More than 40 years ago, a group of young Bairnsdale men came together with a shared goal — to serve their community through the Bairnsdale Apex Club, a national organisation built on the ideals of fellowship, self-improvement, and service above self.
Today some of the club’s past members — Alan Jones, Evan Bryant, John Fallon,
Neil Crawford, Gary Ball, Chris Dean, Bob McCoy, Ewen McRae, Trevor Newton, Nick Hall, Jim McSweeny, Jeff Cassidy and Jeff Frith — still gather each year, not to organise projects or fundraisers, but to
celebrate the friendships and memories forged through years of giving back.
Their conversation is filled with stories of chopping wood for the elderly, manning race gates to raise funds for local causes, and even the ambitious “Tractor to Tonga” project — a proud example of country ingenuity meeting international goodwill. These efforts, big and small, reflected a time when community service was both a social outlet and a
civic duty.
Now, the annual reunions have become as important as the projects once were.
“We might not be building playgrounds or carting firewood anymore,” Alan Jones said.
“But we’re still building something — keeping alive the bonds that community service created. That’s what matters now.”
Jones reflects thoughtfully on the changes he’s seen in society since those busy
Apex days.
“I can’t understand why people cry that they don’t have time for community service,”
he said.
“Maybe society’s changing — maybe in a disconnected way that’s not healthy.”
While the Bairnsdale Apex Club still operates today, welcoming both men and women up to the age of 40, numbers aren’t what they once were during the bustling
1960s and ’70s.
Yet, the spirit of the club remains — a reminder of the power of service, the value of connection, and the enduring friendships that grow when people give their time to something bigger than themselves.
In a world that sometimes feels more isolated than ever, the example of these former Apexians stands as a testament to what true community spirit can achieve — and how it continues to live on, not just in the projects completed, but in the lives that were touched, and the friendships that endure.
