Island Identities
BENTLEY Bill and Pat
BEESLEY Midge
BOULD Irene
BENNAN Mark
CHAFF-BAG Charlie
COULTER Marj & Keith
DARROCH Lee
EVANS Georgina
FISHER John & Rhondda
FOREMAN Peter
FRECHEVILLE James
GREENAWAY Darren & Susan
HAMILTON David & Judy
HOLBROOK Jack & Cathy
HUGHES Stuart
KENNER Phil
LANGLEY Iris
MANUELL Peter
MARSDEN David & Merle
MARSDEN Dennis & Carol
MARTIN John & Judy
MASKIELL Ron
MOTHERSOLE David & Jo
MEDWIN Bowling Club
MOORE/ McCOLL Kay & Don
MUELLER Willi & Inge
MOUNTAIN Carol
RUTTER Nick & Katherine
RENNICK Judy
REIDY Ian & Robyn
SCARFACE
SIACCI Colin & Wyonne
SIMPSON Donna
TRENERY Ken
UEBERGANG Jill
ROSSETTI Fae
van MANNEN Gerry & Barbara
WILLIAMS Elsie
WILLIAMS Glenn & Bernadette
YOUNG Barbara
The Bentley Family
The Dunkirk of Raymond Island.
(A misleading headline? Just read on)
The Bentley family connection to the Island goes back many generations.
Mrs. Jemima Thompson, the first teacher at the Island school, had three daughters and was the first wife of Bill’s grandfather William Thompson. He built and managed the original General Store at Paynesville where King & Heath are now situated.
Jemima Died in 1905 and two years later Bill’s grandfather married Edith whose mother Mary Smith (nee Falsay) lived near Gravelly Point.
Bill and Pat Bentley bought their property in ’72 and moved here permanently in 1993. Their children had wonderful times on the Island and today the grandchildren still keep Pat and Bill company during holidays.
It was January 1978 and it was hot
Pat and Bill Bentley recall that day as if it happened yesterday.
Here is Bill’s story:
“We had planned a fun day at the Country Club. Which was situated at the far northern end of McMillan Strait. The motel units, reception, dinning room etc were demolished many years ago.
But that particular day was our “Henley on the Straits “
with children’s activities, water sports, swimming competitions, lunch at the
pub, sitting around the pool.
IT WAS HOT! So hot that people were jumping into the pool fully clothed including my Pat. 109o F - 43o C Our daughter Sue was judged
” Miss Henley on the Straits “.
Minutes later the Island and Paynesville fire alarms sounded - again and again and again. Something was very bad ----- ominous.
The able-bodied men scampered to their CFA posts. Our Sue with Wally and Barbara Bates and their son Warwick headed to their farm on Forge Creek Rd. The rest of us got into our boats and headed home.
Shortly afterwards we heard that a trailer had lost a wheel, because of an overheated bearing, that caused the stub axle to break away. It started the fire on the highway not far from the fruit fly inspection point... A strong N.West wind sent the fire southwards towards Wattle Point and the Banksia Peninsula. The Bates family saved half of their farm and herded their sheep onto the unburned pastures.
with children’s activities, water sports, swimming competitions, lunch at the
pub, sitting around the pool.
IT WAS HOT! So hot that people were jumping into the pool fully clothed including my Pat. 109o F - 43o C Our daughter Sue was judged
” Miss Henley on the Straits “.
Minutes later the Island and Paynesville fire alarms sounded - again and again and again. Something was very bad ----- ominous.
The able-bodied men scampered to their CFA posts. Our Sue with Wally and Barbara Bates and their son Warwick headed to their farm on Forge Creek Rd. The rest of us got into our boats and headed home.
Shortly afterwards we heard that a trailer had lost a wheel, because of an overheated bearing, that caused the stub axle to break away. It started the fire on the highway not far from the fruit fly inspection point... A strong N.West wind sent the fire southwards towards Wattle Point and the Banksia Peninsula. The Bates family saved half of their farm and herded their sheep onto the unburned pastures.
