It’s hard to talk about Tatura and not include Arthur Knee in the conversation.
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With their surname synonymous with the town, Mr Knee and wife Lurline are woven into the town’s fabric as founding members of Tatura and District Historical Society.
Both Mr and Mrs Knee were recently bestowed Order of Australia Medals for their service to the community of Tatura — and his reaction to the accolade speaks volumes about the type of cloth from which he is cut.
“I was thrilled, but I was triply thrilled that Lurline got it. I think she has done a lot; all I did was do what I was told,” Arthur said with an earnest grin.
It was that same modest drive that gave Mr Knee a foothold in the industry he served for 30 years.
Curiously, his initial steps in the working world were taken as an engineer for Rodney Shire — the same role as his father, also Arthur, had assumed.
At 25 years o, Mr Knee became the youngest shire engineer in Victoria, where his civil duties extended to the district towns of Kyabram, Tatura, Mooroopna, Merrigum and Toolamba.
“We looked after roads, drainage and bridges, not that there were many bridges in Rodney back then,” he said.
“I was very lucky, it was after the war and engineers were short, I suppose. I was only 25 so I was the youngest in the state.”
Recreationally, he was just as involved.
In the present day, Tatura is regarded as a fierce competitor punching well above its weight on the local sporting landscape — something Mr Knee has played a part in establishing.
He played cricket for Shepparton and football for Shepparton East, mentioning he “wasn’t much good but still got a game”.
But it was off the field where he had most impact.
A man who made sure words were followed through with actions, Mr Knee got the ball rolling on the construction of Tatura’s main sporting venue with the help of others.
“Jim Trevaskis was secretary of the Goulburn Valley Football League, and he saw there was a need for a good ground in Tatura,” Mr Knee said.
“So, we realigned the football ground in the showgrounds, and we had all the finals for the GVL there for years.
“When we redesigned the football ground and had to build the pavilion and dressing sheds, that was all done by voluntary labour. We had one of the local builders and bricklayers and they spent weekend after weekend building it all.”
Mr Knee wore many hats within the community — whether they were official or not — but perhaps his most significant was as a founding member of the Tatura and District Historical Society in 1984.
Mr and Mrs Knee's dedication to provide a public looking glass into the past was immense, and for him it stemmed from a childhood spent in the wartime era.
“I was a schoolboy at Shepp High, I can remember a Kitty Hawk coming in, low smoke fuming out of the back of it, I was playing cricket at the time on the oval,” he said.
“It was obviously looking for somewhere to land, so I hopped on the bike and followed it to a place on Toolamba Road.”
That inquisitiveness has never ceased, of course.
When a lack of venue hampered plans for the historical society, it wasn’t enough to deter Mr Knee from setting works in motion to lay foundations for the group.
In 1988, the Tatura and District Historical Society Museum was opened in the century-old offices of the irrigation trust.
“We didn’t have anywhere to meet; the Rodney Shire council were good that they gave us first priority for a grant from the bicentennial funds,” he said.
“They gave us $10 000 and of course that wasn’t enough, so the members all hopped in and donated or loaned money and we bought the present site which has got historic value.
“All the help we got from the community, the Rotary club hopped in with money, the Apex club helped with labour and we restored the building.”
Nowadays, the museum is decorated with stunning remnants of old Tatura, most of which have the Knees’ fingerprints all over them.
Recognition for the pair has come thick and fast in recent years, especially when the Arthur and Lurline Knee Gallery was opened in the museum.
“They were original members of the Tatura and District Historical Society, without them the museum would not have taken off like it has,” society member Judy Forster said.
“Tat people have them to thank for the museum, really.”
In addition to his museum contributions, Mr Knee has also compiled a comprehensive report on those interred in the state heritage-listed German War Cemetery, providing background on many.
He still holds his title as research officer within the historical society, and wakes each day knowing he is at home in Tatura, the place he cherishes so dearly.
“Tatura is a wonderful place to live, and there always seems to be people, if something's needed, that will all hop in and do it,” he said.
“There has always been someone who took a leading role, and I used to follow — that’s just how I got involved in things.”