WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.500
Welcome to Season 2, The Dairy Lane Project.

00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:09.519
Episode 1 today finds us in Strong's Road with

00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:14.779
Ray Strong. But firstly, my primary sponsor for

00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:20.920
Season 2 is Ian Zanstra, a very experienced dairyman

00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:25.800
on the other side of the river from Piree. Season

00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:28.760
2 would not be happening without Ian's support.

00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:33.079
I'm very grateful he stepped up. Thank you, Ian.

00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:40.759
Ray Strong. Ray grew up in Glenbrae, a home on

00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:44.240
Strong's Road that has housed six generations

00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:49.600
of his family. His son, Wayne, currently lives

00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:55.340
at Glenbrae. Ray Strong is the grandson of William

00:00:55.340 --> 00:01:03.100
and Eliza Jane Strong. Ray's grandfather William

00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:09.480
arrived on the Ocean Empress in 1864 with his

00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:14.239
cousin Alexander. Both were aged 15. They had

00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:18.719
grown up together in a densely packed house on

00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:23.620
Loch Rose Point, County Donegal in Northern Ireland.

00:01:24.430 --> 00:01:27.349
They then steamed down the south coast to Broughton

00:01:27.349 --> 00:01:33.030
Creek Wharf. Forty members from six related Irish

00:01:33.030 --> 00:01:38.250
families had arrived on the Ocean Empress. Adam

00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:43.290
Boyd sponsored 34 of the new settlers, including

00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:48.129
the two Strongs and Walkers. Members also of

00:01:48.129 --> 00:01:52.670
the Laman family, two of the Clark men, Fanny

00:01:52.670 --> 00:01:55.549
Hanlon, who was a niece of Alexander Hanlon,

00:01:55.650 --> 00:01:59.730
and many of them settled in Upper Brogas Creek,

00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:04.950
working together to clear the land and many seeking

00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:11.110
paid work in Kiama on farms. By the way, the

00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:13.909
Devots also came from Lockross Point and were

00:02:13.909 --> 00:02:17.229
sponsored also by Adam Boyd, and they started

00:02:17.229 --> 00:02:21.699
at Woodhill. Both Strong cousins eventually married

00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:26.319
sisters from the Boyd family. Alexander ended

00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:31.919
up settling at Harley Hill on 160 acres and William

00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:37.080
Strong settled in Jasper's Brush. William Strong

00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:43.539
and wife Eliza Boyd had five sons and three daughters.

00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:50.919
of their children dying in infancy. They built

00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:56.479
a home named Glenview, now known as on Strong's

00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.000
Road, Jasper's Brush. Their surviving children

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:08.039
were Henry James Strong, born in 1876, and he

00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:12.139
passed away in 1909 after he died suddenly at

00:03:12.139 --> 00:03:17.090
the Berry Show. Robert Hugh was born in 1897.

00:03:17.409 --> 00:03:21.870
He married Mabel Barraclough and he passed away

00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:27.610
in 1942. Catherine Strong, known as Cassie, was

00:03:27.610 --> 00:03:31.789
born in 1878 and she married William Clark and

00:03:31.789 --> 00:03:36.810
she passed away in 1961. Thomas Alfred Strong

00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:42.389
was born in 1883. And he had two marriages, one

00:03:42.389 --> 00:03:46.389
to Myrtle Bailey and the second Avis Stocker.

00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:52.930
He passed away in 1957. Eliza Strong was born

00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:58.050
in 1885 and she married William Smith. She also

00:03:58.050 --> 00:04:02.669
passed away in 1957. Now the youngest child,

00:04:02.969 --> 00:04:09.349
William John Strong, born in 1888. married Margaret

00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:15.409
Cleland, Ray's parents, and they married in 1924.

00:04:16.370 --> 00:04:19.990
William passed away when Ray was six years old

00:04:19.990 --> 00:04:26.389
in 1942. Ray's grandfather, William, became an

00:04:26.389 --> 00:04:31.410
astute cattle judge and cattle breeder. His bulls

00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:34.230
and heifers were famous and he had great success

00:04:34.230 --> 00:04:37.300
in the show ring. He had one of the best shorthorn

00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:40.199
milking herds in the Illawarra. He was a committed

00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:43.620
member of the Berry Wesleyan Church and passed

00:04:43.620 --> 00:04:50.060
in 1916, aged 68. His wife Eliza, Jane, passed

00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:53.860
away three years later, aged 75. They're both

00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:57.220
buried at Berry Cemetery. When the farm was split,

00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:00.769
Ray's parents moved a weatherboard home from

00:05:00.769 --> 00:05:04.009
Broughton Vale when the farm was divided in two.

00:05:04.250 --> 00:05:07.529
It would have travelled on logs to the newly

00:05:07.529 --> 00:05:11.310
named Glenbrae, named by his mother, a Scottish

00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:14.389
name. Strong's Road was named by locals after

00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:18.189
William Strong, who accumulated those 170 acres,

00:05:18.490 --> 00:05:21.629
Ray's grandfather. The name was made official

00:05:21.629 --> 00:05:25.069
by either Robert Strong or his brother Alfred,

00:05:25.310 --> 00:05:29.089
who were both mayors of Berry in the 1930s. Ray

00:05:29.089 --> 00:05:34.649
is married to Evelyn Cady, C -A -D -Y. Her father

00:05:34.649 --> 00:05:38.810
was a share farmer and he worked at Tarara, Kiama

00:05:38.810 --> 00:05:43.069
and Jasper's Brush, where obviously Evelyn met

00:05:43.069 --> 00:05:46.360
Ray at one of those dances. You'll hear her a

00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:48.860
little bit in the recording and she'll have her

00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:51.480
own recording down the track when we move into

00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.699
Stations Lane or as we know it, Jaspers Brush

00:05:54.699 --> 00:05:59.040
Road. Ray turned 90 a few days ago. Belated birthday

00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.680
wishes. Both Ray and Evelyn live in Bury today

00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:06.519
and have done for a while. I gladly present our

00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:09.399
recording together which was undertaken in November

00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:13.720
24 and it was during cicada season in summer.

00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:16.540
I mention that because you'll hear them when

00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:20.139
I visit Glenbrae with Ray in the final minutes

00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:23.620
of his story. I hope you enjoy it as much as

00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:27.540
I have enjoyed meeting Ray and spending time

00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:32.040
with both Evelyn and Ray with a cup of tea. Ray,

00:06:32.139 --> 00:06:35.379
what's your full name and year of birth and where

00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:38.319
were you born? I was named Raymond Henry James

00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:42.240
Strong and I was born on the 12th of the 9th.

00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:48.279
1935, born at Glenbray Justice Brush, Strongs

00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.279
Road. What was the name of the property again?

00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:56.279
Glenbray. The adjoining property was Glenview.

00:06:56.939 --> 00:06:59.620
Both properties were owned by my grandfather

00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:03.439
at that stage. Was your grandfather allocated

00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:07.139
the original land grant? Yes. And what's his

00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:10.699
full name? It was William John. Well, he was

00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:15.930
born in Donegal. and they immigrated out here

00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:21.269
with other families in 1863. They originally

00:07:21.269 --> 00:07:26.230
set up on farms on Woodhill, Berry, up on the

00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:28.730
hills. They were there for a number of years

00:07:28.730 --> 00:07:31.269
before they moved to Broughton Village, where

00:07:31.269 --> 00:07:33.389
they farmed at Broughton Village for a time.

00:07:33.829 --> 00:07:37.569
And then the land became available from Alexandra

00:07:37.569 --> 00:07:43.850
Berry at Jasper's Brush. Hence, the family moved

00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:49.370
about 1896, which is now Strong's Road, Jasper's

00:07:49.370 --> 00:07:52.269
Brush. The reason it was called Strong's Road,

00:07:52.449 --> 00:07:58.069
one of my uncles became mayor of Berry Municipal

00:07:58.069 --> 00:08:02.889
Council. And back in that era, well, if you're

00:08:02.889 --> 00:08:05.350
on council, you've got a road named after you.

00:08:06.509 --> 00:08:10.879
And hence, Strong's Road. Do you recall your

00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:14.079
uncle's name? Yeah, Thomas Alfred, T .A. Strong.

00:08:14.819 --> 00:08:21.759
And his lady, Mayoress Eliza Jane. Was he your

00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:26.079
grandfather's brother? My father's brother. Your

00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:29.800
father's brother. Yeah, T .A. Strong. So can

00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:32.080
you tell me your... We'll get back to that. Can

00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:35.980
you tell me your parents' full names? My father

00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:39.539
was William John Strong. He unfortunately died

00:08:39.539 --> 00:08:43.379
when I was six year old. He died in 1942. He

00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:48.639
was 54. My mother, Margaret Helen Cleland, prior

00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.059
to her marrying my father, she was a city girl

00:08:52.059 --> 00:08:55.299
from Newtown. She obviously fairly talented in

00:08:55.299 --> 00:08:57.840
her younger years before her marriage because

00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.820
she was a private secretary in one of the largest

00:09:01.820 --> 00:09:06.590
law offices in New South Wales. Because of her

00:09:06.590 --> 00:09:11.490
ability with typing, typing speed, I believe,

00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:16.470
and shorthand back in that era. Do you recall

00:09:16.470 --> 00:09:20.190
any law firms? I used to, but no, it's gone now.

00:09:20.529 --> 00:09:23.950
Did she work here? No. Do you recall what happened

00:09:23.950 --> 00:09:28.350
initially with your grandfather? My grandfather

00:09:28.350 --> 00:09:35.389
obtained the grant from Berry. And it was probably

00:09:35.389 --> 00:09:40.509
around 350 acres on the northern side of Strong's

00:09:40.509 --> 00:09:44.610
Road, 210k up. When my grandfather passed away,

00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:49.529
the two brothers, Thomas Alfred and William John,

00:09:49.730 --> 00:09:53.710
the two sons, decided they wanted to go their

00:09:53.710 --> 00:09:55.850
own way, so they split the farm down the middle.

