By Karen Poh
PERHAPS the contributions from the gallery of Brimbank’s council chamber last Wednesday were the most telling of all.
The audience sitting in on the reactments of two council meetings – in 1907 and 1957 – was as much part of the event as the actors with their top hats, wing collared-shirts and tailcoats.
The 1907 meeting was a landmark in that it gave Sunshine its name.
“I don’t like people crawling about the subject!” former City of Keilor mayor Jack Sheridan bellowed, as he presided over the meeting in his role as Councillor George Mullenger, a Braybrook tallow manufacturer from the 1900s.
“I don’t want to say much in the presence of the press!” Alan Lukey as Councillor George McLagan, a Derrimut farmer, said.
The gallery let out a low “ooooo”, followed by peals of laughter.
Their connection to Sunshine’s past was evident from the knowing nods and grins people exchanged, information whispered into the ear of the neighbour seated beside them, filling in gaps the re-enactment didn’t address.
And it was a faithful representation of what things were like then, Olwen Ford, researcher and scriptwriter of the re-enactment, said.
“The words used in the re-enactment are taken from the newspaper reports of the time and from the council minute books. Very few words have been inserted,” she said.
Brimbank mayor Margaret Giudice, as well as councillors Sam David, Troy Atanasovski, Costas Socratous, Miles Dymott, Natalie Suleyman, Anthony Abate and Ken Capar were also among those present at the re-enactment.
“This is a great opportunity to relive a part of local history and to find out how local government worked all those years ago,” Cr Giudice said.
“And if you ever want to re-enact our council meetings in 50 years time, we have plenty of information for you to draw from, I can assure you that,” she said, as the audience erupted in laughter.
Later that night, Cr Sam David reflected on the changes that Sunshine had been through.
“I remember coming here back in 1957, 1958… In those days we didn’t have so many lobby groups as such and things as we’ve got today but different years, different eras I suppose. But yeah, great times those days, I reckon it was.”
“The H.V. McKay era and things as such, all these things have changed, they’re gone, and new things are born.
“But I think the Sunshine community spirit is still there,” said Cr David.
“Maybe it wasn’t the richest city in the world, but as a city, as a council, looked after its workers.
“It was the first city that came up with the 35 hour work week, it was the first city that started building quite a variety of community centres and things like that,” he said.
And it’s the perspective of the young that helps a community locate its history and continuity.
Thirty-two year old Melchior Bajada played Councillor Isaac Collins in the re-enactment.
“I felt nervous but honoured to take the role,” Mr Bajada said.
“It was something that was definitely way before my time, which I never knew that took place and it was good history to see what happened.
“I’m the Sunshine and District Historical Society’s cataloguer… so from photos and information, I’ve seen Sunshine grow from a small little town and a village to a metropolis of what it is today… and really embrace the changes and see all walks of life, nationalities, coming together,” he said.
