Welcome to the Dear Elaine Project, the podcast
Therese Makes History, Season 2, Episode 7. It's
the 1st of January, 2026, so Happy New Year to
all the listeners. It's going to be a good year,
folks. My primary sponsor for Season 2 is Ian
Zanstra. A very experienced dairyman on the other
side of the river from Pyree. Season 2 would
not be happening without Ian's support. I'm very
grateful he stepped up. Thank you Ian. Today
we're in O 'Keefe's Lane. We're still in Jasper's
brush. Named after Dennis O 'Keefe. He was born
in 1865 in Tipperary. island. He was the first
to leave Ireland. He wasn't the eldest child
though and he was 14 years of age. A lot of courage.
So he was known as Dene. He was born in the civil
parish of Templetonie. He was born in the district
of Clogheen in County Tipperary on the 28th of
July 1865. This is official civil speak for the
Catholic parish of Balliporeen. It would have
been his baptismal date. Now, he worked for his
passage to Australia because he had no money.
He arrived in about 1879, settling at Broughton
Creek. We now know that as Berry, of course,
off the Shoalhaven River. Apparently he arrived
with 17 shillings in his pocket. He first lived
and worked at Berry with the Mahoney family,
who owned and or operated the butcher shop. He
was paid a small wage, as well as offal from
the shop. And as a result of this experience,
as an adult, obviously he couldn't even stand
the thought of eating offal. He then went to
work for John Stewart at Berry on a dairy farm,
milking cows and shoveling coal for 10 shillings
a week. The farm was north of the present motel,
the Berry View Motel, just north of the town
on the old Princess Highway. It's a stone house
and it still exists on this property. He spent
time later as a labourer on road construction
and he worked on a farm near Kangaroo Valley.
Once he'd saved some money, he arranged for his
siblings to come out to Australia. First his
brothers and then his two sisters in 1886. Dennis
married Martha Winifred Tims of Jasper's Brush
at Kangaroo Valley. On the 15th of January 1896,
they had eight children. Dennis left a leased
property at Brogers Creek near Kangaroo Valley
and purchased another at Jasper's Brush. This
property he named Kiltankan after his Irish town
land. Dennis started daring at Jasper's Brush.
Dennis made two land purchases. He purchased
66 acres in 1913. The land ran from the South
Coast Road now known as the Princess Highway
back a large block up to the railway. Then across
the railway he purchased a further block of 90
acres and another block of 38 acres and they
met the Shoalhaven River. The same year, 1913.
Of interest, Samuel Thames purchased 39 acres
in 1901 on the northern side of the highway.
Formerly, the land was owned by John Hughes.
I mention Thames because Dennis went on to marry
Martha Thames. Martha Winifred Thames was born
in 1870. She was the fourth of 10 children. Her
parents were Samuel and Susanna Thames. who farmed
for most of their lives. Martha's father was
the first of the Timbs family to be born in Australia
in 1843 and was mayor of Broughton Creek now
known as Berry in 1877. Her grandfather William
Timbs and uncle Gabrielle Timbs were in charge
of Henry Osborne's imported cattle at the exhibition
in Mark at Square Wollongong in 1843. when the
first attempt was made to found the Illawarra
Agricultural and Historical Society. She was
known as Auntie Matt. I've got a bit of a treat,
I feel, today. Today you're going to be hearing
from Lynn Brandon. Lynn was the last O 'Keefe
born on the property. Her married name is Brandon.
Of course, for those familiar, the original emigrants...
that settled at Wattamulla. I'm so pleased to
have met Lynn and to have secured her memories
and stories of her ancestors and family. Kiltankin
was the cattle stud name. The family excelled
in breeding the Australian Illawarra shorthorn.
And here we go with Lynn. Lynn, what is your
full name and former name? Your year of birth?
My full name is Lynette Mary Brandon. I was Lee
O 'Keefe and I was born on the 12th of February
1953. Where were you born? I was born in Nara
at Edmund House in Junction Street up towards
the show ground in Nara. You grew up in O 'Keefe's
lane. What was the name of the property? Kiltankin.
Your parents' full names? My parent was Patrick
Vincent O 'Keefe and my mother was Lula Eileen
O 'Keefe. And what was her former name? Her former
name was Omara. And she grew up where? Fox Ground.
Your father Patrick? Yes. How many siblings did
he have? Seven. He was one of eight children.
Four boys and four girls. We'll go over their
names. Mary Susanna, known as Minnie O 'Keefe.
Winifred Anne. David Samuel, Joseph William,
Elizabeth Alice, Dennis Charles, Patrick Vincent,
and Bridget Emelda. They all grew up at the property?
They did. The name of the property was the same
name as the stud? Yes, yes. Can you tell me a
bit of history about where the name came from?
The name came from Ireland, where my grandfather
came from. And it was just a little area like
Jasper's Brush Inn in Tipperary in Ireland. See,
because I didn't know my grandparents. You know.
But you know their names. Yes, I do. So you were
born on the property. You're probably the last
person born on the property? Of the O 'Keeffe's,
yes, yes. Born up on the property, yes, yes.
The property was run as the estate of Dennis
O 'Keeffe. And dad managed the farm, looked after
the farm on behalf of the O 'Keeffe estate, yes.
So you lived there as he was the farm manager?
Yes, after my grandfather died. How did that
sit with all the other siblings? Were they living
there? No. I think it sat alright with them because
they knew that they were going to get their money
eventually and of course dad had to pay them
so much per month. the farm income they all got
except for Uncle Din who got his share of what
was called the dry run up on the western side
of the railway line that was his so he never
got anything else out of the farm because he
was given that land but the other six all had
to get part of the money of the land yeah. Was
your dad running a dairy there? Yes. What do
you know about the dairy? Do you know, if we
describe the dairy, can you do that? How many
cows and the type of cows? The cows were called
AIS, which was Illawarra Shorthorns, Australian
Illawarra Shorthorns. Now they've just been,
the name's been shortened to just being called
Illawarra's. So you saw a lot of red cows? Red
cows, red and white cows, rung cows, yes. How
many cows? I would say around about 90 at the
time, yes. The dairy, was it a walk -through?