00:09:56.529 --> 00:10:00.769
And they each got around 120 acres, all in that

00:10:00.769 --> 00:10:03.710
area, kind of two properties. Were they both

00:10:03.710 --> 00:10:06.889
dairy farming? Both dairy farming, yes. Do you

00:10:06.889 --> 00:10:10.450
know when the land was split? No, I don't recall

00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:14.190
that. It would have been early 1900s. The terrain,

00:10:14.629 --> 00:10:17.850
can you describe it? Well, on each part of the

00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:22.250
land there was probably a hundred -odd flat area

00:10:22.250 --> 00:10:28.529
and the other acreage was to the north hilly

00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:32.460
area. And, of course, they had to... Do a lot

00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:34.539
of fencing to split the boat, split the property

00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:38.059
up into two. What type of fences were made? Barbed

00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:43.440
wire. After World War I, they brought the barbed

00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:47.419
wire in, didn't they? Oh, I don't know. They'll

00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:51.299
do. Clearing the bush. What were some of the

00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:55.840
natural grasses and weeds that grow at Jaspers

00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:58.200
that you recall? Well, when they went there,

00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:01.299
the Jaspers rose creep. run through the middle

00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:03.980
of the properties, which was a big bonus, huge

00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:07.840
bonus, to have water on tap for your animals.

00:11:08.139 --> 00:11:13.440
Along that creek, creek banks, out many, many

00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.960
metres, was rainforest right from the hills.

00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:20.820
You might call it a mountain, but... The escarpment?

00:11:20.919 --> 00:11:24.000
The escarpment will do, yes. It was all rainforest,

00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:27.299
and that all had to be cleared, and they pushed

00:11:27.299 --> 00:11:30.309
that rainforest right back. to the escarpment.

00:11:30.590 --> 00:11:33.870
It went on from Strong's property down onto the

00:11:33.870 --> 00:11:37.090
neighbours' property. Huge job it was. One of

00:11:37.090 --> 00:11:42.789
my uncles died in that era and the coroner's

00:11:42.789 --> 00:11:46.450
report on it died of overwork. Thinking about,

00:11:46.610 --> 00:11:49.389
do you recall what tools they may have used to

00:11:49.389 --> 00:11:53.330
clear the land, to clear the weeds and the vegetation?

00:11:53.929 --> 00:11:56.990
Would have been all hand -held. Brush hooks and

00:11:56.990 --> 00:11:59.970
sires. Did you ever use those yourself? Yes,

00:12:00.070 --> 00:12:03.929
not very often though. What would you be using

00:12:03.929 --> 00:12:07.970
it for, the same thing? Ferns and tussocks. What

00:12:07.970 --> 00:12:10.409
sort of trees were growing? Cedars were a big

00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:13.629
thing back in that area. There were heaps of

00:12:13.629 --> 00:12:16.129
cedar trees along the creek banks. And you recall

00:12:16.129 --> 00:12:20.570
that yourself? Yes. Still there? Some, because

00:12:20.570 --> 00:12:22.929
they're protected these days. My grandfather,

00:12:23.090 --> 00:12:27.470
he excelled and... bred Illawarra shorthorns.

00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:32.590
He focused on stud prized bulls and he sold and

00:12:32.590 --> 00:12:36.009
nurtured them and sold them all over the country

00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:40.029
when they become of age. We have a lot of photos

00:12:40.029 --> 00:12:45.389
of those prized bulls in the era and the guineas

00:12:45.389 --> 00:12:47.549
that they were sold for around the countryside.

00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:50.940
That was my grandfather's doing. Talk a bit more

00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:55.360
about how, do you know how the bulls were transported

00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:59.259
around the region, around the nations? They used

00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:04.279
to show all the local shows. He took his animals

00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:07.720
to Sydney Royal. They used to walk the animals

00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:10.679
from Strong's Road into Berry Railway Station

00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:14.100
the afternoon prior to them departing by train

00:13:14.100 --> 00:13:17.120
in the holding yard down here at Berry. and they

00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.179
would go to Sydney, and I don't know where they

00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:23.919
were let off in Sydney, and then walked to the

00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:28.220
show areas in Sydney. Because it was held at

00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:30.860
a different location than it is today, of course.

00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:33.460
Yes. Did you ever go yourself? No, it was before

00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:36.080
my time, really. Was there a lot of ribbons passed

00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:41.139
down? Oh, there had to have been, but as I say,

00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:43.620
I was too young then. So they would have been

00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:47.730
ploughing as well? Yes. Draft horses. We had

00:13:47.730 --> 00:13:52.789
three draft horses, yes. On your farm? Yes. Do

00:13:52.789 --> 00:13:56.889
you remember the draft horses? Yes, I do, yeah.

00:13:57.149 --> 00:14:00.090
What were you using them for? Mainly ploughing,

00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:04.049
harrowing. Their only form of motivation, really.

00:14:04.889 --> 00:14:08.269
Before the 50s, when tractors became the norm.

00:14:08.549 --> 00:14:13.169
What were you growing? Mainly saccharine or sorghum.

00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:16.879
Corn was the big issue. I suppose we were growing

00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.220
something like 15 acres of corn, I suppose, back

00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:24.299
then, a year, to fill the 80 -tonne silo. Food

00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:26.779
throughout the winter for the cattle, chaffed

00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:28.779
up. Did you have the chaff cutters out in the

00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:32.419
field? No, in the barn. Tell me about how that

00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:36.519
worked, when the crop was ready. Yes, well, back

00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:38.539
then we had cane knives. We called them cane

00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:42.279
knives. And it was all manual labour. You cut

00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:45.419
each stalk of corn, called them slides, motor

00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:50.100
transport, I suppose, for the produce. And fill

00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:52.720
it up and then horse -drawn and you'd drag the

00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:58.220
load of corn up into the barn and then it'd be

00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:02.320
all shafted up through the shaft cutter. Unfortunately,

00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:06.379
when my elder brother, I think he was 14 or 15,

00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:10.870
he was helping. feed the chute of the chaff cutter,

00:15:11.009 --> 00:15:13.889
feed the corn into the chute. They were a pretty

00:15:13.889 --> 00:15:15.710
deadly thing, the old chaff cutter, with the

00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:19.490
blades rotating. Anyway, he was feeding it on

00:15:19.490 --> 00:15:21.809
the wrong side. It was the person on the other

00:15:21.809 --> 00:15:26.389
side. He was on the wrong side. His arm went

00:15:26.389 --> 00:15:29.870
into the jaws of the chaff cutter and it cut

00:15:29.870 --> 00:15:31.870
half his hand off. He couldn't get to the...

00:15:31.870 --> 00:15:34.009
Because he was on the wrong part of the chute,

00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:36.429
he couldn't reach the clutch. Do you remember

00:15:36.429 --> 00:15:39.039
that day? Yes. Yeah, I picked his fingers up

00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:43.399
out of the pile of chopped up corn. What happened?

00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.139
How did you get him to a doctor or hospital?

00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:47.899
Yeah, I think my mother took him into Berry Hospital.

00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:51.940
He got over it and it didn't hold him back. He

00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:54.399
just finished up with those two fingers and he

00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:57.860
was cut right through there. So the two smaller

00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:02.379
fingers he was left with. A lot of people lost

00:16:02.379 --> 00:16:05.080
their hands in chaff cutters in that era. A lot

00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.240
of people around here. What brand of chaff cutter

00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:10.840
do you remember? Mainly the stuff was Alice Chalmers

00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:14.700
stuff back in that era, Alice Chalmers. How would

00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:17.700
you order a chaff cutter? How did your dad get

00:16:17.700 --> 00:16:22.860
the supplies, the machinery? No idea. It was

00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:26.580
there before I come on the scene. The silo was

00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:30.220
built by local people, Jack Blow and son from

00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:33.220
Berry. They built most of the silos in this era.

00:16:34.029 --> 00:16:37.190
And they were all 80, what they termed 80 tonne

00:16:37.190 --> 00:16:41.610
silos. How many silos were in Jasper's Brush?

00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:45.129
I think we were the only ones in Strong's. No,

00:16:45.289 --> 00:16:48.210
the neighbours had one, that's right. Yeah. There

00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:51.009
was one on Glenview and one on Glenbrae. But

00:16:51.009 --> 00:16:53.230
I think they were the only two in Strong's Road.

00:16:53.590 --> 00:16:57.429
What do you recall Strong's Road looking like

00:16:57.429 --> 00:17:00.750
when you were a young boy? Like walking along

00:17:00.750 --> 00:17:04.420
Strong's Road, what was it? It's all dirt. Terrible.

00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:09.579
Council graded it twice a year. Extreme wet winters

00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:13.619
we had and it was just at times a quagmire, the

00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:16.079
length of strong trade. How did the horses get

00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:21.119
through? The sulkies? Oh, always managed. So

00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:23.180
how many cows were you milking? And let's just

00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:26.700
quickly talk about the dairy. What type of dairy

00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:30.160
was it when you were young? Well, in my era,

00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.819
we always milked roughly between 40 and 50 head

00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:37.240
and we always had about 10 dry cattle. I'll call

00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.640
them dry cattle. They were in rest, as I'd say,

00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.380
before they come back in the season and milk

00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:46.220
again. And those cattle were kept up the hill

00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:48.480
area until it was time to bring them down and

00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:51.480
mate them with the bull. How many bulls? Only

00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.900
one. Did it have its own yard? Yes. Any bull

00:17:54.900 --> 00:18:01.460
stories? Pretty crazy, was it? No, no, I don't

00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:06.819
recall anything. So your dad was farming the

00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:10.660
same amount of cattle as you were? Yeah, virtually.

00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:14.559
Virtually, that was about all the property could

00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:16.900
handle. My mother at times, because she took

00:18:16.900 --> 00:18:19.240
over the reins after my father passed away in

00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:23.200
1942, she brought a worker and his family in

00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.839
to keep the property going. I don't know how

00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:28.779
she ever did, but keeping five kids going. What

00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:31.319
did her day look like to you as a young boy?

00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:34.920
Well, after the farm wasn't sustainable to keep

00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:38.359
the family on, it just wasn't making enough money.

00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:43.640
So they went on to other pastures, another job.

00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:47.759
So she mostly ran the property with my eldest

00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:51.700
brother. She'd look after us and help him with

00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:53.920
the milking night and day as well. When I think

00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:56.099
back, it was a tough call. Let's talk about your

00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:59.180
siblings. How many in their names and if you

00:18:59.180 --> 00:19:02.960
remember their years of birth and if they died

00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:05.460
when? Yeah, well, my older sister, I never knew.

00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:09.799
She passed away with cancer before I was born.

