as told to me #DaffyChapter Two: The Old Girl Was ToughDad, Frank, Mr Veenstra, bought the run-down Robin Hood property from an elderly lady, Mrs Curtis, for £11,000. The property had originally covered 50 acres. The area changed as new roads and the Princes Highway were built. Many homes along the route were acquired and removed to make way for the highway, and the surrounding land came to be farmed by others.The restoration of the Robin Hood took its toll on my parents and us kids. Mum and Dad worked hard, and we children each had jobs to do. We all lived upstairs while the old hotel was being brought back to life.How fortunate for the Robin Hood that a man with vision saw its potential and saved this old girl. He was determined and a very strong-willed chap.Inside the beautiful staircase leading up to the second story was made from Baltic pine and California redwood. You could still see where vandals had set it alight. Thankfully, someone extinguished the fire before it could take hold and spread through the building. Had it spread, the Robin Hood might have been lost forever. Mr Veenstra later repaired the staircase and carpeted it.The old girl was tough. Ray remembers the 1966 5.5 on the Ricter scale Mount Hotham earthquake. The Robin Hood didn’t move. Its double-brick walls and high ceilings, supported by Oregon battens, helped make it a solid building. Ray’s bedroom was above the original bar, and its window looked towards Mount Baw Baw. At night, he could see the chairlift lights.The family cars changed over the years. After the 1955 Vauxhall came a 1966 HR Holden for Dad and then a two-door Vauxhall Viva for mum and us kids no more hiding under the tarp They were all bought from Anketell Motors in Drouin. The Viva found it hard to climb the hill, so a 1970 four-door Holden Belmont was a much better choice for the family.When the motel was up and running, it was busy, many well-known people stopped there to rest their weary bodies. Ray remembers singer Reg Lindsay staying over, it was around 1969 he had written the song Armstrong about the moon landing. Lionel Rose was another regular visitor to the Robin Hood. He became world bantamweight champion in 1968, and his black Ford GT coupe was often parked out the front.In 1975, Lorraine Bayley was travelling from Sydney to Melbourne for the Sullivans pilot filming when her car got a flat tyre right outside the Robin Hood. Con Veenstra came to her rescue. Local people would use the motel as a meeting place to catch up with friends or a place to rest after an event held nearby. There was also plenty of chaos too . Ray remembers a stolen FJ Holden crashing with a Pontiac. It was midday on a Sunday. That was a spectacular accident Everyday life at the motel had its routines. Breakfast was ordered by 8 pm and delivered through the servery door the next morning. Ray got the milk from Densely Farm across the road. Bread was delivered by Tip Top, and eggs came from Canns’ chook farm down the hwy.
The Scanlan family—Clive, Kevin and Rennie—were farmers. Clive came to the Robin Hood milk bar every other day, without fail, to get his Merry Mints.A little link to the past remains in the phone number. The Robin Hood Inn’s present number is 03 5625 4884. Its original number was 51884, and the last three digits, 884, are still there.The Robin Hood name has also lived on around Drouin, with a reserve, an estate and road names connected with Sherwood Forest. Perhaps Mr Dickins loved the English Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood Thank you Mr Veenstra (papa in-law) There’s a lot to be thankful for. Thank you Ray for your memories
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