An urgent message went out that the children at the Banksia school camps had been “herded” up and were heading for the water on the Eastern side of Banksia. Together with Ken Weaver and Don Hannington we were able to act quickly, as our boats were on the 2nd Avenue beach.
We raced over to Duck Arm, (about 3 km) and saw the children up to their shoulders in the water with their back packs on their heads. I collected about 14 of these children in my boat. We hurried back to the Paynesville beach where a team of women had assembled. The Children were billeted at the old picture theatre ( which is now the Opportunity Shop ) I took off again but on approaching Banksia hot burning embers were falling out of the sky. The wind had changed very quickly and a strong South Westerly blew in.
We raced over to Duck Arm, (about 3 km) and saw the children up to their shoulders in the water with their back packs on their heads. I collected about 14 of these children in my boat. We hurried back to the Paynesville beach where a team of women had assembled. The Children were billeted at the old picture theatre ( which is now the Opportunity Shop ) I took off again but on approaching Banksia hot burning embers were falling out of the sky. The wind had changed very quickly and a strong South Westerly blew in.
Luckily I had several beach towels in the boat which I soaked in the Lake and spread over my petrol tanks. I rescued another group. On returning home I heard that the Police boat had been caught in Duck Arm as the fire jumped from one side of the Arm to the other with the police boat sitting in the middle. The fire quickly engulfed the entire Peninsula and sent hot embers and ash heading our way.
From our house we grabbed several large blankets, dunked them in the Lake and covered my boat which was moored on the beach. Cars were parked on our big block away from the trees and we covered them with wet blankets, towels and sheeting. Guttering was hosed down, houses were sprayed, hoses connected to all taps, buckets filled with water and mops and hessian bags at the ready.
We were afraid that the thick undergrowth at Montague Point would ignite. The wind change sent the fire in a North Easterly direction; it again crossed Forge Creek Rd and burned out the other half of the Bates farm that had been saved earlier in the day.
The next call for help was to protect the farm house on the point at Newlands. We got into the boat again with lot of buckets. A brigade of helpers carted buckets of water up the rise from the Lake and the home was saved
From our house we grabbed several large blankets, dunked them in the Lake and covered my boat which was moored on the beach. Cars were parked on our big block away from the trees and we covered them with wet blankets, towels and sheeting. Guttering was hosed down, houses were sprayed, hoses connected to all taps, buckets filled with water and mops and hessian bags at the ready.
We were afraid that the thick undergrowth at Montague Point would ignite. The wind change sent the fire in a North Easterly direction; it again crossed Forge Creek Rd and burned out the other half of the Bates farm that had been saved earlier in the day.
The next call for help was to protect the farm house on the point at Newlands. We got into the boat again with lot of buckets. A brigade of helpers carted buckets of water up the rise from the Lake and the home was saved
We then headed back home to sit and wait. Hot ash and embers continued to fall for many hours. Our daughter Sue arrived home absolutely frazzled. A side story is that many cars and farm machinery needed to be moved from the Forge Creek area and a policeman asked my Sue “ Can you drive car? “--- “Yes I can, but I am only 16. “ His response: “That’s not our problem; please drive this car to the Eagle Point Caravan Park.”
A long night awaited us, we set up a roster for someone to be on patrol but none of us was able to sleep.
Early next day we headed for the Banksia Peninsula to examine the damage. Scorched black earth to the water line, not a trace of the impenetrable under growth and tea tree that existed the day before. No bird life. As we cruised up Duck Arm we saw that the many jetties had been burned to the water line; little black pegs that once were the jetty posts were the only indication of previous structures. At the Western end of the waterway many homes were burned to the ground, some had blackened framework standing, and some had escaped unscathed.
In the destruction that surrounded us a pod of dolphins escorted us into Lady Bay. All was not lost.