00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:13.259
She died at three years old, which was probably

00:19:13.259 --> 00:19:17.359
pretty devastating, I suppose, back then. What

00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:21.920
was her name? Clara. And then my elder sister,

00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:27.180
Margaret Eliza. She was the eldest in the family.

00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:30.880
And then my brother, William John, who was above

00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:34.579
me and myself. And then my younger sister, Yvonne

00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:38.640
Betty, who is the local federal member at this

00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:42.799
stage. So that's your niece? My niece. Is Fiona

00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:46.339
Phillips? Yeah, Fiona Phillips. OK, so she is

00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:50.240
your sister's daughter? Yes. So hard times back

00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:52.839
then when your father passed? Must have been

00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:55.200
devastating for you. Yeah, well, I was only six,

00:19:55.299 --> 00:19:58.660
and I don't recall a lot. My sister first raised

00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:02.660
me. Wherever she went on a bicycle, now I went

00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:07.700
to bury on the bike. I was on the back. She took

00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:11.539
me everywhere. What did it look like on the back

00:20:11.539 --> 00:20:13.559
of the bike? What was the highway like as a little

00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:17.319
boy on the back? Oh, not much traffic. Don't

00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:21.160
recall a lot about it. Dirt? No, the highway

00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:27.430
was... It was sealed. My uncle, who had the property

00:20:27.430 --> 00:20:30.890
on the top end of Strong's Road, Bill Smith,

00:20:31.109 --> 00:20:35.769
he didn't own the property, but he leased it,

00:20:35.829 --> 00:20:40.029
and him and my aunt, they looked after me most

00:20:40.029 --> 00:20:44.170
of the time in my younger years. Back then, where

00:20:44.170 --> 00:20:47.599
was the milk going at that period? Just around

00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:50.779
before your father passed? Justice Rush had its

00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:55.019
own dairy co -op down at Railway Road opposite

00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:58.839
the station, Justice Rush station. There was

00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:03.099
a spur line there from the rail to back in and

00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:06.380
pick up the cream. But that co -op operated for

00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:09.480
a number of years before it was shut down. So

00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:12.059
most of Justice Rush went to that co -op, took

00:21:12.059 --> 00:21:14.539
their cream. It was nearly all cream back then.

00:21:14.890 --> 00:21:17.430
After that closed down, the majority of the farmers

00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:20.910
in Strong's Road went to narrow dairy co -op.

00:21:21.150 --> 00:21:24.210
Two went to berry co -op. The two that went to

00:21:24.210 --> 00:21:27.410
berry co -op was my uncle Bill Smith from Burnside,

00:21:27.630 --> 00:21:30.009
the name of the property up at the end of Strong's

00:21:30.009 --> 00:21:33.490
Road, and my father, William John Strong, and

00:21:33.490 --> 00:21:39.950
they continued to send milk to berry throughout

00:21:39.950 --> 00:21:45.430
their dairy exports. How was the milk transported

00:21:45.430 --> 00:21:51.069
to Sydney back then? All rail, tankers, no refrigeration.

00:21:51.390 --> 00:21:53.950
Tell me about how the milk was collected in the

00:21:53.950 --> 00:21:57.170
dairy and how big the cans were and how you got

00:21:57.170 --> 00:22:00.230
the cans to wherever. Well, it was mainly 10

00:22:00.230 --> 00:22:02.549
-gallon cans back then. It was pretty heavy because

00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:05.829
milk's heavier than water because of the solids.

00:22:06.250 --> 00:22:08.630
There were 8 -gallon cans and there were 6 -gallon

00:22:08.630 --> 00:22:11.890
cans. But mainly the 8 -gallons and the 6 -gallon

00:22:11.890 --> 00:22:14.299
cans, they were mainly used for... Cream, if

00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:16.740
you separated milk, most of the milk that went

00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:20.519
to bury by truck, 10 -gallon cans. So at 19,

00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:25.400
you decided to buy the milk run. Describe what

00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:27.680
that was and where. Yes, it was obvious that

00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:30.819
the farm wasn't going to give my brother and

00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:34.980
I and also look after my mother enough revenue.

00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:40.940
So it was my decision to break away and I approached...

00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:44.420
One of the farmers, a local farmer, who I knew

00:22:44.420 --> 00:22:47.619
because I'd worked with his show cattle when

00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.240
I was very young. What was his name? Lindsay

00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:54.000
Cochran from O 'Keeffe's Lane. He said, yes,

00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:57.900
I'll guarantee you a thousand pound. So, which

00:22:57.900 --> 00:23:01.900
he did. Went into the bank and fixed up all the

00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:05.619
details and, well, that's history. But that gave

00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:08.599
me my start. It was a thousand pounds for the

00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:12.519
run? The run. I had 10 suppliers and a truck.

00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:17.539
And I continued that for... Describe a day what

00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:20.640
farms you went to and what names you might recall.

00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:24.599
Well, as I said earlier, I had two properties

00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:29.700
sent their produce to Berry Dairy Co -op. And,

00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:33.460
of course, I had those two on my list. And then

00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:36.599
I went down O 'Keeffe Lane and I had Denny O

00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:39.720
'Keeffe. I had Pat O 'Keefe's property, and I

00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:42.259
had Lindsay Cochran's, and I had the whole size

00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:45.619
of brothers. Then I went on a bit further. Alec

00:23:45.619 --> 00:23:47.980
Devitt, he was a character, no doubt about that.

00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:51.019
Anyway, then I had... Tell me a bit about him.

00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:54.000
And what was the name of his property? Why was

00:23:54.000 --> 00:24:00.400
he a character? Alec loved his whiskey. I won't

00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.779
go any further than that. And then I had closed

00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:10.339
his road. I had Harry Bates up there, a dairy

00:24:10.339 --> 00:24:14.319
farmer, and I had Fred Willetts, a dairy farmer.

00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.680
I had two up there. Then I went on a bit further

00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:20.539
towards Berry, and I had Harold Anderson up on,

00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:23.579
rode up on Anderson's Lane to the left, back

00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:26.119
up on the hills. Roley Kellett a bit further

00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:30.680
on, and that was about the extent of it. I'd

00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:33.640
finish up, I suppose, in the peak time, from

00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:36.500
springtime through the summer, of a morning run.

00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:42.180
I might have 110 milk cans on my truck. Have

00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:47.680
an afternoon run, maybe 40 or 50 cans. Where

00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:51.440
were they going? Berry Rule Co -op. Who lifted

00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.359
the cans onto the truck? We didn't have any mechanical

00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:57.519
aids back then. You did it all yourself. I shouldn't

00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.680
complain about how my body is today. How is it?

00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:07.980
No good. Hard labour. It was tough, but anyway,

00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:11.119
that's what you did. I had a young wife and I

00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:14.640
had kids and they had to be fed. Anyway, we led

00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:18.240
a good life. Tell me about what sort of truck

00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:23.759
it was. It was a 1946 Bedford, five tonne. What

00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:27.720
colour? Brown, the first one, yes, brown. Then

00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:32.619
I upgraded to a better 1946 Bedford truck a few

00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:35.720
years later. So I had a reasonable truck and

00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:38.839
I had the old one for spares because I was fairly

00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:44.339
handy with the mechanical side myself. And later

00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:48.980
on I really excelled because I bought a real

00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:52.240
Buick truck. We couldn't make enough money out

00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.819
of the transport of milk cans to the co -op so

00:25:55.819 --> 00:26:00.180
I needed something better so I could go and use

00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:05.000
the truck in other areas, which I did. What era

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.920
was that, what year? Yeah, mid -50s it would

00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:11.160
have been. He used to go around the farms and

00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:14.160
pick up their big bales of hay and put them in

00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:18.319
their sheds and he would go and collect timber

00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.519
from the bush and bring it back into wherever

00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:25.599
it was ordered and that was hard work, very hard,

00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:30.940
yes. What were you paid for a run? The milk cans

00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:35.000
from farm to co -op. The closest to town was

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.680
five cents a can, and I think it went up to about

00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.500
eight or nine cents the furthest farm a can.

00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:45.759
Not a lot of money back then. I need you to describe

00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:49.680
the dairy and how it worked. The dairy out there

00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:54.140
was built in 1935 on Glenbrae. We called them

00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:56.700
a three -tiered dairy. There were three bays,

00:26:56.799 --> 00:27:01.339
two cows, two cows, two cows, being milked progressively.

00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:06.680
All mechanical back in my era. Suction caps?

00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:13.200
Yes. Alpha Laval. That was the main milking machine

00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:18.240
back in that period. From the cow being milked,

00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:22.460
the milk went through suction lines into the

00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:26.339
dairy itself, went down over what we called a

00:27:26.339 --> 00:27:31.700
cooler. It was like a big radiator. and there

00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:34.180
was cold water running through it all the time,

00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:37.819
and the milk went down over this radiator effect

00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:42.420
into the milk cans, so it chilled the milk before

00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:45.579
it went into the can. Back in that era, well,

00:27:45.660 --> 00:27:48.680
probably still today, a big problem occasionally

00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:50.960
is mastitis with the cattle, and that took a

00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:53.339
little bit of clearing up. With the very wet

00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:56.980
winters, the cattle were very prone to what we

00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:59.960
call a foot rot, and that was a pretty serious

00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:03.650
thing. Had to bring a vet in with injections

00:28:03.650 --> 00:28:06.529
and so on. And that took a little while to clear

00:28:06.529 --> 00:28:09.609
up with cattle because of so much mud around.

00:28:10.009 --> 00:28:13.730
Who was the vet that you recall? Dr George Boris.

00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:17.690
I'm not sure what background he was or what country

00:28:17.690 --> 00:28:20.730
he was from, but he was a very talented man.

