WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:04.099 Welcome to my podcast, Therese Makes History. 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:08.599 My name is Therese Sweeney. I live in Bury in 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:11.359 New South Wales and I'm bringing you Season 1 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:16.179 of the Dairy Lane Project. This region's primary 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.780 industry throughout the 20th century was dairying. 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:25.039 Many families dairy farmed. I'm engaging descendants 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:29.179 of families that farmed the lanes between Bomaderry 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:33.020 to Bury. For the past five episodes, I've been 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:35.939 in the meadow and the high terrain of Maroo Meadow. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.439 Today I'm in the flats, the lands of the meadow, 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:45.240 in Maroo Road on the corner of the highway. I'm 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:49.479 focusing on the Feeney family, P -H -E -E -N 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:53.399 -E -Y, who farmed from the early 20th century 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:56.500 and are still on some of those parcels today. 00:01:00.189 --> 00:01:03.649 now known as Pearl Biggs through marriage, is 00:01:03.649 --> 00:01:07.689 my guest. The Feeneys are related to the Vaughans 00:01:07.689 --> 00:01:11.629 from Fletcher's Lang and Bolong through their 00:01:11.629 --> 00:01:16.010 paternal grandmother. Evelyn Vaughan was born 00:01:16.010 --> 00:01:20.390 in 1885 and she married Frederick Feeney, who 00:01:20.390 --> 00:01:24.890 was born in 1884. They got married at All Saints 00:01:24.890 --> 00:01:29.299 Church in Nowra in 1911. and they celebrated 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:33.599 their wedding at Evelyn's father's home, William 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:37.000 Vaughan, in Bomaderry. The Vaughans and the Feeneys 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.459 came from Bega. William Vaughan was the first 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:46.019 to secure land, leaving Bega early. He farmed 00:01:46.019 --> 00:01:50.700 at Bolong until his death in 1932. He knew a 00:01:50.700 --> 00:01:53.439 lot about draft horses and was involved in the 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.689 agricultural societies. His sons continued farming 00:01:57.689 --> 00:02:01.849 in the meadow and in Fletcher's Lane. After Evelyn 00:02:01.849 --> 00:02:05.409 and Frederick married, they returned to Bega, 00:02:05.569 --> 00:02:11.189 later travelling up to secure land at Maroo in 00:02:11.189 --> 00:02:16.430 the early 20th century. Grandmother Evelyn travelled 00:02:16.430 --> 00:02:20.229 by horse and sulky whilst pregnant with Pearl's 00:02:20.229 --> 00:02:24.629 dad, Eric. Fred Feeney, meanwhile, drove cattle 00:02:24.629 --> 00:02:29.689 up from Bega on horseback. Pearl's father is 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:34.289 Eric Feeney. Pearl's mother is Rita Rutledge. 00:02:34.830 --> 00:02:39.210 Rita's father, Jack Rutledge, married Ida Devitt 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:43.909 in 1917 at Bury Methodist Church. The family 00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:48.780 moved to Pullman Street, Bury in 1920. Their 00:02:48.780 --> 00:02:52.180 daughter, Rita Mary Rutledge, was born in 1922 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:55.379 and Pearl's mother married Frederick Feeney's 00:02:55.379 --> 00:02:59.479 son, Eric. Prior to being married, Rita spent 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:02.280 some time on the Devitt's farm, Sunnyside, with 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.699 Albert and Grace. Jack Rutledge's grandparents 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:09.400 were William Rutledge and Eleanor Fletcher, who 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:15.060 married on the 11th of March in 1864. His mother, 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.270 Margaret, never married. and was William and 00:03:18.270 --> 00:03:22.150 Eleanor's only child. To finish, Pearl thinks 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:26.889 a single young female Feeney from Ireland migrated 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:33.009 here at the age of 16. Her last name was spelt 00:03:33.009 --> 00:03:38.189 F -E -E -N -E -Y, but that has evolved to what 00:03:38.189 --> 00:03:43.750 we know as today, P -H -E -E -N -E -Y. Thanks 00:03:43.750 --> 00:03:48.189 for coming in today, Pearl. My pleasure. Tell 00:03:48.189 --> 00:03:51.229 me, what year were you born and where were you 00:03:51.229 --> 00:03:56.250 born? I was born in 1944. I was born in Narra 00:03:56.250 --> 00:04:00.729 in the hospital in Bridge Road. So was that a 00:04:00.729 --> 00:04:03.949 private hospital? No, general hospital. Where 00:04:03.949 --> 00:04:06.150 were your parents living? My parents were living 00:04:06.150 --> 00:04:10.650 at Maylands on Maroo Road, Maroo Meadow, and 00:04:10.650 --> 00:04:15.039 I lived there till I was 23. So we might just 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:17.939 go through your parents' full names and if you 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:20.160 know their year of birth and if they've passed 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:25.319 the year they passed. My father was Eric Mervyn 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:30.699 Feeney. He was born in 1920, the month of August. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:36.319 My mother was Rita Mary Rutledge. She was born 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:39.399 in the Rutledge family home in Bury on the corner 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:43.000 of the Old Prince's Highway and Pullman's Lane. 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:50.139 In 1922. Where was your father born? My father 00:04:50.139 --> 00:04:54.040 was born in Bomaduri at the end of Fletcher's 00:04:54.040 --> 00:05:00.259 Lane in the house with help from the family. 00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:08.720 Okay. So how many uncles did you have? My father's 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:15.860 oldest brother was Uncle Carlton. There was Uncle 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:22.279 Les, Aunty Gwen, sorry, was the eldest child 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:26.139 and Dad was the youngest. Mum came from Bury 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:33.000 and her siblings were Uncle Alec Rutledge, Uncle 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.639 Arthur Rutledge, then there was Mum, then there 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:41.459 was Uncle Ray Rutledge and Aunty May Rutledge. 00:05:43.050 --> 00:05:46.069 Do you recall when your father secured the land 00:05:46.069 --> 00:05:50.670 at Maroo and what happened around that? Dad and 00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:55.250 Mum leased the farm off Dad's father, Frederick 00:05:55.250 --> 00:06:02.350 Feeney, in 1943 through to 1957. When they were 00:06:02.350 --> 00:06:05.970 able to purchase the farm, they worked the farm 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:14.649 from 1957 through to 1980. When it was sold. 00:06:15.310 --> 00:06:18.189 Okay, so how much land? How big was the... We 00:06:18.189 --> 00:06:21.990 only had a small farm. It was 60 acres and we 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:25.410 had a dry run up the highway towards Nowra and 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:29.910 we had 30 acres there. Which seemed to be common 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:33.990 for some. They had a dry run. Yes. Most people 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:37.370 had dry runs and our dry run happened to be next 00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:41.899 door to the Mullers from Maroo. What does a dry 00:06:41.899 --> 00:06:47.180 run mean? We put beef cattle on the dry runs 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:53.259 and waiting for cattle to calve. We also had 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:59.079 a lot of bush, which we used the timber for fences 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:03.339 and firewood for both the dairy and the house. 00:07:05.870 --> 00:07:09.009 Five of us, but three of us, always got up to 00:07:09.009 --> 00:07:11.209 milk at four o 'clock in the morning before going 00:07:11.209 --> 00:07:15.350 to school, and then we'd come home and do paddock 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:20.290 work. Dad always tried to milk around 30 to 35, 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:26.689 and we used to have at least 20 dry cows, and 00:07:26.689 --> 00:07:31.829 then you'd have your calves, and they would differ 00:07:31.829 --> 00:07:35.019 in number from time to time. Did they cover any 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:39.000 particular season? No, not really, from what 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:42.639 I can recall. What type of cows did you have? 