Norm Houghton (historian)

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Norman Houghton

OAM
Born1948 (age 74–75)
Nationality Australian
Citizenship Australia
Occupation Historian
Organization(s) Geelong Heritage Centre; Light Railway Research Society of Australia

Norman Houghton OAM (born 1948) is a historian and archivist in Geelong, Victoria, who has published over 30 books, [1] many focusing on timber tramways and sawmills of the Otway and Wombat Forests of Western Victoria, Australia. [2] Most of his works have been self-published, while he has provided numerous articles to the newsletter and journal of the Light Railway Research Society of Australia [3]

Contents

Early life

Houghton grew up in Colac in southwest Victoria and attended Monash University, graduating in history. His interest in railway and forest history of Victoria's Otway Ranges was nurtured from an early age and resulted in his documentation and mapping of more than 300 sawmills and 160 kilometres of timber tramlines, which were built in the area from the 1850s to the mid 20th century. [4] [5]

Houghton worked at Sovereign Hill Historical Gold Mining Village and the Gold Museum in Ballarat and undertook assessment of the archives of the Queensland Railways, [6] before operationally establishing the Geelong Heritage Centre as its foundation Director in 1979, [7] where he held the role of archivist with the Geelong Historical Records Centre for many decades, and was instrumental in assisting the Geelong Historical Society to collate and compile records which formed the basis of the Heritage Centre archival collection. [8]

Forestry research

Houghton's primary research on sawmills and timber tramways has been used as the basis for comprehensive assessments of the value of forest heritage sites, for example by the Victorian Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, [9] [10] [11] for conservation management of heritage places, [12] and also to further the investigation of domestic and spatial arrangements of isolated bush settlements. [13] His publications include histories of the sawmills and tramways of the Wombat and Otway Forests [14] and have been described as "...part of his substantial legacy ... of the lives led by timber-getters, road-makers, railway workers, farmers, and others in the communities that battled with the high rainfall, heavily timbered, and steep landscapes of this unique part of Victoria." [15]

His research has been acknowledged by the Australian Forest History Society, [16] [17] while Gregg Borschmann, in the People's Forest Oral History Project, [4] noted that he had:

...documented and mapped more than 300 sawmills & 160 kilometres of timber tramlines built in the area since the 1850s of which ...[spending] every Sunday for 4 years in the bush; his conclusions, based on his field work experience, that there had been no real appreciation of the heritage value of forests by bulldozer drivers and current foresters, much of the archaeological remains of our non-Aboriginal forest culture had been destroyed; that the current generation of forest managers at the district level had very little knowledge of the history of their resource. [18]

Houghton's contribution to forestry history has been recognized in a number of recent surveys of Australian and Victorian forest history, particularly in undertaking the primary field work which has relocated the isolated bush settlements, mill sites and tramway networks, [19] [20] [21] and in the compilation of oral histories. [22] He provided a large proportion of the entries to the first annotated bibliography of forest history, [23] was a co-founder of, [24] and subsequently contributed to most of the national conferences on Australian forest history since its inception. [25] He is also credited as a major contributor to the reinvigoration of heritage protection and tourism in forest areas through his publications and promotion of timber tramway trails. [26]

Houghton is club historian for The Geelong Club for which he has written several histories. [27]

Awards

In the 2021 Australia Day Honours Houghton was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to community history. [28] [29]

Selected publications

Some of Houghton's research has been self-published and distributed through the Light Railway Research Society of Australia (LRRSA). He has also been a regular contributor to the LRRSA newsletter, and its journal Light Railways, and to the newsletter of the Australian Forest History Society. [30] Many of his other works have been published by local history societies.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colac, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Colac is a small city in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shire of Colac Otway</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Shire of Colac Otway is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of 3,438 square kilometres (1,327 sq mi) and in June 2018 had a population of 21,503. It includes the towns of Apollo Bay, Beeac, Beech Forest, Birregurra, Colac, Cressy, Forrest, Johanna, Kennett River, Lavers Hill, Warrion and Wye River. It came into existence on 23 September 1994 through the amalgamation of the local government areas of City of Colac, Shire of Colac, part of the Shire of Otway and part of the Shire of Heytesbury.

