Gordonvale: Stories of Ernie Bond & more

[whynotwalk]

A rusting plough at Gordonvale

G'day again. Here's the second part of a series of blog posts about Lake Rhona, the Vale of Rasselas, and more. This time it's all about Gordonvale. Happy reading,

http://auntyscuttle.blogspot.com/2011/03/returning-to-rhona-2.html

cheers

Peter

[stepbystep]

Very nice Peter, Ernie's story and that of his mates is one I'm keen to explore in other formats.

It's a tale that will not be lost, Chris Whisby's ABC weekend program regularly scrapes the surface. Thanks for sharing it here.

[tas-man]

Here are a few photos from the Launceston Walking Club's old photo albums from the 1950's.

Ernie Bond

Gordonvale in the 1950's.

Adamsfield Track 1955

[whynotwalk]

Thanks Ian - great photos. We won't see his like again!

cheers

Peter

[flyfisher]

Fascinating, love those old pics and the story they tell.

FF

[tas-man]

Fascinating, love those old pics and the story they tell.

FF

A copy of the Launceston Walking Club's 40th anniversary Langana Magazine publication from 1986 has recently come into my possession from an old club member. Looking through it today, I thought this article "The Legacy of Gordonvale" was worthy of a wider audience on the forum, so have included it in this thread.

[whynotwalk]

Fantastic Ian - many thanks for sharing this. Where, how and why we walk often depends a lot on characters such as Ernie. It's great to have another glimpse of the man,

cheers

Peter

[stepbystep]

Fantastic Ian - many thanks for sharing this. Where, how and why we walk often depends a lot on characters such as Ernie. It's great to have another glimpse of the man,

+1, thanks Ian, great to hear a bushwalkers recollection and also the humility evident, through his observations re. apathy. Food for thought....

[flyfisher]

Ian, thanks heaps for that.

It's a great pity that although a good outline of the stories of these old timers is known, there doesn't seem to be much in depth knowlege of their history.

I bet old Ernie could tell a good snake story or two, or tales of leaches or devils or ....... Great yarns but not recorded.

There are a lot of characters from the central highlands that have passed on without their tales being recorded.

Simon Cubit and Ned Terry have put together some interesting CD's and books but a lot more could be done I'm sure.

Anyway we are greatfull for that interesting story about Ernie.

K & R.Gowaland's books, A trampled wilderness and Adamsfield the town that lived and died also have references to Ernie.

I remember seeing him at his fruit stall at Austins ferry when I was very young and he was a giant of a man.

[tas-man]

While looking through some early LWC "Skyline" magazines today, I found an earlier article about "Gordon Vale" by Keith Lancaster, published in Skyline No. 2 in 1952. It contains a great story about Ernie Bond's famous hospitality to bushwalkers.

[flyfisher]

Excellent story and pics Ian, thanks for sharing.

[tas-man]

While looking for something unrelated, I found this ABC Radio Program presented by Chris Wisbey on 16/05/2010 about Ernie Bond and Gordonvale. Very interesting interviews with people who met Ernie and enjoyed his famous hospitality. http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2010/0 ... nvale.html
Some pictures of remnants of Gordonvale are in the same ABC Blog here - http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2011/0 ... t_weekends

Also found that there is an old thread from 2008 on the same topic here with other information. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1371&p=11045
Perhaps our mods might look at combining them to keep all this valuable info together.

[Stibb]

I first visited Gordonvale in the early 1970's. Much of the old homestead and some of the outbuildings were still standing, although delapidated. On my next visit in 1981, the homestead was approaching the end of its days. The buildings had partially collapsed.

On my last visit in 1985 the old homestead had completely collapsed. A few of Ernie's jam jars and some rusty farm implements remained. Not an appropriate memorial to the "Prince of Rasselas".

What a shame to let this happen
Weren't the clubs doing anything at all to try to keep the place up. As I understand it, the place was regularly used by walkers even after Ernie left. What's the story about this?

