By Holly McGuinness
Star Weekly reporter Holly McGuinness caught up with Whittlesea resident Bruce Batten. Bruce is a keen collector of old bottles and is a member of several community associations including Whittlesea Historical Society.
What’s your connection to Whittlesea?
I was born in Epworth and moved to Wollert where I have lived most of my life. The land that we owned was sold to developers two years ago now, so we had to find somewhere to live [and moved to Whittlesea]. I worked for the City of Whittlesea for 25 years.
What do you like about where you live?
I’ve got really good neighbours and I know a lot of people in Whittlesea through my involvement in the Country Fire Association, the Whittlesea Agricultural Society and Whittlesea Historical Society. I’m very devoted to history. I’ll push my wheelbarrow and say my piece if I don’t want something to go ahead. Through our members the historical society has achieved quite a bit. We got a grant from the government a while ago and one of our members created a historical walk around Whittlesea in the form of a booklet. I was president at that time and it was one of the big achievements. I’m very proud of it.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
For a coffee my wife and I go down to Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse and if we go out we’ll go to the bowls club or Japanese restaurant. If someone’s travelling to Whittlesea, I’d say to check out the township and see all the old buildings.
That booklet that we’ve achieved with the walk around Whittlesea virtually covers nearly everything in Whittlesea within walking distance of the courthouse.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you?
I collect antique bottles as a hobby and have been involved with collecting horse drawn vehicles over the years, from being involved in the “back to.”… We’d do a parade down the street.
Why did you start collecting bottles
I was raising money for the youth club at the time and the way I was doing that was going around the farms and collecting beer bottles and champagne bottles, this is going back to 1970. There’s soft drink bottles to ginger beer bottles, a lot of them would have come out from ships in England.
Tell us about the collectable 1952 commemorative Queen bottle?
It’s full of Guinness stout, the original top is still in place and the label is in great condition. Anything with a label on it is pretty precious, they come from sheds and old factories or buildings. It’s a commemorative bottle that came out from England to Australia when the Queen visited Australia. The government as a token of appreciation to celebrate her coming out here put out these items.
