St Leonards Holden a 150th birthday bash

Andrew Mathieson
St Leonards Progress Association plans to turn the town’s milestone anniversary into an annual street party this weekend.
St Leonards will celebrate the founding of its settlement after Captain George Ward Cole first purchased land on the site 150 years ago.
A mock land auction and the unveiling of a memorial to commemorate Cole’s contribution will be part of the festivities.
Association secretary Bob Hynes believed that the anniversary, which coincided with the Melbourne Cup long weekend, was an ideal opportunity to promote St Leonards.
“We want to put St Leonards on the map as a place to visit,” he said, “so we want this occasion to be an annual event.”
The association has fought to preserve the sleepy seaside village amid concerns about growth of neighbouring peninsula towns and their superior services.
The historical birthday bash will feature veteran actor, singer and Australian idol judge Mark Holden, a descendant of St Leonards pioneer William Holden.
A significant figure during the early days, William Holden fostered a family circus that attracted day trippers from Melbourne to St Leonards.
The association will close off the main street at Murradoc Road to traffic for six hours tomorrow to stage a community festival featuring musicians and other performers, a foreshore market, community displays and an historic woodturning exhibition.
Other features will be a display of old photographs dating back to the town’s early history including the Holden circus, while a former coffee palace and buildings of significance will also be on display.
A Bellarine Art and Food Festival will kick off the festivities at St Leonards Yacht Club tonight with the launch of a commemorative wine.