Alvie is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located along Baynes Road, in the Colac Otway Shire, north-west of Colac. It was named after a Scottish town of the same name, which was the birthplace of James Macpherson Grant, the Minister of Lands. It is situated in what became a rich dairying, potato and onion growing area.

<i>Light Railways</i> Australian railway magazine

Light Railways is a magazine produced by the Light Railway Research Society of Australia (LRRSA). The subtitle is "Australia's Magazine of Industrial and Narrow Gauge Railways".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Forrest is a small rural township in the Otway Ranges, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, Forrest and the surrounding area had a population of 230.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colac railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Colac railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Colac, and opened on 27 July 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-gauge lines of the Victorian Railways</span>

The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia, built a number of experimental 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beech Forest, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Beech Forest is a town in Victoria, Australia. The area of Beech Forest is largely used for potato farming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powelltown tramway</span>

The Powelltown tramway was a 3 ft narrow gauge tramway that operated between Powelltown and Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia, between 1913 and 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrnambool railway line</span> Railway line in Victoria, Australia

The Warrnambool railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowes railway line</span>

The Crowes railway line was a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway located in the Otway Ranges in south-western Victoria, Australia, running from the main line to Port Fairy at Colac to Beech Forest and later to Crowes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway tunnels in Victoria, Australia</span>

Victoria has only ever had about 10 tunnels on its railway network, with some others on private narrow gauge tramways. This is due to the relatively easy terrain through which most of the lines were built.

Gellibrand is a town in south west Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Otway Ranges midway between the Princes Highway and Great Ocean Road in the Colac Otway Shire, 176 kilometres (109 mi) south west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Gellibrand had a population of 210. Gellibrand is home to the Otway Districts Demons Football and Netball Club, who play Australian Rules Football and participate in the Colac & District Football League.

Benwerrin is a rural locality in the Surf Coast Shire, Victoria, Australia.

The Forrest railway line is a former branch railway in Victoria, Australia. It branched off the Warrnambool railway line at Birregurra, and ran through the foothills of the Otway Ranges to the town of Forrest.

Mount Sabine is a rural locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. The small locality is located deep in the Otway Ranges, and is mostly densely forested.

Dinmont was a stopping place and railway station in Victoria, Australia. It was located on the now dismantled Victorian Railways narrow gauge Crowes railway line. It opened in 1902 as Weeaproinah and was renamed in 1912 with the opening of Weeaproinah on the Beech Forest – Crowes section of the line. It closed with the closure of the Colac to Beech Forest section of the line in 1962.

McDevitt was a railway station and later stopping place near Colac, Victoria, Australia. It was located on the now dismantled Victorian Railways narrow gauge Crowes railway line. The first McDevitt station opened in 1904 and was 24 mile 55 chains (39.75 km) from Colac. The original station closed in 1930 and was replaced by a simple passenger shelter 6 chains (120 m) closer to Beech Forest. It closed with the closure of the Colac to Beech Forest section of the line in 1962.

Gellibrand was a railway station near Colac, Victoria, Australia. It was located on the now dismantled Victorian Railways narrow gauge Crowes railway line. It was 17 miles 20 chains (27.75 km) from Colac. Originally built with 3 tracks, a 4th was added in 1923. It closed with the closure of the Colac to Beech Forest section of the line in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barakula, Queensland</span> Suburb of Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia

Barakula is a rural locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census Barakula had a population of 13 people.

