Post by braided-rug on Apr 24, 2006 16:53:24 GMT 10
The "Water Question" had struck us quite early in the piece. On reaching Kellerberrin we were told that we were "loony" to go out South - "You'll die for want of a drink", we were assured, and again scoffing and derision were heaped upon our assertion that we were going to grow wheat. I remember the loud and hearty laugh of two elderly men to whom Mr. Bland spoke of the venture. "If you can grow wheat there, you can grow anything!", they jeered. Looking back I see we certainly took grave risks, but perhaps it was Faith in that "Still Waters" that carried us on.
While we were at Cookine, a thunderstorm passed over, and about 4 inches of rain fell in an hour, so we felt that some water must be lying around, if only we could find it. However, the first night we were on the block we were wondering how the horses and our three selves were to fare, when suddenly we heard a loud in insistent croaking of frogs in an easterly direction - glorious music.
Early next morning we investigated, carrying an axe to blaze trees; and soon came out into a splendid salmon-gum stretch of country. And here, to our surprise, the dog flushed a big grey cat which shot up a tree like lightning, and scowled down at us in a most outrageous fashion. It was quite an omen, for if a cat could look so healthy there at the end of the summer, this was no desert.
We discovered the frog-pond about one and one-half miles from our camp in the bed of a creek; plenty of water for man and beast, so that trouble was over for the time being. And later on we found that Mokami dam was full also - this was a small catchment, stoned up with flay boulders, and about 3 miles north of us. It had been made by the men who had run cattle through the bush in earlier days.
In the next few months several new settlers arrived in the District. Ben Finklestein took up a block adjoining the Murcott holding and brought his wife and family down from the Goldfields. Messrs. Harvey and Farrell were first north of the Lakes, taking up blocks now held by Messrs. Frank Jacob and Stan Dadd respectively.
The Harveys were migrants from Canada, and the first white child born in the district was their son Eric, in whose honour the name Erikin was given to the Siding when, later on, the railway line was built.
The Farrells were Londoners, but unfortunately, Mr. Farrell contracted typhoid fever and died, leaving his young widow with two small children and a young brother to continue the fight. Next to these came the Zis brothers, Garbin, Cukela and Jacovitch, a company of Slavs from the Goldfields, and these farms are still in the families today.
The Farrells were Londoners, but unfortunately, Mr. Farrell contracted typhoid fever and died, leaving his young widow with two small children and a young brother to continue the fight. Next to these came the Zis brothers, Garbin, Cukela and Jacovitch, a company of Slavs from the Goldfields, and these farms are still in the families today.
While we were awaiting the surveyors, our adjoining neighbours came on the scene, Messrs. Ken and Jim Beaton and William Strachan; but this small settlement was cut off by some 8 or 9 miles from the North - the Lakes pioneers, so we did not contact them except at rare intervals. And again some 8 to 10 miles separated us from the Cookine settlers, now also augmented in numbers. Except for the track cut by Mr Bland and his young helper, there was no other outlet anywhere. This track led to Cookine through the Lakes, and joined up with the track to Kellerberrin some 40 miles away.
But even so, when my husband had to go to Kellerberrin for stores, he usually met some of the other pioneers on the road; and once he came across a most edifying spectacle on the Lake road - Mr. Finkelstein's horse had jibbed and refused to move another step so whilst his friend and companion held the reins, Mr. Finkelstein held a butt of oats out a couple of feet from the animal's nose and coaxed it on step by step. It looked as if it would be a long-winded way of getting home, so Mr. Bland, a well-tried and experienced horseman, took charge and very soon the jib got into the collar and off they went their way and my husband his. This used to be a standing joke in later years whilst conversing with Mr. Finkelstein. This pioneer was one of those who did not live long enough to see the District come to full fruition - he died at the Sanatorium during the First World War, and later his widow and family parted with the farm which is not the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Black.