Yes, as far as I know is still there now and
I think it was six walk -through. They were breeding
for a long time on the property. Yes. Let's just
talk about your dad and breeding first. You were
showing cattle at the local shows, your AIS cows.
Yes, yes. Do you know why they were such great
breeders? I think it takes a lot of time and
effort and knowledge of cattle and breeding and
of course the whole other side of it is you want
ones that are going to produce more milk because
that's the whole idea of the breeding, to breed
the quality, to produce more milk. How much land
was the estate? I can't tell you that exactly,
I don't know. How much did it seem, do you know?
It seemed a lot to me because there was this
side of the river and then there was the river
and there was the flats across the river. The
cows went across a bridge to get to the other
side of the farm. I can remember, in one big
flood, that the bridge was washed away. I can
remember watching the new bridge being built,
and your fillings had the garage in Bury and
they had this big tow truck and it was called
Mighty Mouse, and Mighty Mouse was out there
putting the sleepers across for the new bridge
to be built. It was very exciting. Well, how
old were you when that happened? five or six,
but I remember it happening, yes, yeah. In the
late 50s? Yes, yes. A lot of water, do you remember?
Yeah, so the bridge, because I remember hearing
about the bridge washing away. So that was on
your land? It was. The cows went across that
bridge every day. Was it a wooden bridge? A wooden
bridge, yes. How long was that bridge? I suppose
about 12 foot long. Was it over tracks or why
was the bridge there? To get you over the creek?
And over the creek to the other side of the farm,
yes. How long is O 'Keeffe's lane roughly, do
you know? No, I don't. I just know it was a long
way when I had to walk up the end of the road
to catch a taxi into school. Was that a service
supply or you paid for it? It was a service,
like there was no buses. I would assume that
Mum and Dad had to pay for it because there was
a lot of kids from Jasper's Brush that caught
the taxi into Berry and the taxi picked you up
every afternoon, dropped you at the end of the
lane. Do you recall the post office on the highway?
Yes, Culligans, yes. Did you ever have to go
to the post office? I didn't ever have to go
to the post office. I think the mail was delivered
with the milk truck. You had your chooks? We
had chooks. We did have chooks, yes. Did you
have, you grew your own food? You had a veggie
garden and orchards? Orchard in the chook yard,
yes. And just a little veggie garden. My mum
was always a good cook. There was always food
on the table. Yes, do you remember them tending
to... Any flowers or veggies? No. You grew up
in the main house? Yes. Which was called? Kiltankin.
It was built before I was born. And no, I don't
know who built it. No, but your grandparents
lived in that house? They did, yes. Had they
moved from another house on the property? Yes,
they had. There was an older house out over the
back, probably half a kilometre away from where
the new house was built. Why did they build a
new house, do you think? I think they outgrew
it and the old house was too old and fallen down.
It was very tiny. It eventually became my brother's
bird aviary. It would have been the original
house, perhaps, when they moved there from Kangaroo
Valley. The little old one out the back, yes,
it would have probably been there, yes. Yes,
they didn't build that. Must have been hard for
them because... I'd say it would have been, yes,
yes. Big thing when they got the house built
then. Oh, would have been, yes. And I'm led to
believe that when the house was built, it was
one of the first in the district to have electricity
connected to it. When my parents got married,
they lived in that house as well. Me and my brothers
and sister were all brought up in that house.
Was it on a septic? It was on a septic, yes.
Do you always remember the septic yourself? Absolutely.
No cans out the back? No, I used to think later
in life or when I got older how privileged I
was with the people with the toilet out the back
and I never had that. I'd always had a septic
system in my whole life. Yeah, because we're
looking at photos previously and everyone's dressed
pretty well, aren't they? Like, there must have
been some money to breed. Yes, I guess there
must have been. I do know that it says when my
grandfather passed away that there was still
a mortgage on the farm for £400. Quite a bit
of money. Quite a bit of money in those days,
isn't it? Seeing that he passed away in 1932
to have a mortgage for £400. What was your grandfather's
full name? Dennis O 'Keefe. Do you know what
year he was born? He was born in 1865. And you
were saying some previously interesting things
about his journey here. Yes. He came by himself?
He did come by himself. He left Ireland at the
age of 14. It took him two years to get here
but it was assumed that he didn't have any money
but he worked. on the ship to pay his passage
here. Benny must have saved some money because
when he arrived here, he had 17 shillings in
his pocket. Did he have a connection to Australia
to come here? No. Brave thing to do. Absolutely,
yes. Do you know whether he had any siblings
he left in Ireland? They came out later. Yes,
he brought them out later. He had two older brothers
and two older sisters. So he was one of five.
I know there was one called... Pat and one called
Roger. So Patrick? Yes. Well, it just says Pat,
not Patrick. Okay, Pat and Roger. Yes. When did
he arrive when he first got here, in the Shoalhaven
region? Well, he left there in 1865, so he must
have, it was two years, so 1867, he must have
arrived in the Shoalhaven area. And who did he
marry? Married Martha Timms. And they got married
in Kangaroo Valley? They did, yes. And she was
known as? Aunty Matt or Martha. Aunty Matt or
Martha. Yes, to all her family she was Aunty
Matt. Do you know much about her side? Like how
many siblings she might have had? She was one
of ten children. Father was Samuel Timms. Her
mother was Susanna O 'Grady. So they got married
in 1896. which I've written down here. Yes, yes.
And Samuel was born in 1843. Yes. Now he did
quite a bit, didn't he? He was the mayor of Broughton
Creek at some point. Yes, in the late 1800s.
Okay, do you know much about what they said about
Samuel? I don't know much about him, but I do
have a feeling that maybe he wasn't a very popular
mayor. Why do you say that? Because I remember
reading it somewhere in the museum. Your grandfather
christened the place? Kiltankin. After the area
he was brought up in in Tipperary, Ireland. Do
you remember your grandfather? No, my grandfather
had passed away and also my grandmother. They'd
both passed away before I was born. I only know
about family things said of them, yes. Who was
the horseman? I have photos with the saddle.
