This is a transcript of a photocopy of some
biographical notes on Ernest Harry Edmonds and his family, compiled by his son
Ray Edmonds (1916-2008) in Sept 1984
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Late
E H Edmonds 1883-1962
Farm
Section 49 Hd Pygery 1915-
About 1881 my paternal grandparents John & Mary Edmonds and their
three daughters moved from Sth Aus to Comongin station in sth west Queensland
where John was made manager by the Bowman pastoral family.
It was on this station on 28th
August 1883 that their last
child and only son Ernest Harry was born.
About mid 1884 the family moved back the SA to take up the position of
station manager at ‘Minburra’ sheep station NE of Orroroo SA. This station was
also owned by the Bowman Bros and John had previously worked there in his single
days and first six or so years of his married life as a book-keeper.
By 1888 John’s health had collapsed and the family moved back to live
in Nth Adelaide.
Tragedy struck the family on Jan 2nd
1889 when John dies aged only 42
years, leaving a widow, three daughters (14 to 6½ years) and Ernest Harry, now
5 years, to mourn his passing. Mary and her mother who was also by now a widow,
battled on and reared the family. As the years went by the daughters married
and moved out and young Harry had finished school and had a job with the then
printing firm of Scrymgours.
At this time, May 4th 1899, Mary only 47 years old, dies.
The girls being married and left home the family was finished as a group and
from then on Harry had to make his own way in the world. His grandmother,
Mary’s mother, moved to WA with a relative and is buried at Albany in that
state.
Harry was in his young days of light
build and apparently his school nickname was ‘Skeet’. I presume he wasn’t much
bigger than a mosquito.
The following few paragraphs are an
extraction from the book written by Frank Masters – “Saga of Wangarleednie” as
my knowledge of the next few years are vague.
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“John Mitchell, a saddler of Kadina,
having taken an area to exploit, installed W Leslie, a dam sinker from the
north, on shares. While on the station of Bowman Bros Minburra, he became
acquainted with a young lad Ernest Harry Edmonds, whom he told if ever he was
at a loose end he would be glad to have him here.
“Young Edmonds was orphaned early by
the loss of his father in the first instance, soon followed by the decease of
his mother, and finding himself in a printing establishment with a salary less
than he could live on, rather than burden his sisters went to Bowman Bros where
even if the salary was small he had that above his living.
“Edmonds burst his city bondage for
outback freedom in open spaces where he found adventure and the prospect of
getting somewhere. It was in his blood, for his pioneer grandfather before him
thought nothing of walking 20 miles to Adelaide to win his bride. Environment
can never trammel such men, and Harry, remembering Leslie’s suggestion came
across to Mitchellville in 1902 to his friend pioneering this part. For eight
years he took anything that offered here from farming to wheat tallying and
sundry trips once more to the stations droving and shearing – all were grist to
his mill to found a home for himself. For some time it had shimmered in his
imagination.”
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This life enabled him to be among, and
use, horses and he developed quite an ability with them both as a teamster and
also a jockey. His light weight being to his advantage in the latter. I don’t
think he was a ‘rough-rider’ but he had a ‘way’ with horses and he liked and
respected them and ‘broke in’ many.
He arrived in the Cowell area in the
very early 1900s. He was in his
late teens. He worked in shops, on farms, ‘tally clerk’ at the wheat yards and
goods sheds. Cowell at that time and several years later was aport for boats and ketches bringing goods
of all kinds to the at=rea from and to Wallaroo.
Although there was no motorcars around
in those days the people still moved around their local areas quite a lot.
Modes of travel being buggies, sulkies, carts, drays, horseback, pushbikes,
pedal-assisted motor-bikes (no gears, belt drive) and even on foot. Ten mile or
so being considered a reasonable walking distance if no other means of
transport available.
Football, cricket, some tennis and
athletic sports were popular. About this time Harry was trainer/manager for a
couple of local (Cowell) athletes, travelling to various sports meetings on
Eyre Peninsula, with considerable success.
It was while acting as coach driver and
general caretaker of the coach and horses for a party of government officials
and surveyors on a mission from Port Lincoln up the coast through Streaky Bay
area to out north of Wirrulla that Harry had his first long distance view of
the Poochera Minnipa Hill and Mt Wudinna country. At that time (early 1900s) all the area in view in
that direction was scrub with numerous small grassy plains. The officials told
the young Harry that in the near future all that area viewed would be opened up
and become available for farming. It was planned to build a railway line up
through the centre of Eyre Peninsula from Pt Lincoln to Murat Bay or further
and to develop water catchment tanks and dams at any useful granite outcrop
sites or area with potential ‘run off’ in event of heavy rain.
