 42 people: 34 downstairs and a further eight in the self-contained upstairs section. The main kitchen has been completely rebuilt this year, as part of our drive to continue providing up-to-date accommodation for our members and their guests.

At Falls Creek we have two adjacent flats providing accommodation for 16 people, and these flats have also been brought up to date with recent refurbishment.

At Thredbo, Koomerang first built a lodge there in 1965, and in 2005 the shell of this old building was retained as part of the construction of a most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing new building. This accommodates 16 people with large bedrooms, contemporary bathrooms, a kitchen and spacious living and dining areas, all double glazed and heated.

Then at Mt Hotham, Koomerang has a small lodge accommodating eight people. Updating this lodge was postponed during the past three years, as it had been anticipated the major redevelopment of this site would commence in 2007. Unfortunately, this project collapsed last October. A builder was employed to attend to structural improvements, and on completion of this building work, the entire interior was refurbished. Although still only accommodating eight people, it is now again a comfortable Koomerang lodge.

Scotch skiers are encouraged to join Koomerang – a ski club which is ‘Scotch’ to its bootstraps.

Koomerang’s history dates from 1957, when the club was formed by a small group of Old Scotch Boys. Under old boy Michael Wood’s direction, momentum grew, and the frame of a building was prepared in Melbourne to be erected on part of the Ski Club of Victoria’s site at Mt Buller.

During the previous year, several Scotch schoolboy skiers approached the master in charge of school skiing, Col Scott, with the idea that Scotch could build a ski lodge at Mt Buller for use by old boys and their families as well as schoolboy skiers, who could use it for their winter skiing activities. However, the school was not in a position to consider such a venture.

So this suggestion was put to a group of young Scotch old boys, in particular Michael Wood, and the idea was taken up by several other old boys.

By late 1957, with the help of a number of parents, a basic building had been erected at Buller, constructed by voluntary labour at work parties each weekend through that summer.

From that humble beginning, the club started to develop. ‘Koomerang’, an Aboriginal word meaning ‘mountain in the clouds’ was chosen, and the club became an incorporated body. It has grown greatly from there.

All the way through the 51 years of Koomerang, there has been a continuing strong link with Scotch. Current students at Scotch can become junior members of Koomerang, and on leaving school can change their membership category to full membership. Families of these members can then also join Koomerang.

For more information, contact the Koomerang membership secretary, Rod McNab on email duoscrip@bigpond.net.au. GS