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:46.180 We had, as kids, we called them black and whites, 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:50.779 and they are here if it's towards the end of 00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:54.899 milking, we introduced some jerseys so that we 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:58.560 could get our butterfats and cream levels up 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:05.129 in our milk production. So your grandfather owned 00:08:05.129 --> 00:08:07.810 the land while you were helping? My grandfather 00:08:07.810 --> 00:08:10.550 did own the land. Do you remember your grandmother 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:15.430 on the property? Not my grandmother, only my 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:19.189 step -grandmother. Okay, so will we explore what 00:08:19.189 --> 00:08:22.149 happened with your grandmother? My grandmother, 00:08:22.230 --> 00:08:27.470 after the birth of her children, developed a 00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:33.649 thyroid. Back in the late 30s, they had no idea 00:08:33.649 --> 00:08:39.929 of the operation, so she had to go to Sydney 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:44.549 for it, and she passed away. Well, she was having 00:08:44.549 --> 00:08:51.529 the operation very suddenly in 1941. So you didn't 00:08:51.529 --> 00:08:53.809 know her? So I didn't know her. There was only 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:59.899 three grandchildren born before she passed. And 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:04.980 the eldest was one and a half. And when did your 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:08.779 grandfather remarry and who? My grandfather remarried 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:16.059 in September 23, 1943. And he married Gertie 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:20.600 Lee, who apparently was a housekeeper at one 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:25.700 of the Muller's houses in Maroo. So do you recall 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:29.679 ever making butter back in that time? I certainly 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:34.500 do. And not that we liked homemade butter, but 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:37.679 there's no choice. That's what we were given 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:42.600 for many years. And separating the cream in the 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:50.320 dairy so that we could do cakes and sweets or 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.360 puddings back in those days, they were called, 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:57.659 for many years. And how was the cream being separated? 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:02.090 by a hand separator, and we had to turn it many, 00:10:02.210 --> 00:10:06.389 many times. So who was the first in the family 00:10:06.389 --> 00:10:11.029 to go to the local school? I was the first to 00:10:11.029 --> 00:10:15.490 go to Maroo Public School, followed by my sister 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:20.149 Elaine, my sister Evelyn, my brother Alan, and 00:10:20.149 --> 00:10:25.049 I think my younger brother John. may have attended 00:10:25.049 --> 00:10:27.649 for a very short time before the school closed 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:31.750 and he went on to Bomaduri Public School. Who 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:33.909 were some of your classmates that you remember, 00:10:34.090 --> 00:10:37.210 all the farms there at that time? What year did 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:40.350 you go to school? So I went to school around 00:10:40.350 --> 00:10:46.870 49. Yep. And classmates was Pam Shepard, who 00:10:46.870 --> 00:10:50.009 happened to live down the end of Fletcher's Lane 00:10:50.009 --> 00:10:53.620 where Dad was born, Margaret Wiley. From near 00:10:53.620 --> 00:10:58.679 Wiley's Creek, Ian Callaghan, Frances Marshall, 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:05.220 Marie Boxall, Judith Wiley, Yvonne Shepard. Who 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:08.419 was your teacher, do you recall? Yes, Mr Debenham. 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.519 And he was a teacher there for many, many years. 00:11:13.100 --> 00:11:16.559 My brother, youngest brother, had Mr Redman. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:20.559 He was the next teacher to follow on. But during... 00:11:21.230 --> 00:11:25.909 Our years at Maroo, we had a second teacher come 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:29.970 and her name was Miss Nolene Walsh and she lived 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:34.649 at Jasper's Brush. We had two classrooms, which 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:38.669 was a big school for a country village. Did it 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:43.850 have a hall? Yes, we had a community hall. It 00:11:43.850 --> 00:11:46.899 was across the road from the school. I can't 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:49.879 recall the year, but it was removed to Shohaven 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:54.539 Heads to be the public hall in the village. What 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:56.840 did Fletcher's Lane look like and who were some 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.539 of the people that were farming when you were 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:05.100 a young girl? Were we talking dirt roads? We 00:12:05.100 --> 00:12:08.559 certainly are dirt roads and we crisscrossed 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:10.940 the whole way down the lane with the biggest 00:12:10.940 --> 00:12:15.649 potholes that could fit a tractor in. to miss 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:19.169 the potholes when we were children and for a 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:22.929 number of years. Always got graded and we had 00:12:22.929 --> 00:12:26.669 floods within the first month after grading. 00:12:27.950 --> 00:12:31.629 When I was a child, the first house on the left 00:12:31.629 --> 00:12:37.730 was Dad's cousins, Mr and Mrs Les Vaughan. And 00:12:37.730 --> 00:12:42.409 the second farm was Mr and Mrs Limerie and over 00:12:42.409 --> 00:12:45.460 the rail line. It was Mr and Mrs Shepherd and 00:12:45.460 --> 00:12:48.559 their farmhands lived in the other house were 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.700 Mr and Mrs Aussie Gardener. I would say it was 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:57.899 possibly Aussie and Doris. The limberies were 00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:04.200 Egder and Irma and fawns were Les and Rainy. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:09.480 Did you all have a similar size property? Similar, 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:13.269 but the other... Three farms were around the 00:13:13.269 --> 00:13:19.049 100 acres. So was everyone growing crops? Yes, 00:13:19.049 --> 00:13:23.129 we grew corn and saccharine mainly for the silos. 00:13:23.470 --> 00:13:29.809 We grew lucerne, ryegrass, oats and a few other 00:13:29.809 --> 00:13:33.169 different varieties of grass to make hay mainly. 00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:37.690 Are you manual or are you on mechanised tractors 00:13:37.690 --> 00:13:41.169 here? We were very manual. We started with draft 00:13:41.169 --> 00:13:45.309 horses. So you remember the draft horses? I remember 00:13:45.309 --> 00:13:48.850 the draft horses pulling the ploughs. And the 00:13:48.850 --> 00:13:52.350 slide? And the slide. At harvest time? Harvest 00:13:52.350 --> 00:13:56.450 time, we cut the corn by a corn cutter by hand 00:13:56.450 --> 00:14:01.809 and put it on the slide. And the best fun was 00:14:01.809 --> 00:14:05.269 sitting on top of the corn or the saccharine, 00:14:05.450 --> 00:14:08.679 going back to the silos with my grand... Father 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:11.860 and father. And how high were you up there? Was 00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:15.659 it packed high? It was packed about five feet, 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:18.840 but felt like 15 when we were young. You talked 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.879 about flooding. Were you all in the same boat 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:28.899 there, literally? On our farm, we had floods 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:32.179 coming across from the creek, which is Tullian 00:14:32.179 --> 00:14:35.539 Creek, and would come through our dairy, so it 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:39.720 could be two to three feet deep. and down to 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:43.820 the house and it reached the top of the steps 00:14:43.820 --> 00:14:46.860 of the house. So we were lucky. It never came 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:48.980 through the house but through the garage as it 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:53.620 did and the machinery sheds. One day I was asked 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:57.360 to go to the road gate to close the gate because 00:14:57.360 --> 00:15:01.080 the bull paddock fence was washed away. As I 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:04.159 was going along the barbed wire fence and putting 00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:09.070 my hand on the post, something slippery came 00:15:09.070 --> 00:15:13.350 off the post and it was at least a six to seven 00:15:13.350 --> 00:15:16.409 foot tiger snake that swam up and down the paddy 00:15:16.409 --> 00:15:20.429 in the creek, in the floods, and very frightening 00:15:20.429 --> 00:15:25.110 to watch. One of many snakes that we had experiences 00:15:25.110 --> 00:15:28.149 with. How did you feel when you realised you'd 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:31.950 touched the tiger snake? What was your immediate 00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:37.379 reaction? Scream! certainly screamed jumped back 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:42.899 past the snake and thankfully he missed me and 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:47.759 dad just went after the snake in the floods and 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.960 when there's no floods there are snakes certainly 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:55.620 is this particular snake was at least three to 00:15:55.620 --> 00:16:00.259 four feet out of the water and fierce because 00:16:00.259 --> 00:16:05.460 he had been disturbed we had at least three Tiger 00:16:05.460 --> 00:16:08.919 snakes come into the house. We had snakes in 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:13.419 the dairy, snakes in the hay sheds. And where 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:17.080 we live now is still on our old property and 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:21.519 we have had, in one day, three snakes around 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:25.940 our house and numerous other ones. Had two little 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:29.460 baby snakes come into our family room. We don't 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:33.379 know how or where they got in. but they just 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:35.799 appeared in the middle of the family room floor. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.340 So when you talk about snakes, there's the tiger 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:45.120 snake. Does it arc up like a brown snake? Yes. 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:50.019 Certainly does, yes. Very vicious. You were lucky. 