This was exciting news for a young fellow with
ambitions of having a farm of his own.
Early in 1910 Harry married Mabel Jane Haines a sister to W.M. (Mart)
Haines who was pioneering in the Mitchellville district at that time. The young
couple undertook share-farming with W.F. Franklin in the Mitchellville area for
4 years. Mainly the seasons were good, except for some rust in the crop and the
couple were gradually getting started in life. 1914 was one of SA’s (perhaps all Australia’s) worst ever drought,
it was a serious handicap to the young and also the not so young, trying to get
established in farming. 1915 season the couple, and by now two sons, moved to a
sharefarming position in the Cleve area.
By this time the railway line had been
built from Pt Lincoln to Minnipa, later to Thevenard (Murat Bay), and land was
available for settlement in the Kyancutta, Wudinna, Yaninee, Minnipa areas,
also elsewhere.
The Wudinna, Yaninee area became open
for allotment in 1914-15. A
party including Harry, his brother-in-law Mart Haines, W.F. Whyte (I think
perhaps Dad and Mum were share-farming with them) and A.F. (Art) Franklin came
over to look the properties over. They travelled per Model T Ford car owned by
Mart Haines. This car was, I’m told, the first car in the Cowell area. It was
certainly the first to make a trip to the Wudinna-Yaninee area. They travelled
by mostly only ‘bush’ track, some very sandy, from Mitchellville, Cowell,
Cleve, Darkes Peak, Waddikee Rocks, Mt Wudinna, to the area, in this case Hds
of Pygery & Yaninee. It was a triumph for the car and driver, the only
serious mishap being that they his a ‘snag’ (cut off tree) and bent the front
axle. The axle was removed and a fire made to heat the steel axle and it was
straightened by hitting with hammers and axes, which of course they carried for
such emergencies. Mart Haines was a man who could make mechanical things work
and could improvise on the spot with only very basic material. This trip was a
prelude to greater triumph for the adventurers and energetic Harry. (Ditto Art
Franklin who later settled pioneered a farm and reared a family at Yaninee).
On Feb 5th 1915 Harry was allocated land, being
section 49 Hd of Pygery. Over the years he and his wife and later family, with
a little hired labour, hewed a farm and home out of the wilderness of scrub.
This had been their ambition for a number of years.
Harry arrived to reside on the property
in early 1916. He travelled
across from Cleve, where he had been share-farming, by wagon and four horses.
Two horses (one in foal) he owned and two were borrowed from friends.
Prior to arrival he had a ‘government’
shed erected on the block. These sheds were available, through the Lands Dept,
on long term, low interest terms and were fairly common in this area. They were
60ft x 30ft skillion roof (roof only, no sides) wood and galvanised iron with
two 2500 gallon galvanised iron tanks at each end. As the average rainfall was
supposed to be 12+ inches per year on average that size roof would fill the
four tanks (plus) per year. This gave the settler some reserve of domestic and
stock water.
As the area was surveyed and prior to
allotment the government put down a series of tanks (concrete lined and
galvanised iron roof) and earth dams. These were mostly adjacent to granite
outcrops, Yumburra (Pinbong) tank and dam, Pygery Rocks, Mt Wudinna, Poldinna
Rock, and also where decent ground runoff could be obtained, Yaninee, Masonary,
La Polda, Bryants Plains tanks. These were all more or less in our local area.
Some still hold water today but mostly they have gone into disrepair.
In the early years of the area water
was at times a scarce and precious commodity as there were no suitable
underground water supplies in the immediate area. A small soak (brackish stock,
emergency water only) at Agars Lake (Pinbong), a soak (also somewhat brackish)
on the Bramfield-Buckleboo stock route at Kappakoola and a small well (private)
at Mt Wudinna. If there were others I don’t know of them. A tank at Peela
Rocks, also on the stock route, was another somewhat distant (from our farm)
supply.
