The
Rotary Club of Wynyard was officially chartered as a member club of
Rotary International in 1972. Many members have come, some have gone,
but the club still boasts a strong membership of 43 today and is as
active today as it was in the very beginning.
The Club's major
fundraiser has no doubt been the ever popular Music Hall performances
each year, however many other projects are undertaken to raise funds
to support the numerous charitable organisations. See our Club
in Action page.
Should you be
interested in becoming a member of the Wynyard Rotary Club, we invite
you to contact any existing member of our club or simply e-mail us
from here with
your contact details and a delegate from the Wynyard Rotary Club will
contact you as soon as possible.
..........and
now, a little about our town...
' Wynyard ' - North West
Coast, Tasmania.
In
the beginning...
.....some
members of the Tommeginer aborigine tribe were living on the Fossil
Bluff coastline until early 1841. These people did not move far inland
as the area was heavily timbered so they relied mainly on seafood.
It
was not until 1798 when George Bass and Matthew Flinders sailed in
their sloop ‘Norfolk” through Bass Strait, that it was discovered
that Van Diemen’s Land (later Tasmania) was not connected to New Holland
(later Australia).
They named the large promontory (170 meters) Table Cape, which now
has become the local landmark. The area had trees up to 12 meters
in diameter at the base and the area has now been stripped of these
huge stringybark eucalyptus gum trees. The beautiful red loam uncovered
has been most suitable for the growing of potatoes, peas, onions and
corn and the raising of sheep and cattle and more recently has changed
to the cultivation of poppies, pyrethrum and tulips.
In
1853 the first of several timber mills were constructed and trade
was buoyant with Victorian ports during their gold rush, providing
much needed timber and produce which was exported from a wharf in
the river.
Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955) the founder of the universal
Alexander Technique was born at Table Cape and attended school there
before gaining employment at Waratah.
The
Table Cape Butter and Bacon Factory was formed in 1892 and has continually
produced export butter, and later cheese, under the Table Cape brand.
The
Municipality comprises 192,000 acres and was originally the Table
Cape Municipality. The town Wynyard, proclaimed 22 February 1861,
was named after General Edward Buckley Wynyard, who arrived in Sydney
as commanding Officer of the British troops and had visited Van Diemen's
Land in 1850 when the surveyor Peter Lette surveyed the town reserve.
Henry
Hellyer surveyed the area in 1827 and the Inglis River was named after
a Van Diemen's Land Company Director, John Inglis. The V.D.L. Company
was a large landholder in the north west corner of Tasmania.
Our
lighthouse, high on Table Cape was constructed in 1888 and converted
to automatic acetylene in 1920. The last lighthouse keeper was withdrawn
in 1923 and the cottages were demolished in 1926. Finally, in 1979
the beacon was converted to electricity.
Compilation
and Research by Cal Walker, (Paul Harris Fellow) Historical Society
Wynyard.
