HOLTON, Arthur Edward

18/10/1920 - 22/7/1967

Arthur Edward Holton was born in Brunswick, Melbourne on the 18th October, 1920.  His parents were Arthur Stewart Holton and Isabella Stewart (nee Pridham).  He lived in Bell St. Brunswick as a child with his parents and sister Alice.

Arthur visited Creswick as a teenager and met Gwendoline Britten, whose father was the Assistant Station Master, when the family lived in the railway house at the Victoria St. gates.  Gwen and her mother were responsible for opening and closing the level crossing gates at all hours of the day and night.

Arthur and Gwen married in the Creswick Methodist Church in 1944, when he was on leave from war duty in New Guinea.  He had volunteered for the 2nd AIF in 1939 and served in the Middle East, including as a “Rat of Tobruk”, in New Guinea and in Borneo. His health was affected for the rest of his short life by constantly recurring bouts of malaria, contracted in New Guinea.

On discharge, he and Gwen built their home in Ballarat Rd. Creswick and raised six children: Elaine, Marion, twins Elizabeth and Judith, Ian and Ross. Sadly, Marion died, aged eleven, after having one of the first ‘hole in the heart’ surgeries in Melbourne in 1961.

A painter and decorator by trade, Arthur commenced his community service upon settling in Creswick.

This was at a time after a long, difficult war.  Times were tough, money was scarce, the Governments had little money and lots to do.  So, people banded together to build their communities, many children were born, and the population was boosted by refugees from Europe.  There was much work to be done.

Arthur and family were active in the Creswick Methodist Church, where he was a Trustee.  One of the projects the church was part of was the building of Adekate Camp, on the road to Dean.  Many working-bees were held over years to create the hall and all the buildings, and Arthur was working on the roof of one of the buildings when a colleague fell off and broke his leg.

Arthur joined the RSL and was President from 1953 to 1955.  The present RSL Hall was mostly built by volunteers who made the concrete bricks and did all the work that could legally be done.  Their children also assisted with the brick making.  The RSL supported veterans, widows and their children.

He was President of many other organisations.  In the year of his death, he was President of the Creswick Branch of the Australian Natives Association and the Creswick Scouts. The ANA was set up in Creswick in 1880.  The objectives of the Association were to ‘raise money by subscriptions, donations and fud-raising, for the relief of sick members and defraying the costs of the funerals of members, their wives, relieving distressed widows and orphans and the necessary expenses of the general managements of society’.  This was before the establishment of health funds and support services as we know them today. The ANA started a Spelling Bee competition for the local schools, the shield of which was named ‘the Arthur Holton Memorial Shield’ after his untimely death.  The competition ran from the 1950s until the 1990s.

CRESWICK DISTRICT PRE-SCHOOL CENTRE

Arthur was a fervent supporter, committee member and President of the committee to establish a Pre-School Centre.  The community worked hard together to raise the money to set up the Pre-School, purchase equipment and a playground.  On February 2nd, 1961 it started at St John’s church hall.  The committee and community then worked tirelessly fund raising, and the new centre was opened in February, 1967.  It continues to serve Creswick today.

CRESWICK STATE SCHOOL

Arthur was a committee member and President of the Creswick State School Council.  In a school paper after his death in 1967 it was reported that ’the school was very proud to win the shield donated for the very first time by the late Arthur Holton, a member of our committee, who was an untiring worker for the school and who was respected greatly by our children and staff for his kindly interest’.

CRESWICK SCOUTS

Arthur was on the Committee and President the year he died.  Again, the Committee worked hard on fund-raising to house the growing number of scouts.  Fund-raising occurred over many years and the hall was built, bricks made, and all work done by volunteers, except that which legally needed qualified tradesmen.  The building was started in 1954 and was operational in 1957.  There was no money owing on its’ completion.

CRESWICK SHIRE COUNCIL

Arthur was a Borough Councillor in the Creswick Shire from 1955 to 1961, when ill-health forced his retirement.  Holton Rd. is named in his honour.  With other Councillors and town residents, he worked for many years attempting to bring a secondary school to Creswick.

CRESWICK CALEMBEEN PARK COMMITTEE

Arthur was a member of the Calembeen Park Committee.  The Park was the centre of activity for Creswick for many, many years: swimming and diving competitions, concerts and Australia Day celebrations.  The Committee fund-raised and provided much of the maintenance.

KOALA PARK COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT

Arthur was appointed to this Committee by the Minister of Forests only twelve days before his death.

Sadly, Arthur’s life was cut short on 22nd July, 1967 when he died suddenly, aged 46, while attending a meeting of the Creswick Havilah Freemasons Lodge.

From when he came to Creswick at the end of the Second World War in 1945, until his death in 1967, he worked tirelessly for his family, his community and its’ people.