Harry put down a well (bore hole) in
the early-mid twenties on section 49 Hd Pygery but although he struck water of
reasonable supply at 80ft, it was saltier than the sea and useless for any
purpose. Later Dad and also many other settlers in the area put down private
earth dams and given heavy rain to create runoff were a valuable asset. Later
the ‘Tod Scheme’ was put through the area giving us reticulated water supply.
On arrival at the property in early 1916 Dad’s first job was to build some
sort of accommodation under the government shed. He was fortunate that there
was a considerable number of native pines close by and he built two rooms of
pine (barked) uprights covered with clay mud & ‘cocky’ chaff mixture
plastered on the outside and inside with a trowel.
Some lime was added to some of the pug
to form a kind of mortar. The smoothed off wall was given a coating or two of
lime whitewash. It was a yearly job patching where pieces fell out during the
year. Numerous early settlers burnt their own lime as there was plenty of
limestone in the area.
Dad had brought some basic items of
furniture and pots & pans, also a little seed wheat and some basic tools,
axe, shovel, etc. Some early beds were made from cornsacks and native timber
and mattresses bag & cocky chaff filling. Packing cases were used extensively
to make cupboards and seats.
After getting the rooms finished he was
ready for the family to move in. Mum stayed behind at Cowell as I was due to be
born any day. It happened April 12th 1916.
Brothers Jack 5 yrs & Ralph 4 yrs
came over accompanied by an Auntie. Probably taken by Mart Haines to Terry
(Lock) siding and up in the train. When these people were settled in Dad and a
lad he had with him made a trip by cart to Cleve, probably going on to Cowell
to see his wife and new son.
On the return trip via Darkes Peak etc
(the usual way then) he no doubt had a load of stores and goods, also our first
cow ‘Buttercup’ (she walked all the way behind the cart) two pigs (one ‘in
pig’) and some fowls in cages hanging on the side or underneath. The trip probably
took best part of a week as the stock would need feed and water and horse and
cow probably hobbled out on a grassy patch at night for a few hours. Much
travelling in those days was done at night especially on a reasonably clear
track and if the weather was hot and there was a moon to give some light.
The farms first crop would have been
planted about this time. It was 1916 and apparently finished quite a good
season. There was a 30 acre plain near the shed site and Dad plowed the ground,
broadcast the seed and probably a little super by hand and cut down a fairly
big mallee and dragged it over the land a couple of times with two horses as a
harrow. The resultant crop was by all accounts quite good. He reaped it with 2
or 3 horses in a stripper he had bought and used at Cleve. The stripper is
still here (restored). A bit later used with disc drills for sowing crops,
mallee boughs hooked behind made effective cover harrows and were used a lot.
About the end of may 1916 Mum would have arrived with me as
a baby to take up residence, probably travelling by train.
The family was growing up. Jack 6 yrs
and schooling was a must. There were some other children in the vicinity (we
had three neighbouring families within 1½ miles) but Jack was older.
Arrangements were made for him to board at Yaninee and attend a school opened
there in the hall. He attended there for a year or so. Yaninee was our siding
in those days, Pygery being later.
Ralph became school age as other
children in the area and agitation began to have a school opened in the area.
The school was opened in May 1919 and called Pygery School, later changed to
Pinbong when a school was opened at Pygery Siding. The school needed a teacher
and a teacher needed board. Dad & Mum (active school committee members like
most of the other parents) undertook to board the teacher. Dad extended the two
rooms to three by adding on a room. This room had one wall of stone & lime
mortar built between boards one wall jarrah palings lined with white-washed
bag, the other was some paling (ran out) some bag & some tin also lined. It
had a lime ash rammed mortar or kind of concrete floor. The local school
teacher boarded with us from then until the school closed in 1942. 13 teachers
in all. One for a short period boarded with a neighbour (his sister &
brother-in-law).
Later another room was added (the boys
room) made of corrugated kerosene or petrol tin and some galvanised iron lined
with white-washed (later kalsomined) bag. The ‘mans’ room was a tent in the
shed. If we had visitors beds were made up on the couch and floor and sometimes
the ‘boys’ had to move out to a tent or just under the verandah.
We had a cellar dug & built just
under or out from the verandah and in here was the separated cream, meat,
preserves, jam etc, also surplus groceries if we got an ‘order’ from Adelaide.
