PRECEDE
The naming of the new building at Akoonah Park as the Jack Rae Pavilion on 14 December 2020 was a fitting tribute to a man who has contributed much to the local community, as NEIL LUCAS reports in his latest look at the significance of place and street names in the region.
Jack Rae Pavilion, Akoonah Park, Berwick
Jack Rae, now aged 92 years, a member of a Narre Warren North pioneering family, has lived in this area his whole life. In 1937, at the age of nine years, Jack began showing dairy cows. With his brother Fred and sister Thelma, Jack entered a Jersey dairy cow in the Narre Warren North State School Young Farmers Club competition. The judge, Jack’s father George, had a difficult choice there being three of his children amongst the seven competitors.
In the following year Jack began his association with the Berwick Show, walking the cows from the farm in Narre Warren North to a paddock adjacent to Harkaway Road in Berwick for overnighting. The next day the show competitions were conducted at the showgrounds in Berwick- Cranbourne (Clyde) Road at what is now known as Buchanan Park.
The Dandenong Journal reported the celebration of Jack’s 21st birthday in 1949 with the heading “Popular Narre North Lad Celebrates Majority” – Popular Jack Rae, son of Cr. And Mrs. Geo. Rae, of Narre Warren North, will certainly remember his “coming-of-age on Friday last, for it was marked by one of the jolliest evenings held in the Narre Warren Hall for many a day.
Over 250 friends were the guests of Cr. and Mrs. Rae for the evening, and with Mr. Percy Allison M.C., and Franklin’s Orchestra in fine trim, the evening passed all too quickly. Items from Madge Bailey (elocutionist) and Beryl Leach (singer) were enthusiastically received.
Mr. Lord, president of the Belgrave South Football Club, paid a tribute to Jack, saying what a great clubman he was, and how much the boys, and club officials thought of him. On behalf of his many friends, he extended congratulations and good wishes. Jack received a wonderful lot of presents, and many congratulations. He returned thanks for both, and also thanked his parents for arranging such a happy evening for the occasion.
Jack was a keen footballer playing with the Kalora Park – Belgrave South team in the Mountain District Association. In 1950 Jack won the trophy for best and fairest at the club, and in the following year finished third in the Mountain District Association best and fairest.
Jack was a regular participant at the Berwick Show from that time and as a consequence, at the age of 19 years, was invited to join the committee. He took up this offer and remains on the Berwick Show Society committee to this day, having served as president for two years in 1963-65 and having been appointed as a life member of the society.
During Jack’s time on the committee it became apparent that the showgrounds in Clyde Road were not suitable into the future due to the grounds becoming quite waterlogged in wet weather.
In 1951 the late George Wilson and Berwick Show Society members convinced the State Government to create the area now known as Akoonah Park as a reserve for public purposes and showgrounds.
A committee of management was formed headed by Narre Warren farmer John Lloyd. The earthworks, tree removal, blackberry removal, building construction and other operations to establish the reserve took more than a decade.
Jack Rae was heavily involved in these works as a volunteer. As part of the transfer of assets from Buchanan Park to Akoonah Park, Jack drove a truck transporting a shed, over the Berwick Hill to Akoonah Park.
The shed had been jacked up and balanced on and around the truck with the result being that the walls were around three sides of the truck and Jack could only see out the end of the shed to the front. This was in 1962 and it was in that year that Jack was appointed to the Akoonah Park committee of management.
As a committee member Jack has been involved in every development at Akoonah Park for nearly 60 years – from 1993 to 2016 Jack served as chairman of the committee. He has been an integral part of the committee and played a role in each of the developments from the sheep shed back in the 1960s through to the Akoonah Park Centre, and now the new pavilion.
Under his leadership the park has been modernised, beautified and developed to such an extent that it is recognised as one of the best showgrounds in the country.
Jack has also served as a member of the Dandenong Agricultural and Pastoral Society committee for 70 years, served two terms as president, and was also appointed as a life member of that society. The Dandenong Society named the historic sale ring complex at Greaves Reserve after him.
In 1956 Jack joined the Victorian Chamber of Agriculture, the forerunner to VASA, the Victorian Agricultural Societies Association where he served as president for a term.
The VASA position led to Jack’s appointment as a councillor of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society (RAS) where he served in a number of capacities – 12 years as the Royal Melbourne Show Ringmaster, Chief Steward of the Dairy Cattle competition, and over the years, member of a host of committees. In the 1950’s Jack was a key part in the establishment of the Show Girl competition which has launched many young women into careers in the agricultural sector.
Jack has great memories of the parades of farm animals through the City advertising the coming Royal Show. This included herding Herefords down Swanston Street and on another occasion, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the RAS, 1500 sheep down Swanston Street where they milled around the intersection outside the Flinders Street Station for a time, eliciting a line in the paper – “there was movement at the station”.
Jack retired from the RAS’s Heritage committee in September 2020 bringing his formal roles at the Royal to a close.
Other local activities in which Jack has been involved include the Narre Warren North Fire Brigade where he served as both captain and president, president of the South Belgrave Football Club, Justice of the Peace for 46 years, and Life Member of the Honorary Justices Association.
In 1992 our nation recognised Jack’s service when in the Queen’s Birthday Honours he received the Medal of the Order of Australia – the citation reads – “For service to primary industry, particularly the Royal Agricultural Society”.
The Rae family have all been great contributors to the community. Jack’s brother Fred was a keen member in Rotary International and a great contributor to the Berwick Show. His sister Thelma made headlines in the Dandenong Journal in October 1943 when it was noted –
“Remarkable Effort by Narre Warren Nth. Pupil. Thelma Rae Raises £125 for War Relief Fund
“THE GRANGE,” at Narre Warren North, presented a colourful scene on Saturday last when more than 200 people assembled to support a bazaar and garden fete held by Thelma Rae in aid of the Schools’ War Relief Fund. It is believed that Thelma has now raised more than any other individual pupil in the State. This was a remarkable achievement as Saturday’s success, was a very fitting conclusion to Thelma’s strenuous efforts in the months in which she has been organising the effort.”
Jack’s other brother Bert has also been involved in community activities as a member of the Berwick Show Society where he was appointed as life member and served as president for two terms (1973-74 and 1993-94).
Bert followed his parent’s great interest in supporting people in need as a member of the Berwick Benevolent Society and now the Casey North Community Information and Support Service.
Bert has also been a key organiser of the Narre Warren North Carols each year. In 2003 Bert was awarded the Order of Australia Medal “for services to the communities of Berwick and Narre Warren North”.
