This acquisition documents skiing as an essential means of transport for high altitude workers on the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The skis are significant because of their use by Hans Berents, a Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority engineer, who used them when undertaking field research between 1952 and 1960.
In 1949 a massive national and international recruitment programme was launched to find workers with scientific and engineering skills for the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Migrants from many countries with skills in surveying, tunnelling, geology and hydrology came to work on the project. Hans Berents was a Norwegian engineer who emigrated to Australia in 1952, with his Russian-born wife, Dr Ina Berents, and son Peter. The family moved to the Snowy and both Hans and Ina were employed as professional staff by the Authority.
Skis were an essential means of transport for engineers, hydrographers, geologists, and surveyors who needed to work in the high-country sites during winter. Investigation teams went into the mountains to gather and analyse information about topography, rock types and water flows before construction work could begin. According to Peter Berents his father often skied into inaccessible locations to conduct field research for the Authority.
According to Peter Berents these skis were purchased by his father Hans Berents in Norway and brought with the family when they emigrated to Australia in 1952. Peter recalls his father using the skis between 1952 and 1960 for work and recreation. There is no maker's mark. Laminated skis date from 1939 to 1950. Safety bindings became common during the 1940s, with the Kandahar cable binding a popular brand well into the 1950s. The Japanese Evernew release toe was one of many available at this time.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme was officially launched on 17 October 1949. It was the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia, and is still recognised as one of the great engineering feats of the modern world. The Scheme took 25 years to build and is one of the largest and most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in operation. More than 100,000 people helped build the Scheme, attracted by good job opportunities and high wages. Two thirds of the workforce came from overseas as contracted personnel, migrants or refugees from Europe.
In 1949 a massive national and international recruitment programme was launched to find workers with scientific and engineering skills. Migrants from many countries with skills in surveying, tunnelling, geology and hydrology came to work on the Scheme. Hans Berents was a Norwegian engineer who emigrated to Australia in 1952, with his Russian-born wife, Dr Ina Berents, and son Peter. The family moved to the Snowy and both Hans and Ina were employed as professional staff by the Authority.
According to Peter Berents the skis were purchased by his father Hans Berents in Norway. Peter recalls his father often skiing into inaccessible locations to conduct investigative field research for the Authority. Dr Ina Berents, Peter's mother, also used skis in her work as the SMA's resident doctor at Cabramurra between 1952 and 1967. The Berents family skied regularly on days off while living at Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Hans Berents was a member of the Cabramurra Ski Club.
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