MOUNT Buller is holding a former staff reunion celebrating 100 years of skiing across three dates this season.
The first was on Friday July 19 and the second and third dates will be on Friday July 26 and Friday August 9.
General manager of Buller Ski Lifts (BSL) Noel Landry said with the celebration of this milestone it felt appropriate to include the people who have been part of the workforce and contributed so much over the decades.
“We’ve issued a broad invitation to everyone who’s been part of the team, all the way back to the days of Orange and Blue lifts to get back to the mountain,” he said.
“BSL is happy to provide lift passes and an après invitation to involve as many people in these reunion days as we can.
“BSL offers a unique ‘office’ in a special alpine setting, and we strive to create a culture that is welcoming for all and that values our people, so they stay and recommend us as an employer of choice to their friends and family.”
Ryoma Parker, Human Resources Manager first started working on the mountain in 2021 and has completed four seasons.
"This is an exciting program to roll out and the response from former employees has been great,” she said.
“On July 4 we had 95 applications.
“Some of the acceptances we’ve seen are from team members who haven’t been here in a while and they are delighted to get back on the slopes, reconnect with old friends and the mountain and be part of our 100 years of skiing celebrations.”
She said these events are designed to bring together past and present team members by offering up to 100 free passes on each of the three reunion days, we are expressing our gratitude and appreciation for their contributions.
“By bringing together former and current staff, we’ll drive community and continuity,” she added.
“While seasonal roles in lift operations and hospitality are well-known, BSL also offers opportunities in trades, IT, corporate services, finance, and environment we offer real careers in a beautiful part of regional Victoria and as many of our team can attest, they came for a season and stayed to carve out a profession!”
“We’re pleased to have such a loyal and committed workforce at Buller Ski Lifts and I can’t think of many organisations where there are two and three generations continuing the legacy of working with the company.
“We would just like to say thank you to all of our former and current team members and volunteers, who have all left a lasting legacy that many others will enjoy for years to come.”
Mount Buller News spoke to five former staff about their experiences on the mountain and how it has shaped their careers today.
Kat James worked at Buller from 2002 to 2008 first working in the control centre then progressed into mountain operations.
“I grew up in Melbourne, but my parents were part of a lodge in Mirimbah, so I learned how to ski,” she said.
“I got involved with Mount Buller, because my oldest brother worked there in the late 80s and early 90s.
Kat said she has a number of memories working on the mountain, but the 2006 bushfires was one that stood out.
“I got woken up at about four in the morning one day,” she said.
“We were staying at the Lakeside Lodge, the fire alarm was going off and I looked out the window and the entire little Buller mountain was ablaze and then it was all battle stations.
“They had the snow making guns set up to protect the chairlifts, but as it turned out it wasn’t too much of a drama.
“By the time the fire got all the way up the top to the summit it was going very very slowly and they were basically a few of the staff were putting it out with their boots.”
Kat said she moved to Thredbo two hours south of Canberra in 2017 and is now working for an outdoor education company.
“We take kids into the snowy mountains to do skiing and snowboarding and summer activities such as mountain biking,” she said.
Her favourite part about working on Buller was the tight-knit community.
“When I was working, there was a lot of accommodation on the mountain, so it felt like you really got to know everyone and we all had each other’s backs,” she said.
“I met my husband Matty James on Buller in 2004.
“He was a bouncer at the Koorora.
“I talked to him all night instead of hitting the dancefloor.”
Matty James Kat’s husband started working on the mountain in 2001 after completing an exchange program working as a mechanic in Colarado.
“I then started working on snowcats on Buller, I left for about six months and then came back in 2002 and got the job as vehicle maintenance supervisor,” he said.
“Thredbo is now my home, however my heart is always at Buller.
“I love the place, love the people and it’s aways nice to go back there and catch up with old friends.
“Kat and I still own a property in Merrijig.”
Today Matty is currently working as a diesel mechanic.
“I didn’t think I’d pursue this career, but after started working on snow cats, it’s now what I specialise in this type of machinery that I’ve worked on for 20 years.
“I wouldn’t have been introduced to if I hadn’t worked up on the mountain and I also wouldn’t have met my wife.
“We’ve now relocated and got a couple of gromets up here in Thredbo.”
Ryan Jones also met also met his wife while working up on the mountain.
He worked as a snowboard instructor and his first season was in 2021 during COVID.
“I met Jess when I was at Spurs in the front room,” he said.
“She had been snowboarding for two years before, but I thought that I was such a gun and could maybe give her some tips.
“She said “no problem”.
“We then arranged to do night skiing together after work and I met her.
“I came across with my snowboard at the top and was like right so what we’re going to do is … and she went down the hill and completed two perfect turns.”
Ryan’s dad learned to ski while he was working as an Australian exchange officer cadet in New Zealand.
“Dad fell in love with it and wanted to get me and my brother involved in it when we were younger” he explained.
“Since I was about 12, we went every school holidays.
“When I became an instructor, I was supposed to only come up and do it on the weekends, but I think ended up doing 30 or 40 days that season and loved getting to teach what I loved doing growing up.
“I instructed a lot of adults classes and school groups.
“I remember there was a woman who was in her early 80s and she just wanted to tick it off the bucket list.
“Today I still regularly and proudly list snowboarding instructing on my resume even though I’m a project management graduate.
“Mount Buller is one of the more iconic places in Victoria in my opinion and it’s close to my heart.
“It feels great to be a part of history.”
Rebecca Raphael worked on Buller for two seasons from 2021 to 2022 as the BSL pastry chef.
“I really enjoyed the different events and types of functions, and for me the work was very different every day.
“I had the freedom to make chocolates if I wanted and make new products so there was a lot of freedom in that which was very good.
“My favourite events were the opening weekend and the Pond Skim closing event.”
Rebecca said the great thing about Buller is that it's close to Melbourne and the accommodation is on the mountain mostly as opposed to other mountains.
“They’re very focused on keeping the staff happy and good training,” she added.
Alistair James Ewart-Brown originally from Brisbane worked on the mountain from 2007 to 2012 as a ski instructor and t-bar coach.
“It gave me an unrivalled ability to talk to absolutely anyone, of any age, about anything,” he said.
“It’s honestly the most valuable asset I learned, and I use it every day.
“From teaching beginner lessons with limited English clients, to high end technical lessons, excellent communication skills are critical to be able to teach people how to ski.
“But it's not just the teaching where you communicate, it's talking while in the lift line, talking on the chairlift and talking at coffee break.
“I always get an overwhelming feeling of home when I get a glimpse of Buller between the clouds leaving Mansfield, and seeing how the mountain has evolved over the years makes me proud to have been a part of it, even if it was just for a minute."
Daniel Morganti started in 2010 working at Foodworks on Buller for two years and then progressed to snow board instructing as well as lift operations finishing in 2017.
“It was fantastic and I loved working with such a great group of people,” he said.
“I met my partner who is originally from South Australia on Buller.
“The best part about being on the mountain was having parties in the staff accommodation, bumping chairs with the people next to you and doing hot laps when it was a little bit slower.
“It’s such a beautiful place.”