I think they all rode horses, but Uncle Joe,
my Uncle Joe, really did love his horses. Absolutely.
But your father would have been on a horse? Yes,
but I don't ever remember seeing him ride a horse
very much. It's become mechanised, which is probably
your memory? Yes, yes. We always had a tractor
and things like that. And there was a horse,
we had a horse, but my brother was the one that
rode the horse. Ray was the one that left school
to work on the farm. And so it was dad and my
brother Ray. And Ray was the one that always
rode the horse to get the cattle and... To get
them into the dairy? Yes, get them into another
paddock or rotate paddocks, yes. It was always
Ray on the horse. I don't ever remember seeing
my father on a horse. Where did Uncle Joe go?
Uncle Joe became a policeman and he was in Sydney
and he lived in Ashfield. Yeah, do you know where
they all went? I do. Because there's eight of
them. Your dad became the farm manager. His brother
Dennis, Uncle Din, he stayed... in Jaspersbrush
on the other part of the property that then became
his. So that was further down the lane toward
the highway, was it? Yes. Kiltankin was right
at the end of the lane. Uncle Din was the first
property on the left -hand side going in O 'Keeffe's
Lane. So Kiltankin was at the end where the ward,
like closest to the river. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Do you know how much land Dennis had down there
that was the dry run? No, I don't. So, Aunty
Min, who was Mary Susanna, she moved to Sydney
and she married Patrick Kennedy, who was in the
Army. Married in 1924 and lived at Canterbury.
The next one was Winifred Anne and she was known
as Aunty Anne. She was born at Brogas Creek.
She married Michael Nolan at Randwick in 1929.
They lived at Waverley and they had two children,
Claire and Raymond Nolan. Raymond was a solicitor
and he lived at Dubbo. Then there was David O
'Keefe. I don't know why. or how it happened,
but he started work at a bank in Moolumbah. Then
he became a fireman with the New South Wales
Fire Brigade and he lived in Sydney. He never
married. He passed away in 1957. And then there
was Joseph, Uncle Joe. He married Rita McNamara
in 1931 at the Catholic Church at Lewisham. And
they had three children, John, Patricia and Michael.
They lived at Clishol Street in Asheville for
most of their married life. Uncle Joe was a police
officer at Asheville, Burwood and Regent Street
in the city. The next one is Elizabeth, Aunty
Bette. She was a nurse and she was a sister at
Kenmore Psychiatric Home in Goulburn and then
she transferred to Mount Street, St Margaret's
in Ryde. She contacted tuberculosis and passed
away. Then there's Dennis Charles, my Uncle Din,
who lived up the other end of O 'Keeffe's Lane.
So he stayed in the district. And there was my
dad, who never left. Then my Aunty Bridge. who
was born, she was actually born at Kiltankin.
She never, ever married but she was employed
as a housemaid at Trinity Grammar College at
Stanmore. She didn't have very good health and
after having her kidney removed, died on the
13th of August 1965. She lived at my Aunty Min's
house. Aunty Min looked after her for years at
her home and she was buried at Rookwood Cemetery.
My Aunty Min later on was buried beside her at
Rookwood. So your dad, do you think he felt responsible
to take over the farm or was he just keen to?
He was very keen to but I don't think my grandmother
gave him any other choice. That was it. She did.
rule with an iron fist, as my eldest brother
used to say. I couldn't possibly tell you what
he used to call her. That's fine. So Martha was
from Kangaroo Valley. Yes. Obviously the Tims.
Yes. Very controlling. No, Martha passed away
the year before I was born. So you're siblings
now. Let's just get to them, because you're a
love child, it would seem. Who are your siblings?
My oldest brother Ray O 'Keefe, Max, my sister
Del, her name was actually Maria Del, but she
was always known as Del, and then I came along
nine years after Del. They've all passed away
now. Yes, do they all stay in the area? No, when
my... eldest brother Ray retired. He moved to
the North Coast, a place called Walgoolga, just
north of Cross Harbour. What did he do for a
living? After Dad sold the farm at Jasper's Brush
and we moved into town, Ray worked for the bakers
in Bury for a while and he really didn't like
it and then he convinced Dad to buy another farm,
so he bought another farm at Maroo Meadow. Then
when Ray Got married, Ray and Trish lived in
the house on that farm at Mooroo Meadow and Dad
drove every day from Bury backwards and forwards
to the farm. When did your father sell the property?
Early 1960s, early 60s. And your next sibling?
Max. What did he do? Went away to college, to
St Gregory's College. in Campbelltown and then
when he finished school he came home and he worked
on the farm for a little while. Then he worked
at the post office in Berry. Then he left that
and he went to work at Graham Park as an inseminator.
Then he got transferred from Graham Park to another
subsidiary at Camden. and he was doing the same
thing as an inseminator and that's when he met
his wife Carolyn who lived in Mossvale. They
got married in Mossvale and then Max bought property
at Exeter. Then he started breeding cattle, he
started breeding shorthorns that he was very
successful at doing that. My sister Del never
moved away from the area. She lived at home with
mum and dad for a long time. Del had a little
bit of a disability and she worked for Many years
for Kevin and Dawn Robinson, Kevin Robinson who
had the trotters from Berry, well, Del worked
at that because they had a lot of children. Del
worked there for, at their house as a, I don't
know what you'd call her, a housekeeper or doing
the washing and the ironing and making the beds
and maybe trying to keep some of those children
under control. Then eventually Del married and
she moved to Bomberderry and Del passed away
about three years ago. And here we are with you.
And here we are with me. And what about you Lynne?
Dad sold the property in the 60s sometime, yes.
So then we moved to 3 Queen Street Berry and
I stayed there until I got married and then I
moved from there to Ford Street in Berry and
then I moved 15 months ago from Ford Street to
where I am now. That was, I moved after my husband
passed away. And your husband's full name? Bruce
Clippard Brandon. Everybody knew him as Cork,
Brandon and Barry. And what did he do for a living?
