The Lorne Community Opportunity Shop (Lorne Op Shop) this year is celebrating its fiftieth year of owning its shop at 98 Mountjoy Parade Lorne. The celebrations have included an afternoon drinks party on the Lorne foreshore and an exciting celebratory lunch at Lorne Central. Unfortunately, on the anniversary of the actual date (4th June) the COVID restrictions caused a postponement of festivities.
During the 1950’s the Lorne Community Hospital Ladies Auxiliary conducted a range of fundraising activities which contributed significantly to the building of Lorne’s Community Hospital in 1959. The Auxiliary continued to work tirelessly to equip the new hospital, with the members enjoying the social aspects of the fundraising that this group offered. In 1963 the Lorne Op Shop began and opened in what had previously been the State Savings Bank premises. In the tradition of the time, the volunteers baked cakes, cooked pickles, and made jam from locally picked blackberries.
In 1969 when the State Savings Bank site was sold, The Op Shop could only operate from temporary sites in Lorne. Then the Op Shop Auxiliary made a decision which was forward thinking and had far-reaching consequences. A block of land which was the last available in Mountjoy Parade was purchased – and became the current site of the Op Shop. The site was purchased for a ‘song’ and then a very generous anonymous donation kicked off the funds that were necessary to build the shop. The shop was built during 1970 and officially opened on 4th June 1971. The book ‘Enriching Lorne’ by Dr Debora Campbell describes this period – and the first 40 years of the shop – in great detail.
Today the shop celebrates and boasts of its fifty years in the same location. Thanks to the great decisions made to purchase the land and build the shop, the volunteers actually own the shop – and so do not have a large slice (or in fact any) of their takings – paid as rent to a landlord! This also provides great surety in present and future decision-making, thereby setting it apart from almost every other shop in Lorne!
There are currently over eighty volunteers who are ably led by a Committee of Management – with no paid managers or staff. With the COVID-19 pandemic the committee has had to work hard to follow all the rules and protocols for this type of business. In addition, the committee was proactive in writing clear COVID operating procedures, training volunteers, and installing the necessary equipment to minimise the risks. The committee has recently needed to rewrite their constitution and define their changing role in the community upon the merging of the Lorne Community Hospital with Apollo Bay forming Great Ocean Health.
The wider Lorne community is certainly enriched by the presence of the Op Shop. The hospital is the recipient of a large donation in its annual appeals as well as having projects funded including the gymnasium extension and the accommodation building. In addition many items of hospital and medical equipment are funded each year by the Op Shop. Other beneficiaries for equipment include the Lorne CFA, SES, the Lorne Police and the setting up of the Lorne Mens Shed. The Op Shop also supports community welfare with the Red Fogs, and with its Essential Food Support Programme during the 2020 Pandemic lockdown.
Of course, the Op Shop could not exist without the generous donations from the community. Good quality, clean donations are welcomed when the shop is open, although the shop has difficulty having space for larger items of furniture and cannot take electrical items. When you look around the shop it has the appearance of a fashion shop, a book shop, an antique store and even a toy shop – there really is a bargain for everyone! The shop is currently in ‘party mode’ celebrating its 50 fabulous years. All the current and previous volunteers can be very proud of this achievement as well as those shoppers who keep up their support. Who knows where the next fifty years might lead?
John Ford,
for Op Shop team.
