Glover Kenyon Collection

Photos from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Alpine Hut, Snowy Plains, Charlotte Pass and others.

In the early forties Bill and Beryl Kenyon (an engineer and a teacher from Sydney) with their stockmen friends from Berridale – the Blytons and the Biilmanns – had their first ski adventures on Snowy Plains. They caught the train to Cooma, then the mail car to Berridale where Cecil Constance packed them with their gear into his old ex-Army Blitz Buggy for the bumpy ride over Nimmo Hill to Snowy Plains – then it was several hours walk to Biilmann’s Hut – several more to Kelly’s Hut and one year they skied on to Bogong Hut.

Carrying in sufficient food was always a problem, especially as they had to carry skis as well. Jack Biilmann organised pack horses and on one occasion Dudley Blyton lassoed a half-broken brumby to help solve the problem. The stockmens’ huts were very primitive – open fire places with cast iron cooking pot – bare wire bedsteads – water from the creek and there was always the problem of not enough food. Tom and Dudley occasionally shot a rabbit and Beryl made bread which did not rise very well.

Later there were holidays at Alpine Hut below the Brassy Mountains – again reached through Snowy Plains and a 3-4 hours walk depending on snow conditions.
Bill joined KAC (Kosciusko Alpine Club) in 1948. In 1952 the KAC lodge was built at Charlotte Pass (and rebuilt in 1964 after a fire) and family members continue to ski there seventy years later.