By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
WHEN the late Serge Kovacs came out to Australia he wondered if he would still be able to pursue his favourite pastime.
After all, Australia was renowned as a hot, dry continent, as far from Europe’s colder climes as you could imagine.
But the then-slowly developing Victorian snow fields at Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and surrounds were opening up and Serge set about replicating his ski European experiences.
He was the driving force behind the creation of the Corio Ski Club in 1961 with the aim of making the snowfields more affordable and accessible for more people.
Of the original members – those who joined in the first five years – four of them still ski, including Serge’s wife Kaye.
“We called it Corio Ski Club because there was already a Geelong Ski Club, although it is no longer in existence,” Kaye recalled.
The fledgling club raised funds and organised voluntary labour to build a small ski lodge just downhill from Bourke Street at Mt Buller.
A Geelong builder, now retired, Peter Brussell brought his considerable skills to bear on the project, designing and helping to build the lodge.
“The members all helped, we had regular working bees as well,” Kaye reminisced.
“We only had year by year leases from the forestry department at the time. It wasn’t until later that long-term leases were offered.
“We had a wide variety of members, although most of us were married couples at the time. We have 28 members now.
“The club grew mainly by word-of-mouth although some of the local ski shops promoted it,” she said.
“It is a family lodge, self-catered, run on a community basis. We only charged to cover our expenses, although we have improved and extended it over the years.”
The club has also moved to operate on a more professional basis, even though it is still non-profit, with a manager and booking agent.
“We used to do it all ourselves,” Kaye laughed. “I was the booking agent for many years. We used to go every weekend of the season.
“It was our life, we adopted the ski lifestyle and it almost became a sub-culture. It was the latest trend back then.
“The public schools began to get involved and then the university ski clubs. A lot of Europeans joined the club because they had skied back home.”
Kaye said she was hooked from the first time shoe took to the snow.
“Once you slide down that slope you are hooked, it’s addictive,” she said.
She puts the longevity of the club down to the dedication of the members.
“They are all so loyal because we all felt such ownership for it, all the efforts we put in.”
The lodge, sleeping 20, is open in summer now as well, to cater for bushwalkers, mountain bikers and the like.
For more information call Fleur Leslie on 0425 848 534 or email bookings@corioskiclub.com.au.