In his younger days, he did a lot of things,
but then in his last, he worked for 28 years
as a bar supervisor at Shell Haven Heads Bowling
Club. So you'd have an affiliation with that
club? Not now, not now, but Bruce used to. For
years, every year that it was his anniversary,
when he retired, he went out there to have a
beer, just so that they wouldn't forget him.
We got married at St. Patrick's Catholic Church
in Bury in 1979. And you have some kids that
are now adults? Yes, Matthew and Glen. So your
son Matthew, where does he live and what's he
doing? He lives in the area and he's a cattle
breeder. He breeds shorthorn cattle, yes, loves
them, has had lovely success and it's really
only a hobby, it's not his. his full -time job,
but he lives for his cattle. Every day he's with
his cattle. I think I see him on Coolingatta
Road. Would that be right? You probably could
do his cattle are out there on Coolingatta, right
on Coolingatta Road. To Agar's Lane, goes down
to Agar's Lane and all those cattle in there,
from there to Agar's Lane, that's Matthew's cattle,
yes. He is the man we see. With the hat on. And
your other son? Glenn, he's not one bit interested
in cuddle. And he's a real estate agent for Ray
White and Nara. Your father, Patrick, ran the
property. Yes. The land was sold in the early
60s. Yes. Where was the property in Maroo? It
was on Muller. It belonged to Jacob Muller. Lamons
Lane, from Lamons Lane down to Phoenix. Yes.
That land there on the left -hand side of the
highway heading towards Nara. in there. There's
still big silos and that is still there. That
was the property that Mum and Dad bought. I don't
really know why but I think they only kept the
property for about 10 or 12 years and then sold
it. And your older brother was helping with that
property, was he? Yes, he was living there. Did
the Mullers sell land or was that a separate
property? That was a separate property. It belonged
to, his name was Jake Muller. and I don't know
whether he was Albert's brother or a cousin of
Albert's, but I'm not sure, but it was Jake Muller
that dad bought the farm off. Can you describe,
did the house change much since your grandparents
that you grew up in? No, no, not at all. Can
you describe the house for me? It was very big,
deemed to be elite, substantial for at the time
that it was built. It had a wonderful big long
hallway from the front door right down through
the three bedrooms on leading off that big hallway.
The bathroom was off the hallway. There was a
little alcove where the telephone was. And then
on the other right hand side was the massive
big lounge room that had a big bay window. with
seating like a seat and I remember I used to
love the curtains that went across because I
would play like as if I was on a stage and here
I am dancing and pull the curtain back everybody
had to then you went out from there everybody
had to stand to attention and watch me watch
your performances yes yes and then out from the
end of the hallway was the dining room and it
was huge when mum and dad sold the farm The dining
room table had to stay there because they couldn't
get it out because it sat 12 people at it. And
then off the dining room was a very big kitchen
with a little kitchen table with the wood fire
stove. Out the back, down the steps was another
building with three separate little rooms and
that's where the farm helped the man that was
employed. John McGuire was his name but he had
a limp and everybody called him Stepper and he
used to live in one of those rooms out there.
and the laundry was out there as well. Yeah,
I remember it all. Do you remember the laundry?
How your mum had washed? Do you remember the
system? It was always a copper. I guess, yeah,
she did have some type of washing machine, but
I can't recall what it was, but I know all the
sheets and all the yucky, dirty, dairy clothes
all went in the copper. And a hand ring and it
rung out and you went out through the back fence
and the clothesline was there and it wasn't a
rotary, it was... a long clothesline and you
propped it up with a prop to prop it up and that's
where it closed. So was there a piano there?
Oh yes there was a piano, always a piano in my
mum's life. My mum was a very good pianist, like
danced music and could play anything. read music
and play, she just loved, always. I grew up knowing
all my life, all the songs, because Mum used
to play everything. It was wonderful, always
on the piano. You're always hanging around the
piano, dancing? Yes, we had a lovely time around
the piano, always. As a little kid, you there?
Yes, yes, yes. Dressing up and twirling around,
and yeah, it was wonderful. When you talk about
the songs, can you rattle a few off? Well she
could play anything, like I can remember her
playing Winifred Apple's Black and White Rag,
like absolutely could play it wonderfully, and
then just all sorts of dance music, whatever
you play, people are doing the Pride of Erin
or the Barn Dance. But she had suitcases and
suitcases full of sheet music that all went to
my nephew who lives in Goldman and he's a very
talented musician. What's his name? His name
is Gregory O 'Keefe. went to the right place
then. So tell me about her playing around the
district. What did she, she must have played
in church and dance halls. She played the organ
at Berry Catholic Church. She always used to
play mostly for every wedding that was there.
I can remember hearing an interview from ABC
interviewed her years ago and I don't ever remember
what happened to the tape but There used to be
dances in Gerringong and her and her sister would
go to the dances with their father on the horse
and cart and they'd have supper and you'd go
out to the supper room. Everyone would go to
the supper room to have their supper but my mum
this one night didn't and she got up onto the
stage as a 13 or 14 year old and started playing
the piano. Her father was not impressed but everybody
else was impressed because they said Bill, leave
her alone, let her keep playing. And what was
her father's name? William Omara. And do you
remember her mum's name? Yes, her mum was Alice
Omara. Fox Ground? Yes. Did you ever go to Fox
Ground and see relatives? No. After my mum and
dad got married, my grandfather and grandmother
moved back to Cobargo. They came from Cobargo
and then they moved back to Cobargo. My grandmother
passed away down in Cobargo. and then granddad
moved back to Berry and built a house in Clarence
Street, Berry, just opposite the primary school.
So your maternal side you're talking about? Yes,
yes. Now, your mum also played at dances and
you mentioned Bonnie Muller, who passed recently.
Can you talk a little bit about the dances and...
Well, Bonnie used to sing at a lot of weddings,
so mum used to accompany her on the organ at
a lot of the weddings at the church. Mum then
used to play dance music and all the Walshes
that that Vonnie was, a Walsh, were very musical.
They had their own band when they were younger.
But then in later years, Vonnie's brother Frank
used to play the drums and he used to accompany
Mum on dance music as Mum playing the piano and
him playing the drums. And sometimes there was
another one that would play the saxophone and
that was the dance music. I could just hear a
buzz. Oh, that's my fridge. Oh, yeah, hang on.