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:54.460 Very scary. Mum was actually feeding my young 00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:58.039 brother, John, and the snake came into the kitchen 00:16:58.039 --> 00:17:04.799 one day. Naturally, she jumped up onto the table 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:08.359 because Dad was nowhere and just had to wait 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.500 till the snake disappeared. What other sorts 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:16.619 of snakes are common to that area? Mainly brown, 00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:20.960 red -bellied black and tiger, and lots of them. 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:25.519 Do you still see the tigers? Occasionally we 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:30.910 do, not as often. through the summer as we used 00:17:30.910 --> 00:17:35.170 to, thankfully. You handled the snakes, the family 00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:38.970 handled them themselves? Yes, we did. Tried to 00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:42.130 get a snake catcher and he was hours and hours 00:17:42.130 --> 00:17:47.990 away. So I finally got a man and he came out 00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:51.529 and through brooms we managed to get the baby 00:17:51.529 --> 00:17:55.089 snakes out of the house, thankfully. When we 00:17:55.089 --> 00:17:58.160 were quite young, Mum and Dad showed cattle at 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:01.220 the narrow show and came home to milk. So my 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:06.420 two sisters and I sat in a paddock in the long 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:09.859 grass. And while they were milking, my youngest 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:14.519 sister was bitten on the toe with either a deadly 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:19.279 spider or a snake. When she had to be rushed 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:24.019 to the doctors at the time, just had a sore toe 00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:28.680 for a few weeks. Very, very fortunate. We got 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:33.160 into trouble for being in the long grass. What 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.920 did you grow? What type of grasses? Well, mainly 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:42.200 we had lucerne, millet and oats and ryegrass 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:46.740 are the main ones I can remember. Mum and Dad 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:51.160 bought a baler early in their marriage, which 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:54.539 meant that we had to pitchfork the hay into the 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:58.779 baler and Mum mainly. was the one at the back 00:18:58.779 --> 00:19:02.660 pressing the bales and tying the bales with wire 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:07.380 so her hands were damaged. Then they updated 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:12.720 and we got a massive Ferguson baler which baled 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:16.759 right through. So we travelled to different farms 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:20.059 from Broughton Village in the north to the Shillhaven 00:19:20.059 --> 00:19:26.349 River and then up to Wagamire doing silage. hay 00:19:26.349 --> 00:19:30.390 making at the time we had up to seven tractors 00:19:30.390 --> 00:19:34.009 so we're all on the road and we were known as 00:19:34.009 --> 00:19:37.470 the traveling the phoenix traveling circus and 00:19:37.470 --> 00:19:40.049 thankfully in those days we could get away with 00:19:40.049 --> 00:19:43.450 young drivers but had to have our machinery all 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:46.769 registered but the police would turn a blind 00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:50.970 eye to the 14 year old yes we were very fortunate 00:19:50.970 --> 00:19:55.490 so you had your own business not really but we 00:19:55.930 --> 00:19:59.150 certainly did going around the farms for very 00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:02.650 little. What would you charge? I think they started 00:20:02.650 --> 00:20:08.109 around five shillings a bale, but it was very 00:20:08.109 --> 00:20:12.490 little money that the farmers paid. Because they 00:20:12.490 --> 00:20:14.829 had little money? Because they had little money. 00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:19.730 And Mum and Dad were very charitable workers 00:20:19.730 --> 00:20:25.170 in many organisations, so that's how... We helped 00:20:25.170 --> 00:20:28.250 each other out. The teenagers are on the tractors. 00:20:28.950 --> 00:20:33.950 Yes, we were. There was four of the five children 00:20:33.950 --> 00:20:38.130 on tractors and mum and dad. And mum usually 00:20:38.130 --> 00:20:42.890 had the car or the station wagon and she would 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:49.670 have a hay rake or a blower for the silos with 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:53.269 her and the thermoses and our lunch. It's like 00:20:53.269 --> 00:20:57.109 a big funnel. with a motor on and shoots the 00:20:57.109 --> 00:21:01.329 grass up into the silos. Oh, okay. You all had 00:21:01.329 --> 00:21:06.210 a silo, the farms? Most farms had one silo, but 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:09.289 there was a few that had both silos. Did you 00:21:09.289 --> 00:21:12.269 have two or one silo? We just had one silo, but 00:21:12.269 --> 00:21:18.349 we used to do pits in the dry creek beds with 00:21:18.349 --> 00:21:22.250 paths in that. So that was when there was drought, 00:21:22.390 --> 00:21:25.859 was there? Were they dry beds? They were dry 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:28.660 beds because they converted the creek straight 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:32.539 down to stop the flooding coming through the 00:21:32.539 --> 00:21:36.539 house and dairy. So what creek? There was Tullian 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:40.539 Creek at Maroo Meadow. It was only a small creek 00:21:40.539 --> 00:21:43.980 that held a lot of water in floods coming off 00:21:43.980 --> 00:21:46.759 the mountain. When did that occur, that they 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:51.359 turned back the tide? What did they do? How did 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.579 they do that? Well, the main road was upgraded 00:21:56.579 --> 00:22:00.819 as such, and they converted the creek to go straight 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:04.980 through our place, so it flooded further down 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:09.819 on the flats. And there was many, many upgrades 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:13.759 over the years, but the main one would have been 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:19.900 around the 70s and then 80s for us that improved 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:24.769 our area for flooding. So would they run drains 00:22:24.769 --> 00:22:27.470 underground or something to do that? How did 00:22:27.470 --> 00:22:31.549 they stop the water? No, they actually just put 00:22:31.549 --> 00:22:36.190 in graders and furrows and then they had the 00:22:36.190 --> 00:22:43.109 diggers bucket to change the course of the creek 00:22:43.109 --> 00:22:48.910 and block the original curve in the creek. So 00:22:48.910 --> 00:22:53.230 that became our dry beds for our... our hay pits 00:22:53.230 --> 00:22:58.009 and the hay pits were put down with molasses 00:22:58.009 --> 00:23:02.670 every so many feet couple of feet and we'd have 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:06.289 another layer of molasses so the smell was quite 00:23:06.289 --> 00:23:10.809 strong when we were feeding the cattle you put 00:23:10.809 --> 00:23:16.170 your harvest down and then about two feet depth 00:23:16.170 --> 00:23:19.210 and then your molasses and you may go two or 00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:24.099 three feet but it was And topped it with molasses 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:27.500 again. So how did you get the air out of it? 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:30.599 We didn't need to. The molasses was heavy enough? 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:35.680 Yes. And then sometimes we'd cover it with black 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:38.660 plastic and tyres on top, like you see in different 00:23:38.660 --> 00:23:42.480 farms today. And we did a lot around the 60s 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:46.079 and 70s. Was that for the winter feed? For the 00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:51.619 winter feed, yes. We used to mix it with... Pollard 00:23:51.619 --> 00:23:56.619 and bran in the stalls with the cattle and other 00:23:56.619 --> 00:24:00.380 times just straight onto the paddocks. Did you 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:04.740 ever use chaff cutters in the field? No, we had 00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:09.799 a chaff cutter in our stalls and hand -fed the 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:13.200 corn and the saccharine through that up into 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:18.779 the silos. Any injuries with that wire? Mum's 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:23.799 hand. Hands were terrible, but no injuries, thankfully. 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:27.440 You had a walkthrough dairy? Yes, we had a walkthrough 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:31.720 dairy. And being only a small farm, we had three 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:37.019 sets of two milking machines, so there were six 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:41.119 cattle going through at a time. After the cows 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:44.920 had the machines on them, we always hand -stripped 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:49.380 the last of the milk out. When the power went 00:24:49.380 --> 00:24:52.740 off, Dad was able to hook up with the tractor 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:59.019 and give us the power for the machines to work. 