Scotch College

Elliott Lodge survives Black Saturday

The Scotch Scout Group’s Healesville property was razed in the 1939 Black Friday bushfires, with campers fleeing the flames. The lessons learned helped save it from Black Saturday.

WORDS: DAVID FUNSTON – GROUP LEADER, 1st HAWTHORN SCOUTS

On Black Saturday, Elliott Lodge stood up to one of the worst fires ever seen in the area. Fortunately, thanks to some foresight, planning and effort, the main buildings - Elliott Lodge itself and the Cherry Wilson Hut - survived the fire without damage.

The Scouts would like to thank Steve Wilson for his tremendous effort at Elliott Lodge during the fires. Steve lives in the area and his own house was under threat. After the immediate threat to his house had passed, he went to Elliott Lodge to help defend it. After the main front had passed, during which the single-trigger sprinklers which protected the main buildings were deployed, Steve worked to keep the fire at Elliott Lodge from spreading further or getting out of control. He put out many small fires in and around the Lodge and saved a considerable amount of equipment.

An assessment of the property following the fire revealed the damage. Three small buildings used by the Venturers and Rovers were lost to the fire. One of these was the ‘Russians’, a one-roomed timber cottage with a brick fireplace believed to have been built after the 1939 fires, and known to older scouts as ‘Uncle Willy’s Hut’. A few metres away was the ‘Bunkhouse’, a construction site hut converted into a bunkhouse by the Rovers in the mid-1990s, and used once or twice a month. The Rovers would use Elliott Lodge, then sit down around the fire (a converted 44 gallon drum made into a fireplace) behind the ‘Russians’. It was a great place in the winter to talk and have a cuppa.

On the other side of Chum Creek Road was the Venturer Hut, a small but cosy old wooden hut which had been used extensively by the Venturers. Although these buildings were small and wooden, they had history and were a home to the Venturers and Rovers, making it a double loss when they burned down.

We also lost our wood sheds and our containers along with the equipment in them. Many of our trees were burnt, but the MCG and Bowling Green were untouched by the fire, with the exception of the Bowling Green Shed, which was destroyed, along with the Rovers’ buggy. Scouts will be relieved to know that the famous Bowling Green lemon tree was unscathed. The random nature of fire is evident throughout the site and, indeed, throughout the entire area.

The site is now safe to visit again, with all the burnt out, and therefore dangerous, trees removed. We are thinking of rebuilding both the Venturer Hut and a hut for the Rovers on the Bowling Green. The main wood shed will be rebuilt close to the site of the old containers near Elliott Lodge. The containers will be relocated to beside/behind the water tanks near the Cherry Wilson Hut.

The trees alongside the MCG are starting to regenerate, making the area look bright green against a black background. Thankfully, the annual scout camp will proceed as usual in September.

I would like to say a special thanks to Bill Sciarretta for his work behind the scenes, looking after the paperwork for the insurance claims, and to Steve Wilson for helping fight the fires and then starting the rebuilding process and cleaning up the area. GS