00:28:21.190 --> 00:28:24.410
What do you remember about him? Seeing that she's

00:28:24.410 --> 00:28:28.589
pushing away into this interview. He always called

00:28:28.589 --> 00:28:34.089
me... Miss Katie, that was my maiden name. Yes,

00:28:34.250 --> 00:28:37.869
and he always made stories about the day that

00:28:37.869 --> 00:28:40.670
he came to see the cattle. I don't recall any

00:28:40.670 --> 00:28:42.829
of the stories, but he was always a character,

00:28:43.130 --> 00:28:46.069
yes. So that had cost you money, the vet? It

00:28:46.069 --> 00:28:51.089
did, yes. Don't recall costs, no. Was it cash

00:28:51.089 --> 00:28:56.369
or was it a tick? Tick it up? Well, back then,

00:28:56.410 --> 00:29:01.170
those costs... came out of the monthly milk check

00:29:01.170 --> 00:29:04.650
because that's how the farmers got paid. How

00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:07.670
would you get things that you needed and what

00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:11.470
were you self -sufficient in? We had a baker,

00:29:11.609 --> 00:29:15.349
Fred Bamford from Berry. He was one of the two

00:29:15.349 --> 00:29:18.690
bakeries in town. He'd do a delivery through

00:29:18.690 --> 00:29:22.450
Strong's Road once a week. Bread in those days

00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:25.730
used to hold all right. When I took over the

00:29:25.730 --> 00:29:31.259
milk run... from Strong's Road to Berry. The

00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:34.740
farmers all relied on me to bring their supplies

00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:38.240
from Berry to them that afternoon's run, and

00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.839
that wasn't only bread, that was meat and everything.

00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:44.059
I think I got paid a cent or two cents a parcel

00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:47.480
or something. What about clothes? Didn't wear

00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:51.299
many. Barefooted too. Hats? No, never wore a

00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:53.819
hat. So you're barefoot? Most of the time I was

00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:56.940
barefoot, yeah. Self -respect and a splinter

00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:58.920
had never gotten my foot because it was too tough.

00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:02.980
Did you drive barefoot? Yes, I would have, yes.

00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:06.220
What about the local police? Were they around

00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:11.000
and what were they like? Yes, we had one sergeant

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:14.519
in town for a very long time. He was fairly efficient,

00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:18.240
but he ran a very good town. He didn't take any

00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:21.619
nonsense. I bought my first motorbike, a BSA

00:30:21.619 --> 00:30:27.099
Bantam 125cc bike. Anyway, this particular Saturday

00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:30.000
afternoon I'd finished milking so I rode into

00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.000
town and I was going to have a milkshake because

00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:35.900
we had three cafes in Berry back then. I was

00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:38.299
getting ahead of myself. I needed a bit of noise

00:30:38.299 --> 00:30:40.460
out of this little two -stroke so I knocked all

00:30:40.460 --> 00:30:42.279
the baffles out of the muffler and made a bit

00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:45.559
of noise. I'd gone in to have a milkshake and

00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:48.920
I noticed our sergeant, he was on the other side

00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.599
of the road. So I parked my bike and I went in

00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.339
and I had my milkshake and I come out and the

00:30:53.339 --> 00:30:55.660
sergeant was still there and I thought... Yeah,

00:30:55.660 --> 00:30:58.400
well, he's waiting for me and he did. He walked

00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:02.039
across the street and he said, you'd better start

00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:07.460
it up, Sonny. Anyway, I did and it was just on

00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:09.460
and over. So he grabbed the throttle and he revved

00:31:09.460 --> 00:31:13.220
it. And, of course, it was noisy. You won't bring

00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:16.599
it back to town like that, will you, son? He

00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:19.240
was a tough man, but he'd run a good town. It's

00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:20.619
probably the most you've ever got in trouble,

00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:28.420
isn't it? Oh, hang on. Oh, no, there were a few

00:31:28.420 --> 00:31:31.960
things. You don't recall his name? We termed

00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:34.980
him the Brown Bomber. He was very dark in complexion,

00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:38.380
and then he got his off -sider in a few years

00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:41.900
later, and he was very efficient, and we labelled

00:31:41.900 --> 00:31:43.480
him the Kitty Hawk, the Brown Bomber and the

00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:46.700
Kitty Hawk. We had a pair of them. All right,

00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:50.000
the copper's name was Len Daly, the Brown Bomber,

00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:53.000
and his off -sider was John Miller, the Kitty

00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:58.400
Hawk. What about the cafes? Three cafes? Yes,

00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:00.559
they all seemed to survive. What were they called?

00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:04.180
Oh, Spiros. Spiro Bellis. I think it was a Greek.

00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:06.960
I think Spiro. He run a great cafe. It's where

00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:11.759
the old chemist was before they moved across

00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:15.559
the street. It probably had 40 or 50 seats in

00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:18.180
it. Can't think who the other cafe was further

00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:20.339
down. And then there was one across the road.

00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:25.220
But they all survived back in that era. Because

00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:27.039
after 12 o 'clock on a Saturday, well, there

00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:29.259
was never anybody in Bury. You could have fired

00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:31.039
a shot up both sides of the street and not hit

00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:34.059
anybody. And Sunday the same, never anybody in

00:32:34.059 --> 00:32:37.259
town. Different scenario today. Did you go to

00:32:37.259 --> 00:32:42.180
Bury or Nowra mostly? Or both? No, always Bury.

00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:47.279
How did Bury look as a town back then? Nobody

00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:50.400
wanted to live in Bury. Everybody wanted to go

00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:56.450
to Nowra. There was no work in Bury and people

00:32:56.450 --> 00:32:59.950
didn't travel much in those days. So even up

00:32:59.950 --> 00:33:03.269
to the 80s, nobody wanted to live here. Since

00:33:03.269 --> 00:33:07.170
then, the joints have exploded. Now, Jasper's

00:33:07.170 --> 00:33:10.349
Brush was its own world in its own way. Is that

00:33:10.349 --> 00:33:13.670
correct? Like you had your own hall? PNC Association.

00:33:14.410 --> 00:33:18.390
My father was secretary treasurer of that while

00:33:18.390 --> 00:33:21.319
he was alive. It held. Probably fortnightly,

00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:23.720
I suppose. I just don't remember. Yuka playing

00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:28.420
and dancers. Friday or Saturday night in the

00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:33.880
PNC hall, the slab -walled hall, which is now

00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:38.000
where the main highway runs through. That's where

00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:40.920
it was before it burnt down. Do you know who

00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:43.480
built that hall? No, I've got no recollection

00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:47.400
on that. Did you go to the dancers? Yes, well,

00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:50.190
I wasn't very old, yeah. I don't know. I think

00:33:50.190 --> 00:33:52.569
we mucked up outside, I suppose. Your parents

00:33:52.569 --> 00:33:55.210
went, did they? Yes. And their kids would go

00:33:55.210 --> 00:33:58.349
in the back of the what? I don't recall. Tell

00:33:58.349 --> 00:34:02.109
me about your school life, when you started school,

00:34:02.369 --> 00:34:04.930
what the name of the school was and maybe who

00:34:04.930 --> 00:34:08.309
went to the school, how big it was. Well, we

00:34:08.309 --> 00:34:12.610
went to the Jasper's Brush School, which is Jasper's

00:34:12.610 --> 00:34:18.139
B &B now. It was a one -teacher school. Mr Bob

00:34:18.139 --> 00:34:20.420
Williams, he was the schoolmaster the whole time

00:34:20.420 --> 00:34:22.559
that I went through from first through to sixth

00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:26.139
class. And you were lined up first class, second

00:34:26.139 --> 00:34:29.239
class, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. And he taught

00:34:29.239 --> 00:34:32.119
all classes first to sixth. So when you were

00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:35.079
lined up, did you have a row each? Yes, a row

00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:37.739
for each year. What do you recall about some

00:34:37.739 --> 00:34:40.920
things at school? Did you have sports days? Getting

00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:44.820
a cane. It was pretty serious stuff. Did you

00:34:44.820 --> 00:34:48.119
get the cane much? No, not, no. It was a non

00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:51.579
-denominational school? A public school? Public

00:34:51.579 --> 00:34:55.679
school, yes. Did you go to church? Yes, mainly

00:34:55.679 --> 00:35:00.280
twice a Sunday, yeah. What type of church? Methodist,

00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:04.599
very Methodist church. So your grandfather was

00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:09.099
a Methodist? Yeah, they were fiercely Wesleyan.

00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:15.400
Fiercely Wesleyan, yes. Describe that. I don't

00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:18.079
know that I can. What's the experience of being

00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:22.239
fiercely Wesleyan? Well, religion was probably

00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:25.639
the biggest part of our life. We weren't allowed

00:35:25.639 --> 00:35:28.699
to pick up a hammer on the farm on a Sunday.

00:35:29.340 --> 00:35:32.320
We were only allowed to do things that had to

00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:36.019
be done. Cattle milked. Yeah, they had very strong

00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:40.559
views. They did. Oh, just about black and white?

00:35:42.340 --> 00:35:49.730
Yeah, that'll do. Speaking of black and white.

00:35:49.769 --> 00:35:54.690
I'm pleased those days are over. Were you hurt?

00:35:55.530 --> 00:36:00.489
Was I? Were you harmed? No, not at all, no. What

00:36:00.489 --> 00:36:03.750
about your mother? Did she continue with those

00:36:03.750 --> 00:36:09.510
ways? Yes, yeah. Yeah, she probably mellowed

00:36:09.510 --> 00:36:12.329
a little over the years, but, yes, still very

00:36:12.329 --> 00:36:16.530
staunch she was. Never any swear words, which...

00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:19.860
I've maintained that all through my life. I've

00:36:19.860 --> 00:36:23.159
had a few big blow -ups with people and through

00:36:23.159 --> 00:36:26.699
using language in front of my bride. That's never,

00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:31.619
ever happened. I tell them to go away. You can't

00:36:31.619 --> 00:36:35.320
swear amongst your mates, but not in front of

00:36:35.320 --> 00:36:38.280
women or kids. Don't do that, otherwise you're

00:36:38.280 --> 00:36:43.460
an enemy of mine. What about drinking? Were you

00:36:43.460 --> 00:36:48.119
a drinker? No, never ever was, no. Made up for

00:36:48.119 --> 00:36:54.280
a little bit. It sort of got a bit more pace

00:36:54.280 --> 00:36:57.380
as you got older? I think so. What do you like

00:36:57.380 --> 00:37:04.099
to drink today? Old beer. Black beer, yeah. Yeah,

00:37:04.099 --> 00:37:06.920
we go to the hotel probably three afternoons

00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:10.960
a week. Which one? Great Southern. Yeah, they're

00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:14.300
very good to us. When I was pretty crook there

00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:20.940
a number of years ago now, the publican back

00:37:20.940 --> 00:37:24.860
then, Danny Thompson, I was recuperating and

00:37:24.860 --> 00:37:29.039
he kept me involved in things and was good. I

00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:32.320
just about worked at any aspect in that pub back

00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:37.820
then in my recuperation days. He bought a couple

00:37:37.820 --> 00:37:42.590
of coaches, buses. I was in charge of them. I

00:37:42.590 --> 00:37:45.429
took busloads of people everywhere. I never got

00:37:45.429 --> 00:37:48.829
any remuneration. I didn't want any. If ever

00:37:48.829 --> 00:37:50.889
I wanted a drink, well, I got a drink. What were

00:37:50.889 --> 00:37:54.150
the buses for? He'd organise trips within the

00:37:54.150 --> 00:37:58.610
hotel. Also, he sponsored a lot of football organisations

00:37:58.610 --> 00:38:01.070
in the Wollongong area and I'd go and pick them

00:38:01.070 --> 00:38:02.530
up and they'd come down here and they'd play

00:38:02.530 --> 00:38:06.070
against the narrow sides and take them back to

00:38:06.070 --> 00:38:11.289
Wollongong. So talk to me about conscription.