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:03.700 I don't recall milking a herd by hand, and thankfully 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:07.539 I didn't have to. Our job after milking was feeding 00:25:07.539 --> 00:25:11.460 the calves, of course, and we used to have at 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:16.029 least a dozen calves at a time. We enjoyed it 00:25:16.029 --> 00:25:17.849 except in the wet weather and the electrical 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:22.349 storms were my main concerns. Not glamorous with 00:25:22.349 --> 00:25:26.230 the weather, but the life itself on a farm is 00:25:26.230 --> 00:25:29.930 the best way to bring children up. How were the 00:25:29.930 --> 00:25:33.529 winds through where you were? Well, Maroo is 00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:36.890 known for westerly winds, which are very, very 00:25:36.890 --> 00:25:42.109 strong. And there's a strip between Maroo Road 00:25:42.109 --> 00:25:45.619 and Abernethy's Creek that really... a very strong 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:49.380 wind area. In saying that, where we live now, 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:55.640 we have lost three old pine trees that were close 00:25:55.640 --> 00:26:02.920 to 150 to 160 years old and a dozen cypress pines 00:26:02.920 --> 00:26:08.880 in the last four years. From the wind. From the 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:12.480 wind and the roadworks. When they did the new 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:17.640 highway recently, They decided that we should 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.640 have our hedge taken down, which they did, and 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:24.140 then three years later told us that we didn't 00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:27.759 need to have that hedge taken down because they 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:33.400 had changed their plans because they dug in front 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:35.519 of our place, which was the main water supply 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:40.680 going to Bury, and realised they couldn't... 00:26:41.289 --> 00:26:43.509 go any further with their plants on our side 00:26:43.509 --> 00:26:48.670 of the road so they after digging twice they 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:51.769 moved their plants to the opposite side of the 00:26:51.769 --> 00:26:56.529 road so that was the water and the power lines 00:26:56.529 --> 00:26:59.869 and the electricity was all interrupted during 00:26:59.869 --> 00:27:03.130 that time what are we talking about like regular 00:27:03.130 --> 00:27:06.490 interruptions for outside personally with the 00:27:06.490 --> 00:27:10.079 phones and Our daughter has meadow swim school 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:14.200 next door. We were without our landlines for 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:18.700 three months and no sooner had it reconnected 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:21.960 and it was out for six weeks. And that happened 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:26.960 a few times over the three years. Most inconvenient 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:31.079 when you're trying to run a business. Originally, 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:35.180 it went to the Bury Township. I'm not sure how 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:39.720 much further. It went, but originally Berry Township. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:45.140 And what was the water source? Was it town water? 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:49.500 It was town water. Okay. And you were on town 00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:55.319 water? When the pipes first went in, no. We had 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:58.559 to wait for it to be connected because it was 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:02.680 for the township of Berry and coming from Nara. 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:08.000 So you weren't prioritised? Originally, when 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:12.440 we did go on to town water, we had tanks and 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.960 wells for many years. Oh, you dug the wells? 00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:20.619 They were on the property before I was ever born. 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:23.059 Do you know who your grandfather bought the land 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:28.480 from? Yes. He bought the land from Fletchers, 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:33.200 I believe, a David Fletcher. You want to talk 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.799 about him a bit? You've got some information. 00:28:35.549 --> 00:28:38.789 I do have very little. There was two brothers 00:28:38.789 --> 00:28:42.630 and one bought our farm and one bought Uncle 00:28:42.630 --> 00:28:49.349 Fred Bourne and they farmed between 1919 and 00:28:49.349 --> 00:28:56.509 1927 on the farms. I believe that David Fletcher 00:28:56.509 --> 00:29:00.450 bought the farm at the end of Fletcher's Lane 00:29:00.450 --> 00:29:03.390 when my grandfather was leaving there and he 00:29:03.390 --> 00:29:07.799 bought Maylands. Fletcher's Lane became Fletcher's 00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:10.220 Lane through the two brothers living on the two 00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:13.779 properties close to the end of the lane. Our 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:17.319 boundary ran right to the corner of the lane 00:29:17.319 --> 00:29:21.579 and that's where Fletcher's name came from. And 00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:23.700 what about Abernethys? What do you know about 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:27.559 the Abernethys and where was their farm? Abernethys 00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:30.380 Farm was on Princess Highway where Abernethys 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:34.160 Creek comes across the highway. Did you know 00:29:34.160 --> 00:29:37.759 the family yourself? I did. Well, I knew the 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:41.000 younger family, which were older than me, of 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:45.940 course. And the Abernethy family arrived in Australia 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:50.119 approximately 200 years ago. And William and 00:29:50.119 --> 00:29:53.640 Marion Abernethy purchased the farm at Maroo 00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:59.140 in the early 20th century. And I presume that's 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:02.440 where... When the lands were for sale. For sale. 00:30:03.069 --> 00:30:06.529 They had four children, actually four sons, Bruce, 00:30:06.829 --> 00:30:10.490 Roy, Ken and Jack, all helped their parents on 00:30:10.490 --> 00:30:14.250 the farm. And Jack worked the farm for many, 00:30:14.329 --> 00:30:19.089 many years until he met a local lady, Eileen 00:30:19.089 --> 00:30:23.549 Soper from Camberwara. And they worked both farms 00:30:23.549 --> 00:30:27.509 and walked their cattle between Camberwara and 00:30:27.509 --> 00:30:30.970 Maroo every few months so that they could work 00:30:30.970 --> 00:30:35.880 both farms. And they actually retired to the 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:40.539 Camberwara Farm and sold Maroo Farm, who's now 00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:45.259 purchased by Paul Duncan, who grew up in Maroo. 00:30:45.660 --> 00:30:49.279 His parents were Keith and Ursula Duncan, and 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:52.740 they lived next door to the Maroo School. And 00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:55.599 it was nice for him to be able to buy a farm 00:30:55.599 --> 00:31:00.220 and still live at Maroo Meadow. So the Abernethy's 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:04.200 Farm is at the farm. that we see as we're going 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:08.240 up the highway past Maroo Road, the next little 00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:12.140 silo. Is that the farm we're talking about? Yes, 00:31:12.140 --> 00:31:14.680 it is. And do you know how many acres that is? 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:21.720 At a guess, I would say around 40 acres. And 00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:27.430 I remember when Jack was daring... And our milk 00:31:27.430 --> 00:31:30.369 carrier put the price up for a can of milk to 00:31:30.369 --> 00:31:34.130 be delivered to Horlicks in Bombardier by a halfpenny. 00:31:34.289 --> 00:31:38.829 And Jack refused to pay. So he took his two cans 00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:42.809 of milk, morning and night, on his motorbike 00:31:42.809 --> 00:31:45.890 to the milk factory. And how did it look on the 00:31:45.890 --> 00:31:50.789 motorbike? Ridiculous. Of course, he was going 00:31:50.789 --> 00:31:54.910 very, very slow and determined to do this because 00:31:54.910 --> 00:31:59.029 he wasn't paying. the small fee to have the milk 00:31:59.029 --> 00:32:03.630 carrier. And he did it for many, many times. 00:32:04.130 --> 00:32:08.250 Do you remember who the carriers were? Yes. And 00:32:08.250 --> 00:32:10.509 what the route was, do you know that? We were 00:32:10.509 --> 00:32:13.710 the first on the route. The carrier I remember 00:32:13.710 --> 00:32:20.730 was Ross Legg. We're talking about 1945. We were 00:32:20.730 --> 00:32:24.250 the first and they went around to Wiley's Creek. 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:29.299 pulling on all the farms. Then they went up Mawshill's 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:34.000 Lane and across to Bell's Lane, virtually the 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:37.079 area that Ross Lake had for his milk carrier. 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:42.200 Then we had Jack Atfield, who also lived in Bombardier 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:45.980 for many years, until we went into Bolt Milk 00:32:45.980 --> 00:32:50.500 Carrier. which we didn't do ourselves. Dad decided 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:53.240 it was time to go to beef cattle. Because we 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:55.960 were small farmers and the cost of bulk milk 00:32:55.960 --> 00:33:00.019 equipment was just out of the limits for most 00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:03.599 farmers. Nowadays, the smallest herd that I know 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:09.319 of is 350 going up to 1 ,200. So therefore, it's 00:33:09.319 --> 00:33:12.819 a different story with cattle these days. Did 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:15.660 you find that your family was struggling for 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:20.519 money? We were, we were able to grow vegetables. 