Did you know the Walshes? My mum used to help
Frank Walsh a lot when they had the youngest
child, Mark, and he was... Gene wasn't well and
Mark wasn't well and they were in Sydney Hospital
for a long time. And that's when my mum and dad
had the farm at Maroo Meadow. When dad would
go to the farm, he would drop mum off at... Frank
and Jean Walsh's and she would cook for Frank
because Jean was away and do the cooking and
look after the children and then when dad was
coming home from the farm he'd pick mum up and
away we go and she did that for a long time while
Jean was very ill. Real community -minded people.
Yes. Well I mean the Walsh's. Yeah. You would
have been close. Yes, yes, for sure. You would
have seen them at church. Yes, yes. Anything
more to say about your mum's music? It sounds
beautiful. Not a great deal more to say. She
just, you know, she wasn't a professional or
anything. She just loved playing and could play
very well. And what sort of person was she? Oh,
my mum was a very caring person, a very loyal
person and she, yeah, she was just wonderful.
My mum was really, really good person. Very well
respected lady. And your dad, Patrick? He was
on the farm, running the farm. A typical Irish,
probably pretty stubborn. Was he a drinker? An
occasional beer and he liked his scotch but don't
put water in it and don't put ice in it, don't
ruin it. But that was only occasionally, there
was always, yeah, you wouldn't call him a drinker,
no. So you're at school, what's happening in
the lane? Tell me you're walking... Home from
Jasper's Brush School up the lane? No, I didn't
go to Jasper's Brush School. I went to St Patrick's
in Bury. But your brothers went there? No. Do
they ever go to Jasper's Brush? No. Who's in
that 51 photo? Dennis, my cousin. Your cousin
Dennis? Yes, went to school at Jasper's Brush.
My brothers went to school in Bury for a little
while, for a time. Where at? St Patrick's. So
there was a school there? Yes. It's not there
now though, is it? No, no. It closed in about
1977 or 78. It is a primary school. That primary
school building now was moved and it's up at
Berry Primary School, the actual St. Patrick's
School building. My brother Ray used to board
at the convent at St. Patrick's. because there
was no way in and out of town at that time, so
Ray used to board there from Monday to Friday
and come home on the weekends. Then later on
there was a taxi service or a bus service, whatever,
that went to Nara, so then both Ray and Max went
to St Michael's at Nara. My sister Del went to
school at St Patrick's in Bury and then she went
to Nara High School. I went to school at St.
Patrick's in Bury and then I went from there
to St. Michael's High School in Nara. What sort
of nuns were teaching at St. Patrick's? Brown
St. Joseph nuns. The Joeys? The Joeys, yes. They
okay? Oh, they were wonderful. And then I went
to St. Michael's and they were good Samaritan
nuns and they were different. Right, where the
Catholic Church is in Bury and it faces south,
the front of it's facing south onto Albert Street,
straight across from the gates there from where
the preschool is, that was part of St Patrick's
School, where the preschool is down to the highway,
right down where all those townhouses are. That
was all the land for St Patrick's School and
the building was on that land and then... It
was sold to raise funds for clothes because of
diminishing numbers of students and then they
decided to sell it to raise funds for St Michael's
and our parish. A lot of elderly people weren't
very happy about it. The Department of Education,
I think it was, actually then removed the school
building from there and it was transported up
to Berry Primary School and it's on the land
up there. I'm not certain what it's used for,
but it's definitely up there. Go and have a look,
you'll see it. George Street End. So, in the
lane, who had the properties in O 'Keeffe Lane?
And who your neighbours were? Our closest neighbour
was on the opposite side of the road, which was
Bill and Frank Allsiser. On the other side of
us, down towards the other side where the creek
went around, was Lindsay Cochrane. Before that
it was Rickson's and Lindsay Cochrane brought
the farm from Percy Rickson. Now Percy Rickson
was my Aunty Youna's parents. That's all there
was. Cochrane's, O 'Keeffe's and Allsizes in
O 'Keeffe's Lane. That was it. And then Richard
Cochrane that later on owned Allsizes farm and
I'm pretty certain that it was Richard Cochrane
that sold the... that farm to the Ray and Colleen
Timms and their son Paul is still there now.
But there's lots been broken up and that lake
is sold off now. But who else lives there now?
I have no idea. Who bought your land? Originally
the first people that bought somebody from Jambaroo
and I can't remember their name and then they
sold it to Doug and Beatty Long that lived there
for years. I don't know whether you know Jeannie
Rumble, David and Jean Rumble. Well, that's where
she was brought up. And then they retired off
the farm and sold it to Keith and Gloria Carter.
Then I can't remember how long ago they sold
it and who bought it from then, I don't know.
But I don't think it was continued to be run
as a dairy farm. At the end of the lane there's
that wedding thing called Jaspers. That's where
they are. That was a primary school. That was
Jaspers brush school. My cousin Dennis, he went
to school there. What happened to that land?
Dennis' land. Dennis passed away a few years
ago. We've been the last 10 years. It wouldn't
be 10 years since he passed away. And so... His
wife inherited the land. She wasn't really a
farmer. He had sold a lot of it off to Turfco.
He only kept about five acres and the house is
still there and Marilyn then didn't stay on the
property but her son -in -law, I believe it is,
King, I can't remember his first name. him and
his wife live there now. Is he a king from over
the river or? Number because where Turfco is
now. Which side are we? The north or the south?
They're on both sides now. I know but Dennis
owned both. Dennis, my cousin Dennis, eventually
owned both sides and Turfco bought western side
from Dennis because he owned that and then he
sold when he sold that off he sold it to Turfco
and then then on the O 'Keeffe's Lane side. Dennis
eventually sold off more and more land to Turfco,
which you'll see now is all Turfco. A debit grew
up in that old house there on the Norland side.
