WHEN more than 100 people gathered at the Portland Golf Club on Saturday night to celebrate the past, little were they to know that the future looks even brighter.

But that’s what it’s looking like for Portland Cable Trams, after it broke the monthly record for the number of visitors riding its trams.

General manager Joy Hocken told those at the event to celebrate 21 years of operation of the trams that 2079 passengers had got on board in March, the highest ever number for the month.

“Our passenger numbers continue to increase with records continuing to be set on a regular basis,” she said.

As of March 31, 241,389 passengers have ridden the trams since the operation opened in March 2002, with 268,780 volunteer hours in that time.

“(That’s) a figure that we feel that would be very hard to equal in any other similar volunteer organisation,” said Ms Hocken about the latter number.

“Every volunteer should feel very proud and satisfied of the contribution that you have made to this community.”

The trams carried a total of 14,859 passengers in the 2021-22 financial year, breaking the previous record in 2018-19 by more than 1000, despite being out of action for 49 days largely due to coronavirus-related reasons.

A night to celebrate

But the night was largely about the past for the popular tourist attraction, with those involved in the rocky and sometimes remarkable road to its beginning present to give an overview of those days.

Ian Moody recalled how the story began in 1979 when he became “custodian of the terminus” at Maretimo, where the old Melbourne cable tram number 594 was housed.

He took that role on from his father but was living in Geelong – on being posted to Portland on secondment at the former Commonwealth Employment Service (which became permanent) he took a closer interest.

At that stage the Portland Vintage Car Club hoped to have the tram restored and possibly pulled by a horse.

Mr Moody said with Portland experiencing high unemployment in the early 1990s15 young people were employed for 12 months to restore the tram, which began at the old squash courts in Beverley St in 1994, under the supervision of Keith McMillan.

“During the latter part of the project we thought ‘why not also restore a grip car and make a set,” Mr Moody said.  

That proved difficult and when State Member for Portland Denis Napthine made inquiries with the government, the suggestion was to build a replica.

However, trouble was brewing in the background, with local unions taking umbrage at the running of the federally-funded program, despite it being approved by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, and after some “political ping-pong” the impasse was finally resolved by Simon Crean, a former ACTU president himself and at that stage the federal Employment, Education and Training Minister.

The Heritage on Wheels group was formed but it got involved in a saga of trying to save the old railway shed on the foreshore, and then there was a split about what to do with the tram set – either display it or have an operating cable tram system.

“Public opinion was overwhelming for a functioning cable tram,” Mr Moody said.

About the same time Des Hein was finishing up the project to turn the old Portland water tower into a memorial for 50 years since the end of World War II.

“Des inquired about the cable tram project and after explaining we were in limbo, he said ‘right, time to get this moving’.”

The battle continues

Mr Hein, the first chairman of Portland Cable Trams and who has largely been in the role since, was the next speaker and recalled how he was first approached by Ken Douglass.

“I had a vision for this and we needed to get a group together,” he said.

Mel Bartlett organised a 28-strong group on a bus trip to Bendigo to see the operation there and “we came home and Portland Cable Trams Inc was born”, Mr Hein said.

That was just the start – $2 million was needed to get the project off the ground.

Phil Ruge approached Helen and Geoff Handbury and the latter said he hadn’t at that stage put much money from the foundation into Portland, immediately paying $23,000 to get some rail from Ararat.

After the purchase the group had lunch at the Blue Duck Hotel in that town, the manager who, coincidentally, was Ms Hocken.

Mr Hein said the group battled the Glenelg Shire Council, and the-then chief executive “wasn’t very impressed”.

“We had to convince them this was a project that would work,” he said.

“They made us get six people to guarantee the project wouldn’t fail for 10 years and if it did they had to pull out the track at their own expense.”

Remarkably those six, actually seven, were all in attendance on Saturday night – Mr Hein, Mr Bartlett, Mr Douglass, Mr Ruge, Mr Moody, Rusty Churchill and Neville Doodt.

Mr Bartlett had to withdraw his guarantee to avoid a conflict of interest when he became a Glenelg Shire councillor in 1996 and his place was taken by Mr Doodt.

The fundraising continued – Mr Handbury stumped up $200,000 to kick things off and Dr Napthine went to see Premier Jeff Kennett and got $770,000 from the state government.

The council then chipped in $175,000 before Mr Hein and Mr Ruge met in Canberra on Melbourne Cup Day 2000 with Senator Ian McDonald, federal Regional Services, Territories and Local Government Minister.

That was a fruitful trip, with another $550,000 promised, the final big donation coming in the form of $40,000 from Portland businessman Gavin Carr.

The next battle was getting a planning permit – there were 13 objections and the matter went to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but that was also overcome with the help of council engineer Neil Buckingham.

Finding track and a depot also proved problematic with the third choice in each case winning out, but Mr Hein said both choices had proven to be the best ones.

He thanked everybody involved with the project.

“It’s amazing when we went to any business in Portland who knew what we were doing we got full support,” he said.

“Everything fell into place.”

And so it begins

Ms Hocken was next to speak and also thanked all the sponsors of the organisations for their ongoing support.

That included more recent generous donations, such as that of the late Don Errey with his grip car and the more recent donation from Portland WorkSkills which will enable Portland Cable Trams to get a much-needed shed.

“Portland Cable Trams’ future is looking very positive,” Ms Hocken said.

“With the increase in tourists to the shire, the return of cruise ships to our ports and… events returning to our region this bodes very well.”

Glenelg Shire Mayor Scott Martin was the final guest speaker and paid tribute to the seven guarantors “to essentially put your livelihoods on the line takes a lot of heart”.

He also pondered all the approvals required nowadays.

“You look at that and you wonder how a project like this actually came to fruition – amazing,” he said.

“The Cable Trams has almost become synonymous with Portland.

“Thanks to your dedication Portland has a tourist attraction with a stellar reputation.

“It’s a huge achievement and countless people behind the scenes have been instrumental.

“I look forward to seeing the future success as well that you enjoy.”