Mostly we supported the local stores as it was considered they were also
helping to develop the district. It was a big day or two when a beast or a pig
was killed and dressed on the farm. In the case of a beast of size, a certain
amount was ‘hawked’ among the neighbours. It was weighed and cold either be
bought for cash or returned later or next year when they had a butchering day.
There was no refrigeration and any meat that couldn’t be used fresh had to be
salted down. Most people had a box or barrel for this purpose.
It seemed to us kids that it was extra
good living after a ‘kill’ as we had pasties, sausage rolls etc in abundance.
We were lucky and had a Mum who was a good and versatile cook. Like all others
of the era she made all her own bread and cake also just about all our clothes.
She could make, and appeared to enjoy making, sometime useful bedspreads out of
a heap of rags. Sometimes a dress or shirt out of bits and pieces. Nothing
wasted was the rule of the house.
In the early time there were virtually
no roads only bush tracks. The early settlers had the opportunity to clear 7
scrub sections of road thus helped with finances. There were numerous
‘shortcuts’ through the scrub as there were few fences in the first years. A
mile saved in a horse and cart on a bush track could mean ½ hr saved. Dad
grubbed the road (or part thereof) from Barns’ (now known as Waters’) corner to
Wudinna.
Brother Jack’s earliest memories of the
farm is coming home from Yaninee in the cart in the pitch black with Dad. The
track was a reasonable bush track but they could not find where to leave it to
get to our shed (house). Apparently Dad was walking up and down the track
looking for the ‘turn-in’. That was 1916.
The farm was worked by horse team for
the first eleven years having up to 15-16 horses at one time. In the early 1920s Dad purchased a team of
bullocks mainly to be used for rolling scrub. He used them for that purpose on
his own farm and also did some contract rolling with them. He used them at
least some times to cart water, mainly for themselves and the cows, pigs etc.
The horse team was often in the ‘slack’ time after seeding let go ‘outback’ to
fend for themselves. As the weather warmed up they would come home themselves
for water. ‘Outback’ there were a number of grassy plains and grass in burnt
scrub.
A lot of scrub clearing fires ‘got
away’ in the early days (another hazard). For a year or two after the scrub was
burnt considerable spear grass grew, it was first class horse and cattle feed,
also sheep feed with seeding. Water in a prolonged dry period was a problem. If
the shed tanks became past a certain level (used for domestic use) and the
private dam was dry, water carting had to be done. First the closest government
tank & dam, in our case Pinbong, then if a reasonable supply left the next
nearest and so on. If all failed the water was carted by train from further
down and carted to the farm by team. Sometimes one tank or dam could be dry but
because of thunderstorms another one not far away cold have an ample supply. It
was pretty well an unwritten law that you didn’t cart from someone else’s area
if they were short too.
Dry period domestic restrictions on our
farm. In our case Saturday afternoon or night was time for the weekly bath. The
bath was an oval galvanised tub, also used for clothes washing (by hand with
scrubbing board) and sometimes scalding a pig. The tub was usually placed in
the kitchen by the fire in winter with a bag or two for mats. Mum had four kids
and the cleanest had first bath and the dirtiest last, all in the same water,
plus a bit of hot added for comfort. After bathing was over the water was used
for washing the clothes and when cold was put on the garden. No waste.
People, animals, birds, and plants all
need water so especially in the dry part of the year it was a much guarded
item. Despite this we and most people managed to grow some vegetables and
flowers. If we happened to have thunderstorms and water laid in the flats in
the paddocks we grew good melons, pie & water, in these patches. Could be
lucky as now and grow turnips, peas etc in the paddock if the weather was
right.
About 1925 Dad decided to quit the
bullock team and get some sheep. He sold some bullocks to local butcher and
spent the money on sheep, getting 80 aged ewes and one ram. The bullocks,
although workers, had had a considerable holiday ‘outback’ and were in prime
condition.
At this time we had no sheep-proof
fenced paddocks and it was Ralph and my job, after school, to round up the
sheep and yard them for the night. We got to recognise several of the sheep by
their facial expressions and other characteristics and gave them names. We
became personal friends or enemies depending on the sheep’s behaviour.
The proceeds from the wool supplied
finance to buy fencing wire to fence the property into eight sheep-proof
paddocks. The posts for fencing in that era and much later were cut out of the
scrub on the property. Mostly they were tea-tree, but some pine and ‘kong’ mallee.
A lot of the original posts, or posts cut on the property, are still standing.
