The first office bearers were:
President — Mr C Kleiss
Vice president — Mr Fletcher
Secretary — Mr Wise
Treasurer — Mr Bayley
Committee — Mr Woods, Mrs Pickup, Mrs Ball, Mrs Ryan, Mr G Taylor and Mr J Croft
Topics discussed at early meetings were:
Mail delivery (130 houses required within ¾ mile of the post office) — this was achieved in the first year
Newspaper delivery — this was achieved in the first year
School crossing
Forming of roads including the old section of Heyers Road between Torquay and Bieske Roads
Tree planting
Footpaths
Drainage
Telephone booth
Speed Limits
Burning off vacant allotments
Development of recreational centres
Bus service including a school bus
Street lighting
Replacement of old unreadable signs
Change street names that are similar — suggestions for Karnn Street were Highfield Drive, Oak Avenue, Caringal Road and Timber Top Avenue.
A fee of 10/- per household was be charged to cover membership. Miss L Sheridan from TM Burke attended some meetings to answer resident's queries.
A ball was run to celebrate New Year's Eve 1965 as a joint venture with the hall committee, charging 6/- admission. This project lost money.
Mail delivery started in 1966. Deliveries were made in a car by Mrs Bent. Miss Sheridan approached Mr Horniblow, the editor of the Belmont and Highton News to include the name of Grovedale in the name of the paper.
It was noted that requests to the council usually received the reply, "The riding members are investigating". It was decided to send a copy of their next request to Mr Horniblow to include in the Belmont and Highton News. A request was sent to the council complaining about children walking to school on the roads because no footpaths are provided. Access through Smith Street was quite impassable for small children as the street was more like a bullock track. This was a time when mothers usually did not take children to school.
The progress association did not support the building of a swimming pool in Belmont or Highton by the council while more urgent work was required.
In 1969 discussions about the Freeway began. Councillors Roberts and Dean visited to discuss this and other subjects. They were asked why residents were being refused permits to install septic tanks and how long it would take to have the sewerage connected to Grovedale. Being told probably 2 years the association decided to inquire about sewerage trust plans for the area. Residents also wanted to know how to dispose of grease trap refuse. At the next meeting they were told of a service operated by Mr Jennings of Barwon Heads. The councillors were asked if the council would assist in getting the Belmont buses to go to Heyers Road.
The council was asked to allocate street numbers for all residents in Grovedale. During this year it was decided to hold monthly meetings.
There was rapid growth at Grovedale around 1970. The membership of the progress association grew from 38 to 53. The new kindergarten and baby health centre was built west of the shops in Heyers Road.
The progress association took a strong interest in the proposed freeway which had two planned options — the Waurn Ponds Creek area or south of the railway line. The progress association were keen to have the first choice as it would cut journey times for Grovedale motorists. The plans were being drawn up for the duplication of Torquay Road to the railway line.
When Fred Rossack gave a talk on the history of Grovedale 200 people attended. A collection brought in $120 to be used to establish a tree studded walk through the recreation reserve. This was to be in memory of the pioneers of the district and to be called "Pioneer Avenue".
On 25 March 1970 a meeting was held to form a Grovedale tennis club. Topics discussed at meetings in the early 1970s were:
Sewerage
Freeway location
Land for recreation (to the north or south of Grovedale)
Bus service
Street numbering
Street signs not being erected prior to house construction
Odour from the feed lot (especially when the wind was from the south-east)
The airport
Direction signs
Tennis club
Gravelling of Smith Street and Green Lane
Crossover ramp at kindergarten
Nuisance dogs
Reconstruction of the Bailey Street bridge
Hotel entrance
Screening of properties
Phone boxes
Mail boxes at the post office (12 applicants required)
Although the rate of development in the early 1970s was increasing the membership of the progress association continued to drop during this period until only 18 financial members remained in the 1973-74 year. The November meeting was cancelled due to insufficient attendees to form a quorum. A membership drive was instigated the following February and although a couple of new members joined the remainder of the year was still disappointing.
The greatest achievement for the 1973-4 year was the acquisition of a block of land in Bieske Road from GWST (now Barwon Water) to use for recreational purposes. It was hoped that this land could be used as an adventure playground. The progress association moved a motion in February 1975 to name this playground the "John Croft Recreation Reserve" after their former president and South Barwon councillor.
A road running south westerly from the Grovedale Hotel to Felix Street was to be closed as it would cause traffic problems if it were to remain. The council proposed selling the land to adjoining landholders. The progress association objected to selling the land and wanted it kept for future recreational purposes.
A New Grovedale Primary School Action Group was set up to push for a new school west of Burdoo Drive. This school opened on 4 February 1975. It had 10 classrooms, a library and an arts and crafts room. It looked probable that portable classrooms would need to be installed in the near future. The action group sent a letter of condemnation to the Victorian Education Department in protest. A new kindergarten began operation in the Lutheran hall in March 1975. On 27 November 1975 a meeting was held at Memorial Hall for the purpose of forming an action group for a secondary school in Grovedale.
On 12 June 1975 a meeting was held at Memorial Hall to discuss the report prepared for the Cities Commission by Messrs Loder and Bayly. The areas of objection to the report were:
- The enlargement and upgrading of the Grovedale Airport
- The proposed site for light industry at Mount Duneed
- The establishment of a City Forest near Mount Duneed
Late in 1975 the council decided to shift the fire station from Bieske Road to a block (60 feet x 150 feet) in Reserve Road west of Hoses Lane. The building would be brick as required by the City of South Barwon. The progress association was approved as the Hall Advisory Committee. The first meeting of this committee was held on 5 December 1975 to decide on the renovations needed for the hall.
In 1976 extensive changes had been made to the feedlot in Barwarre Road because of the introduction of new regulations and "because of these changes the unsavoury odours from the feed lot should not occur again".
The "Grovedale Grapevine", a newsletter containing community contacts and reports was distributed. Items mentioned were new youth groups held on Friday nights at the Baptist and Lutheran churches, a meeting to establish an Apex group and a soap box derby in Burdoo Drive.
The South Barwon Council recommended to replace the defunct bridge in Bailey Street with a footbridge.
A celebration was planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the supply of electric power to Grovedale in 1977. A working bee to be held to work on the restoration of the waggons donated for use in the John Croft Reserve and the Recreation Reserve was planned for January. A Christmas celebration was planned for Santa to tour Grovedale by fire engine terminating at Burdoo Reserve where balloons and sweets would be distributed to the children and would follow with carol singing.
The Regional Director of Education would be contacted to enquire about a third primary school in Grovedale.
Sub committees were set up for:
Hall — to make recommendations for the purchase of equipment and to arrange repairs and maintenance.
Grapevine — to produce the newsletter.
Fun — to make recommendations for and to arrange school and communitty activities.
Christmas treat — to make recommendations and to organise community Christmas celebrations.
Permission was given to the CWA to place their honour board in the hall. The Pied Piper Playgroup which met in the Methodist hall requested help to get a council subsidy to offset the increase in rent being charged.
An advertisement was placed in the Geelong Advertiser to announce a special meeting to be held on 7 September 1983 at 10:30 am at the Grovedale Neighbourhood Centre to finalise dissolution of the association. As there were no objections to this process, the association was formally dissolved. A cheque for the remaining $47.28 held by the association was sent to the Grovedale Senior Citizens Association.
Compiled from minutes of the association