00:33:20.539 --> 00:33:24.160 We had a large orchard and we had our chooks 00:33:24.160 --> 00:33:28.240 and ducklings and we used to be able to swap 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:33.180 with family, friends, neighbours, which helped 00:33:33.180 --> 00:33:36.920 each other out. We'd swap veggies, we did a lot 00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:40.779 of preserving of fruits, made a lot of jams and 00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:44.440 pickles, which was always nice. What about your 00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:47.339 bread and things like that, cakes? You made your 00:33:47.339 --> 00:33:51.619 cakes. My mum was a good cook for cakes and slices 00:33:51.619 --> 00:33:55.720 and puddings. The bread we bought from Kylie's 00:33:55.720 --> 00:33:59.000 in Bomaduri and that was quite often brought 00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:02.200 out on the milk carrier and delivered to most 00:34:02.200 --> 00:34:05.140 farmers. Okay, do you remember the train? Yes, 00:34:05.140 --> 00:34:08.860 I remember the trains from Bomaduri because they 00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:11.380 blew their whistle right along the straight at 00:34:11.380 --> 00:34:14.670 Maroo just for Sprush. to the different farms, 00:34:14.769 --> 00:34:19.570 and it was the old coat trains then, when we 00:34:19.570 --> 00:34:22.050 were children, always with the black smoke when 00:34:22.050 --> 00:34:24.489 you were near the railway line to wave to the 00:34:24.489 --> 00:34:28.110 train drivers. And you'd get a bit of soot, would 00:34:28.110 --> 00:34:30.949 you? Oh, yes, well and truly. We'd come back 00:34:30.949 --> 00:34:35.289 with black faces sometimes, or most times. What 00:34:35.289 --> 00:34:37.710 was the township look like? Was it all dirt roads? 00:34:38.510 --> 00:34:42.010 Yes, Maroo Road was dirt. And most of the lanes 00:34:42.010 --> 00:34:46.650 were dirt back then. It wasn't until possibly 00:34:46.650 --> 00:34:51.590 the 60s where we started to see narrow bitumen. 00:34:51.769 --> 00:34:55.010 And no footpaths? Certainly no footpaths and 00:34:55.010 --> 00:34:57.929 still isn't in the Daring District. So you'd 00:34:57.929 --> 00:35:01.710 be walking on the road? Walking on the road or 00:35:01.710 --> 00:35:07.730 walking near the boundaries of fences. As children, 00:35:07.929 --> 00:35:11.510 we were picked up in the mornings by Mr Red Shepherd 00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:15.489 and taken to school. But, of course, afternoons 00:35:15.489 --> 00:35:18.510 was milking time, so we'd walk home by the road, 00:35:18.690 --> 00:35:21.489 by the highway. What did the highway look like? 00:35:21.789 --> 00:35:25.190 The highway was very narrow, not a lot of potholes, 00:35:25.250 --> 00:35:30.409 surprisingly, but little traffic. Not many cars? 00:35:30.889 --> 00:35:35.530 Not a lot of cars. Any sulpies and horses? Yes, 00:35:35.590 --> 00:35:39.500 we had a... An old man that came up Maroo Road 00:35:39.500 --> 00:35:43.599 in his horse and sulky every week and he came 00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:47.920 over to Berry to see his family and he was called 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:51.019 Mr Parrish. When we were walking to school was 00:35:51.019 --> 00:35:55.260 rather scary at times when Mr Sheppard was unavailable 00:35:55.260 --> 00:35:58.860 and one morning my sisters Elaine, Evelyn and 00:35:58.860 --> 00:36:02.679 I were walking up the highway and noticed a swagman 00:36:02.679 --> 00:36:05.530 sitting under the pine tree. at the top of the 00:36:05.530 --> 00:36:09.449 hill. As I'm the eldest and usually scared of 00:36:09.449 --> 00:36:12.750 everything, we cut down through Muller's corn 00:36:12.750 --> 00:36:16.989 paddock and came up around near the Maroo church. 00:36:17.489 --> 00:36:20.590 In the meantime, the teacher was worried about 00:36:20.590 --> 00:36:23.570 us and phoned our parents. Mum and Dad had no 00:36:23.570 --> 00:36:26.349 idea, but once they saw the swagman sitting at 00:36:26.349 --> 00:36:29.210 the top of the hill under the tree, they knew 00:36:29.210 --> 00:36:32.079 that I would take another route to school. We 00:36:32.079 --> 00:36:34.780 often had swagmen calling at our place because 00:36:34.780 --> 00:36:37.519 we were close to the highway and they'd have 00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:41.320 like dog bones from the butchers and ask mum 00:36:41.320 --> 00:36:45.239 to cook the bones for them. It's hard. Oh, yes. 00:36:45.840 --> 00:36:49.599 Marrow broth or something? Very little meat left 00:36:49.599 --> 00:36:53.500 on bones for dogs, which they enjoyed because 00:36:53.500 --> 00:36:57.380 that was their food. Just travelling and walk 00:36:57.380 --> 00:37:00.610 for miles and miles and miles. Up and down the 00:37:00.610 --> 00:37:02.809 highway, occasionally you would see the same 00:37:02.809 --> 00:37:07.230 swagman come in with his bones, usually his tin 00:37:07.230 --> 00:37:10.070 mug for a cup of tea. And if you had a scone, 00:37:10.070 --> 00:37:15.230 he'd be even happier. So let's go to the story 00:37:15.230 --> 00:37:19.469 you were talking about from Bega. It was my father's 00:37:19.469 --> 00:37:25.170 parents, and they left Willamla with... Grandma 00:37:25.170 --> 00:37:27.809 in the car with the three children and heavily 00:37:27.809 --> 00:37:31.110 pregnant. And grandfather walked the cattle from 00:37:31.110 --> 00:37:34.869 Willumbla to Fletcher's Lane. On the way, grandma 00:37:34.869 --> 00:37:38.510 came through a creek and blew a tyre. Heavily 00:37:38.510 --> 00:37:41.510 pregnant with my father. So they had to wait 00:37:41.510 --> 00:37:44.710 for grandfather to catch up to them with the 00:37:44.710 --> 00:37:48.030 cattle. And he repaired the tyre and set them 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:51.230 on their way to the farm at the end of Fletcher's 00:37:51.230 --> 00:37:54.190 Lane in Bombardier. It took grandfather six days 00:37:54.190 --> 00:37:58.369 to bring the cattle up the narrow bush and dirt 00:37:58.369 --> 00:38:01.949 track highway that we now call Prince's Highway. 00:38:02.409 --> 00:38:06.349 Arriving there with their cattle and their draft 00:38:06.349 --> 00:38:10.030 horses, they settled there for a short time. 00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:13.769 Dad was born there and he was a few months old 00:38:13.769 --> 00:38:17.590 when they moved to Maylands. When they moved 00:38:17.590 --> 00:38:21.760 to Maylands... Dad was walking at six months 00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:27.039 old and was out in the garden when the old draft 00:38:27.039 --> 00:38:31.559 horse nudged the leather strap off the post and 00:38:31.559 --> 00:38:36.239 Dad naturally went out into the paddock and thankfully 00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:39.519 it had been very, very wet and muddy and the 00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:43.559 draft horse pushed Dad over and trod on the middle 00:38:43.559 --> 00:38:46.500 of his back which was very, very small at six 00:38:46.500 --> 00:38:50.500 months old. Until the day he died, he still had 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:55.059 the scar which grew with him over the years on 00:38:55.059 --> 00:38:58.039 the centre of his back. Very lucky man and the 00:38:58.039 --> 00:39:01.380 only thing that saved him was the mud. Was his 00:39:01.380 --> 00:39:05.340 back damaged? Only for the scarring. His mother 00:39:05.340 --> 00:39:09.800 and his auntie both said he was just thick with 00:39:09.800 --> 00:39:14.559 mud and that's what saved him. So when your grandfather 00:39:14.559 --> 00:39:17.300 was driving... The cattle, was he on horseback? 00:39:17.639 --> 00:39:21.960 Yes, grandfather was on horseback. And I believe 00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:25.940 there was another man with him, but no name has 00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:31.340 been recorded. So you remember stock horses around 00:39:31.340 --> 00:39:34.320 the place? I do on a lot of farms. We mainly 00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:37.940 had a couple of draft horses. You mentioned that 00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:41.860 you showed cattle. We did show for a short time. 00:39:42.440 --> 00:39:44.980 in both Berry and Narra, but because of other 00:39:44.980 --> 00:39:48.199 commitments, that only lasted a few years. Do 00:39:48.199 --> 00:39:52.320 you know any ribbons? We did get ribbons, but 00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:56.159 I can't recall the name of the cattle, but I 00:39:56.159 --> 00:39:58.360 know we did get ribbons. Did you have a stud 00:39:58.360 --> 00:40:02.199 name? We always went under Maylands. Was that 00:40:02.199 --> 00:40:05.420 your name you gave it, or did you inherit that 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:09.480 name? I think my grandfather named it because... 00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:13.360 Grandma's second name was May, so I think that's 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:16.519 where it came from. Did the floods improve after 00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:20.260 they redirected the flow? Certainly did, yes. 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:24.780 Made a big difference. It was our lower flats 00:40:24.780 --> 00:40:28.019 on our boundary that carried most of the water 00:40:28.019 --> 00:40:31.400 onto the Vaughans, onto the Limeries and the 00:40:31.400 --> 00:40:34.539 Shepherds, and then out onto the Bolong Flats. 00:40:34.739 --> 00:40:37.559 So you had a dry cow run? We used to walk the 00:40:37.559 --> 00:40:42.900 dry cows. from Maylands up to our dry run, which 00:40:42.900 --> 00:40:45.519 was about, back then they would tell you it was 00:40:45.519 --> 00:40:47.980 a mile and a half. And we had to do it at a certain 00:40:47.980 --> 00:40:51.800 time. We had to apply for a licence to take the 00:40:51.800 --> 00:40:54.920 cattle on the roads. That was issued by the local 00:40:54.920 --> 00:40:58.639 council. You knew the Abernethys. Were there 00:40:58.639 --> 00:41:01.300 other farmers on the northern side of the highway? 