[stepbystep]

Hey Stibb,

Might be a case of the old Nth-Sth divide? LWC and HWC not working together well enough to actually get the job done?
It's a pity the old home is gone, but Ernie's legacy isn't forgotten and I have a feeling the old characters of the Tassie bush will be well remembered, and there are many of them....

Gordonvale is still worth visiting and even though there is less to see there is more to be imagined.....

Cheers

[Stibb]

You might be right, I wouldn't know. There is so much in the history of Tasmania that I've just learned, and still learning about. Very sad things and sometimes very appalling. This is very sad but I guess the best thing to do is to learn as much as possible and make sure the history is not forgotten.

I'll get there one day for sure

And thanks to the old timers for sharing their experiences and stories (in general, not only on this topic). As a newcomer, I really appreciate it.

[tas-man]

Here's a photo of Gordonvale in the 1970's that I found on the web, and added to this thread in case the link breaks one day.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/41904791?tag=Tasmania

[tas-man]

Here's another photo from the same source as the one above showing the original flying fox across the Gordon River on the track to Gordonvale.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/41861968?tag=Tasmania

[Swifty]

Good one tas-man, thanks for posting.
I went across that flying fox in Jan 1980, it was still functioning then.
Gordonvale at that time was in the last stages of dilapidation.
Wonderful memories of those times.
Does anyone know who bought Gordonvale in the recent Pollin estate sell-off?

[tas-man]

Last year the LWC decided to donate all of its records up to 2005 to the Queen Victoria Museum's Community History Series. In the process of recording and collating our records, we were unable to locate the club's Log Books Nos. 1 & 2 and no one seemed to know what had happened to them. However, in July this year, quite by accident, an unlabelled carton of LWC records was discovered in the Museum's store rooms which contained these log books as well as early membership, meeting and financial records. We believe that they were deposited by the club's first president Brian Plomley who was the Museum director for some years. In Log Book No. 1 is the record of a club trip to Gordonvale in December 1951 and there are three photos attached to the report. Here they are to add to the story in this thread.

Ernie Bond clearing for Gordonvale in 1939.

[tas-man]

Ernie Bond, taken on LWC trip Christmas 1951.

[tas-man]

Gordonvale in 1939.

[whynotwalk]

Great stuff Ian - thanks for posting this!

cheers

Peter

[Mountain Rocket]

Indeed.

[Giddy_up]

Mmmmm, they don't make them like that any more.

And thank you to every one for this wonderful insight into a most remarkable man.

[tas-man]

In 2013 the LWC decided to donate all of its records up to 2005 to the Queen Victoria Museum's Community History Series. In the process of recording and collating our records, we were unable to locate the club's Log Books Nos. 1 & 2 and no one seemed to know what had happened to them. However, in July 2013, quite by accident, an unlabelled carton of LWC records was discovered in the Museum's store rooms which contained these log books as well as early membership, meeting and financial records. We believe that they were deposited by the club's first president Brian Plomley who was the Museum director for some years. In Log Book No. 1 is the record of a club trip to Gordonvale in December 1951 and there are three photos attached to the report.

To add to the photos and story, here is an LWC Trip Report by Lindsay Crawford of a walk he led to Gordon Vale in June 1952 .

[tas-man]

The Launceston Walking Club's Autumn/winter "Langana" Magazine reproduced a recently discovered article "Nostalga," by Lindsay Crawford about Gordon Vale and Ernie Bond, that was published in the University of Tasmania student magazine "Togatus" dated 7th October 1946.

[mukga]

Hello,
Ernie and I are second cousins. My parents Norman and Nora Andrewartha where with him in the 1930ish at Adamsfield, the tall tales and true that Ernie could spin.

I am doing his genealogy and looking for two things a photo of the man that I can reproduce and a copy of his recipe for Honey Mead, from my memory headed with a red hot poker from the fire warmed the cockles of the heart and other places. Ernie died in 1962 and most of his archive was destroyed by his NOK.

If there is one thing I can say about the man his life was and remains bigger than his legend.

If you have any information, please send me a private message.

Thanks John Aa