Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival

The first Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival took place on February 17, 1973. Over 4,000 people attended the event. It started with a Grand Parade of thirty floats from business and community groups. The floats assembled in the Railway yards, took in Station Street, Rossiter Road and other streets and then ended up in Cochrane Park. The official opening then took place at 11.45am by Sir Gilbert Chandler, the Minister for Agriculture. After that the spectators could choose from a wide range of activities including dancing exhibitions, decorated bikes, a gem display, a pet parade, vegetable competition and a cooking contest with prizes for the best sponge, fruit loaf, scones and lamingtons.

However, the highlights of this Festival and the many that followed were the Australian Potato Picking Championship, the Potato Loading competition and the Potato Carrying competition. The potato picking competition required the entrants to pick two bags of potatoes - each the standard size of 150lb (about 68 kg). The inaugural winner of this competition was Frank Spano. The potato loading competition required two men to load a 150lb bag as high as they could onto a load of pallets, the height of which was raised after each round. Winners would lift up to eight feet or about 2.4 meters. Barry and John Hester were the first winners of this event. The potato carrying competition required the men to carry the bag of potatoes over 40 yards (about 36 metres) and Norm Bethune was the first winner of this event. It all sounds like a bit of a health and safety nightmare, but men were obviously tough in those days.

 
The first festival also introduced the Festival Queen. The first Queen was crowned at a ball held on Friday, February 9 at the St Georges Hall (Wattle Theatre). The ball was organised by the W.H.Y.L.O.S. (or the Westernport Hospital Young Ladies Organisation, a fund raising group for young women to supplement the efforts of the Hospital Ladies Auxiliary). The inaugural Queen was Jenny Burton. Jenny received a sash and a transistor radio. Subsequent entries into the Queen competition, the Princesses, had to be sponsored and raise (in 1974) at least $50.00. The entrants were also judged on appearance and dress, the ability to speak in public, general knowledge of the potato industry and a willingness to represent the Koo-Wee-Rup Festival at the Fassifern Potato Festival in Queensland. The Queen was always crowned at the Festival Ball.

The Festival was promoted in the media and attracted some high profile visitors – it was opened by the Premier of Victoria, Sir Rupert Hamer, in 1979; the next year by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Winneke and in 1981 by media personality, Sir Eric Pearce. From 1975, the Festival had a float in the Moomba Parade, where the Festival Queen rode on the ‘King Spud’ float. In 1977, a new ‘King Spud’ was made as a potato costume and worn to publicise the Festival. We have this costume at the Historical Society. As the Festival grew other events were added, for instance in 1974 the Australian Potato Peeling competition was introduced (the inaugural winner was Mrs Joyce Mills); in 1977, the heaviest potato; in 1978, junior bagging and carrying competitions and in 1981 the Ladies potato bagging.

The 1979 Potato Festival Promotion in Bourke Street, Melbourne

Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society photo

The whole idea of the Potato Festival was to raise money for the Westernport Memorial Hospital and the first Festival raised over $2,000. The concept of a Festival was discussed in 1972 and in the October of that year the Chamber of Commerce Sub-committee for the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival met for the first time. Those present were Keith Ridgway, Ken Huxtable, Ron Townley, C.Fisher, J. Acciarito, Keith Doherty and Harry Graham. Harry Graham was elected Chairman and the planning and organisation undertaken by this group resulted in the first successful Festival. Around September 1973, the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival Committee was formed, with Harry Burton as inaugural President, and the members of this Committee continued to manage successful Festivals with great support from local business and community groups.

The last Festival was held on March 25, 2000. From reports that we have at the Historical Society it appears that in the previous years support in some quarters was dwindling, plus there was some uncertainty over the future of the Hospital, which was renamed Koo-Wee-Rup Regional Health Services in February 1997. On Friday, February 16 2001 the former Potato Festival Committee members met to ‘farewell a community institution’ as the Pakenham Gazette reported. The Committee had an opportunity to reflect on the success of past Festivals which raised large amounts of money to support the local Hospital and put Koo-Wee-Rup and its potato festival on the map.

There are photos of the 1987 Festival, here. 
 

The late Fred Hooper, Head Master at Koo-Wee-Rup High School for close to twenty years from 1963, has written a book on the history of the Potato Festival, At King Spuds Court: the story of the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival’s first ten years (1972-1982). It is available from the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society for the very modest price of $5.00.

Inaugural meeting of the Koo-Wee-Rup branch of the Country Women’s Association in 1944

The Koo Wee Rup Sun of November 9, 1944 reported on the inaugural meeting of the Koo Wee Rup branch of the Country Women’s Association (CWA). I have transcribed the article and researched and added some biographical information on everyone mentioned in the article. [Update September 2023 -  I have since discovered that there was an earlier CWA in Koo Wee Rup, established in March 1929, with Mrs Margaret Kerr-Paterson as the President. I have written about this here.]

