Power the spark for a lifetime together

FOR Clive and Barbara Archer, Tasmania’s Hydro villages represent so much more than just an electric scheme – they are a symbol of the couple’s life together.

Mr Archer, 77, moved from Sydney to Liawenee in 1951 when his father began work at Waddamana. They were based at the Hilltop Village above Waddamana before moving to Bronte Park.

Mrs Archer, 75, known as Popsy, started out life at Waddamana before moving to Butlers Gorge when just six months old. She then journeyed to Bronte Park, where she met Clive in 1953 while still at school.

Mr Archer started his first job as a mechanic at Wayatinah in 1958 and the couple married in 1962. They then moved to Mt Roland so Mr Archer could work at stations in the Mersey-Forth scheme.

When Gowrie Park was built for Mersey-Forth, they moved there and raised two daughters before spending the better part of a decade at Strathgordon’s Gordon station in the Gordon-Pedder scheme. The family eventually moved to Hobart in 1976, where Mr Archer retired in 1993.

Later this month, the couple will get to catch up with other Hydro families at a reunion of former HydroElectric Commission employees.

Those who lived in Hydro villages and worked in power stations at Strathgordon, Tullah, Wayatinah, Gowrie Park, Poatina, Tarraleah, Liawenee, Waddamana, Bronte Park and everywhere in between will attend.

It is not the first reunion for the Archers, who joke they are now the old firm of Hydro gatherings, and the upcoming event is unlikely to be the last as the families have established close connections.

“We talk about old times and meet up with the people we have known for over 40 years,” Mr Archer said.

“We had a great life in the Hydro villages.”

Mrs Archer agreed. “We’ve had a wonderful life, everyone just knew everyone. It was a great community,” she said.