00:41:01.880 --> 00:41:05.219 There were. There was Mr and Mrs Tom Muller, 00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:10.079 who was related to the Muller. Where were they 00:41:10.079 --> 00:41:13.539 farming? They were farming opposite us up on 00:41:13.539 --> 00:41:17.119 the little hill before you go up the hill to 00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:21.219 Marie Church. I can't recall much detail because 00:41:21.219 --> 00:41:25.239 I was so young, but then we had a family, Mr 00:41:25.239 --> 00:41:30.059 and Mrs Artie Hearn, connected with Hearn and 00:41:30.059 --> 00:41:33.820 Reid, I think, had business in Balmadury. Reid 00:41:33.820 --> 00:41:37.409 and Hearn, sorry. Their son -in -law and daughter 00:41:37.409 --> 00:41:41.070 ran the farm for many years as a dairy farm and 00:41:41.070 --> 00:41:44.730 they had four children. Apart from the RTA, I'm 00:41:44.730 --> 00:41:48.070 not sure who's living on that property at the 00:41:48.070 --> 00:41:50.289 moment. I suppose the highway's changed a bit, 00:41:50.309 --> 00:41:54.289 has it? Highway has certainly changed. It did 00:41:54.289 --> 00:41:57.949 have a very sharp corner at Maroo Road and the 00:41:57.949 --> 00:42:01.610 junction of Prince's Highway and many, many accidents 00:42:01.610 --> 00:42:06.670 over the years. Redirection of the highway has 00:42:06.670 --> 00:42:11.170 improved. The safety has improved too. Did you 00:42:11.170 --> 00:42:13.530 go to regular church and what was your church? 00:42:14.090 --> 00:42:18.690 Yes, mum and dad were Christians. Dad was born 00:42:18.690 --> 00:42:21.829 Anglican and mum was born Methodist and they 00:42:21.829 --> 00:42:25.909 were both churchgoers and very strict with their 00:42:25.909 --> 00:42:28.889 religion. They were married in the Methodist 00:42:28.889 --> 00:42:32.250 church in Bury. A few years later dad said, I 00:42:32.250 --> 00:42:36.280 would like to go. to my church as a family. So 00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:40.820 we then went to St Luke's Anglican Church Berry, 00:42:41.099 --> 00:42:45.320 also Maroo Union Church, and we went for each 00:42:45.320 --> 00:42:50.000 religion on a Sunday afternoon for church, and 00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:53.980 we had Sunday school in the church as well. And 00:42:53.980 --> 00:42:57.500 did you teach? I did teach junior Sunday school 00:42:57.500 --> 00:43:01.340 for a few years. Was that expected of you or 00:43:01.340 --> 00:43:04.820 was it something you desired? No, no. It wasn't 00:43:04.820 --> 00:43:09.920 expected, but they needed teachers. And as senior 00:43:09.920 --> 00:43:13.780 Sunday school at the age of 12, most of us took 00:43:13.780 --> 00:43:17.500 on teaching for a short time. Mum and her cousin 00:43:17.500 --> 00:43:21.639 Val Devitt and her husband Rich Devitt were the 00:43:21.639 --> 00:43:26.079 main instigators that ran the Sunday school. 00:43:26.360 --> 00:43:28.900 And then we had Sunday school picnics in the... 00:43:29.190 --> 00:43:35.230 Paddocks at Mr and Mrs Burt Muller and then Mr 00:43:35.230 --> 00:43:38.150 and Mrs Albert Muller's property. Did it feel 00:43:38.150 --> 00:43:40.909 like a little village where you were? Oh, yes. 00:43:41.610 --> 00:43:45.190 Functions in the hall, you could count on everyone 00:43:45.190 --> 00:43:49.449 from Maroo attending, whether it was for a dance, 00:43:49.449 --> 00:43:52.829 a farewell, a concert, which the school had a 00:43:52.829 --> 00:43:56.780 concert every year. Jack Abernethy on his piano 00:43:56.780 --> 00:44:00.659 accordion, Mrs Debner would play the piano and 00:44:00.659 --> 00:44:04.139 Vonnie Muller would be our artist with her beautiful 00:44:04.139 --> 00:44:08.139 singing voice. I actually went to her 100th birthday. 00:44:08.500 --> 00:44:10.480 There would have been quite a few faces there, 00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:14.219 were there? Oh yes. There was only a few people 00:44:14.219 --> 00:44:17.360 that I wouldn't have known or hadn't seen for 00:44:17.360 --> 00:44:20.969 many, many years. And how many people were there? 00:44:21.230 --> 00:44:25.449 Well, I would say well over 100 because her extended 00:44:25.449 --> 00:44:30.909 family is just under 100, so 130 maybe. What 00:44:30.909 --> 00:44:34.409 about your family? Were you musical? No, definitely 00:44:34.409 --> 00:44:37.289 not. Did you have a sense of history there with 00:44:37.289 --> 00:44:41.469 their house, Pomona, or did it feel like you 00:44:41.469 --> 00:44:44.690 were all part of something? We went to Muller's 00:44:44.690 --> 00:44:48.269 very regular. We went... every year to support 00:44:48.269 --> 00:44:52.190 Biggest Morning Tea. We went for picnics there. 00:44:52.469 --> 00:44:57.110 We also did silage and haymaking. So each family 00:44:57.110 --> 00:45:00.869 were connected or visited regular. Often went 00:45:00.869 --> 00:45:03.650 for suppers after milking, which you never hear 00:45:03.650 --> 00:45:07.349 of now. Tell me how that would work and how wording... 00:45:07.519 --> 00:45:10.000 Did you have the phone? We had Muriel Exchange 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:14.300 where you'd pick up your phone and dial to reach 00:45:14.300 --> 00:45:16.719 the exchange and then Miss Marshall would put 00:45:16.719 --> 00:45:19.900 our calls through when we were children. How 00:45:19.900 --> 00:45:22.840 would word get out about supper that was just 00:45:22.840 --> 00:45:27.800 expected? Not really. A lot of our suppers were 00:45:27.800 --> 00:45:30.500 at relations and the only time we would see them 00:45:30.500 --> 00:45:33.900 would be to go for supper or vice versa, come 00:45:33.900 --> 00:45:37.090 to our place. But it was just... a thing that 00:45:37.090 --> 00:45:40.409 we all did when we were in younger years. Because 00:45:40.409 --> 00:45:43.809 it was free. You worked so hard and it was such 00:45:43.809 --> 00:45:47.530 a ritual. You can't exactly not milk the cows. 00:45:48.050 --> 00:45:53.230 No, our only spare time was after tea of a night. 00:45:53.789 --> 00:45:56.110 because through the day it was all paddock work, 00:45:56.250 --> 00:45:59.210 so there was no spare time to go visiting. Our 00:45:59.210 --> 00:46:01.869 suppers were very special, and we got to meet 00:46:01.869 --> 00:46:06.389 friends, but we also got to meet our great -aunties 00:46:06.389 --> 00:46:10.449 and uncles and cousins. And to this day, I remain 00:46:10.449 --> 00:46:13.469 good friends with second and third cousins, which 00:46:13.469 --> 00:46:16.309 is lovely. And where would they be coming from, 00:46:16.309 --> 00:46:21.369 and how? Mainly from surrounding areas of Bomaduri, 00:46:21.530 --> 00:46:24.969 Bolong. Berry, Canberra and they all came in 00:46:24.969 --> 00:46:29.550 with their 1950s cars. Christmas time, Boxing 00:46:29.550 --> 00:46:32.989 Day actually, on Dad's side of the family, we 00:46:32.989 --> 00:46:38.469 went out to Shellhaven Heads for our picnic and 00:46:38.469 --> 00:46:41.389 there would be possibly a hundred turn up and 00:46:41.389 --> 00:46:45.139 they'd come from Sydney. down to south of Narra 00:46:45.139 --> 00:46:47.320 mainly. That would be on the beach, would it? 00:46:47.579 --> 00:46:51.360 Yes. Where we used to gather is now a caravan 00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:54.199 park at Shellhaven Heads, so it looks totally 00:46:54.199 --> 00:46:57.300 different. We were under the coral trees near 00:46:57.300 --> 00:46:59.500 the mouth of the river and the beach. Did you 00:46:59.500 --> 00:47:01.719 have any special trees growing on your property? 00:47:01.900 --> 00:47:05.940 We had a large orchard that had almost every 00:47:05.940 --> 00:47:10.679 variety of fruit and citrus, and our creek was... 00:47:11.309 --> 00:47:15.289 lined with willow trees. The boundaries on Maroo 00:47:15.289 --> 00:47:21.409 Road were pine trees and we still have a couple 00:47:21.409 --> 00:47:25.789 of large bunnut trees which drop the nuts every 00:47:25.789 --> 00:47:31.309 year and last year we had seven nuts fall. We 00:47:31.309 --> 00:47:35.789 actually stopped at the town in Queensland two 00:47:35.789 --> 00:47:38.840 or three years ago. but they couldn't give us 00:47:38.840 --> 00:47:41.320 a great deal of history why we would have them 00:47:41.320 --> 00:47:44.980 down on the south coast of New South Wales. The 00:47:44.980 --> 00:47:48.260 nuts are the size of a pumpkin and very heavy. 00:47:48.639 --> 00:47:52.079 At school, you've... I went to Maroo Public School 00:47:52.079 --> 00:47:55.440 till sixth grade and then I went to Narra High 00:47:55.440 --> 00:47:59.360 School for three years. Both my sister Elaine 00:47:59.360 --> 00:48:03.400 and myself did our schooling without missing 00:48:03.400 --> 00:48:07.510 a day. You loved school. Yes, I did, because 00:48:07.510 --> 00:48:10.449 I got to see friends where we didn't on farms, 00:48:10.610 --> 00:48:15.309 because all our friends were mainly farmers and 00:48:15.309 --> 00:48:18.869 their parents never had the time to take us to 00:48:18.869 --> 00:48:22.349 play except on holidays. So you weren't a netballer 00:48:22.349 --> 00:48:27.449 at Bomaderry? No, I did very little sport other 00:48:27.449 --> 00:48:31.409 than at school. Community at school? Your friends? 00:48:31.690 --> 00:48:35.659 My friends, yes. And we were a quiet group of 00:48:35.659 --> 00:48:39.059 friends. And we did play our sports at school, 00:48:39.119 --> 00:48:44.659 but our main sport at Maroo School, and we went 00:48:44.659 --> 00:48:50.139 to Wollongong for the regions, was tunnel ball. 00:48:50.699 --> 00:48:54.239 And that was a favourite with all of us. And, 00:48:54.280 --> 00:48:58.039 of course, athletics. Did high jumping, long 00:48:58.039 --> 00:49:00.460 jump, and, of course, the different lengths in 00:49:00.460 --> 00:49:03.940 running. And both my brothers... enjoyed sport. 00:49:04.619 --> 00:49:08.440 Alan played football. John played a lot of tennis. 00:49:08.699 --> 00:49:12.119 And of course the tennis court was on Muller's 00:49:12.119 --> 00:49:14.599 property. And the cricket pitch was on Muller's 00:49:14.599 --> 00:49:19.079 property. I have the names of who owned the properties 00:49:19.079 --> 00:49:21.860 too. Would you like to read it? Fletcher's Lane 00:49:21.860 --> 00:49:24.960 was named after the two brothers bought two farms, 00:49:25.039 --> 00:49:27.159 one on the corner of Marie Road and the other, 00:49:27.179 --> 00:49:33.530 the first farm off the Prince's Highway. David 00:49:33.530 --> 00:49:39.789 Fletcher purchased Maylands on Maroo Road from 00:49:39.789 --> 00:49:45.590 1919 to 1923. His brother purchased the Vaughan 00:49:45.590 --> 00:49:48.869 Farm, which was the first farm down Fletcher's 00:49:48.869 --> 00:49:55.670 Lane, in 1919 to 1927. When my grandparents moved 00:49:55.670 --> 00:49:59.960 to Bombadury at the end of Fletcher's Lane, They 00:49:59.960 --> 00:50:03.460 then sold there and moved to Maylands, Murray 00:50:03.460 --> 00:50:07.599 Meadow. My grandfather Fred and grandmother Evelyn 00:50:07.599 --> 00:50:11.860 were blessed with four children. Eric was the 00:50:11.860 --> 00:50:17.079 youngest. My uncle Carlton was the eldest son 00:50:17.079 --> 00:50:20.980 and Les, and they had an older sister named Gwen. 00:50:21.280 --> 00:50:25.679 Dad enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 21. 