On Wednesday afternoon, 25th ult. [October 25 1944] a most important and pleasing event took place in the Kooweerup Memorial Hall, viz the inaugural meeting of the local branch of the Country Women’s Association. Mesdames Nicholson, Keighery, Mortimer, Riggall and Harder transformed the hall into a delightful meeting place. The stage end was banked with shrubs and flowers and the eastern end was set with tables to hold a delicious afternoon tea provided by Mrs H. Bourke and Mrs C. Einsiedel. 

Cr Cochrane, as deputy for the Shire President, in a few well chosen words assured the convenors of the personal interest of the councillors in the formation of a local branch and welcomed and introduced the official party. Mrs Sewell, M.A., representing headquarters, was the speaker for the afternoon and seldom have the ladies of Kooweerup listened to a more able speaker who clearly and concisely and interestingly covered the whole of the functions and aims of the association. As a result 30 members were later enrolled. Miss Kent, [West Gippsland] Group President and Mrs Ellwood, Secretary installed the following office bearers. President , Mrs E. Glasscock; vice presidents Mesdames H. Bourke and Nicholson; secretary, Mrs A Mortimer; treasurer, Mrs R. Levey; committee Mesdames C. Einsedel, C. Keighery, A. Hewitt, E. Holley, W. Levey and W. Henry. 

On taking the chair Mrs Glasscock assured those present that she fully realized the importance of the office she had been elected to. After hearing Mrs Sewell’s account of the activities a branch can undertake she also realized the great importance a branch is to a district. She congratulated Mrs Nicholson and Mrs Bourke for the way they had organised the meeting. Afternoon tea was then partaken of and the function closed with the President passing a vote of thanks to the visiting ladies for their attendance, also the local ladies who had supported the effort. 

As is usual in newspaper reports of this time first names are rarely used, you only get the first initial of the person and in the case of women, they don’t even get the initial of their own first name, it is the initial of their husband’s first name. I have done some research in the Electoral rolls, old newspapers and indexes to marriages to give these women a name (and I believe the names are all correct) so, below, is an alphabetical list of all the people mentioned in the article. 

Bourke, Aileen (nee Donoghue). Wife of Hugh Bourke, grazier, of Monomeith.

Cochrane, Leslie James. Cr Cochrane was a Shire of Cranbourne Councillor from 1930 to 1964 and Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1950 to 1970. Cochrane Park is named after him.

Einsiedel, Agnes Constance (nee Grant). Wife of Percival Gustav Claude Einsiedel, grazier, of Monomeith.

Ellwood, Margaret Jean (nee Mason). Secretary of the West Gippsland Group and a member of the Harkaway Branch. This is Margaret Ellwood, wife of Allan, who was the Manager of the Boys Home (Melrose Training Farm for Boys) at Harkaway.

Glasscock, Phyllis (nee Witty). Wife of Eric Gordon Glasscock, grazier, of Monomeith.

Harder, Alma Evelyn (nee Sevior). Wife of Dudley Grenfell Harder, Bank official, of Sybella Avenue.

Henry, Alma Constance (nee Sturley). Wife of William Henry, Bank Manager E. S. & A. Bank at Koo-Wee-Rup.

Hewitt, Vera Wakefield (nee Mann) Wife of Dr Alan Hewitt of Rossiter Road.

Holley, Constance Mary (nee Feild). Wife Edward John Holley, Theatre Manager, of Koo-Wee-Rup.

Keighery, Eva Emily Adeline (nee Misson). Wife of Christopher Keighery, saddler, of Rossiter Road.

Kent, Kathleen Valetta. This is Kathleen Kent of Wilson Street, Berwick. She was elected as President of the West Gippsland Group on March 16, 1944 at the half yearly group conference held at Dandenong, attended by nearly 100 delegates, according to the report in the Dandenong Journal. Kathleen belonged to the Berwick branch, she was the granddaughter of William Wilson, who established the Berwick quarry in 1859 (now Wilson Botanic Park)

Levey, Marie Alice (nee Jackson). Wife of Wilfred Levey, farmer, of Manks Road.

Levey, Mollie Enid (nee Humphries). Wife of Raymond Wallace Levey, farmer, of Manks Road.

Mortimer, Adele (nee Lamb). Wife of Afton Lindsay James Mortimer, hairdresser, of Rossiter Road.

Nicholson, Jane Stewart (nee McDougall). Wife of Norman Nicholson, farmer, of Bayles.

Riggall, Edna Muriel (nee Flack). Wife of Horton Riggall, surveyor, of Gardner Street, later lived in Charles Street. They were married in 1932 and the wedding was reported in Table Talk  June 23, 1932, a newspaper that reported on popular culture - theatre, movies, sport and the activities of the ‘social set’. Mrs Riggall is pictured, left.

Sewell, Alice Maud (nee Cunning). Wife of Sir Sidney Sewell, a Melbourne surgeon noted for his research into tuberculosis. The Sewells lived at 'Roads End', Berwick. Lady Sewell went to Melbourne University where she obtained  a Master of Arts in 1906. She founded the Lyceum Club in 1912 with Ethel Osborne, a club for women who had graduated from University or had achievements in their own right.

Lady Sewell is pictured above with the Duchess of Gloucester and Mrs McDonald.

The Argus December 13, 1945 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12158410