north east regional extra | July 28 - August 3, 2021
nemedia.com.au
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July 28 - August 3, 2021
Memories of a pioneer skier and first woman of Falls Creek By BELINDA HARRISON AN iconic figure and the first woman on the mountain at Falls Creek, Skippy St Elmo was a pioneer and study in ‘can do’ attitude and her legacy lives on at this world-class ski destination. Mavis Grace Lindsay was born in 1917 and married Toni St Elmo in Ballarat on December 18, 1944. She seems to have been known as Skippy from very early days, with names on the backs of photos confirming the fact. Skippy and Toni moved from Melbourne in 1945 and spent the winter living in Wallace’s Hut. Toni was employed by the State Electricity Commission (SEC) to
measure snow depths and water flows for the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme. The couple spent the winter of 1946 in a two room hut at the bottom of The Gully (Falls Creek) however, it was not the fact that they were the first full time residents at Falls Creek, or Toni’s work with the State Electricity Commission that put the two of them on the map. This dynamic husband-and-wife duo was responsible for early developments at the Falls Creek resort and for promoting ski sports and tourism by establishing the first ski school, ski lifts and lodge facilities. And Skippy became a champion skier. At 28 years old and newly mar-
ried, Skippy had never skied before. Her new husband taught her. He also introduced Skippy to racing - entering her in the first club championships held by the Bogong Ski Club at Rocky Valley, which he had established. Ski-Horizon magazine, the official journal of the Federation of Victorian Ski Clubs, had a regular column by members entitled ‘Why I Ski’ and the May 1950 edition featured Skippy, where she shared her memories of that first race. “Up to that stage, my skiing was confined to the practice slopes and it seemed like I had joined the ranks of ‘no hopers’ - getting nowhere fast,” she wrote.
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◆ HAPPY GROUP: The Bogong Ski club, Coronet Park, 1950. M Denham (Capt), B Wiltshire, R Roberts, Skippy St Elmo, Gwen Morris, J Frazer, J Smith, L Piera, Manager and Coach Toni St Elmo. PHOTO: J D Knowles, Queenstown
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