Bellarine Blokes: The Providers
At the February 2026 Bellarine Women's Network get together, our guest speaker Di Kolomeitz - shared her experience of writing an historical compilation, "Bellarine Blokes: the Providers".
Di has lived in Portarlington for the past 9 years. She retired and moved with her husband from Queensland, after a working life of teaching and administration in schools and then as a University research administrator.
A writer and poet herself, she has always had an interest in compiling historical stories, so when Di was approached by the Bellarine Historical Society in Drysdale to compile the stories of older female Bellarine residents, she happily agreed and this first book was published two years ago.
After the success of "Bellarine Memories: The Stories of Twelve Bellarine Women" she was asked to interview and document the stories of twelve Bellarine men.
"Bellarine Blokes: The Providers". - a beautiful companion piece to the first book, was recently completed and published.
Di's engaging talk about the privilege of interviewing the twelve chosen men (and their families) was captivating. She met with descendants from the early settlers of the Bellarine, plus relatively new residents, to compile their fascinating stories.
We learnt about their family history, pursuits, careers and community involvement.
Both publications are a highly recommended read and are available for purchase from the Bellarine Historical Society and Portarlington Post Office.