00:38:11.929 --> 00:38:16.829
At age 18, we received a letter that the Korean

00:38:16.829 --> 00:38:19.869
War was raging at that stage. Australia was sending

00:38:19.869 --> 00:38:26.110
troops across, and I got the letter that I'm

00:38:26.110 --> 00:38:29.889
going to be conscripted. And I was. I went into

00:38:29.889 --> 00:38:34.989
the Army, Bardia Barracks, Ingleburn, 13 to 8,

00:38:34.989 --> 00:38:38.670
1954. It was a three -month training. We were

00:38:38.670 --> 00:38:44.760
trained to go to... the Korean War. Before we'd

00:38:44.760 --> 00:38:49.000
finished our stint there was an armistice called

00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:53.820
therefore we weren't called upon to go across

00:38:53.820 --> 00:38:57.360
but we finished our training and for the next

00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:02.300
five years we were still involved in training

00:39:02.300 --> 00:39:06.460
within the area. We probably thought it was pretty

00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:10.010
tough at that stage but It was probably the best

00:39:10.010 --> 00:39:14.289
thing that ever happened to get discipline into

00:39:14.289 --> 00:39:19.130
us young blokes. And when we reflect on that,

00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:26.530
we need it urgently today. Why do you feel that?

00:39:28.329 --> 00:39:31.210
Because I believe that youth is out of control

00:39:31.210 --> 00:39:35.429
in this country. And I'm sure they would get

00:39:35.429 --> 00:39:37.750
a hell of a shock if they were conscripted into

00:39:37.750 --> 00:39:43.500
the army. when we have good, superior men training

00:39:43.500 --> 00:39:47.820
them. Did you play any sport yourself? I played

00:39:47.820 --> 00:39:52.320
rugby league for Berry Shallow and Head Rugby

00:39:52.320 --> 00:39:54.340
League Football Club in the 50s. I only played

00:39:54.340 --> 00:39:57.820
18s for two years. Were they called the Magpies

00:39:57.820 --> 00:40:02.880
then? They were, yes. How did you go? Awful,

00:40:02.900 --> 00:40:06.199
I'd say. Yep. My main interest, I suppose, throughout

00:40:06.199 --> 00:40:09.760
my whole life has been motor racing. I made a

00:40:09.760 --> 00:40:14.039
race for 17 years all over this country. Mixed

00:40:14.039 --> 00:40:18.579
success. Wonderful times. What sort of car did

00:40:18.579 --> 00:40:21.920
you start with? My love was always sports cars.

00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:25.340
Not factory sports cars. Sports racing cars.

00:40:25.599 --> 00:40:28.860
Five o 'clock bodied sports cars. Beautiful bodied

00:40:28.860 --> 00:40:32.699
sports cars. And I picked up this little Herald

00:40:32.699 --> 00:40:38.760
Special. It was for sale in Liverpool. and I

00:40:38.760 --> 00:40:41.420
went and bought it. That started my career, if

00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:43.300
I can call it a career. That started my career

00:40:43.300 --> 00:40:47.179
off. I went through another couple of cars. I

00:40:47.179 --> 00:40:50.179
drove in the... I was fortunate enough to get

00:40:50.179 --> 00:40:54.099
a co -drive in Surfers Paradise 12 -hour race

00:40:54.099 --> 00:40:59.880
back in 67. We won our class there. Main claim

00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:01.719
to fame, I suppose, was the third in the Australian

00:41:01.719 --> 00:41:04.500
championship, sports car championship, yeah.

00:41:04.780 --> 00:41:08.079
Where was that held? That was held in all circuits

00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:11.320
over Australia, Western Australia. What were

00:41:11.320 --> 00:41:16.039
you driving then? It was an English -built special

00:41:16.039 --> 00:41:19.079
sports car, a Chevron, a Chevron BMW -powered

00:41:19.079 --> 00:41:24.460
car. Yeah, beautiful race car. I bought that

00:41:24.460 --> 00:41:30.380
car for $4 ,000 back in 1970 or 71, $4 ,000.

00:41:30.639 --> 00:41:35.239
I competed in it and maintained it. for about

00:41:35.239 --> 00:41:37.519
three, four years, I suppose, and I sold it for

00:41:37.519 --> 00:41:41.940
$4 ,000. That car today is still in this country,

00:41:42.079 --> 00:41:46.840
but it'll be snapped up overseas and it will

00:41:46.840 --> 00:41:50.659
realise just under a million. It's the only one

00:41:50.659 --> 00:41:54.260
in Australia. You do some silly things for your

00:41:54.260 --> 00:42:01.380
life. I'm glad you did. Was that an expensive

00:42:01.380 --> 00:42:04.539
sport? Well, as a privateer, it was fairly expensive.

00:42:05.199 --> 00:42:08.800
But mostly my cars, with prize money, covered

00:42:08.800 --> 00:42:11.059
most things until I was fortunate enough to get

00:42:11.059 --> 00:42:14.179
picked up by BP Australia for a contract. I didn't

00:42:14.179 --> 00:42:17.039
know I was alive until then. Fair dinkum. Brilliant.

00:42:18.059 --> 00:42:20.539
Wherever I went, there was a workshop for me.

00:42:20.619 --> 00:42:24.139
I got paid. Wherever I was travelling, petrol

00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:27.179
money, accommodation at the end. How long has

00:42:27.179 --> 00:42:30.320
this been going on? When did that happen? How

00:42:30.320 --> 00:42:32.539
old were you? Oh, I was still in my 30s, right?

00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:35.539
Yes. Late 20s when I started, I suppose, but

00:42:35.539 --> 00:42:37.880
yeah. So you're a pretty good mechanic. I was

00:42:37.880 --> 00:42:40.119
self -taught. It wasn't until later years when

00:42:40.119 --> 00:42:41.880
one of the federal governments, they forced us

00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:44.500
into having qualifications in mechanical trade.

00:42:44.599 --> 00:42:47.639
So I had to do a night TAFE course and, yeah,

00:42:47.699 --> 00:42:49.619
I got through that. What's your favourite track?

00:42:50.019 --> 00:42:53.139
Oh, the now defunct Warwick Farm. Wonderful circuit.

00:42:53.320 --> 00:42:55.820
Warwick Farm, Bathurst probably second, and the

00:42:55.820 --> 00:42:58.440
other defunct one, Oran Park. Your wife go with

00:42:58.440 --> 00:43:01.559
you or...? Whenever she could. What gave you

00:43:01.559 --> 00:43:03.960
the endurance for motor racing? What did you

00:43:03.960 --> 00:43:07.059
love about it? Quest for speed, I suppose. Safely,

00:43:07.059 --> 00:43:09.480
of course. I had a few altercations on different

00:43:09.480 --> 00:43:12.300
circuits, but nothing too horrendous. It only

00:43:12.300 --> 00:43:14.360
cost a few dollars, that's all, the repairs.

00:43:14.659 --> 00:43:17.480
I never entered a race expecting to come second.

00:43:17.639 --> 00:43:19.440
I bought something that I thought I could be

00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:22.119
competitive. From beginning to end, how long

00:43:22.119 --> 00:43:24.480
were you in the industry? Motor industry? Mm

00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:28.449
-hm. Oh, well... We had the servo over here back

00:43:28.449 --> 00:43:30.969
in the 50s for 12 years. What was the name of

00:43:30.969 --> 00:43:33.789
that servo and where over here? BP Princess,

00:43:34.070 --> 00:43:38.329
opposite the pub. It used to be a BP, now a Shell.

00:43:38.550 --> 00:43:41.750
We had the lease on that for 10, 12 years, I

00:43:41.750 --> 00:43:44.869
suppose. The better your figures turned out to

00:43:44.869 --> 00:43:47.510
be, well, the higher the rent went up. We made

00:43:47.510 --> 00:43:51.050
a decision. We had dear friends at Bombera who

00:43:51.050 --> 00:43:54.269
was also in a little Ampol servo down there.

00:43:55.280 --> 00:43:57.679
He used to follow me around and give me a hand

00:43:57.679 --> 00:44:00.639
in the motor racing department. So we got together

00:44:00.639 --> 00:44:02.639
and we finished. I said, well, no, we'll hang

00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:05.780
the rent. Let's do something ourselves. So we

00:44:05.780 --> 00:44:09.039
built the servo, the one between the two schools

00:44:09.039 --> 00:44:11.579
and Camberwell Road Bombardier. We built that

00:44:11.579 --> 00:44:15.199
with BP Australia's help. Because of my involvement

00:44:15.199 --> 00:44:19.300
with BP through my motor racing, they outlined

00:44:19.300 --> 00:44:24.440
a deal for us. They would build the servo. and

00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:28.980
we would repay it a cent a litre of fuel that

00:44:28.980 --> 00:44:32.599
we sold. It probably took 12, 15 years, but it

00:44:32.599 --> 00:44:35.719
was paid off. But Canberra, a basketball stadium

00:44:35.719 --> 00:44:39.340
just down the hill on the left -hand side. Anyway,

00:44:39.420 --> 00:44:43.239
that partnership, it lasted for 17 years. What

00:44:43.239 --> 00:44:45.500
were the kind of changes you saw in the 17 years

00:44:45.500 --> 00:44:49.360
in fuel? Price. When we left Berry, the servo

00:44:49.360 --> 00:44:52.670
in Berry, it was five gallons for $2. Just four

00:44:52.670 --> 00:44:54.789
and a half litres in a gallon. You work that

00:44:54.789 --> 00:44:58.530
out. Who delivered the fuel? Our tankers always

00:44:58.530 --> 00:45:01.389
come from Sydney. When we went into partnership

00:45:01.389 --> 00:45:04.670
with Hugh McLean, who was the other chap, together

00:45:04.670 --> 00:45:08.590
at Bontary, we opened a joint up as a speed shop.