In July the surveyor, Mr. Watts, came along and surveyed the Blocks held by Messrs Beaton, Strachan and Mr. Bland, so now we could really set about tackling our jobs. In both Land Offices, Melbourne and Perth, we have been insistent we have the "Very Fine Forest" marked on plans, and now we could visualize the heavy labour involved before we got results; but after 45 years I am happy to record that we never regretted our choice. This same month saw the survey of Mr. E. I. Hobbs' property about 8 miles south of Cookine - this is one of the few holdings still in the original family. Mr. Hobbs was a surveyor and draughtsman in the Lands Dept. and lived at Narrogin so their holding was in the hands of managers for some years before the family came to live upon it.
One of the first managers was the youth we had brought from Melbourne and who had been nicknamed "The Bishop" by Bert Alp and his clearers because of the youth's insistance that his uncle was Archbishop of York in England; and it is on record that a couple of letters addressed to "W. E. Sharpe, Bishop of Kwolyin, Kwolyin", actually came to the young man. Kwolyin was then our address and the mailbags came out once a week to Kwolyin Hill and the mail dumped at the foot of a tree to take or leave. The nickname stuck to the youth who was always designated "The Bishop", and his career ended on April 25th 1915 at Gallipoli Landing - an Anzac Hero. And again, one of the amusing incidents observed by my husband on the trips to and from Kellerberrin was the spectacle of The Bishop with two small pigs in a crate on his way to the Hobbs holding, while one hand held the reins the other hand was in the crate whilst the small pigs sucked the fingers "Keeps 'em quiet!" laconically declared "The Bishop" when Mr. Bland enquired the reason - "Soon as I take my fingers out, they squeal!"
After New Year 1910, the District was on the way to being quite a settlement; north the Line (as it is today) there were several English Pioneer families:- Messrs. Caleb Small, Denbigh, Thomson, Vennimore and Watson Patterson; a North Ireland man; Tommy St. John, an aforetime Jockey bravely battling the wilderness with the help of a paralyzed wife and a string of late Race-Tracks horses; James Soutar, and the West family.
While South the line form Cookine there were Jerry Graves, Harry Finkelstein, W. Van, Gregg and Rothbaum, each of them without any feminine helpers or adherents; and South Erikin was opened further by C. Smith and Son.
Both 1909 and 1910 were very wet years indeed; and the first crop we put in during May 1910 was quite good in every way a good height - fairly dense and good heads; and we only regretted that the dismal gentlemen who had jeered at our idea of growing wheat did not see it.
...continued
While we were at Cookine, a thunderstorm passed over, and about 4 inches of rain fell in an hour, so we felt that some water must be lying around, if only we could find it. However, the first night we were on the block we were wondering how the horses and our three selves were to fare, when suddenly we heard a loud in insistent croaking of frogs in an easterly direction - glorious music.
Early next morning we investigated, carrying an axe to blaze trees; and soon came out into a splendid salmon-gum stretch of country. And here, to our surprise, the dog flushed a big grey cat which shot up a tree like lightning, and scowled down at us in a most outrageous fashion. It was quite an omen, for if a cat could look so healthy there at the end of the summer, this was no desert.
We discovered the frog-pond about one and one-half miles from our camp in the bed of a creek; plenty of water for man and beast, so that trouble was over for the time being. And later on we found that Mokami dam was full also - this was a small catchment, stoned up with flay boulders, and about 3 miles north of us. It had been made by the men who had run cattle through the bush in earlier days.
In the next few months several new settlers arrived in the District. Ben Finklestein took up a block adjoining the Murcott holding and brought his wife and family down from the Goldfields. Messrs. Harvey and Farrell were first north of the Lakes, taking up blocks now held by Messrs. Frank Jacob and Stan Dadd respectively.
The Harveys were migrants from Canada, and the first white child born in the district was their son Eric, in whose honour the name Erikin was given to the Siding when, later on, the railway line was built.
The Farrells were Londoners, but unfortunately, Mr. Farrell contracted typhoid fever and died, leaving his young widow with two small children and a young brother to continue the fight. Next to these came the Zis brothers, Garbin, Cukela and Jacovitch, a company of Slavs from the Goldfields, and these farms are still in the families today.