That's right. Did the debits own that? The debits
owned that. My husband lived there for a long
time because he was related to the debits and
they lived in that house. That's how come my
husband was at Justice Braskell. So the Brandons
are related to the debits? Yes. But that's not
where he was brought up. He was brought up in
Wattamulla. He used to pride himself on going
to three schools. Wattamulla School, Justus Brush
School and Perry Primary School. Well, he was
a local. Yes, yes. A dairy farm at Wattamulla?
Yes. Who were his parents? Lyle and Myra Brandon.
Where did you meet your husband? I knew him forever.
He was similar age to my brothers. I used to
laugh at when I went to school. He used to work
at the bakers and he used to deliver the pies
on Tuesday. Just always around. I just always
knew him. Yes, always. He went away to work.
He went to work. He lived in New Zealand for
a while. And then when he came back from New
Zealand, he went and worked in Dampier when they
were first opening up up there in Port Headland.
And then he came back and we got together and
got married and happily ever after till two years
ago when he passed away. When did you realise
to actually get together? I wanted to go to the
Berry Show Ball and I had nobody to take me in
or to be my partner. A very good friend who I
used to call Uncle Bob said... Come on Cor, why
don't you just go take her to the ball? She really
wants to go. And so that's how it started. He
took me to the ball and that was it. What did
you wear? I probably made my own. How did you
learn to sew? You had to do it at school, didn't
you? I don't do it now. Were you good? No. I
could make clothes though, but not anymore. What
did you do for a living? Did you work? I did
work. I worked in the bacon berry that's now...
It was called the CBC Bank, CBC Bank of Sydney,
that then later became the NAV Bank that's down
on the corner in Berry, next to the hotel. I
worked there for a while. After that, I worked
at Berry Pharmacy. I worked for Lance Sewell.
I worked for Lance Sewell for 39 years. Lance
bought a pharmacy in Nara, but had a manager
in Berry, and I stayed working at Berry. until
he sold the pharmacy in Bury. And then when he
sold the pharmacy in Bury, I went to work for
him in Nauru and I worked there for him until
I retired. So you would have seen a lot of changes
in Bury? Oh, an awful lot of change, yes, yes.
What are some of those changes? I mean, that
you... want to talk about. Just a whole different
dramatic like it and it's good like there's car
parks there now there wasn't car parks out the
back where the car park is now when I worked
in the pharmacy was just long tall grass and
a little track through it. There was best coffee
shops everywhere in Bury now but I can remember
working pharmacy and people had come in and say
is there anywhere where we could get a cup of
tea or a cup of coffee. Well if you go next door
to Bill Bramley's, Beryl will probably make you
a cuppa but you'd have to wait for Bill to move
the bags of potatoes off the tables and chairs.
for you to sit down, but that's about the only
place you'll get a cup of coffee. What era are
we talking about there? The 70s? Well that would
be in the 70s, yes. At that stage there were
three butcher shops in town and now there's only
one. Who owned those? And where were they? Atkins,
which is now Mountainside Meats, up where Ivy
Coffee is, at the front of that, that was next
door to the chemist shop, was Rudd Holland's
butcher shop. And then further up, next to the
old Mitre 10, where the locals, what you call
it, coffee shop is now, was Williams's butcher
shop. Big on me, in this town. Must have been,
because three of them survived. Yes, and then
there was another grocery store next door that
was Frank Willis's, was a grocery shop. Then
it became a Mitre 10. and now it's a dress shop,
but that's what it was before that. The two hotels
have always been the same. Top pub? Top pub and
bottom pub, of course. Did you drink at either
of them? Yes, yes. Both or? Both, on and off,
but mainly used to do a lot at the bottom pub.
I sold racquet tickets there every Friday night
for about 20 to 25 years with help for Berry
Hockey Club and Berry Cricket Club. I was very
involved with hockey. I was president of Bury
Hockey Club for something like 25, 26 years.
I was also president of South Coast Hockey Association
for 18 years. So of course we did home away and
it was all north and so you'd go and play hockey
at Jamburu or come home, we'd all arrange, we'll
meet at the bottom pub and have drinks after
the game. So I did drink a bit at the bottom
hotel. The hockey club was that... both genders
or women or? It was women. It's women. Later
on, later years, there was a couple of men's
teams but not now. But next year, it'll be 80
years and Berry Hockey Club has been going continuously
for 80 years. So they're planning that maybe
they might have a lovely big ball in the Berry
School of Arts to mark 80 years of Berry Hockey
Club. So you were a bit of a hockey player, were
you? I was a bit of a hockey player, yes. What
position? Left half. Some of your mates that
played hockey? Well probably my very best friend
who was present when I started was a lady called
Merle McPhee and we went to hockey for years
and years together but I have got a lot of my
friends are hockey friends and there's only five
like members of Berry Hockey Club. There was
Merle McPhee and then myself. We were the only
two for a long time. And then there's my very
good friend Debbie Wolford is a life member.
Jenny Warden's a life member. And Jan Richards
is a life member. And then about three years
ago, the current president Jodie Sims was made
a life member as well. And that's the whole total
of life members for Berry Hockey Club. What was
the colour of the uniform? of course, black and
white. Berry Magpies, yeah, just Berry Hockey
Club, Magpies, black and white. Old days, everything
was black and white in Berry. Where did you play
in Berry? Where were your grounds? When I first
started, it was at the St Patrick's Catholic
School, because it was a big area, big grounds,
and the hockey fields were there. Then... down
at the show ground where the caravan park is
before previous to that and previous it was the
the hockey field previous to that it was just
a swampy area and and the island there was called
bamboo island in the middle and worked and worked
with the council to converted into a hockey field,
a permanent hockey field at Berry Hockey Club.
We used to think it was wonderful because there
were lights there, we had lights put on and we
could train on it. Previous to that we trained
on the football field but we could only use the
trotting light tracks because the hockey club
couldn't afford to pay for the big lights. That's
it, that's where the hockey field was in Berry.
When did you stop playing? A long time ago. So
are you involved today? No. I still know what's
going on and I still know Barry. I promised my
husband that I would give up hockey when he retired.