Sheep became and still are an important contributor to the farm income. The
first wool clip was three foot-pressed bales and a couple of bags of oddments.
Mutton became readily available, but not to be wasted as any surplus sheep were
readily saleable in the district most years.
In the mid 1920s the Tod River water scheme became a reality and our farm
was connected to the scheme in 1927.
It was the making of the country as it gave more stability and allowed more
stock, especially sheep, to be run. Dad used to say it was one charge he didn’t
mind paying. Of course the scheme never ever paid its way and doesn’t to this
day.
In our case 1927 was an important year, The Tod water was laid on. Dad let the
contract to have a new house built. It was built of limestone raised on the
property by Jack and Ralph and carted by horse and dray (also wagon) to the
site. It was heavy and hard work. Some home burnt lime was used and also local
farm sand. The front wall was built with ‘Duck Ponds’ stone brought by train
from that siding near Pt Lincoln. It was and still is a softer stone and is
much easier to trim than our limestone.
1926 had been a reasonably good season. Dad
bought his first motor car, a Ford Model T in 1926. Cost 169 pounds. A year later Fords brought out a new model
for 158 pounds, the cheapest they ever got.
Other items of machinery had been
bought over the ten year period to 1926, some being winnower and transportable
engine, plow, cultivator, disc drill, header, wagon binder, chaff cutter with
‘horse-works’. With the horse works the strength of the horse was converted
through a set of bevel gears to a pulley and belt to drive the chaff-cutter
blades. The horse walked round and round in a circle about 7-10 mts. It was
attached by chains to a beam which was in turn attached to a big bevel gear
about 3 ft across. The bevel gear drove a pinion about 4-6 inches in size. This
pinion was attached to a spindle which extended to a point outside the circle
the horse or horses (some had 2-3 horses). On the end of this shaft was a
pulley (also a bearing). From this pulley a belt went to the machine driven. In
our case it was the chaff-cutter, a machine that cuts hay into chaff. Chaff-cutters
are still used extensively to prepare for trotters racehorses & ponies, and
dairy and feedlot cattle.
There had been a number of buildings
put up. Stables & harness shed, implement shed, shed for seed and horse
feed, milking shed, pigsties. These were all built with native timber cut on
the farm and roofed with broom bush or similar and covered with straw. Another
machine was had was a straw-rake, also harrows, buggy, tip-dray, grain-grinder.
During the first 10-12 years there was
some worries with ‘smut’ in wheat and the seed had to be ‘pickled’. Although
there was some contraptions to do the job we did it in an old trough with a
shovel. The wheat, a couple of bushels, was put in and a fruit tin or two of
water based pickle (bluestone, later formalin) was sprinkled on. The wheat was
then mixed with a shovel. It was called wet pickle because, when finished, the
grain was wet, and had to be sown next day in ground wet enough that it would
germinate straight away.
It was mostly after tea with a lantern
job. If the ground was too dry the seed would go mouldy and be lost.
Back to
1927-8 - Dad bought
his first and only new tractor and a combine. A combine seeder was a relatively
new idea for sowing a crop. Work the ground and sow the seed and fertiliser in
the one operation. He had a small auction sale selling some surplus plant and
horses. 1928 was a poor season
and the start of a world depression. Conditions became very severe and a lot of
settlers had to eventually give up their properties. Wheat prices were below
the cost of production and money was a very scarce item.
The 1930s were rough with all prices low, family members got a little
pocket money (if lucky). Farm labour was 5 shillings to about 30 shillings a
week depending on the persons ability. In most cases plus keep of course.
Unemployment was considerable, with some people, especially family members
working for their keep (food & lodgings).
Second world war was started in 1939. A lot of the population shifted
to armed forces, munition factories etc. The population never ever built up
again and a lot of sections of land were unoccupied and idle. To make the
business of farming in the area more viable the holding sizes were increased by
adding on one or two adjoining sections. This trend is still going on with, in
some cases, whole properties being amalgamated.
This farm now consists of section 49
(original), section 48 & section 30 and the old Pinbong school block (3
acre) section 131. This (131) was originally the NW corner of section 30. It
was made available for the building of a school by the then owner J.F. Heylen.
The farm now has an overall area of 1611 hectares.
Dad was always socially and community
minded and was involved in most activities in the area. Quite often he was
either chairman of secretary of the various committees.