References

  1. ↑ Okai, Carla (20 June 2011). "Otways railways buff launches a new book". Colac Herald.
  2. ↑ "Houghton, Norm (1948-)", Trove, 2008, retrieved 16 May 2015
  3. ↑ "LRRSA Victorian timber tramways - select bibliography, Items on Victorian timber tramways published in Light Railways Nos 99 to 197".
  4. 1 2 Houghton, Norm (1993). "Norman Houghton interviewed by Gregg Borschmann in the People's forest oral history project" (Interview). Interviewed by Borschmann, Gregg. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Borschmann, Gregg (Gregg John) (1999). The people's forest: a living history of the Australian bush (New ed.). Blackheath, NSW, Australia: People's Forest Press.
  6. ↑ "Australian Forest History Society Inc. Newsletter; No. 49" (PDF). June 2008.
  7. ↑ Knight, Hannah (19 June 2013). "Wombat Forest features in new book". The Advocate.
  8. ↑ Houghton, Norm; Geelong Historical Records Centre (1988), Geelong Historical Records Centre: a foundation history, Geelong Historical Records Centre
  9. ↑ Evans, Peter (1992). A methodology to assess the heritage value of historic sawmill and tramway sites in the Central Forest Management Area of Victoria. Victoria: Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  10. ↑ Evans, Peter (1993). A report to the Australian Heritage Commission on sawmill and tramway sites in the Central Highland forests of Victoria. Australian Heritage Commission, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
  11. ↑ Evans, Peter. A study of historic sawmill and tramway sites in the west forest region Victoria. Environment Australia and Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria, Environment Australia.
  12. ↑ "Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes Railway Conservation Management Plan, report to the Colac Otway Shire" (PDF). June 2003.
  13. ↑ Davies, Peter (2002). "'A little world apart...': Domestic consumption at a Victorian forest sawmill". Australasian Historical Archaeology. 20 (20): 58–66. PMID   17896442.
  14. ↑ "Books from other publishers". Light Railways Research Society.
  15. ↑ "History News" (PDF) (279). Royal Historical Society of Victoria. February–March 2009.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ↑ Australian Forest History Society Inc. Newsletter20, November 1998
  17. ↑ Youl, Rob (July 2011). "Review of Houghton's Sawdust and Steam" (PDF). Australian Forest History Society Inc. Newsletter (57).
  18. ↑ "Newsletter No. 51" (PDF). Australian Forest History Society Inc. Newsletter (51): 4. January 2009.
  19. ↑ Griffiths, Tom (1992). Secrets of the forest: discovering history in Melbourne's Ash Range. Leonards, NSW, Australia: Historic Places Branch, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria and the Monash Public History Group, Allen & Unwin.
  20. ↑ McRae, Heather (1994). Forest history in Victoria: a guide to government records, 1836-1994. Historic Places Section, Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria.
  21. ↑ Moulds, Francis Robert (1991). The dynamic forest: a history of forestry and forest industries in Victoria. Richmond, Vic.: Lynedoch Publications.
  22. ↑ Gall, Jennifer (1989), Oral history sources for Australian forest history , retrieved 14 August 2015
  23. ↑ Kesby, Julie; Frawley, Kevin J.; Australian Defence Force Academy (1989). The forest record in Australian local and regional history: an annotated bibliography. Canberra: Department of Geography and Oceanography, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy.
  24. ↑ Australia's ever-changing forests: Proceedings of the First National Conference on Australian forest history. University of New South Wales, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy. 11 December 2012. hdl:1885/9516. ISBN   9780731700844.
  25. ↑ Australia's ever-changing forests III: Proceedings of the Third National Conference on Australian forest history. ANU Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES). 1997.
  26. ↑ Lennon, Jane; Victoria. Department of Conservation and Environment (issuing body.); Lennon, Jane (1992), Our inheritance : historic places on public land in Victoria, East Melbourne, Victoria Department of Conservation and Environment, ISBN   978-0-7306-2659-6
  27. ↑ Houghton, Norman (March 2013). "The Geelong Club: A brief history of its early days" (PDF). LaTrobeana, Journal of the C. J. La Trobe Society Inc. 12 (1). ISSN   1447-4026.
  28. ↑ "Mr Norman HOUGHTON". It's An Honour. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  29. ↑ AAP (25 January 2021). "Australia Day Honours List". The West Australian. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  30. ↑ Australia's ever-changing forests: Proceedings of the First National Conference on Australian forest history. University of New South Wales, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy. 1988.
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