75 years of Patrol service on Mt Buller

Mt Buller celebrated 75 years of the Mt Buller Ski Patrol this month, honouring the longest continuously operating Ski Patrol service in Australia. Patrollers night-skied down a Bourke Street ski run in front of a cheering crowd of locals and guests carrying bright torches. Led by current and former patrollers, the run concluded with a fireworks display that lit up the village and the mountain.  100 bright torches carried by skiers created a continuous line down Bourke Street marking the occasion

Ski Patrol manager Ed Mahon said, “It’s been a great evening celebrating with our community and our patrol ‘family’. We have parents and children, and grandparents participating this evening who have all donned the Patrol jacket and served Mt Buller.”

A handful of patrollers missed the festivities because they were responding to an injured guest. They stepped out the torch line as the radio call came in and quietly went about doing what patroller do – caring for others. 

The National Alpine Museum of Australia is hosting a season-long exhibit celebrating patrolling over the years, "Lifesavers of the Snow" with a collection of stories, photos and artefacts.