Cleve Cole Memorial refuge hut 1937 Alpine Huts Survey 1994

Built in 1937 for the Ski Club of Victoria and dedicated to a pioneer skier, Cleve Cole, this hut was illustrated in the club's journal `Schuss' as a rubble stone gabled building with casement widows and stone chimney. Larger than most cattlemen's huts, the design had a porch and wood box, a living space with a 10 person bunk at one end and a bunk room with heating slabs at the other. In the centre was the fireplace. A kitchen and eating alcove adjoined on the south side{ see also Stephenson: 206}. A memorial stone on the wall of this hut was inscribed with the words: `In Memory of Cleve Cole Died 1936'{ Stephenson: 214}. His death arose from a disastrous skiing trip across the Bogong High Plains with (Percy E ) Mick Hull and Howard Michell, all three being very experienced{ MP p.70}. The architect was Malcolm McColl, Tom Fisher and Harold Doughty acted as labourers on the construction while the stonework was formed by Art Downer and the foreman was M McLaren{ Stephenson (1982): 360f.}. McLaren remained on the site from the 21 February to 17 May 1937 to complete the work. The foundations were in place by March 1937. The huts origins are linked with the August General Meeting of the SCV when a committee, consisting of Gordon Brown (chair), Harold Brockhoff, V Letcher (Vic. Railways), AW Shands, D Gray and D Stogdale, was initiated to raise funds for a memorial hut on Mt Bogong. Other members coopted to the committee were H Doughty (scouts), AW Keown (Vict. Railways), Miss BM Kermode (treasurer and part of the Government Tourist Bureau) and M McColl (architect, designer of hut). Apart from its memorial function the hut would allow access to `really excellent ski runs, better than exist elsewhere in Victoria, becoming accessible to skiing enthusiasts on the highest mountain in the State'{ `Australian & New Zealand Ski Year Book' 1937, p51}. This could not be achieved without `a substantial building' and stone was opted for as the least likely to deteriorate in those conditions, resulting in a cost estimate of 500 pounds and a public appeal. Within 6 months, up until March 1937, they had raised 350 pounds and after a visit to the State Tourist Committee, they obtained 200 pound State Unemployment Fund grant for use to employ local labour in the hut construction. McColl (architect) and Doughty worked on erecting the hut in the summer of 1936-7, preparing three construction stages: the first being the public bunks (for 10) and living space (with fireplace), the second being a club bunk room served by heating slabs in the rear of the fireplace (locked, as club rooms), and the last stage was the kitchen, meal annexe and bathroom{ ibid.}. This plan also obtained approval from the SCV Hut & Trip sub-committee. This hut was one stage in a grand scheme for the mountain, one which might cause considerable controversy today. Then skiers used the Staircase Spur and Bivouac Hut to ascend to the slopes. This route was developed to Cole's plan which had meant the removal of `young timber which grows so vigorously along the crest of the ridge but more clearing and widening of the track was needed. A better solution was a new all-weather access road up the Big River Valley or another around the north or south face of the mountain and entering Camp Valley below the tree line ibid.}. Meanwhile the hut site access time had been cut down by an hour by road and track improvements via Staircase such that 4 hours on horse and 5 hours on foot from Cooper's property to the site was typical{ ibid.}. The Lone Scout section of the Boy Scouts Association had provided for the transport cost of the 11 tons of building materials from Melbourne to Tawonga (Cooper's). Local carter, Dudley Walker, packed the materials across the next 8 mile stage, costing some 19 pounds per ton and taking 6 weeks (February 21- April 7th) with 8 horses. Bright builder, George Sharpe who was experienced in stone construction, was selected to provide quantities and labour costing for the hut. Building materials were provided by H Parsons P/L at cost and D&W Chandler (Fitzroy hardware merchants) also provided discounts. The shell was of stone, with 2 feet high, 15" thick foundation walls set in reinforced concrete, with a damp course and the 12" thick walls built on them. Steps led to the entry area which had a large wood box and ski rack (20 pairs) and from there to the living area with its stone fireplace lined with fire bricks and flanked with two large drying cabinets (heated by slabs in the side of the fireplace and fitted with shelves for boots and hooks for clothes). Water from a spring some 420' distant, was piped into the kitchen bathroom section with its sink and draining board, shelves and a wash basin. There was also a colonial oven, a washing recess and hand pump, and a shower. This hut was thought to be the first to use double casements (double glazing) in a snow resort. The floor level was elevated and the roof was kept to a shallow grade to stop the snow from sliding off and building up around the entrance and windows. The final cost would be about 600 pounds. `The hut has been erected on a site which has a most commanding outlook with glorious views in all directions, has substantial firewood supply right on the spot and is very easily approached from the summit of the mountain'{ ibid.