Douglas William Bachli S Patron Park Stud at Dromana Vic Aust

Who's Doug Bachli?
Sport Australia Hall of Fame - Athlete Members
www.sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame/athlete-members/
Bachli MBE, Mr Douglas, Golf, 1987. Baker, Mr Reginald 'Snowy', Boxing, Rugby Union, Diving, Swimming, Polo, 1985. Bannerman, Mr Charles, Cricket, 1986.

A EUREKA MOMENT! BUT WHERE DO I POST IT?
The rough location of the Patron Park Stud was discovered during my research for the HERITAGE WALK, ROSEBUD journal. As the stud was actually in Dromana but my HERITAGE WALK,DROMANA journal deals with sites on or near the Esplanade, I thought a new journal was the best idea.

The Rosebud journal gives much information about the Bachli family under the ROSEBUD HOTEL entry. Both Rosebud and Dromana had their share of famous people and we Rosebud residents are willing to share Doug with Dromana.

The Bachli family seems to have been involved in the hospitality industry for some time before Doug's father, John Phillip (Phil)took on Rosebud's long- awaited hotel in 1941. Frank (probably Doug's great uncle) ran a hotel at Ararat pre 1916, Doug's father had a hotel at Shepparton before moving to Canberra in the mid 1930's,probably to look after his father, William, and run Brassey House for him. After leaving Rosebud,Doug, three years after his marriage to Dorothy and living in Surrey Hills, took on a hotel in Melbourne in 1956.

Phil and Doug were passionate about the Sport of Kings but I have found no evidence of their involvement in this pursuit before their arrival in Rosebud. Their horses certainly competed after this time at Canberra and no doubt the opportunity was taken to meet old friends still living there.

While the Patron Park Stud was being established, Doug was probably running the hotel and helping Phil to erect stables, fencing etc. on the 48 acre stud whenever he could so the footy ground across the road from the Rosebud Hotel was probably instrumental in honing the skills that won him the 1954 British Amateur Championship. Along with this and his service in W.W.2 (see comment under the ROSEBUD journal), Doug spent precious little time on golf courses in the first half of the 1940's.

Trove searches for the location of the stud involved many fruitless hours and the following was discovered in a google search for PATRON PARK STUD,DROMANA. Of course Harbison Rd had to be Harrisons Rd. The stud was probably being sold by the Doody family which had bought it from Doug; they had another stud at Diggers Rest.

"patron Park" .Harbison .Road Dromana Stud .Farm, Freehold.
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19640610&id...

PAGE 14, THE AGE, JUNE 10, 1964.
AUCTION - DROMANA
THURSDAY, JUNE 18,at 2:30 p.m., on the Property
"PATRON PARK"
HARRISON ROAD,DROMANA
STUD FARM,FREEHOLD.
Firstly to be offered in one lot of approx.48 acres but if not sold to be offered in two lots.
COMPRISING: (1)36 acres 3 roods 33 perches approx.; (2) 12 acres approx.
LOT 1 (a) Delightful 6 roomed weatherboard dwelling with 3 roomed S.C. flat. Together with all floor coverings,light fittings, and shades, blinds and drapes.
(b) Complete stud farm consisting of 10 divided agistment paddocks,loose boxes,State Rivers water connected to each paddock,Saddling yards, stables, feed sheds &c.
LOT 2 is a vacant lot of land divided into approx.four paddocks with State Rivers water connected to each paddock.
Terms 10%deposit,balance 60 days.
For inspection and prior offers,please contact:
SAVOY-ALWARD PTY. LTD. 505 ST.KILDA ROAD
Phone 24 6681 or 28 Chester St,Oakleigh. 569 0661.

The actual location of the 48 acres is yet to be pinpointed. A possible Doody descendant at Sunbury or Doug's son,Paul, might be able to help me. What is of interest is that no training track was mentioned. My guess is that the stud was close to Melway 160 H-J 7-8 where 117 acres,DROMANA RACECOURSE was gazetted in 1872.

WITH THANKS TO THE GOLF SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA*, MARK BACHLI, PAUL BACHLI AND FRANK HILLI.
*pdf 525kB - Golf Society of Australia
golfsocietyaust.com/pdf/LongGameNo10-Mar2000.pdf
Mar 10, 2000 - Vale - Douglas William Bachli - (1922 - 2000). The Golf Society of Australia lost ... of his son Paul, "I have lost my hero" - we have all lost a hero.

There was only one Bachli in White Pages for the whole of Melbourne. He was Doug's son but he had never seen Patron Park Stud. However,he gave me the mobile number of Doug's youngest son,Paul. I rang Paul but there was no answer and I left a message. Paul rang back first thing this morning. He knew where it was and spoke of black gates and the new name of Palimino Stud. He said the stud was near the Tech.School. As I drove north past the school, there was no sign of black gates. When I reached the north end of the recreation reserve with the subdivision of the Moat family's grants on my left,I knew it was time to turn around. That was when I saw the sign: PALiMINO STUD. It was 59 Harrisons Rd. Then I saw a Californian Bungalow with a four wheel drive in front of it but no driveway. This had to be the delightful weatherboard house of 1964 but I had to drive past it to the black gates with Palimino Stud wrought upon them.

As I walked up the driveway two pairs of eyes watched me warily. I introduced myself and explained my purpose to the older pair of eyes which filled with enthusiasm. Their owner showed me the stables (feed room,tack room,stalls with sliding doors which still slide beautifully and the concrete pad outside the feed room on which stood a silo which fed the feedboxes. Then he escorted me through the self contained three roomed flat attached to the north east corner of the house,and told me that the foundations of the six roomed weatherboard house had been compressed when somebody had substituted heavy terra cotta tiles for corrugated iron. The house, flat and stabling were all on five acres with grapevines on a paddock behind them. There is a lane on the north side of the house along which feed could probably be carried to each of the specified 10 agistment paddocks but Patron Park probably also extended to the south as well as east.

As we walked toward the black gates, I asked the owner his name and how to spell the surname. It was Frank Hilli* and I knew immediately why he hadn't been to the BACK TO RED HILL reunion on March 22, 2015. He mentioned the old passion fruit factory in Harrisons Rd and I told him about Barry Wright's photo of it in my MEMORIES OF RED HILL,POST 1940 journal. He told me it was now the Whispering Vines Cafe,done up beautifully with brick cladding and it certainly does look great,up the long drive from the impressive brick entrance (TOLLEO ESTATE?)

*There was a four day Hilli/ Cleine reunion on the same weekend that I only found out about after the hall had been booked and the date of the BACK TO RED HILL was publicised.