00:50:29.840 --> 00:50:36.019 5th 1942 and Les married and moved to Sydney 00:50:36.019 --> 00:50:38.800 so grandfather had to require dad back on the 00:50:38.800 --> 00:50:43.300 farm and dad was transferred to the reserve on 00:50:43.300 --> 00:50:48.059 the 16th of July 1942 so spent very little time 00:50:48.059 --> 00:50:52.860 in the air force and he was aiming to be a pilot 00:50:52.860 --> 00:50:56.420 so had to return to the farm. Grandfather lost 00:50:56.420 --> 00:51:01.659 his first wife in 1941 and remarried Gertie Lee 00:51:01.659 --> 00:51:06.300 on the 23rd of the 9th 43 and moved to Glen Iris 00:51:06.300 --> 00:51:09.719 Princess Highway Bombardier retired from farming 00:51:09.719 --> 00:51:14.260 due to ill health dad leased the farm from his 00:51:14.260 --> 00:51:19.179 grandfather from 1943 he and mum met each other 00:51:19.179 --> 00:51:23.039 through their good friends Ernie and Hazel Hitchcock 00:51:23.039 --> 00:51:25.909 who had their own farm in Devitt's Lane, Maroo 00:51:25.909 --> 00:51:28.630 Meadow. At the time, Mum was living with her 00:51:28.630 --> 00:51:32.170 uncle and aunt, Albert and Grace Devitt, and 00:51:32.170 --> 00:51:35.989 they walked the hills on the side of the Camberwara 00:51:35.989 --> 00:51:38.849 Mountain. Digging tussocks was one of the jobs. 00:51:39.030 --> 00:51:41.690 Of course, Mum was helping in the dairy and other 00:51:41.690 --> 00:51:44.489 paddock work. Mum and Dad married on the 6th 00:51:44.489 --> 00:51:48.570 of January 1944 at Berry Methodist Church and 00:51:48.570 --> 00:51:54.309 later members of Dad's church, St Luke's. Anglican 00:51:54.309 --> 00:51:56.929 Church Berry. Dad and Mum worked as a team in 00:51:56.929 --> 00:52:00.510 dairying. Dad helped Mum on wet days by ironing. 00:52:00.610 --> 00:52:04.530 They leased the farm from Grandfather till 1957 00:52:04.530 --> 00:52:08.449 when Grandfather sold Maylands to Mum and Dad. 00:52:08.690 --> 00:52:11.190 They were blessed with five children, Pearl, 00:52:11.369 --> 00:52:14.789 Elaine, Evelyn, Alan and John, and dairy farm 00:52:14.789 --> 00:52:19.230 till 1968 when they sold their milk quota and 00:52:19.230 --> 00:52:24.000 naturally to cousins again. AF and B Garrity 00:52:24.000 --> 00:52:28.579 and L and L Vaughan and their sons and mum and 00:52:28.579 --> 00:52:31.119 dad went into beef cattle. While dairying they 00:52:31.119 --> 00:52:34.659 did hay baling and silo harvest on farms from 00:52:34.659 --> 00:52:38.099 Broughton Village to Chilhaven River. At the 00:52:38.099 --> 00:52:41.900 time we had up to seven tractors and we were 00:52:41.900 --> 00:52:45.119 all driving the machinery from farm to farm. 00:52:45.239 --> 00:52:48.500 We were known as Feeney's Travelling Circus due 00:52:48.500 --> 00:52:52.909 to mum and dad's health maylands. was leased 00:52:52.909 --> 00:52:56.469 and then sold to Les and Rayleigh Vaughan and 00:52:56.469 --> 00:53:03.670 their sons. 1988. Dad sadly passed away in October 00:53:03.670 --> 00:53:07.829 1994. Mum remained in the family home with five 00:53:07.829 --> 00:53:12.329 -acre lot. She sadly passed away there on the 00:53:12.329 --> 00:53:18.630 3rd of the 5th, 2015. Current owner is Wade Wardell. 00:53:19.150 --> 00:53:23.869 who purchased the house and land in October 2016. 00:53:25.050 --> 00:53:28.969 Grandmother was a Vaughan that married my grandfather, 00:53:29.309 --> 00:53:31.869 and that's where the Vaughan connection is. The 00:53:31.869 --> 00:53:35.550 Vaughan farm was originally owned by David Fletcher's 00:53:35.550 --> 00:53:40.670 brother from 1917 to 1927 and sold to Dad's Uncle 00:53:40.670 --> 00:53:45.949 Fred and Aunty Ruby Vaughan at the end of 1927. 00:53:46.449 --> 00:53:50.139 They were blessed with... four children, one 00:53:50.139 --> 00:53:54.699 son, Les, and three daughters, Mavis, Daphne 00:53:54.699 --> 00:53:58.360 and Beryl. Les was two years old when his parents 00:53:58.360 --> 00:54:03.079 moved to the farm. Les married Rainie Jorgensen, 00:54:03.239 --> 00:54:09.219 December 1949. Uncle Fred and Aunty Ruby moved 00:54:09.219 --> 00:54:14.719 from the farm in 1952 to Torera. Aunty Ruby was 00:54:14.719 --> 00:54:18.280 a postmistress at Torera for 25 years and retired 00:54:18.280 --> 00:54:21.980 at the age of 79 years old. Her husband, Uncle 00:54:21.980 --> 00:54:24.760 Fred, had just retired from the farm and he worked 00:54:24.760 --> 00:54:28.400 for Aunty Ruby for 12 years at the post office. 00:54:28.679 --> 00:54:31.699 Liz and Rainy were blessed with two sons, Ron 00:54:31.699 --> 00:54:35.079 and Brian. The second farm down Fletchers Lane 00:54:35.079 --> 00:54:39.199 was owned by Limeries, Egder and Irma Limerie. 00:54:39.599 --> 00:54:42.079 bought their farm early in the 20th century. 00:54:42.340 --> 00:54:44.860 They were blessed with three children, Valda, 00:54:45.019 --> 00:54:48.260 Kelvin and Anne. Anne passed away at a young 00:54:48.260 --> 00:54:52.619 age of 12 from leukaemia. Valda married Harold 00:54:52.619 --> 00:54:55.760 McMahon and they had a farm in the Canberra district. 00:54:56.380 --> 00:55:00.940 Kelvin married Colleen Cochrane in 59 and were 00:55:00.940 --> 00:55:04.219 blessed with five children, Stephen, John, Mark, 00:55:04.440 --> 00:55:08.360 Jeff and Janelle. Stephen's memories on the farm 00:55:08.360 --> 00:55:11.599 as an eight -year -old was driving a rotary hoe 00:55:11.599 --> 00:55:15.739 and unable to reach the brake pedal, of course, 00:55:15.739 --> 00:55:19.960 ran into the fence. Damage was his pride. They 00:55:19.960 --> 00:55:24.719 had a farm ute, an old zephyr, where they farm 00:55:24.719 --> 00:55:27.500 -bashed like many farm children did around the 00:55:27.500 --> 00:55:31.159 paddocks and had fun times. They lost a hay shed 00:55:31.159 --> 00:55:35.519 with fire in the 1960s. and another time his 00:55:35.519 --> 00:55:39.960 memory was when they were young teenagers. Their 00:55:39.960 --> 00:55:44.579 family home was two houses joined by a veranda. 00:55:44.780 --> 00:55:48.659 Stephen's dad, Kelvin, noticed smoke coming from 00:55:48.659 --> 00:55:52.460 the back house. He went to investigate, and here 00:55:52.460 --> 00:55:55.800 were some of the boys smoking. So dad quickly 00:55:55.800 --> 00:55:59.099 told us what they were storing in the second 00:55:59.099 --> 00:56:02.260 house, and one of the cans had dynamite. They 00:56:02.260 --> 00:56:05.250 were scared from... Scared off smoking for a 00:56:05.250 --> 00:56:09.909 long time. Edgar and Irma's farm was sold to 00:56:09.909 --> 00:56:15.170 John and Flo Everson in 1979. David and Sue Boyd 00:56:15.170 --> 00:56:18.650 are leasing the farm and growing corn and oats 00:56:18.650 --> 00:56:24.610 for the last 10 years. And they store their harvest 00:56:24.610 --> 00:56:28.289 at their farm in Ferreira on Jindy Andy Lane. 00:56:28.489 --> 00:56:31.429 And did you live at Hannigan's Lane? Yes, bought 00:56:31.429 --> 00:56:34.750 there from the city. at the end of Hannigan's, 00:56:34.750 --> 00:56:38.349 bought that Harry Bell's place. After a couple 00:56:38.349 --> 00:56:42.869 had bought it, we bought it off them. Yeah. Yeah. 00:56:42.929 --> 00:56:47.110 Well, Harry Bell was Dad's groomsman and his 00:56:47.110 --> 00:56:50.630 wife Mavis was Les Vaughan's sister, which is 00:56:50.630 --> 00:56:52.670 a cousin. And that's how close the communities 00:56:52.670 --> 00:56:56.429 were. That is right. And wouldn't it be great 00:56:56.429 --> 00:57:00.449 to do a community family tree? Oh, it would be. 00:57:00.780 --> 00:57:03.239 That's what I'd love to do. So interesting. Our 00:57:03.239 --> 00:57:07.519 next farm would be Shepherds, whose farm is at 00:57:07.519 --> 00:57:11.320 the end of Fletchers Lane over the railway line. 00:57:12.360 --> 00:57:16.280 Yes. So over the railway line is still Maroo 00:57:16.280 --> 00:57:20.380 Meadow or is that Bolong? It was originally Bomaduri 00:57:20.380 --> 00:57:25.500 and so was all Maroo Road was Bomaduri and they 00:57:25.500 --> 00:57:30.230 changed it to Maroo Meadow. Around the 90s, when 00:57:30.230 --> 00:57:35.570 we moved out to the farm and built, in 1984 our 00:57:35.570 --> 00:57:39.869 address was Bomaduri and a few years later they 00:57:39.869 --> 00:57:43.170 changed it to Maroo Meadow again. I believe David 00:57:43.170 --> 00:57:46.570 Shepard may have sold his farm to Reg and Iris 00:57:46.570 --> 00:57:50.809 Shepard early in the late 1920s. Shepards were 00:57:50.809 --> 00:57:53.969 blessed with three children, James, known as 00:57:53.969 --> 00:57:57.860 Jim, Yvonne, that was called Vonnie. and Pam. 00:57:58.179 --> 00:58:02.139 Their farm hand workers were Ozzie and Dorrie 00:58:02.139 --> 00:58:06.239 Gardner and their children. My memories from 00:58:06.239 --> 00:58:09.780 Shepherd's Farm was Mr Shepherd picking us up 00:58:09.780 --> 00:58:13.780 on his way to school at Maroo Meadow Public School 00:58:13.780 --> 00:58:17.059 and Mrs Shepherd had a dam on their property, 00:58:17.239 --> 00:58:20.099 a one acre dam with a small island in the middle 00:58:20.099 --> 00:58:24.940 of the dam. Our exciting outing was us children. 00:58:25.680 --> 00:58:29.500 rowing a boat across to the dam island with our 00:58:29.500 --> 00:58:33.440 picnic lunch. We also had bonfire, or as known, 00:58:33.739 --> 00:58:36.820 Empire Night, and celebrated with a bonfire and 00:58:36.820 --> 00:58:40.500 a scary scarecrow standing on the top of the 00:58:40.500 --> 00:58:44.719 bonfire. And Maroo community would show off their 00:58:44.719 --> 00:58:48.139 fireworks and have a mouth -watering supper at 00:58:48.139 --> 00:58:50.579 the end of the night. Did that island have a 00:58:50.579 --> 00:58:53.599 name? Did you christen it? We used to call it 00:58:53.599 --> 00:58:56.519 Treasure Island. Mrs Sheppard was well known 00:58:56.519 --> 00:59:00.599 for her dressmaking, a very good seamstress, 00:59:00.679 --> 00:59:04.500 for many, many ladies and bridal wedding outfits 00:59:04.500 --> 00:59:08.059 throughout the Shedhaven and I was lucky my bridal 00:59:08.059 --> 00:59:11.300 gowns were all made by Mrs Sheppard. When they 00:59:11.300 --> 00:59:15.059 retired, they moved to Bombadury and Ray Eisen 00:59:15.059 --> 00:59:18.659 from Jasper's Brush and his wife Val bought their 00:59:18.659 --> 00:59:23.639 farm early 70. Mr and Mrs Shepard were very good 00:59:23.639 --> 00:59:26.179 Christians and belonged to the Methodist Church 00:59:26.179 --> 00:59:31.820 in Bombardier. Farm is now owned by Manildra 00:59:31.820 --> 00:59:38.699 and their house and small acreage has been subdivided 00:59:38.699 --> 00:59:42.440 off the farm and people by the names of Jarvis, 00:59:42.500 --> 00:59:48.320 Kane had been living on that property also. Mr 00:59:48.320 --> 00:59:52.920 Goodall and family. Henry Goodall at this present 00:59:52.920 --> 00:59:56.099 time. The other farm on Maroo Road was owned 00:59:56.099 --> 00:59:59.900 by Mr and Mrs Ernie Henry and they moved there 00:59:59.900 --> 01:00:03.400 in the 20th century, blessed with three children, 01:00:03.679 --> 01:00:06.760 Dawn, Kelvin and Keith. They dairy farmed for 01:00:06.760 --> 01:00:11.320 many, many years. They also had Hereford cattle. 