By Tanya Faulkner
A Pancake Day tradition started in the aftermath of the Ash Wednesday bushfires to lift spirits in the Upper Beaconsfield community continues 40 years on, thanks to members of the local Men’s Shed.
The first pancake day started in 1984 by Tommy Griffin as a celebration of the English Pancake Day, which happened to coincide with the first Ash Wednesday anniversary, as a way to spread positivity around the Upper Beaconsfield community after the devastation of the fires.
The Griffin family originally came to Upper Beaconsfield from Ferntree Gully in 1967 where Tom was the proprietor of the Tuck Shop at the Ferntree Gully Technical school. He was a man who did many quiet things to help people in hard times – made evident in the Pancake Day event.
In 1985, Tommy Griffin told the Pakenham Gazette that the event of 1984 was so successful he decided to make it an annual event.
“I started this last year on the anniversary of Ash Wednesday to relieve the pressure, get the people’s minds off the horror of the year before,” he said.
At one point the event was stopped due to new council regulations, however Upper Beaconsfield Men’s Shed volunteer Ron Van Vilet told the Gazette it was his wife’s idea to start the tradition back up again.
“She gave me the idea to start the tradition back up again, so the Men’s Shed took it over and have done it for the last four or five years,” he said.
Mr Van Vilet said the Men’s Shed uses local produce and source their own ingredients for the pancake toppings – like fresh local lemons from the community, with the pancake mix being donated by Edlin Foods for the event.
“It really is a community driven event, with locals chipping in to help prepare the pancakes, the local scout group sometimes getting involved, and the Men’s Shed doing the cooking.
“We even have pro golf player Mark Griffin, who is the son of Tommy, and his family coming down every year to the event,” he said.
This years’ Pancake Day event will be held Tuesday 21 February from 6pm at the Tom Griffin Park, sponsored and initiated by the Upper Beaconsfield Men’s Shed – coinciding with the Upper Beaconsfield Village Festival.
Soft drinks and water will be available to purchase on the night, with the community invited to bring their own chairs and picnic gear, and enjoy a tasty pancake in honour of the long-standing Pancake Day tradition in Upper Beaconsfield.