00:45:08.750 --> 00:45:11.929
We did all modifications back then. That was

00:45:11.929 --> 00:45:15.010
our main business. The Albatross, heaps of young

00:45:15.010 --> 00:45:17.389
blokes out there and all had money to spend.

00:45:18.050 --> 00:45:21.159
So we had good clientele. We had the contract

00:45:21.159 --> 00:45:25.219
for the local police fleet. We had two Triumph

00:45:25.219 --> 00:45:28.280
motorcycles we serviced and we had two Morris

00:45:28.280 --> 00:45:32.039
Cooper S's we serviced. You serviced a hearse?

00:45:32.039 --> 00:45:35.460
Oh yeah, we serviced Ray Owen's hearse, two hearse.

00:45:35.460 --> 00:45:37.199
A lot of people were dying to get a ride in them,

00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:40.980
but we were servicing them. We had to take them

00:45:40.980 --> 00:45:44.519
for runs. It was extremely good business, yes.

00:45:45.099 --> 00:45:47.619
It was just unfortunate that it blew up in the

00:45:47.619 --> 00:45:50.250
end. We were probably both to blame for that,

00:45:50.329 --> 00:45:52.889
but anyway, that's history. It was good while

00:45:52.889 --> 00:45:55.650
it lasted. Yeah, congratulations. Thank you.

00:45:55.849 --> 00:45:59.010
Was that your real passion for work? Yeah, I

00:45:59.010 --> 00:46:01.489
think so, yes. What started your love of cars?

00:46:02.190 --> 00:46:04.530
Well, I probably started off, as I said earlier,

00:46:04.610 --> 00:46:09.789
with a BSA Bantam motorcycle. Then I proceeded

00:46:09.789 --> 00:46:14.929
to upgrade to a Triumph Tiger 100 motorcycle

00:46:14.929 --> 00:46:20.719
and then progressed to... A 53 standard 10 motor

00:46:20.719 --> 00:46:24.219
car, four -door motor car, which we went on our

00:46:24.219 --> 00:46:27.599
honeymoon in that to Queensland. And I had a

00:46:27.599 --> 00:46:31.000
Renault 750, a Renault. I don't think we had

00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:34.320
enough time to go through all these. Yeah, Triumph

00:46:34.320 --> 00:46:36.739
Heralds, we had three of those over a period

00:46:36.739 --> 00:46:40.179
of time. And a Triumph 2000 sedan, which was

00:46:40.179 --> 00:46:44.400
a great motor car. Then a Ford Falcon GT, a brute

00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:46.820
of a big motor car. Did a lot of towing all over

00:46:46.820 --> 00:46:50.539
this country. Tasmania, towing race cars. Triumph

00:46:50.539 --> 00:46:54.820
Stag, convertible. Yes. Yeah, lovely car. Yeah,

00:46:54.840 --> 00:46:59.659
Triumph 2500 sedan. Had two of them over a period

00:46:59.659 --> 00:47:04.079
of time. TR7 sports car. Had two of them over

00:47:04.079 --> 00:47:07.739
a period of time. And finally, a Toyota Camry.

00:47:08.619 --> 00:47:13.110
Great. Japanese motor car. Can we just talk about

00:47:13.110 --> 00:47:18.250
your kids? So what children do you have? Well,

00:47:18.269 --> 00:47:21.170
the eldest is Keith. Keith was first born. He's

00:47:21.170 --> 00:47:26.190
66 today, and he was a spray painter. That was

00:47:26.190 --> 00:47:30.130
his trade, and he was very good at it. Then Linda,

00:47:30.289 --> 00:47:35.550
Linda, our first daughter, she is 64 today. And

00:47:35.550 --> 00:47:39.030
she was a sonographer, is it? Sonographer. Yes.

00:47:39.570 --> 00:47:42.610
And very good at it. And she could sing. She

00:47:42.610 --> 00:47:46.190
used to sing at weddings and things like that.

00:47:46.429 --> 00:47:50.369
And Wayne. Wayne is the boy that inherited Strong's

00:47:50.369 --> 00:47:54.269
Farm. And he has a lovely family and a beautiful

00:47:54.269 --> 00:47:58.210
wife. And Wayne was a boilermaker. Neville's

00:47:58.210 --> 00:48:01.630
a horticulturist. He has a nursery business in

00:48:01.630 --> 00:48:07.230
Millbank Road. He has a wife and two lovely boys

00:48:07.230 --> 00:48:10.510
with their families. Where am I up to? Neville.

00:48:10.670 --> 00:48:14.230
And then after Neville started school, I thought,

00:48:14.250 --> 00:48:17.989
oh, right, this is nice. I'm free. And I had

00:48:17.989 --> 00:48:23.489
another baby. Deidre. Deidre's a very successful

00:48:23.489 --> 00:48:28.989
accountant in Bomaderry. And she's 51. and she

00:48:28.989 --> 00:48:32.309
has three lovely children and we're very close

00:48:32.309 --> 00:48:35.349
to that family, all the family we're close to.

00:48:35.650 --> 00:48:38.389
Thank you for that. Yes, my eldest brother, he

00:48:38.389 --> 00:48:42.969
got the property, yes. So where did that leave

00:48:42.969 --> 00:48:48.289
you? I and my two sisters, we were covered with

00:48:48.289 --> 00:48:52.090
other things. My mother owned a house in town

00:48:52.090 --> 00:48:55.789
here, yes, and that was split between the three

00:48:55.789 --> 00:49:00.780
of us, yes. Yeah, that finished up OK. Do you

00:49:00.780 --> 00:49:02.980
recall any other stories about your grandfather,

00:49:03.159 --> 00:49:06.400
the type of man he was? When my brother died,

00:49:06.659 --> 00:49:09.619
we had to clean the house out and in one of the

00:49:09.619 --> 00:49:12.099
rooms, nothing had ever been thrown away in the

00:49:12.099 --> 00:49:15.679
records department or that type of stuff. And

00:49:15.679 --> 00:49:19.480
it was stuff relating back to 1800s there. Checkbook

00:49:19.480 --> 00:49:24.280
butts and things like this and work diaries from

00:49:24.280 --> 00:49:27.619
the turn of the century. some incredible stuff

00:49:27.619 --> 00:49:32.239
that was in there. Anyway, I did keep it all

00:49:32.239 --> 00:49:35.119
and put it into an old suitcase and it's interesting

00:49:35.119 --> 00:49:37.719
to look back through some of that stuff at times,

00:49:37.760 --> 00:49:40.400
it is. Just getting back to how long were you

00:49:40.400 --> 00:49:43.500
in the dairying industry? I suppose from the

00:49:43.500 --> 00:49:48.300
time I was born up until I was 19 when I bought

00:49:48.300 --> 00:49:54.500
the milk run. How long did you run the milk?

00:49:55.150 --> 00:49:58.269
Milk run 10, 12 years. What sort of things did

00:49:58.269 --> 00:50:01.710
you see changing at the cooperatives? Over those

00:50:01.710 --> 00:50:05.230
years, I suppose, a different method of the milk

00:50:05.230 --> 00:50:08.590
cans going up to the chap who was tipping the

00:50:08.590 --> 00:50:11.630
milk into the vats. We progressed and we had

00:50:11.630 --> 00:50:15.590
big conveyor chains taking the milk cans around

00:50:15.590 --> 00:50:19.130
and then going through a washing area. For that

00:50:19.130 --> 00:50:24.960
era, it was great mechanisation. Fantastic. Can

00:50:24.960 --> 00:50:27.539
you remember some of the names of the people

00:50:27.539 --> 00:50:30.260
that worked at Berry Co -op? Yes, on the milk

00:50:30.260 --> 00:50:34.260
side, yes. Artie Coles, he was a good man, Artie

00:50:34.260 --> 00:50:38.280
Coles. Odie Smith, they were the two main ones

00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:42.460
on the stage, I'll call it. They received the

00:50:42.460 --> 00:50:45.159
cans as we rolled the cans off to them. They'd

00:50:45.159 --> 00:50:47.460
pull the lid off, poke the head in, smell it,

00:50:47.519 --> 00:50:51.739
make sure it's not sour. And then the chap who

00:50:51.739 --> 00:50:55.030
looked after the produce side of it. which is

00:50:55.030 --> 00:50:57.969
still the same today, the produce sheds down

00:50:57.969 --> 00:51:02.869
there. And Kurt Moy was his name. He was particularly

00:51:02.869 --> 00:51:05.690
good to me because when I progressed to a better

00:51:05.690 --> 00:51:08.849
truck that I felt I could do outside work with

00:51:08.849 --> 00:51:11.489
confidence, most of the produce that came and

00:51:11.489 --> 00:51:14.869
restored at the Berry Co -op came from a depot

00:51:14.869 --> 00:51:19.230
in Dapto and had always come by rail to Berry

00:51:19.230 --> 00:51:21.849
and then was all floated from the rail trucks

00:51:21.849 --> 00:51:27.050
into the shed. So I approached Kurt and I, I

00:51:27.050 --> 00:51:30.389
said, well, I've not got a lot of work between

00:51:30.389 --> 00:51:34.829
morning milk runs and afternoon milk runs. How

00:51:34.829 --> 00:51:38.329
can I compete with a railway? I said, can you

00:51:38.329 --> 00:51:41.130
give me an idea of some figures? Which he did.

00:51:41.750 --> 00:51:44.789
And I got some extra work out of that by going

00:51:44.789 --> 00:51:47.750
to Dapdale and bringing produce down to Berry

00:51:47.750 --> 00:51:52.949
Coal, which was fantastic. Good thinking. You're

00:51:52.949 --> 00:51:56.420
a good businessman. Oh, well, we went all right.

