Historical information

Bob (Herman) Hymans (a former member of the Royal Netherlands Navy) was born in Bloemendaal, Holland on 30th September 1922. During World War II he fought against the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and was imprisoned in Changi and on the Burma Railway.

After gaining qualifications as a Ski Instructor, Bob arrived in Falls Creek in July 1950. Working as an Instructor and Supervisor at Bogong Lodge, Bob decided his future was in accommodation. He was successful in negotiating an indenture for land from the State Electricity Commission (SEC). It took Bob two years to build his Grand Coeur Chalet but, tragically, it was burned down in August 1961.

Bob also built the first Chairlift in Australia. This was a single chairlift and the structure was built from wooden electricity poles. He was constantly full of new ideas and proposals for the village. Bob Hymans died on 7th July 2007.

This Collection of documents and letters tells the story of Bob's endeavours to develop Falls Creek into the ski village it is today.

Significance

This item is significant because it documents the growth of the Skiing Industry in Victoria up until 1966.

Physical description

A detailed report into the "Growth and Administration of Skiing in Victoria" produced by the Victorian Ski Association. Different pages in the report include:- Introduction and contents; reasons for completing this Submission and Summary: Analysis of capital employed on Victoria's snowfields; Facilities of NSW and Vic Ski Resorts; Administration of resorts: the growth of skiing in Victoria; an analysis of resorts at Mt Buller, Falls Creek, Mt. Baw Baw, Mt. Buffalo, Mt. Hotham and Mt. Bogong; Capacity of the present administration to meet challenges related to growth ; the granting of leases to Clubs and Commercial Establishments and an estimate of Capital employed in Ski Facilities in Victoria. It also includes a table and a graph representing the growth rate of skiing in Victoria.