We are grateful to Bill for sharing this story with us. Once we sat down with Pat and Bill and talked, more and more memories came back
Here are some related to that day:
About 70 to 80 children were saved that day. Bill was very impressed with the efficiency of Paynesville citizens in organising the billeting of the children and he thought at the time how well the teachers of the camps organized the rescue of the children.
He also recalls how Dave and Ros Shelton, at the time were the mainstay of the recue communication service, now operated by the Coast Guard at Paynesville. Over time Dave carried out many rescues on the Lakes and was often assisted by Roger Lipscombe who also kept Dave’s boat and many others in good working order.
A long night awaited us, we set up a roster for someone to be on patrol but none of us was able to sleep.
Early next day we headed for the Banksia Peninsula to examine the damage. Scorched black earth to the water line, not a trace of the impenetrable under growth and tea tree that existed the day before. No bird life. As we cruised up Duck Arm we saw that the many jetties had been burned to the water line; little black pegs that once were the jetty posts were the only indication of previous structures. At the Western end of the waterway many homes were burned to the ground, some had blackened framework standing, and some had escaped unscathed.
In the destruction that surrounded us a pod of dolphins escorted us into Lady Bay. All was not lost.
We are grateful to Bill for sharing this story with us. Once we sat down with Pat and Bill and talked, more and more memories came back
Here are some related to that day:
About 70 to 80 children were saved that day. Bill was very impressed with the efficiency of Paynesville citizens in organising the billeting of the children and he thought at the time how well the teachers of the camps organized the rescue of the children.
He also recalls how Dave and Ros Shelton, at the time were the mainstay of the recue communication service, now operated by the Coast Guard at Paynesville. Over time Dave carried out many rescues on the Lakes and was often assisted by Roger Lipscombe who also kept Dave’s boat and many others in good working order.
MISS HENLEY 1978
On an unbearably hot day in January1978, a young Island lass was named “Miss Henley on the Straits”, having just won a swimming race from the Raymond Island public jetty to Paynesville and back.
The lass was Sue Bentley. Sue still remembers that morning, and also remembers the prizes she won:
· A “Milo” beach towel ( Sue still has it )
· A haircut in Bairnsdale
· A $20 voucher to spend in Bairnsdale .
· and the “Miss Henley” Sash
She insists when modelling the sash for the camera the other day (over 30 years later) that the sash has shrunk a bit in that time.
It was a day to remember for more than one reason. By afternoon, all hell had broken loose. The date was 17 Jan ’78.
A wheel had come off a trailer, just outside Bairnsdale and started a fire which those who then lived here will never forget. Sue spent the rest of the day helping defend property, and at one point was ordered by the police to drive a car from Forge Creek to Eagle Point (even though she was unlicensed!)
From sashes to ashes in one day!
On an unbearably hot day in January1978, a young Island lass was named “Miss Henley on the Straits”, having just won a swimming race from the Raymond Island public jetty to Paynesville and back.
The lass was Sue Bentley. Sue still remembers that morning, and also remembers the prizes she won:
· A “Milo” beach towel ( Sue still has it )
· A haircut in Bairnsdale
· A $20 voucher to spend in Bairnsdale .
· and the “Miss Henley” Sash
She insists when modelling the sash for the camera the other day (over 30 years later) that the sash has shrunk a bit in that time.
It was a day to remember for more than one reason. By afternoon, all hell had broken loose. The date was 17 Jan ’78.
A wheel had come off a trailer, just outside Bairnsdale and started a fire which those who then lived here will never forget. Sue spent the rest of the day helping defend property, and at one point was ordered by the police to drive a car from Forge Creek to Eagle Point (even though she was unlicensed!)
From sashes to ashes in one day!
The Editor:
The recording of this and other stories are part of our Islands history
What do you remember?
Do get in touch Click here
The recording of this and other stories are part of our Islands history
What do you remember?
Do get in touch Click here
