General News
16 December, 2025
Vale Robert Long
Diane Wall: I met Robert when he first came to Rainbow after he had purchased the “Rainbow News”.
At that time, the Shire Council was attempting to establish new town committees in each town of the Shire, to foster tourism, business support, community involvement and so on.
We were the first Office Bearers of the reformed Rainbow Progress Association: I was president, Robert was secretary, and Betty Strauss was treasurer.
It came to Robert’s attention that the Rainbow Masonic Lodge was closing down and the building would be sold.
So he approached me to seek my views on what the town could do with the Masonic Hall.
We were aware that the Historical Society members at “Yurunga” were looking for somewhere to relocate the records and items that did not pertain to the historical homestead.
We came to the idea that the size of the building was ideal to store historical documents and memorabilia for future generations.
Robert spearheaded discussions with the Masonic Lodge members about the Rainbow Progress Association Inc. purchasing the building.
They, in turn were delighted with the idea and helped to facilitate arrangements with the headquarters of the Masonic Lodge.
With the generosity of Mr Bill Muntz, solicitor from Dimboola, who provided his services pro bono, the purchase was completed.
Robert was the vital cog dealing with the “Back To Rainbow” Committee members who provided the $300 funds from the profit of their recent celebrations, the offer which the Masonic Lodge accepted.
Their view was that the local members of the Lodge had raised the money and built the Hall in the first place, and so therefore it really belonged to the community.
Then of course the push was on to gain support from the townspeople and district in the huge task to finance the refurbishment and set-up of the proposed Rainbow Archive and Historical Society at the premises.
The new RAHS was formed as a Sub-Committee of the Rainbow Progress Association Inc. and this enthusiastic group spent the early years fundraising, setting up displays and contributing hours of hard work and all that goes into making such an undertaking a success.
Robert was a determined contributor to the refurbishment of the hall.
Many a night he would be found up the ladder, paint-roller on a pole, hand-painting the walls of the main hall.
I admired his ability to draw people in, to support the different groups he would write about in his newspaper, his wide knowledge, and his work ethic.
A privilege and a pleasure to work alongside him.
Not only was Robert the architect behind the formation of the Archive and the purchase of the Masonic Hall King Street premises, he himself was a man with singular talents and abilities.
He was also the most modest of men, quietly and in his own way making things happen without fuss, without fanfare, never seeking recognition or congratulations.
Three of his most significant other contributions to the Rainbow community immediately come to my mind.
First, the immense commitment he gave to the “Argus” during his tenure as owner/editor.
As soon as the newspaper’s format was reverted to that of it’s 1906 predecessor, readers immediately knew that here was a man on a mission to bring together the events of the day with those of times gone; making past and current connections between people, families, farming, business, organisations and sport, not only through words, but often through photos he’d been able to winkle out and borrow from old collections.
Every issue the packed columns registered birthdays, events, occasional “specials”, unrivalled multi-page coverage of “back to” events, historic adverts, plus the usual bread and butter items of similar country newspapers elsewhere.
If you happen to have an old copy of one of Robert’s issues, dig it out and reflect on the time and effort that must have gone into it.
Second, his 1993 editorship of the monumental “Deeds Not Words”, published under the sponsorship of the “Back to Rainbow and District Committee” led by President Greg Watt, Secretaries Leonie Clarke and Rob McPhee, and Treasurer Pam Newton, plus an army of Committee members and back-up volunteers.
Published in newspaper format, “Deeds Not Words” remains to this day, the first “go to” reference for anyone seeking information on our early history up to the 1930s. Comprehensive and accessible, it draws on old “Argus” records, contributed articles, innumerable photographs, organisational files and an array of ephemera such as posters advertising special occasions.
Himself a meticulous and widely-read historian, Robert was a master at chasing up elusive details and putting together the bits of the jigsaw that make up a credible historical narrative.
Robert’s ability and commitment to co-ordinate this enormous wealth of archival material into a readable and encyclopaedic whole after first exercising his enviable capacity to enlist universal co-operation and support from individual folk right across the community, was nothing short of herculean.
He allowed the stories to speak for themselves with little commentary, understanding that for readers, first-hand accounts of the struggles, the toil, the Depression, the Wars and the pioneer families make the most impact.
Third, many of you will recall the fascination Robert had with books of all kinds and bric-a-brac from here, there and everywhere.
From Clarice Cliff ceramics to historic posters, through to obscure religious tracts or arcane trophies, his shop always offered a treasure chest of discovery for the keen visitor to fossick through.
And moreover, he knew specific details about most of his stock, quite a lot of which he finished up selling at giveaway prices.
For many of his later years, he suffered from poor health, and for almost a decade, was tirelessly cared for by the wonderful Dinette Sanderson.
Vale Robert, and thanks for the lively conversations, and the unique and lasting contributions to Rainbow life that only you could have made.
