Historical information

This photo is part of the Fred Griffith Photographic Collection documenting his time with the Australian Alpine Club and the formation of the Albury Ski Club.
Frederick Charles “Fred” Griffith was born in Albury, NSW on 2 March 1910. Educated in Albury and Geelong Grammar. Beginning in 1927 he spent many years working first as a jackeroo and on a range of prominent pastoral and merino stud properties in NSW and Queensland.
In 1935 he repurchased his former family property “Toonallook", Bowna, NSW and developed it to be the largest Romney Marsh stud in the world, exporting rams to Argentina. He introduced many innovative practices on his property including rabbit control measures and aerial crop dusting.
He was an active member of the Albury Show Society and in 1949 established the Albury Sheep Show. Fred was also the Albury representative on the Graziers’ Association Council for over 30 years. He became a life member of both the Albury and Commercial Clubs.
Fred’s greatest hobby was snow skiing. His first visit to the snow was to Kosciusko in 1919.
The Albury Ski Club was formed in 1935 and Fred was an inaugural member. In 1949 they were granted a site at Falls Creek to build their own lodge. Fred guaranteed the Club for finance from the Bank of NSW. The first portion of the prefabricated building was constructed in Albury. It was transported to Falls Creek on the back of Fred’s truck and erected in one day. This was the bathroom section and the rest was completed in 1950. The original lodge was burned down in 1952 and a new one built the following year.
In 1955, Fred also built the Bowna Lodge for his family in partnership with David Fairbairn.
He became head of the North Eastern District Skiing Association (N.E.D.S.A.) and successfully applied to run the Australian Ski Championships. Fred also inaugurated children’s races at Falls Creek and ran them for about 20 years. He also formed the company “Falls Creek Ski Tows”.
In 1956 Fred along with a group of key people selected the site for Thredbo Village.
Fred and his brother sold Toonallook in sections between 1951 and 1974. He moved to Albury and set up as a landscape gardener and fencing contractor.
After a serious work accident, Fred retired in 1985 and moved to Rosebud, Victoria where he died on 19 August 1992.

Physical description

Black and white square photograph of man using machinery to erect a power pole at corner of lodge. Woman is watching on the right.