So the year that he retired I didn't stand for
re -election at South Coast Hockey Association
or with Barry because I'd promised him I'd give
it up when he retired. Let's talk about your
father, Patrick. and his connection to the Berry
Show Society. You've got a photo that you showed
me, a portrait of your father in the 50s. Tell
me a bit about his contribution to that society
and his roles. His role. Well, he always showed
cattle at Berry Show. Everything around our family
showed Berry Show time. Everything revolved around
it. Everything else stopped because of the Berry
Show. Dad was president of Berry Show Society
at one stage. I guess in the 50s I think it was.
There's a big photo on the wall where the meeting
rooms are with Dad and all the committee men
and that would have the year on it. Then later
on he was elected as president again and he was
the first one at that time that had ever been
re -elected to be president. twice, but of course
it's happened again since then. My mother was
also a life member of Berry Show Society, so
they were both life members of Berry Show Society.
Your dad was a judge of cattle? My dad was a,
yes he was a judge of cattle. He judged at many
shows all around the state of New South Wales,
as well as he judged at every capital city show
in Australia. Kiltankin. The Kiltankin breed?
Yes. You have a collection of photographs here,
but let's just read one of them that Will's photograph,
if you don't mind. There's one here, beautiful
Illawarra, and just read through the awards.
Okay, this is Kirtank and Jester. Third, Sydney
Royal, 1942. Fourth, Sydney Royal, 1943. Reserve
champion, Sydney Royal, 1947. Reserve champion
at Berry 1947, champion at Berry 1949, champion
at Berry at Nara 1949, and champion at Berry
1950. Let's just have a read of this beautiful
ball. Okay, this is salute. Champion at Berry
1940, Wollongong 19... 44, third at Sydney Royal
1941, a reserve champion at Wollongong 1940,
Dapto 1941 and Berry 1941. So when you talk about
breeding Illawarra shorthorns, it started when
your grandfather started, you know, Keith Slane.
Yes. Willow or a Shorthorn, they would have been
close to the Walshes, do you think? Because they
did develop the breed, the twins. Yes, my father,
my father used to help them when they started
off Tom and Ted and they lived at Far Meadow.
I can remember going out there when they... when
they started their Illawarra's and Dad going
out there giving them some advice. There would
have been some Kangaroo Valley connection as
well because they had cows at Kangaroo Valley.
That's exactly right, yes, yes. Yeah, so what
am I right about? Tell me what you know. I had
a feeling that there could be some connection
or relation with them because they were all brought
up in Kangaroo Valley but I don't know what it
is for sure. But then Walshers also had place
up at Bellawongra. Tom and Ted had place at Bellawongra.
And they used to have their cattle up there.
That was after they moved from Far Meadow to
Jambiru. But they used to use the Bellawongra
property as their dry run. So there was connection
there with breeding? I'm sure so, yes, yes. Yeah,
they would have had to have been. And because
your grandmother was the Tims? Yes, yes, that's
right. That's right. They all would have known
each other. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's why
these bulls are so beautiful to look at. Oh,
thank you. They'd be pleased to hear you say
that. So Grahams Park, did your bulls ever...
No. They had their own bulls. Where were they
getting their AI from? Yeah, they used to buy
bulls. They used to buy... really good stud bulls
that people wanted to get rid of and they would
buy them and they would have them there so that
then they collected the semen. Which brother
worked at Graham Park? Max. Yeah, so they had
their own bulls? Yes, yes. Were they all local
bulls that you know of? No, not all local bulls,
no. They would have cattle that they would call
cheeses. When they were on heat, they would bring
them into the yard, they would bring the bulls.
up the bulls would go into a little a crush like
into a crush and then the bulls would think that
they were going to mount these heifers and then
they would collect the semen would be they would
never get to reach them and the semen was collected
and then went into the laboratory because there
was a laboratory out there and they would I don't
know how process the the semen but it was frozen
in liquid nitrogen and I think it's still done
that way today. What was your brother doing?
My brother was an inseminator. He used to go
out. Farmers would ring up and say that their
cows were on heat and they'd lock them and keep
them separate and then the inseminators would
go out and inseminate them. Did they have a choice,
a magazine choice, of what... AI? I don't know,
but I guess they did. They would have known what
breed or who they want to breed to. Yes, yes.
So that would have changed at your home. Did
you continue, did you use Graham Puck, your dad,
for AI? No. You had your own bulls all the time?
Yes. Do you remember any bull names while you
were growing up? Yes, salute. I wouldn't have
been around by the time I was born, but I remember
because these were always on the wall in the
dining room at Kiltankin and then... They've
always been around, yes. And there were more
when you were growing up? Oh of course, yes always.
So did you have bull yards on the property? Bull
paddock they were called, yes. Do they have their
little shelters? Was it like a shelter or they
just had paddocks? No, they just didn't paddock.
Any close calls? They could get a bit cranky.
No, no, no. My father was too good of a cattleman
to let that happen. Who was collecting your milk?
Do you know how many cans you were putting out?
I know it was Ray Strong who was collecting our
milk, but he was the milk carrier. I remember
my mother saying, when it was going to school
time, hurry up. If you hurry up and get your
shoes on, you can get a ride up the end of the
lane with Strongy, but if you're not ready, you
know he won't wait. It was milk cans. I think
we were probably having five or six cans a day.
I think they only came once a day. I don't think
they came twice a day to collect the milk. But
I'm not certain how they kept it cool from the
evening milking because I know the milk was picked
up in the mornings. Must have had a cool room,
yes, yes. Did you ever go on the milk route?
No. What did you think of Ray Strong? Well, I
was only young going to primary school then,
but then I knew him later on because my husband
was very involved in... Barry football, he was
a life member at Barry football club and so therefore
we had a lot of association with Ray as well
through the football club, yes. Lovely man. Lovely
man, yes. And he lived a wonderful life and it
was so sad he didn't get to Sydney to get his
OAM, yes. So many people have said that. Yes,
yes. Didn't have good health for a long time,
yeah, yeah. What about Evelyn? Evelyn, yes. Lovely
lady. Wonderful, wonderful sower. Were you a
member of any other groups? No. I was in View
Club for a little while but not very long. Hockey
took up my whole life. At one stage when they,
I think it was called St. Patrick's Community
Group, I was secretary of it for a while but
that was when it first started like years ago
but I'm not involved in any of that anymore.
