KOONDROOK IS THROWING A COMMUNITY BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE PS ALEXANDER ARBUTHNOT.
“I saw that the PS Alexander Arbuthnot was going to be 100 this year,” PS Alexander Arbuthnot 100 years celebration event coordinator Patricia Chick said.
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“Then I went looking to find out that Koondrook actually made 14 different vessels, either paddlesteamers or barges.
“I thought that there is not a heck of a lot in Koondrook that tells us about that part of our heritage and our history.”
Patricia was successful in gaining a grant from the Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal, resulting in a research project on the vessels made in Koondrook.
“The Barham-Koondrook Historical Society did research on the vessels that were made at Koondrook,” she said.
That research is being put on an informative sign at the Koondrook wharf, talking about the local paddle boats and how they were important to the region’s development.
The sign will be unveiled as part of the community’s 100th birthday celebrations of the PS Alexander Arbuthnot
Modern day PS Alexander Arbuthnot
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Patricia is hoping for a flotilla of boats on the river for the PS Alexander Arbuthnot 100 years celebration.
“We will have a good community celebration, that is the plan,” she said.
The PS Alexander Arbuthnot 100 years celebration will be free for the whole community, including a birthday cake made as a replica of the paddlesteamer, cut by members of the Arbuthnot family.
There will be children’s activities including magicians, face painting, cake decorating for kids, balloon creations, and a whole heap of paddle boat models.
PS Alexander Arbuthnot 100 years celebration will be held in Koondrook, Apex Park, at the Koondrook wharf on Friday, October 27 from 4pm to 8pm.
For more information, visit https://www.visitthemurray.com.au/places-to-go/central/rivercountry/products/ps-alexander-arbuthnot-100-year-celebration
