July Speaker Report – Beating the Bounds
Ben Petkov – Beating the Bounds
You can listen to a reading of the report by clicking the following link:
Senior Heritage Officer Ben Petkov joined the Society to present a lively and engaging exploration of Beating the Bounds, a once‑routine civic ritual that has left only a handful of physical traces across Geelong. Ben began by expressing his appreciation for the invitation, noting that heritage officers often work as “quiet advocates” and rarely have the chance to speak publicly about the passions that animate their work.
Uncovering Geelong’s Boundary Markers
Ben introduced the built heritage team: Jannine Barrand who is the Built Heritage Coordinator, himself and archaeologist Sarah Collins. He began his talk by setting the scene when began a 2024 project that saw him reviewing several thousand potentially significant properties in our region. After the list was whittled down, he was left with forty that required a Heritage Assessment, and sitting there at number forty was Geelong’s last surviving boundary pole: a modest timber marker installed in 1860 by the Public Works Committee to demarcate the Corporation’s limits.
This lone pole stood, almost forgotten, behind a bus stop on Ballarat Road. Initially, Ben sheepishly admitted he was “less than inspired at the prospect of assessing this last remaining boundary pole,” but his early research quickly transformed this unassuming object into a personal fascination. It reinforced the perils of making a snap judgement based on first impressions.
His investigations drew him deep into parish records, early municipal documents, and long travels through Trove. It was a story that began when Geelong’s boundaries were first promulgated in 1849 and later formalised under the Geelong Boundaries Act of 1858.
A Medieval Custom in a Victorian Town
The deeper Ben dug, the more he uncovered about the remarkable tradition of Beating the Bounds: a medieval English practice in which clergy and parishioners walked the boundary, striking each marker with willow rods to imprint the limits of the parish in communal memory. As Ben explained, “the children who would accompany the clergyman would be whipped at each of the posts, so that their pain may remind them of the exact location.”
Though Cromwell banned the practice, it was revived in the Victorian era, and Geelong became one of the longest‑running municipalities to maintain it. Councillors were required to inspect the posts every three and a half years, facing a £50 fine (around $6,700 today) if they failed to participate.
Humour, High Jinks, and Civic Ritual
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the ritual had softened into something more playful. Ben shared delightful accounts from the Geelong Advertiser, including the 1919 description of a reluctant councillor who refused to be “bumped” against a boundary post and clung to his vehicle “with the tenacity of despair.”
Ben’s comments kindled members’ memories and, in particular, a 1975 re‑enactment in Geelong West. He noted other humorous episodes, including a “very funny dumping of the councillors” in 1874. These stories, he said, lifted the boundary posts from just a mere piece of wood to something that carried human warmth, civic identity, and shared memory.
Rediscovering the Markers Today
Ben’s research has already led to rediscoveries. The Ballarat Road marker, hidden behind a bus stop, was the first confirmed. Soon after, our President and Vice‑President, Harry Roberts and Mark Thomas, located another on Weddell Road, prompting renewed interest in how many of these posts may still survive.
Prompted by a member question, Ben mentioned that some markers were replaced in the 1930s. These are easily distinguished from the originals: shorter aggregate posts with lettering painted red, adding yet another layer to the story of how Geelong’s boundaries have been marked, remembered, and occasionally forgotten.
A Heritage Officer’s Passion
What began as a routine heritage assessment became, for Ben, a vivid reminder of why small objects matter. His presentation demonstrated how even the most modest artefacts—weathered posts, half‑hidden in roadside verges—can open windows into civic history, community ritual, and the humour and humanity of earlier generations.
The Society thanks Ben for a presentation that was not only informative but richly entertaining, illuminating a tradition that once shaped Geelong’s civic life and now offers a fascinating avenue for ongoing historical discovery. We also appreciated his willingness to stay “until stumps,” engaging with members over supper.
