An era has come to an end as the lease of the land on which the Sambain Chalet Tamboritha stands is relinquishing.
After 42 years the volunteer committee of management voted to end the lease, and hand the facility over to the landowner Michael Higgins, effective May.
Many past students of St Paul’s College, Traralgon, will have fond memories of staying in the huts with their mates on school camps, and crafting their outdoor skills whilst enjoying the crisp fresh air.
Lavalla Catholic College, Traralgon, is the current legal custodian of the lease housing the hut facility which was a school camp and outdoor education facility for many years.
The school has not utilised the camp since 2015 and has stated that for various reasons it will not be able to use the facility in the future.
Since this time the huts have operated for private booking such as four-wheel drive clubs, large family and friends weekend getaways, camera clubs and other groups whilst upholding the values of its founder, Phillipe Sambain, to enjoy the wonders of the high country.
In the mid 1960s Mr Sambain, a teacher at St. Joseph’s Marist College, North Fitzroy, was hiking in the high plains with Marist brother Kevin Macklin, and they thought it would be worthwhile trying to obtain permission to build a hut so students could be introduced to the wonders of the high country and environment.
This resulted in a lease from Michael Higgins (senior) with the proposal to build a hut on a portion of the property, and a 50-year lease was signed. In 1967, St. Joseph’s Marist College built a hut and used it until St Paul’s College, Traralgon, took over in 1971.
In 1973, St. Paul’s erected a second hut beside the existing hut with most St Paul’s students enjoying the experience of staying in the high country and learning about the environment.
In late 1982, a volunteer committee of management was formed to manage the facility. From then on, the committee continued to manage and enhance the facility with modern equipment.
Working bees were run regularly and attended by many volunteers and especially many volunteer traded people over the years, a testament to their efforts is the excellent condition of the place as it is handed back to the Higgins family.
When Higgins Snr died, his son Kevin Higgins became the landlord, and when Kevin died in 1994 this was handed to his son Michael.
The decision to relinquish the lease and hand over the facility has been made by the committee partly due to the burden of increasing legalities, insurance, governance arrangements and liabilities effecting the operation and management of the Sambain Chalet, and the reality of changing times that the school could not anticipate using the facility into the future for students.
As part of the relinquishing of the lease and dissolving of the committee of management, which independently operated the hut facility, the members voted to distribute the assets and funds from their hard work and those before them, by donating them to organisations.
Lavalla College received a four-wheel drive Landcruiser Wagon and tandem trailer, with funding given to the Licola CFA, Heyfield Ambulance Auxiliary, Heyfield and Maffra St Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army Morwell, Micks Kitchen Traralgon and Latrobe Valley Enterprises.
The Higgins family is working towards enabling Sambain Chalet to continue to operate and be used by school organisations, people and groups who have previously used or hired the chalet, or may wish to in the future.