The Farrells were Londoners, but unfortunately, Mr. Farrell contracted typhoid fever and died, leaving his young widow with two small children and a young brother to continue the fight. Next to these came the Zis brothers, Garbin, Cukela and Jacovitch, a company of Slavs from the Goldfields, and these farms are still in the families today.
While we were awaiting the surveyors, our adjoining neighbours came on the scene, Messrs. Ken and Jim Beaton and William Strachan; but this small settlement was cut off by some 8 or 9 miles from the North - the Lakes pioneers, so we did not contact them except at rare intervals. And again some 8 to 10 miles separated us from the Cookine settlers, now also augmented in numbers. Except for the track cut by Mr Bland and his young helper, there was no other outlet anywhere. This track led to Cookine through the Lakes, and joined up with the track to Kellerberrin some 40 miles away.
But even so, when my husband had to go to Kellerberrin for stores, he usually met some of the other pioneers on the road; and once he came across a most edifying spectacle on the Lake road - Mr. Finkelstein's horse had jibbed and refused to move another step so whilst his friend and companion held the reins, Mr. Finkelstein held a butt of oats out a couple of feet from the animal's nose and coaxed it on step by step. It looked as if it would be a long-winded way of getting home, so Mr. Bland, a well-tried and experienced horseman, took charge and very soon the jib got into the collar and off they went their way and my husband his. This used to be a standing joke in later years whilst conversing with Mr. Finkelstein. This pioneer was one of those who did not live long enough to see the District come to full fruition - he died at the Sanatorium during the First World War, and later his widow and family parted with the farm which is not the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Black.
In July the surveyor, Mr. Watts, came along and surveyed the Blocks held by Messrs Beaton, Strachan and Mr. Bland, so now we could really set about tackling our jobs. In both Land Offices, Melbourne and Perth, we have been insistent we have the "Very Fine Forest" marked on plans, and now we could visualize the heavy labour involved before we got results; but after 45 years I am happy to record that we never regretted our choice. This same month saw the survey of Mr. E. I. Hobbs' property about 8 miles south of Cookine - this is one of the few holdings still in the original family. Mr. Hobbs was a surveyor and draughtsman in the Lands Dept. and lived at Narrogin so their holding was in the hands of managers for some years before the family came to live upon it.
One of the first managers was the youth we had brought from Melbourne and who had been nicknamed "The Bishop" by Bert Alp and his clearers because of the youth's insistance that his uncle was Archbishop of York in England; and it is on record that a couple of letters addressed to "W. E. Sharpe, Bishop of Kwolyin, Kwolyin", actually came to the young man. Kwolyin was then our address and the mailbags came out once a week to Kwolyin Hill and the mail dumped at the foot of a tree to take or leave. The nickname stuck to the youth who was always designated "The Bishop", and his career ended on April 25th 1915 at Gallipoli Landing - an Anzac Hero. And again, one of the amusing incidents observed by my husband on the trips to and from Kellerberrin was the spectacle of The Bishop with two small pigs in a crate on his way to the Hobbs holding, while one hand held the reins the other hand was in the crate whilst the small pigs sucked the fingers "Keeps 'em quiet!" laconically declared "The Bishop" when Mr. Bland enquired the reason - "Soon as I take my fingers out, they squeal!"
After New Year 1910, the District was on the way to being quite a settlement; north the Line (as it is today) there were several English Pioneer families:- Messrs. Caleb Small, Denbigh, Thomson, Vennimore and Watson Patterson; a North Ireland man; Tommy St. John, an aforetime Jockey bravely battling the wilderness with the help of a paralyzed wife and a string of late Race-Tracks horses; James Soutar, and the West family.
While South the line form Cookine there were Jerry Graves, Harry Finkelstein, W. Van, Gregg and Rothbaum, each of them without any feminine helpers or adherents; and South Erikin was opened further by C. Smith and Son.
Both 1909 and 1910 were very wet years indeed; and the first crop we put in during May 1910 was quite good in every way a good height - fairly dense and good heads; and we only regretted that the dismal gentlemen who had jeered at our idea of growing wheat did not see it.
...continued