00:51:56.739 --> 00:51:59.679
What are some of the important things about your

00:51:59.679 --> 00:52:03.199
mind that demonstrated, you know, your business

00:52:03.199 --> 00:52:06.340
ability? What gifts did you have, do you think?

00:52:06.699 --> 00:52:11.659
I didn't think I had many. I think I had a good

00:52:11.659 --> 00:52:15.219
work ethic. You know, well, you have to be honest,

00:52:15.340 --> 00:52:18.840
yes. Certainly helps. When did you get your first

00:52:18.840 --> 00:52:22.460
tractor? It must have been when we retired the

00:52:22.460 --> 00:52:26.880
draft horses. It must have been 51, 52, I suppose.

00:52:27.739 --> 00:52:32.840
What sort of tractor? A Ferguson TEA 20. Wonderful

00:52:32.840 --> 00:52:36.920
little tractor with the hydraulic rear lifts.

00:52:37.960 --> 00:52:40.900
Wonderful innovation to farming it was, absolutely.

00:52:41.420 --> 00:52:43.880
What were some of the benefits of that tractor?

00:52:44.179 --> 00:52:47.099
You didn't have to go and bridle the horses.

00:52:48.739 --> 00:52:53.719
Time. Yeah, time, that's right. Speed. My brother,

00:52:53.860 --> 00:52:57.860
he was a pretty cluey bloke. He might have only

00:52:57.860 --> 00:53:02.420
had one and a half hands. The local farm machinery

00:53:02.420 --> 00:53:06.940
distributor, Frank Morehouse and Sons in Narra,

00:53:06.960 --> 00:53:10.920
they were the Ferguson dealers, plus a lot of

00:53:10.920 --> 00:53:13.099
other implements. And whenever a new implement

00:53:13.099 --> 00:53:17.280
came on the market, they'd come out to Glenbray,

00:53:17.320 --> 00:53:21.929
Jasper, Grouse, my brother, and they'd... Arrange

00:53:21.929 --> 00:53:25.530
a field day with the new implements to show the

00:53:25.530 --> 00:53:29.110
farmers what's new on the market and how it's

00:53:29.110 --> 00:53:32.630
going to help them with their ploughing and harrowing

00:53:32.630 --> 00:53:34.869
and whatever. I've got ahead of myself here.

00:53:35.469 --> 00:53:39.230
In the transition from the horse -drawn implements

00:53:39.230 --> 00:53:43.590
of the day to the tractor implements, it meant

00:53:43.590 --> 00:53:45.829
the tractor implements all had a three -point

00:53:45.829 --> 00:53:49.030
linkage on the back, which you pulled the lever

00:53:49.030 --> 00:53:52.730
and you'd lift. lift the machinery off the ground

00:53:52.730 --> 00:53:57.489
at the back and let it deliver. Anyway, my brother

00:53:57.489 --> 00:54:03.369
transformed all the horse -drawn implements to

00:54:03.369 --> 00:54:06.710
suit the three -point linkage on the Ferguson

00:54:06.710 --> 00:54:09.489
tractor. But he was pretty clever in that department.

00:54:10.030 --> 00:54:13.969
Well, these were the dairy farmers on Strong's

00:54:13.969 --> 00:54:17.789
Road from the highway travelling west on Strong's

00:54:17.789 --> 00:54:21.840
Road. Roy Herbert was the first dairy farmer

00:54:21.840 --> 00:54:25.699
on the right -hand side. Travelling further up,

00:54:25.719 --> 00:54:28.860
we had Jack Alexander on the right -hand side.

00:54:29.500 --> 00:54:34.059
A little further, Stuart Mathey, up on the hill,

00:54:34.239 --> 00:54:39.000
overlooked Strong's. Further on Strong's Road,

00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:43.260
we have the Strong property. And then as we travelled

00:54:43.260 --> 00:54:46.760
a bit further west, Dick Bates was up on the

00:54:46.760 --> 00:54:50.159
left. And then off to the right, we have the

00:54:50.159 --> 00:54:54.519
Forks' property, way up on the hill. Cecil Forks

00:54:54.519 --> 00:54:57.119
was the first property as you wander up the hill.

00:54:57.480 --> 00:55:00.820
And his brother, a little further up, further

00:55:00.820 --> 00:55:03.320
on, the other Forks, and I can't think of his

00:55:03.320 --> 00:55:06.960
first name, come back to Strong's Road. That

00:55:06.960 --> 00:55:08.980
was just an artery off Strong's Road where those

00:55:08.980 --> 00:55:13.179
Forks had lived. We go a little bit further up,

00:55:13.219 --> 00:55:17.309
and there's a road that's shot off. down around

00:55:17.309 --> 00:55:21.289
across Jasper's Creek, and the Harveys lived

00:55:21.289 --> 00:55:23.630
there. They were quite a big family of boys.

00:55:23.869 --> 00:55:26.829
Come back to Strong's Road and head up the hill

00:55:26.829 --> 00:55:31.070
west towards the escarpment to Burnside was the

00:55:31.070 --> 00:55:34.869
name of the property. My uncle Bill Smith, he

00:55:34.869 --> 00:55:37.190
leased and farmed, dairy farmed that property.

00:55:37.550 --> 00:55:41.550
We didn't talk about how your spiritual or religious

00:55:41.550 --> 00:55:45.409
life played out as a young person. What churches

00:55:45.409 --> 00:55:48.449
did you attend, or a church, and did you go to

00:55:48.449 --> 00:55:53.670
Sunday school? How did that work? Yes, we attended

00:55:53.670 --> 00:55:57.210
the Berry Methodist Church. I attended Sunday

00:55:57.210 --> 00:56:00.429
school every Sunday morning. We went to church

00:56:00.429 --> 00:56:05.050
service at 11am. We went to the 7pm service on

00:56:05.050 --> 00:56:10.329
a Sunday night. It was full on throughout all

00:56:10.329 --> 00:56:14.250
my Sunday school activities. from probably age

00:56:14.250 --> 00:56:19.110
five, six on, I suppose, up until 14, because

00:56:19.110 --> 00:56:24.190
I'd done all my exams through the church. It

00:56:24.190 --> 00:56:26.949
was thought that I was going to go on to the

00:56:26.949 --> 00:56:30.570
ministry, but a lot of things happened and changed

00:56:30.570 --> 00:56:34.489
and that didn't eventuate. So it was important

00:56:34.489 --> 00:56:37.750
to you, your faith? Yeah, then, I believe it

00:56:37.750 --> 00:56:41.610
was, yes. Well, it was a way of life. That's

00:56:41.610 --> 00:56:45.789
just what you did. Did you pray daily? No. What

00:56:45.789 --> 00:56:48.670
about your parents? How did the Methodist religion

00:56:48.670 --> 00:56:53.010
influence their lives and their contribution

00:56:53.010 --> 00:56:56.429
to the community? I'd say it was fairly large,

00:56:56.530 --> 00:57:00.070
big services within the church. What sort of

00:57:00.070 --> 00:57:03.909
service were they doing for others? One of the

00:57:03.909 --> 00:57:08.869
main ones that I can recall, Barry had what we

00:57:08.869 --> 00:57:13.909
called a... Boys Farm. It was run by the state

00:57:13.909 --> 00:57:18.489
just out of town and the church on a Sunday morning

00:57:18.489 --> 00:57:21.630
would go out and bring some of the boys in to

00:57:21.630 --> 00:57:23.829
the church services and then take them to their

00:57:23.829 --> 00:57:27.849
homes for Sunday lunch and then take them back

00:57:27.849 --> 00:57:31.710
to the establishment later in that afternoon.

00:57:32.130 --> 00:57:34.449
Who were some of your parents' friends in that

00:57:34.449 --> 00:57:39.579
community? Well, my mother. After my father passed

00:57:39.579 --> 00:57:43.639
away and my mother run the property and she was

00:57:43.639 --> 00:57:47.179
very close with neighbouring people and they

00:57:47.179 --> 00:57:51.079
would, on Sunday afternoons, for afternoon tea

00:57:51.079 --> 00:57:56.260
around various farms. It was in Strong's Road

00:57:56.260 --> 00:57:59.739
and O 'Keeffe's Lane. Did you marry at your church?

00:58:00.460 --> 00:58:04.619
Yes. Changing the subject. Did you want to say

00:58:04.619 --> 00:58:10.610
more about that? No. you took up boxing. Were

00:58:10.610 --> 00:58:13.710
you a good boxer? And what attracted you to boxing?

00:58:13.849 --> 00:58:18.769
Was it a common thing historically? Oh, it was

00:58:18.769 --> 00:58:21.690
just another outlet, I suppose, in town. Rugby

00:58:21.690 --> 00:58:24.789
league was probably the largest. I played rugby

00:58:24.789 --> 00:58:31.530
league, 53, 54, under 18s. And then boxing came

00:58:31.530 --> 00:58:36.639
to town, so I... Got involved in that. My mother

00:58:36.639 --> 00:58:39.280
hated it. And then conscripted into the army

00:58:39.280 --> 00:58:43.239
in 54. We were compelled to take a sport as part

00:58:43.239 --> 00:58:45.460
of our training, and because I'd done a bit of

00:58:45.460 --> 00:58:48.340
boxing, I continued in that vein throughout the

00:58:48.340 --> 00:58:51.639
services. Never won too many events. A lot of

00:58:51.639 --> 00:58:57.599
draws, anyway. Did it hurt? Don't recall. I'm

00:58:57.599 --> 00:59:00.659
with Ray Strong today at his son's property,

00:59:00.800 --> 00:59:02.820
Wayne, and we've just been going through some

00:59:02.820 --> 00:59:05.659
photos and I'm looking out at a veranda here

00:59:05.659 --> 00:59:08.760
and I believe you were quite connected to the

00:59:08.760 --> 00:59:12.159
veranda. That was our sleeping birth. Whose?

