Mount Buller
Cindy McLEISH (Eildon) (10:11): It is hard to imagine what it was like to ski 100 years ago, but a handful of members of the Ski Club of Victoria took on the mountain and began the ski industry at Mount Buller. They used packhorses to trek to a hut built by the Lovick family for their summer High Country cattle work. This is now known as Burnt Hut Spur. There has been a lot that has happened since. We have had many characters who have helped to shape life on the mountain. We have had families with generations of connections to Mount Buller. There have been iconic businesses like the Arlberg, Pension Grimus, the ABOM, the Whitt, Kofler’s, Cattleman’s and many lodges. We have had characters like the late Hans Grimus and George Aivatoglou. More recently we have had John Perks, Socs, Laurie Blampied, Spook, Rob and Oni Aivatoglou. We have got the crew at Buller Ski Lifts – Nick and Noel – ski patrol, ski school and the staff at Alpine Central. There are so many people who work so hard to make this such a successful mountain.
We have also had local champions – two-time world champion and Olympian Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin and Olympian Anton Grimus. And what a delight it was in Mansfield recently for the people of the town and Chris and Sally Pullin to see the Mansfield sports stadium named the Alex Pullin Stadium after the tragic loss of Alex a couple of years ago. A shout-out to local Mark Woodsford, who received recognition of service for an impressive 45 years teaching at the Mount Buller snow sports school. He has got many hats, including organising the wonderful end-of-season prawn dinner.