REFERENCE NOTES
BY RON AYRE FOR 1944 – 1949

7TH OCT 2OO2

In the early summer of the 1944 life saving season a group of mates all in their16th year who owned a sixteen footer decide to sell the boat because the skipper joined the Navy; At a weekly game of cards at Les Winstanley’s home, one, Ossie Barnes a friend and self appointed Bilinga Recruiting agent turned up with a suggestion that Bilinga Surf Club was looking for members and would the group like to go down to the club for a month reconnoitre.

Those Invited were:

• Les Winstanley, (scale mechanic apprentice)
• Ralph Denne, (sheet metal worker)
• Frank Tiernan and Ron Ayre apprentice fitters and turners
• Roy Beckman (apprentice fitter and turner)

All welcomed the opportunity to go to the coast

After the breaking in period expired we were all happy to join except Roy Beekman.

We commenced bronze training at the end of 1944. Con Henry was added to our bronze squad, Roy Beekman dropping out necessitating Jim O’Halloran, our instructor to fill in as the sixth, because we could not find another recruit. We did our mandatory test swim at Davies Park pool (400 yards in less Than 8 minutes)

We obtained our bronze medallions one morning 6.ajn in March 1945. The Examiner was Jack Winders from Kirra Club we told him if we all passed we would cook him breakfast. (Some bribe the way we cooked.) Our still water training was in the Ithaca Baths when shift work permitted.

Mod Cons of the Clubhouse Were: -

• Wood stove, running cold water in the shower Pan dunny, (newspaper toilet rolls).
• 3 tier bunks wooden bunks supplemented with hard mattresses.
• Crockery some by courtesy of QLD Rail Bethania Railway Refreshment Room where each south coast train used to allow 15 minutes for a cuppa.
• Telephone connected to the Tweed Heads Exchange, no dials you wound the handle, the operator answered with number please, STD calls were best booked by time required if you were lucky.
• P.A. System supplied music for our usual crowds at Xmas? (When it worked Ice box (when ice was available) Hanging safe when it was not. Canvas water bag.
• Hammock on the veranda for an open-air sleeper, Added bonus being on the roster to wear Jim O'Halloran's beach shirt (the only beach shirt in the club) to Jazzland. Colour blue with a multitude of e small white Scots terriers evenly distributed.

Transport To and from and at the Coast

Surf club members travelled for a concessional 4 shillings return.
Co-ordinated rail and bus transport from South Brisbane Station. Train to Southport and bus to Bilinga
The train would be split at Ernest Junction as some people preferred to go through to Coolangatta.
Bilinga Station was about a 10 x 8 foot shed and I cannot recall any club member using it.
Quite often we hitch hiked down from Holland Park, the club advice on hitch hiking was, when thumbing a ride, the trick was to, ”run along side the car and the driver would think he was pulling up".

Entertainment

Nearly all times this was in Coolangatta, and most times a taxi was the shared choice of six at a time as no one in the club had a car until after the war. Some of the members kept pushbikes at the club for daily use.

Entertainment was at Jazzland Dancehall, opposite the Kirrabelle Hotel for some club members the preferred warm up before going to the dance.

The Capitol Theatre was the start of many romances with the canvas seats popular. You always had to book seats during the war years there were lots of American servicemen on R & R, they took over the Coolangatta Hotel and built an open air dance floor opposite on Marine Parade, they had their own Forces Swing Band with a local vocalist Dorothy Palmer who was a friend of mine, she later sang at Jazzland. Her father was Harbour Master residing in the pilothouse on Point Danger. Frank Tiernan and myself had many diners and hands of cards there.

Options to get back to the club were the Blue and Red bus or shanks pony. Alter dance and or pictures it was usually standard to go to the pie stall outside the Coolangatta Railway Station for a feed.

• Occasional fishing expeditions at the Tweed River netted a lot of fun but little fish.
• Beach football and cricket behind the clubhouse in the camping area were recreational pursuits
• In 1946 at Xmas a beach concert was organised with a fire works display, the fireworks fell from an ex naval ship, rockets etc. it certainly increased the attendance.
• In 1946 there were floodlight tennis courts at Kirra and I had many a game with a group of girls from Murwillumbah, this area was a very popular camping spot.

Weekly Club Surf Races

A club surf race was held every Sunday morning with the buoy dropped out by Surf ski, leaking at times causing some nosedives when coming in. These were handicap races keenly contested by most who did not have a heavy previous night.

Other Miscellanies Information

In 1946 the Bilinga March Past Team participated in the Victory Celebration at the Exhibition Grounds, lots of sporting and other institutions were invited to march, it was intended to signify the return to normal Australian way of life after the Second World War.

On a different note was the verbal instruction for those competing in the Inter Club and Branch Surf Races was,” In you get too far behind to remove your club cap so you could not be identified.”

Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships 1946 at Greenmount Beach

Whilst we did not have any competitors we billeted members of The Entrance Surf Club N.S.W. it was very crowded, however, we managed to have only one blue which when sorted out we all became friends again.

Sports Stars outside Lifesaving (apologies if I missed anyone)

• Frank Tiernan QLD Amateur Welterweight champion, Frank passed away at his home in Sydney in June last year.
• Keith Brown 5/8 for Wynnum Manly Brisbane and QLD.

Sad times

• 1946 A Converted Lockheed Hudson bomber crashed on take of at Bilinga Airport 13 people killed.
• 1946-47 Col Hughes killed in a motorcycle accident on the Hornibrook Highway.
• 1948-49 Season Stu Hanan collapsed and died in the clubhouse aged 21.He evidently knew he had a heart problem but wanted to live life to the fullest. He was a great clubman and wonderful person.
• In 1980'S Frank Champs, wife and two children killed in a car crash at Albany Creek by a drunk driver.
• Others known to have passed on are Ralph Denne, Ossie Barnes, Terry Grehan,

Brisbane Socials to raise funds

• 1946-47 Lifesavers Ball at Cloudland with Billo Smith and his Orchestra
• 1946-48 1947-48 Dances at O'Connor's Boat House North Quay on the river
• 1946-49 Boat Trips down the river on the Miramar
• 1948-49 Surf Girl functions

No doubt there are many other recollections that have faded through time, however I hope that the photos and annual reports shall add some historical significance to follow on from the entertaining Volume 1 of Club History written by the "Master of Words" Jim Mangan.

The years I spent at Bilinga have memories I will always cherish.

Club Members recalled period 1944 to 1949

Listed are the names of club members I remembered from this era

Ron Ayri

Converted from HISTORY_R_AYRI.pdf

From the Work of Chris Walker, adapted for the Internet by David Bray