00:59:12.519 --> 00:59:16.659
My brother John and myself. We slept on the veranda

00:59:16.659 --> 00:59:19.139
for a number of years. We didn't have any protection

00:59:19.139 --> 00:59:22.199
from the north in the early times and then my

00:59:22.199 --> 00:59:24.139
mother bought a couple of blinds and put them

00:59:24.139 --> 00:59:26.400
blinds up. That was a big help, except that they

00:59:26.400 --> 00:59:28.519
rattled something fierce. I can still hear them

00:59:28.519 --> 00:59:30.420
rattling. They're worse than lubers rattling

00:59:30.420 --> 00:59:34.559
and they're pretty bad. So how were the westerlies

00:59:34.559 --> 00:59:37.260
for you out there? Unbelievable. All year round

00:59:37.260 --> 00:59:40.690
or particular seasons? August. August on, August

00:59:40.690 --> 00:59:43.070
Westleys. How was your bed? What was it, and

00:59:43.070 --> 00:59:45.190
how did you keep the covers on? Pretty basic

00:59:45.190 --> 00:59:48.530
bed. Well, at some stages, Westleys was that

00:59:48.530 --> 00:59:50.750
bad, well, to keep the blankets on, I'd tie a

00:59:50.750 --> 00:59:52.550
rope around the whole bit of blankets and the

00:59:52.550 --> 00:59:54.469
bed, and that helped me through the night. You

00:59:54.469 --> 00:59:56.769
didn't suffer from claustrophobia? Was that a

00:59:56.769 --> 00:59:59.309
word around in my time? Stress wasn't in our

00:59:59.309 --> 01:00:01.809
vocabulary either. You weren't allowed to be.

01:00:02.090 --> 01:00:05.309
Did you have a bit of foam to sleep on, or was

01:00:05.309 --> 01:00:08.230
it just on the hard veranda? No, it was a cape

01:00:08.230 --> 01:00:11.179
off. K -pop, Mattress Affair, yeah. What did

01:00:11.179 --> 01:00:13.320
you just say, what you slept on? K -pop. What's

01:00:13.320 --> 01:00:15.659
that? I don't know, because that was what it

01:00:15.659 --> 01:00:18.719
was called. And you had your walk -through robe

01:00:18.719 --> 01:00:21.179
next to it, or the wardrobe. There was a little

01:00:21.179 --> 01:00:23.199
building there, was there? Yes, on the end of

01:00:23.199 --> 01:00:25.559
the house, that's right. We changed it in there.

01:00:25.719 --> 01:00:28.280
Kept our clothes in there, all pretty basic stuff,

01:00:28.400 --> 01:00:31.800
but that's what you did. How old were you when

01:00:31.800 --> 01:00:34.179
you started sleeping on the veranda? Maybe 13,

01:00:34.380 --> 01:00:38.219
14. Any animals visit you? No, normally. Too

01:00:38.219 --> 01:00:40.360
tired and asleep, wouldn't know. What time would

01:00:40.360 --> 01:00:43.260
you go to rest, to bed? Oh, probably pretty early.

01:00:43.460 --> 01:00:45.679
Dad and Dave's show was over on the wireless.

01:00:45.900 --> 01:00:47.820
We used to always have to be in the house by

01:00:47.820 --> 01:00:50.780
about quarter to six for Mrs. Obbs. You remember

01:00:50.780 --> 01:00:53.420
Mrs. Obbs? Tell me about it. Oh, it was a cereal

01:00:53.420 --> 01:00:55.760
and the other one was a search for the golden

01:00:55.760 --> 01:00:58.630
boomerang. That was exciting. We had three kids

01:00:58.630 --> 01:01:00.650
with our ears glued to the radio over there.

01:01:01.130 --> 01:01:03.449
Where was your mum? Describe what she's doing

01:01:03.449 --> 01:01:06.110
here in this space, which I assume was the cooking

01:01:06.110 --> 01:01:09.030
area? Yeah, she kept us fed and watered. Open

01:01:09.030 --> 01:01:11.670
fire, was it, or a bit more fancier? We did have

01:01:11.670 --> 01:01:14.789
two open fires. We never used to use them much

01:01:14.789 --> 01:01:16.670
because they used wood and we had to go and get

01:01:16.670 --> 01:01:18.730
the wood. You're sounding a bit lazy, Ray. Yes.

01:01:18.929 --> 01:01:21.309
How long was your working day? On the property,

01:01:21.429 --> 01:01:23.809
was it? Yes, on the property. Oh, I suppose it

01:01:23.809 --> 01:01:26.420
was five, five o 'clock. One of us go. bring

01:01:26.420 --> 01:01:28.739
the cattle in from our paddocks, and the other

01:01:28.739 --> 01:01:31.239
one set the dairy up for milking, put the machinery

01:01:31.239 --> 01:01:32.940
together. How did you get on with your brother?

01:01:33.179 --> 01:01:35.739
We weren't real good mates, but we tolerated

01:01:35.739 --> 01:01:38.539
each other. Different personalities? Yeah, possibly.

01:01:38.739 --> 01:01:42.039
He was older than me, so he was the boss. He

01:01:42.039 --> 01:01:44.119
didn't pick on you too much, did he? No, not

01:01:44.119 --> 01:01:46.219
too much. He used to belt me occasionally when

01:01:46.219 --> 01:01:48.039
we went to school on the horse, when he doubled

01:01:48.039 --> 01:01:50.480
me on the horse. Why would he do that? I don't

01:01:50.480 --> 01:01:52.380
know. So you'd get on the horse to go to school?

01:01:52.699 --> 01:01:56.179
Yes, in the early days we had a doubling saddle

01:01:56.179 --> 01:01:59.679
and we'd both go to Justice Rush School on the

01:01:59.679 --> 01:02:02.420
horse and he went off to high school so I continued

01:02:02.420 --> 01:02:05.380
to use the horse with a single saddle. I believe

01:02:05.380 --> 01:02:07.360
those saddles are still here. You didn't wear

01:02:07.360 --> 01:02:09.699
shoes when you worked on the property? No, they

01:02:09.699 --> 01:02:11.420
were a luxury. Did you wear shoes to school?

01:02:11.780 --> 01:02:22.800
No. Did you have a school uniform? No. Not a

01:02:22.800 --> 01:02:25.400
private school then? No, not quite. I want to

01:02:25.400 --> 01:02:27.960
ask you about the garden here, what it means

01:02:27.960 --> 01:02:31.079
to you. Well, this area originally was the dairy

01:02:31.079 --> 01:02:33.860
holding yard for the cattle. As they got milked,

01:02:33.860 --> 01:02:37.219
they came into this. big area here. So the dairy's

01:02:37.219 --> 01:02:40.039
here on our right. Tell me about the floor and

01:02:40.039 --> 01:02:42.639
the cement goes out a bit. When my grandfather

01:02:42.639 --> 01:02:45.739
passed away, my brother, not my father, and his

01:02:45.739 --> 01:02:48.960
brother, Thomas Alfred, decided to split the

01:02:48.960 --> 01:02:52.860
farm in two. The dairy, of course, had been operating

01:02:52.860 --> 01:02:56.079
on Glenview, the main property, before they split

01:02:56.079 --> 01:02:58.099
it. And when they split it, well, my father then

01:02:58.099 --> 01:03:01.940
had to put up these bales, the silo and two cream

01:03:01.940 --> 01:03:05.309
sheds. up there that was back in about 35 i believe

01:03:05.309 --> 01:03:07.969
but this area had a big holding yard that holding

01:03:07.969 --> 01:03:10.329
yard was still here i think when wayne was around

01:03:10.329 --> 01:03:13.369
and it was ringed with big coral trees and the

01:03:13.369 --> 01:03:15.389
main reason they used coral trees was for the

01:03:15.389 --> 01:03:17.949
shade in the summertime which were excellent

01:03:17.949 --> 01:03:20.880
even though they're a terrible tree And from

01:03:20.880 --> 01:03:22.760
the holding yard, they'd then come into this

01:03:22.760 --> 01:03:25.460
concrete second holding yard. And from there,

01:03:25.480 --> 01:03:27.659
well, we'd pick the cattle out from there and

01:03:27.659 --> 01:03:30.659
into the three lots of bales in the dairy. And

01:03:30.659 --> 01:03:32.679
this was the cream shed here on the right. The

01:03:32.679 --> 01:03:35.699
milk shed later become the holding vat for the

01:03:35.699 --> 01:03:38.420
milk. Was it a walkthrough? All the doors were

01:03:38.420 --> 01:03:41.679
on that side of the building. And you had a long

01:03:41.679 --> 01:03:43.639
shaft and you opened the door with the shaft

01:03:43.639 --> 01:03:46.639
and they walked out into the big holding area.

01:03:47.150 --> 01:03:49.030
which I spoke to you about earlier up there.

01:03:49.190 --> 01:03:52.409
Well, back in that early era, we always milked

01:03:52.409 --> 01:03:54.849
between 40 and 50. Did you ever get kicked by

01:03:54.849 --> 01:03:57.489
a cow? Yes, because we used to leg rope them,

01:03:57.550 --> 01:03:59.730
so that didn't happen. Quite a humane thing it

01:03:59.730 --> 01:04:01.650
was, it was just a normal thing, and the cows

01:04:01.650 --> 01:04:03.750
accepted that, poked their back leg out, and

01:04:03.750 --> 01:04:05.929
you put a leg rope around and tied it to a post.

01:04:06.130 --> 01:04:08.909
Was it all short horns? In the early times, it

01:04:08.909 --> 01:04:11.889
was all Illawarra short horns, with the occasional

01:04:11.889 --> 01:04:14.170
jersey thrown in to help bring the butterfat

01:04:14.170 --> 01:04:16.980
up. Ten -gallon cans. Yeah, I think Wayne's still

01:04:16.980 --> 01:04:20.599
got one here, one left. It's an Alpha Labelle.

01:04:20.699 --> 01:04:23.219
They were the heaviest of all the 10 -gallon

01:04:23.219 --> 01:04:26.719
cans. Did you keep an 8 -gallon or a 6? Or weren't

01:04:26.719 --> 01:04:31.760
they here? As I told you before, they were cream

01:04:31.760 --> 01:04:35.599
cans, the 6 -gallon and the 8 -gallon. I hope

01:04:35.599 --> 01:04:38.920
you enjoyed today's recording, the first episode

01:04:38.920 --> 01:04:42.900
of Season 2, Jasper's Brush. I did do an introductory

01:04:42.900 --> 01:04:45.739
episode that you can find online and that was

01:04:45.739 --> 01:04:48.320
launched a few days ago. Probably want to have

01:04:48.320 --> 01:04:50.179
a listen to that before you have a listen to

01:04:50.179 --> 01:04:53.519
this. But anyway, I'll see you in a few weeks

01:04:53.519 --> 01:04:56.000
with episode two. Thanks so much.