}. A little over 10 years later, the hut had deteriorated considerably to such an extent that its structural soundness would be questionable unless urgent work was done in the Summer of 1948-9. So reported its designed, Malcolm McColl. The main problem was a lack of flashing to one side of the chimney which allowed large quantities of snow to penetrate a 2" gap into the hut ceiling. The roofing also needed renailing and the stone chimney itself was not only too short (requiring an extension pipe to stop it smoking) but had nearly disintegrated. It needed rebuilding. The front steps had been almost destroyed as the mortar had not set in the original construction. The last painting was in 1941 and this too needed redoing at least annually. The putty was falling out and the window sashes coming to bits{ DCNR file H.019905 Report on Inspection of Cleve Cole Memorial Hut November 28-30 1948}. McColl thought that if the standard of maintenance was not kept up the users of the hut would not take care of it. In 1949, the SCV revealed plans to reduce the wear on the hut by building another unlocked shelter with two bunks and a stove nearby. The public would then be charged for access to the original hut on the same scale as members were for the club section of the hut. The money would go into a trust fund to maintain the building. The hut was thought to be the only comfortable accommodation on the Mountain and must remain accessible to the public if only to carry out the development plans of its namesake{ DCNR file H.019905 letter from SCV (H Cartledge) 13.12.49}. With the rapid development of Kiewa scheme and all its infrastructure, more people would soon have easy access to the area. Along with the repointing and rebuilding parts of the stonework, painting the woodwork `new green', renailing the roofing and inserting flashing, other works planned included provision of new high pressure chrome plated taps to basin and sink, one inch boarding to porch interior walls, new glass panes and puttying, new Whitco casement stays to all windows, painting of ceiling with Muraltone along with other interior woodwork, painting the kitchen and shower in light tones, removal of the wall between the kitchen and meal alcove and install kitchen bench around the alcove with shelves above, install shelves around bunks, repair Caneite ceiling and strapping, decrease number of bunks in clubroom and provide storage instead, and wired glass to lower bunk windows. The SCV also reacted to the complaints of local people over the locking up of the hut. The SCV pointed to the generous help provided by the old generation of cattlemen such as the Maddisons, Battys, Fitzgerald, and the Hodgkins of Mitta. They then pointed to the new breed of cattlemen who used the hut for mustering and often left it in disarray. These same men quoted exorbitant prices for cartage for hut (or any) repairs, making the hut maintenance and supplying the hut with the items which they used (straw palliasses, radio batteries, kerosene) near impossible. In the 1945 (Gadsen? 1943) tragedy, only one of them provided aid and he was well rewarded. meanwhile the club was being asked to provide a lean-to for saddles and chaff storage. High cartage costs had already stopped the repair of Summit hut and the snow pole line although the club recognised that the current generation was not interested in pack horse work as their fathers had been. Another development connected with the hut was the installation by the SCV of a 65 feet high emergency radio mast (designed by Mal Wotzko) near the hut, to communicate with the Mt Hotham Chalet and a mobile station at Brighton (Don Bennett's house). The mast was packed up the Staircase Spur by Wally Ryder after considerable effort by both the horses and club members{ JM LLoyd: 431f.}. Formed in 1965, the Mt Bogong Club was formed and subsequently took over maintenance of this and the by then decrepit Summit Hut{ DCNR file H.031617}. They also were responsible for the controversial erection of Michell Hut in 1967 and further `primitive' development proposals for the mountain. The club sought immediate replacement of the burnt Summit Hut (along with Bivouac and Maddison's) in 1978 with a substantial stone structure which had been already proposed by the Alpine Club in 1974 but refused{ DCNR file H.031617 summary 1979}. The hut was described in 1983 as built of stone, maintained by the Bogong Ski Club and possessing accommodation for 12 in 1983{ NPS (1983): 45}. One room had 3 beds, radio equipment, and Bogong Club members' belongings, and was kept locked. The main room had bunks for 10, a table, chairs, bench seating and tools. A pot-belly stove had been installed, all bunks had mattresses and water was reticulated to the hut from a small irregular spring{ Boadle (1983): 14}. Camp Creek (c200m away) is a more reliable source. Then the hut was very popular in summer for walkers while cattlemen made infrequent use of it. It was only accessible by horse or on foot via the Alpine Walking Track (then eroding){ ibid.}. A log stockyard was 400m distant. Walkers and skiers used the hut and it also had `historic value'. The hut was proposed by the National Parks Service to be maintained in its current form. The hut was being extended, reputedly to the original plans, by the Bogong Ski Club in the late 1980s{ NTA 6018 J Lennon (CF&L), letter 8.4.88 to NTA confirming- presumed added store which was not part of the original plan}. The addition is marked with the date 1989. Cleve Cole Cole was a member and Scout Master (North Fitzroy) in the Boy Scouts Association such that in 1924 he was part of the Overseas Scout Contingent at the Wembley Jamboree and in 1929 at the Arrowe Park Jamboree. His work with the Lone Scout section is best remembered, having coedited the handbook for this branch of scouting for use internationally. Cole was also an adventurer, opening up many new ski runs as part of his favoured recreation in the later part of his life: he pioneered the north approach to Mt Fainter in 1932 and visited Bogong again and again. He was the inspiration behind the SCV's interest in the mountain and it was he who pursued its development as a ski resort most vigorously. He was chairman of the Hut & Trip Committee of the club. He camped on Bogong for a week during 1934 when, at mainly his own expense and with the aid of cattleman, Walter Maddison, he had built the Bivouac Hut on Staircase Spur as part of his grand plan for the mountain. Malcolm McColl Designing snow accommodation at Mt Hotham, Bogong, Buller and Falls Creek, McColl was perhaps the earliest architect to specialise in this field. He was a member of the SCV, Alpine Club, Mt Bogong Club, and the University Ski Club; he was also a founding director of Ski Tows Ltd.{ Lloyd: 304}.

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