Let's just hear about when your parents got married.
Yes. And where and the significance of that?
They got married at St Patrick's Catholic Church
in Bury in 1937 and they were the first couple
married in that church. It had been built and
opened the previous 12 months ago in 1936 and
my mum and dad were married in May 1937 in that
church. Do you remember your favourite parish
priest? Probably I really liked Father Bramley
and I really liked Father Dowdell who married
Bruce and I. He was very nice, yes. And the St
Joey nuns that you had, how many were teaching
at the primary school? Two. Do you remember their
names? Do you recall? Sister Sebastian and Sister
Clematis, I think her name was or something like
that, anyway. There was only two rooms. two big
rooms. And the little room, we called it the
little room, had kindergarten, first class, second
class, third class and one teacher, one nun.
And then the other room was the big room and
that had fourth, fifth and sixth class in it.
What was the colour of your uniform? Navy blue
tunic with white blouse. And you had school shoes?
Yes. I can remember when my eldest brother got
married. and he got married in March and school
went back in February and I was most put out
because I had to wear school shoes to his wedding
because they've only just been bought new, they're
only a month old and you're not getting another
pair of shoes. Did any of your father's siblings
come and visit you? Oh yes, yes. Were you close
to them, aunties and uncles? Yes, all the time.
My Uncle Joe. A lot of school holidays, I went
to Sydney and stayed at their place during school
holidays. My Aunty Min's in Sydney, in school
holidays, it was good. You got to see a bit outside
the area. That's right. One question just reflecting,
now the cattle breeding has stayed throughout
the families. Yes, I think it's in their blood,
yes. Your son still uses... The breeding name?
The stud name of Kiltankin, yes. He breeds pole
shorthorns and he calls them Kiltankin. The stud
name is Kiltankin. Kiltankin shorthorns. My great
niece, who lives up on the North Coast, also
shows Illawarra's dairy cattle becoming very
successful, yes. What's her name? Her name is
Nicole O 'Keefe. Ray, my brother Ray's granddaughter.
She is married, but she still uses, goes under
the name Nicole O 'Keefe. Well, you've got O
'Keefe's Lane named after your grandfather. Yes,
that's exactly right. Do you know when that occurred?
No, I don't. I do know at one stage, after mum
and dad sold the farm, that it got changed to
Cochrane's Lane. And my Aunty Una and Uncle Din
were really not happy about that and then got
it changed back to O 'Keeffe's Lane through the
council. Now Una recalls where the name Jasper's
Brush came from. In 1997 they had a reunion at
Jasper's Brush School. Oh right, okay, okay,
yep. and they were taught where Jasper Brush
came from. Oh, I didn't know that. Your Aunty
Yuna is one of the links to establishing where
the name Jasper Brush came from. Oh, okay. Because
that person was employed by Berry Estate to clear
the land and camped on your property. Oh, right,
okay. In that vicinity. There you go, so you
know that, but I had no idea about. And that
is from Yuna's mouth. Because they were taught
at school where the name came from. And of course
not many remember. Pam Coles remembered it was
an Aboriginal name, which it is. Yeah, we know
that Jasper Brush was the person that cleared
the land there, which makes complete sense. But
anyway, we're just getting that confirmed. That
brings us to... the end of Lynn's recording,
but I'm going to talk a little bit more about
the naming of Jasper's brush. Yuna O 'Keefe,
who married Dennis O 'Keefe. Yuna sounds like
she was quite active. When she attended the reunion
of the school in 1997, she spoke quite a bit
about Jasper's brush history. She states that
Jasper brush was a man employed by the Berry
estate. to clear the land often camped on their
land and during gardening and ploughing bits
and pieces from campsites from either Jasper
brush or other aboriginals traveling through
have resurfaced. Remember in the 40s and 50s
as part of the school's curriculum they were
taught where the name Jasper's brush had come
from and this is her memory. This has been cited
in a number of newspaper articles and journals
relating to the former railway station. I'm referring
to three sources. The first source I discovered
a description of the name Jasper's Brush. The
Royal Australian Historical Society journal,
volume 13 part 2 in 1927, wrote quite an extensive
article and listings of the names of railway
stations in New South Wales with their meaning
and origin. The article was written by a CA Irish
and it states under Jasper's brush the railway
was named after a former resident called Jasper
brush. Now this information was sourced from
a newspaper article in the Labor Daily in 1926.
that mentions some of those railway names. The
article is headed Here We Are. I'll read it directly
to you. Published on the 8th of April 1926 and
it's relating to names that reflect Aboriginal
words. Jasper's brush in brackets Illawarra,
which we fell under at the time, after an early
resident Jasper brush. The name should be Jasper
Brushes rather than Jasper's Brush. They say
that in a few of the articles and it's said again
in local native names that the Naurilida printed
in 1929 on page 6 of the September 6th edition.
So we're currently getting the John Ingold Jasper's
post idea that's currently being reviewed by
Shulhaven Family History Society and I've provided
a report that highlights the inaccuracies of
that myth and they will be making a decision
on my report in a couple of weeks. So Jasper's
brush seems to be okay by me because they also
have Jasper's mount, Jasper's creek and I think
we've uncovered the closest theory possible.
And with more time, we may find more information,
but at the moment, that's where it sits. Jasper
Brush was employed by the Berry Estate, an Aboriginal
person, an Aboriginal man who cleared the land
in that region and was given a European nickname,
as we often do. That brings us to the end of
episode seven. If you have any more information,
facts, that is, relating to what I've discussed,
you can always send me a message through my website,
teresweeney .com .au or email me at tsweeneyinkink
.com. We're getting closer to the closure of
those lanes up between Bombardier and Berry,
so we've got three episodes left. for season
two, which will be the completion of the project
from Bomber Dairy to Berry. It's taken a lot
of work, but I've really enjoyed meeting the
farming community. So I'm signing off and I'll
let you know when episode eight is coming in
a couple of weeks and who that may be. Until
then, keep safe and thanks for listening.