01:00:11.460 --> 01:00:16.539 The farm was sold to the new owners were Morrie 01:00:16.539 --> 01:00:20.119 and Claire Dykes. They carried on dairying and 01:00:20.119 --> 01:00:22.639 beef cattle for the next seven years before the 01:00:22.639 --> 01:00:26.440 farm was purchased by Keith Soper and present 01:00:26.440 --> 01:00:31.460 day owners Alan Wallace and his late mother bought 01:00:31.460 --> 01:00:35.719 the farm in 1975 and are still running, Alan 01:00:35.719 --> 01:00:39.059 is still running beef cattle to this day. So 01:00:39.059 --> 01:00:41.739 tell me about how you met your husband. I met 01:00:41.739 --> 01:00:44.880 my husband actually in a coffee shop in Nara. 01:00:45.900 --> 01:00:49.840 Having seen him at the White Ensign Club, originally 01:00:49.840 --> 01:00:53.780 it was a hospital where I was born. What was 01:00:53.780 --> 01:00:57.780 that club about? For the sailors, for the Navy. 01:00:58.219 --> 01:01:02.639 Oh, it was a Navy club? Yes. Ensign, E -M -S 01:01:02.639 --> 01:01:06.559 -I -G -N. My husband's name's Ian and he originally 01:01:06.559 --> 01:01:11.380 came, he was born in Victoria and came from Adelaide 01:01:11.380 --> 01:01:17.670 to join the Navy back in 19... 64. And we married 01:01:17.670 --> 01:01:23.489 in 1967 in October at the Berry Anglican Church 01:01:23.489 --> 01:01:28.670 and moved to Camberwarra for 18 months in what 01:01:28.670 --> 01:01:33.210 was a cook's flat behind a house in Tannery Road, 01:01:33.329 --> 01:01:37.409 then moving into a Navy commission home in Nowra 01:01:37.409 --> 01:01:41.269 before building our house and moving. back to 01:01:41.269 --> 01:01:45.050 the farm in 1984, where we are still living to 01:01:45.050 --> 01:01:49.889 this day. Why did you go back? We purchased our 01:01:49.889 --> 01:01:53.329 block of land that's subdivided. I was the lucky 01:01:53.329 --> 01:01:57.050 one that was able to move back home virtually. 01:01:57.369 --> 01:02:00.190 What about your children? We have two children, 01:02:00.510 --> 01:02:04.929 Nicole, who runs Meadows Swim School now, and 01:02:04.929 --> 01:02:08.730 Donna, who lives in Catherine. She works at a 01:02:08.730 --> 01:02:13.219 special needs school. doing HR work in the office. 01:02:13.539 --> 01:02:15.679 And what about grandchildren? Do you have any? 01:02:15.920 --> 01:02:20.320 We have four grandchildren. James is doing his 01:02:20.320 --> 01:02:26.320 last year at uni for a teacher. Jack lives at 01:02:26.320 --> 01:02:30.539 Canberra and he has a little son. So we have 01:02:30.539 --> 01:02:34.179 one great grandson named Owen. Jack and Bree 01:02:34.179 --> 01:02:38.340 are due to be married in November. Then we have 01:02:38.340 --> 01:02:41.489 Hayden. He's had the open heart surgery and many 01:02:41.489 --> 01:02:46.250 operations last year, like 10 in Sydney. And 01:02:46.250 --> 01:02:49.530 he has moved to Catherine and he's like a teacher's 01:02:49.530 --> 01:02:52.809 aide at the special needs school, which he is 01:02:52.809 --> 01:02:56.449 thoroughly enjoying. He has only been up there 01:02:56.449 --> 01:03:00.650 a short time, but really enjoying his working 01:03:00.650 --> 01:03:04.630 life. Then we have a granddaughter, Jasmine. 01:03:04.989 --> 01:03:09.719 She is 15 in year 10. Bombardier High School. 01:03:10.260 --> 01:03:15.559 She has health issues too and she has NF1 which 01:03:15.559 --> 01:03:19.119 gives tumours right through her body and other 01:03:19.119 --> 01:03:23.300 issues, side effects from it. But in general 01:03:23.300 --> 01:03:29.480 she plays sports, she swims, she plays AFL. She 01:03:29.480 --> 01:03:32.780 goes to Westmead every three to six months depending 01:03:32.780 --> 01:03:37.710 on the tests they require and her Tests then 01:03:37.710 --> 01:03:41.530 go to Singapore and then on to America. So it's 01:03:41.530 --> 01:03:44.670 really hard to get results back in Australia 01:03:44.670 --> 01:03:50.630 through her specialists. But Westmead is incredible. 01:03:50.750 --> 01:03:57.309 She has eye tests and MRIs on her back and head. 01:03:57.750 --> 01:04:01.210 One of the many things that we did as a community 01:04:01.210 --> 01:04:04.349 was have card nights. And the card nights were 01:04:04.349 --> 01:04:07.769 often held on our front verandah. enclosed front 01:04:07.769 --> 01:04:12.050 veranda. At the Vaughan's house, they held dances 01:04:12.050 --> 01:04:15.369 because they had wide verandas around their house. 01:04:15.550 --> 01:04:18.570 Not sure how often, but I would say monthly. 01:04:18.750 --> 01:04:21.690 I didn't play because we had to do the drinks, 01:04:21.769 --> 01:04:27.269 which was tea and cordial, and pass the supper 01:04:27.269 --> 01:04:30.550 around. My parents were very, very involved in 01:04:30.550 --> 01:04:35.909 many community organisations. Mum was 50 years 01:04:35.909 --> 01:04:40.690 in Red Cross and many years both Mum and Dad 01:04:40.690 --> 01:04:43.730 were in the Orange Lodge and the Grand United 01:04:43.730 --> 01:04:49.710 Order Fellowship Lodge and both held positions 01:04:49.710 --> 01:04:55.409 in these both lodges. They also held positions 01:04:55.409 --> 01:05:00.929 on the committee of St Luke's Berry and Maroo 01:05:00.929 --> 01:05:06.150 Union Church. were in the Cheslon Building Committee. 01:05:06.590 --> 01:05:09.730 Mum was very good at cooking sponges, was her 01:05:09.730 --> 01:05:13.110 specialty, so she won many prizes in all the 01:05:13.110 --> 01:05:17.170 church fates and school fates. They also collected 01:05:17.170 --> 01:05:20.949 newspapers, and I'm not sure whether it was donated 01:05:20.949 --> 01:05:24.849 to the church or to the Cheslon Building Society, 01:05:24.929 --> 01:05:28.409 but I think it went to both. And in three... 01:05:28.730 --> 01:05:33.730 to four months, they had raised $14 ,000 in recycled 01:05:33.730 --> 01:05:39.369 paper, which was mainly stored in the farm sheds 01:05:39.369 --> 01:05:43.489 at Maylands before Jimmy Harris from Bury came 01:05:43.489 --> 01:05:46.349 out to collect the papers and deliver them to 01:05:46.349 --> 01:05:49.010 the recycle. They did that for many years. We 01:05:49.010 --> 01:05:51.110 used to have to call on our way home from work 01:05:51.110 --> 01:05:54.150 at Cheslong Bombardier to pick up papers on a 01:05:54.150 --> 01:05:58.289 certain day of the week, and we all... had a 01:05:58.289 --> 01:06:02.150 timetable and I found a piece of paper, a sheet 01:06:02.150 --> 01:06:06.929 of paper that had where Mum and Dad had to collect 01:06:06.929 --> 01:06:10.849 the papers from Shellhaven Heads, Berry and Shellhaven 01:06:10.849 --> 01:06:14.730 area and what day of the week and the time they 01:06:14.730 --> 01:06:18.530 collect. We stored the papers till the truck 01:06:18.530 --> 01:06:22.170 came to pick and he would only come when it was 01:06:22.170 --> 01:06:27.360 a full, yeah, a major load. Yes, people's homes 01:06:27.360 --> 01:06:31.920 and drop -off points at cheslons and... Churches. 01:06:32.119 --> 01:06:35.519 Churches and... News agents. Wherever anybody 01:06:35.519 --> 01:06:38.980 said they would collect papers for Mr and Mrs 01:06:38.980 --> 01:06:43.019 Feeney. That was a lot of money. A lot of money 01:06:43.019 --> 01:06:46.539 back then, yes, in a short time, but they collected 01:06:46.539 --> 01:06:50.519 for many years. So over the years, I have no 01:06:50.519 --> 01:06:54.380 idea how many thousands of dollars that they 01:06:54.380 --> 01:06:57.510 collected. And this is your parents. My parents. 01:06:58.349 --> 01:07:02.570 And my siblings. Thank you, Pearl Biggs. Your 01:07:02.570 --> 01:07:05.369 knowledge has certainly contributed toward a 01:07:05.369 --> 01:07:08.190 20th century village history of Maroo Meadow. 01:07:09.449 --> 01:07:12.230 Pearl, like the other participants, has offered 01:07:12.230 --> 01:07:15.289 her private photographic archive and papers to 01:07:15.289 --> 01:07:18.329 be scanned for this project, which I start doing 01:07:18.329 --> 01:07:21.699 tomorrow. All the digitised sound and image will 01:07:21.699 --> 01:07:24.619 be logged and archived at our major state -based 01:07:24.619 --> 01:07:28.920 library and where possible locally as well. Quite 01:07:28.920 --> 01:07:31.420 a few seasons are planned on this side of the 01:07:31.420 --> 01:07:34.739 river toward this region's dairying and social 01:07:34.739 --> 01:07:39.159 history but to date the project remains unfunded. 01:07:39.559 --> 01:07:43.480 I am a professional historian and I'm working 01:07:43.480 --> 01:07:47.320 without pay. to achieve and capture this extraordinary 01:07:47.320 --> 01:07:50.860 knowledge and storytelling before it's lost forever, 01:07:51.159 --> 01:07:55.400 bringing the region into the 21st century by 01:07:55.400 --> 01:07:58.260 engaging with relevant digital technologies. 01:07:58.619 --> 01:08:01.900 I have secured two sponsors to which I am grateful 01:08:01.900 --> 01:08:05.519 that make a contribution toward production for 01:08:05.519 --> 01:08:09.099 this episode. Thank you, TurfCo, our biggest 01:08:09.099 --> 01:08:12.960 agricultural employer in the region. operating 01:08:12.960 --> 01:08:16.520 for 40 years, and McGoldrick's Real Estate in 01:08:16.520 --> 01:08:21.600 Bury, operating since 1987, securing our homes, 01:08:21.680 --> 01:08:25.079 farms and lifestyle properties, and who recently 01:08:25.079 --> 01:08:28.920 have come on board. I'm grateful to both Gavin 01:08:28.920 --> 01:08:37.220 and Tim. You can call me on 0415 900 320 if you'd 01:08:37.220 --> 01:08:40.630 like to explore being a sponsor. and the benefits 01:08:40.630 --> 01:08:43.550 that my podcast may offer your organisation, 01:08:43.930 --> 01:08:47.810 or if you are personally motivated to assist 01:08:47.810 --> 01:08:52.329 in its longevity. Next fortnight, I bring you 01:08:52.329 --> 01:08:55.850 episode seven. You'll know more as we get closer 01:08:55.850 --> 01:08:59.010 to the date. Thank you for your feedback when 01:08:59.010 --> 01:09:02.010 I bump into you on the street. It keeps me going, 01:09:02.090 --> 01:09:06.210 and you are so positive, and I know you're enjoying 01:09:06.210 --> 01:09:09.930 the episodes. A special shout out to Ed Watts, 01:09:10.250 --> 01:09:13.590 a generational dairy farmer from Settlement out 01:09:13.590 --> 01:09:16.810 at Pirie. Yesterday he gave me an Easter egg 01:09:16.810 --> 01:09:18.949 to keep me going because I said I was off to 01:09:18.949 --> 01:09:22.689 edit. His lovely wife Claire is our new pharmacist 01:09:22.689 --> 01:09:26.590 in Bury. Keep listening and spread the word. 01:09:27.149 --> 01:09:30.869 Much appreciated. Have a safe, spiritual and 01:09:30.869 --> 01:09:31.829 peaceful Easter.