Royal Yacht Club of Victoria Yearbook 2020

the planning phase of the project I
During
and met with, shared stories
consulted
photos with local residents from
and
working as volunteers with
Williamstown
such as the Williamstown
organisations
Society. I spoke with local
Historical
who have been involved with the
families
Yacht Club of Victoria for two or
Royal
generations, and they have assisted
more
finding archival photos for Timeline
with
I was able build on the
display.
work done in previous years
foundation
earlier Club historians and Club
by
committees.
Archives
is no detailed written history of the
There
Yacht Club of Victoria available in
Royal
form. Two yacht clubs that were
book
in Victoria (1859 & 1876) have a
formed
history in book form –the
documented
Yacht Club of Geelong (‘The Wind is
Royal
1988) and the Royal Melbourne
Free’,
Squadron (‘History of 100 years at
Yacht
Club of Victoria’ written during the
Yacht
by Capt. H. R. Watson which has
1940’s
published in the Port of
excerpts
Quarterly, October 1953 and
Melbourne
excerpts in Royals Newsletters in
edited
and 2003 (Ron Joosten, Editor 2003).
1993
brief history of the RYCV was published
A
a booklet in 2003 (Kathy McLean).
as
historians over the years have
Club
documents, news cuttings and
gathered
articles from various yachting
published
and newsletters (The Anchor,
magazines
1911; The Winner, 1914). Unfortunately, Club
paintings, photos, models
memorabilia,
trophies were lost in the clubhouse
and
in 1970, although items saved
fire
minute books and the yacht
included
the Club celebration of 150 years
During
2003, various photos and trophies
in
by past members were displayed
donated
the clubhouse walls, but the display
on
lacks a chronological sequence. A
now
Archives sub-committee formed in
Club
began to store and catalogue the
2012
flow of donated items as an
continued
priority. Unfortunately, the
immediate
disbanded before a volunteer
committee
2016 with some of the former members
in
to support the chairperson who
returning
identified the lack of a written
quickly
history.
Club
land on which the yacht Club now
The
(at the intersection of Nelson
occupies
and Thompson Street) was part of a
Place
Wurrung village that predates
Boon
Colonisation in 1835. This land on
British
Place was adjacent to a significant
Nelson
for the Yalukit Willam Clan of the
site
Wurrung language group. An
Boon
she-oak’ tree growing there, had
‘ancient
a meeting place and ‘message
become
for both the Boon Wurrung people
tree’
the William’s Town residents up to
and
when this tree was struck down by
1857
Williamstown Municipal Council.
the
R Y C V Y E A R B O O K 2 0 2 0
TIMELINE
ROYALS
WALL
HISTORY
register.
be found to write the Club history.
could
Archives subcommittee was revived
The
1976). There is an unpublished
RMYS’,
of the ‘History of the Royal
manuscript
The Yacht Clu¾b Coznonoectiozno toz Fir s¨t
Natioznos¨ Peozple anod Williams¨tozw×no
P A G E 4 6