Yaninee was our railway siding in those
first years so it was natural that he was involved in the early progress of
that township. In the first instance the farmers would congregate at the
railway siding when the train was due. The train was often quite late sometimes
several hours, so it seems natural enough that discussion went on, and probably
a progress association or similar group would have been formed.
Firstly there was nothing at the
siding, except perhaps a ‘waiting’ room. This would have been a small wood and
iron shed about 8ft x 8ft. It would probably have been built when the railway
line was constructed. It would have had perhaps one plank seat and a solid
locker for some railway documents (cartnotes etc). This was where the
prospective passengers waited for the train or for some farmer coming to pick
them up. It was also where goods and mailbags were left if nobody was there
when the train arrived. In the first instance the farmers met the train and
sorted their own goods and mail out. Early in the history a small store, and I
guess unofficial post office, was opened. The site was, I think, on the corner
where Fatchen’s big shed is at the turn-off from the street to the present
oval.
It was about 1918 that a wood and iron
building was erected as a hall, school, and general meeting place. This
building was on the present hall site but on the back end. It was used after
the erection of the ‘new’ stone hall, as supper room. I understand, all or
mainly by volunteer labour. I understand that the first dance was held there
before it was finished. It either had a roof and no walls or vice versa. This
was where the first school was opened in the area. Some private unofficial
schooling had been given to some children prior to this, probably in the shade
of trees or a tent.
To raise funds, and to have some social
life, athletic sports, race (horse) meetings and a bit later football was held.
The racecourse was on the edge of the swamp opposite Mitchell’s gate &
house. Wally Mitchell was another jockey. Dad often had show or race horses to
train (he being a local jockey). He had a temporary hurdles & course
erected at times near our house on ‘the plain’.
Any sports meetings, horse race
meetings, cricket (usually all picnic type events) and football were followed
by tea and a dance. The dance on occasions would go on until daylight or near.
Then they would either have supper or breakfast, depending on how l (or early)
it was, and go home in the daylight or moonlight as the case may be.
My memories include sleeping (or
supposed to be) under the seats at Yaninee hall, while a dance was in progress,
and coming home later bedded down in the bottom of our buggy. The buggy was a
two seat model (4-5 people) and was pulled by two horses. It had no hood and
only low sides and the only way to keep reasonably comfortable on winter nights
was to rug up.
1924 Dad was secretary of the ‘Central Eyre
Peninsula Medical Club’. To my knowledge this club was district wide and
anybody could become a financial member. A committee was elected with a member
or two from each district. It was through this group, and also the district
council when formed, that a doctor eventually came to the district, and the
Wudinna hospital was built.
In the very early days, late teens early 20s, the
nearest doctor was at Cowell, Pt Lincoln and Cummins.
My parents had a ‘doctors’ book which
listed most complaints and their symptoms. On making a decision on what the
trouble possibly was, a treatment would be listed in the book. They also had a
little cupboard with various pills and ointments and a bandage or two. Luckily
we were all a reasonably healthy group, but had such illnesses as whooping
cough (quite serious in those days), mumps, measles, boils, etc.
The Bedfords at Kyancutta ran a small
‘hospital’, but most confinements around here were either at home or the
expectant mother travelled away before the event. My sister Gwen was born at
Cummins where there was a doctor and small hospital at that time. Mum no doubt
travelled by train. That would have been December 1919.
There were two ladies living at Yaninee
later who attended and cared for confinements in the person’s own home. Nurse
Seamark was the name and she attended to a number of women.
The local district had an agricultural bureau 9most
districts had one) and Dad was a very active member for a considerable time
until he relinquished farming and went into politics. He had numerous trial
plots here on behalf of the Agricultural dept. Wheat and oat variety tests and
a little later clover (medic) trial plots. The medic trials proved very
important. There were a number of other trial throughout the district.
We had been through a period of low
grain and other prices and to help farm viability production of the land had to
be increased. Medics put nitrogen into the soil and also produced excellent
grazing. The result was what we see today with most farms having a lot of
‘clover’.
There was a crop (wheat) competition
(annual) held through the Ag Bureau. Dad was involved in this for several
years, winning on at least one occasion. The crop concerned was not always the
best in the district but the best of those who took part. A lot of farmers
didn’t take part.
The District Council of Minnipa, later
changed to Le Hunte District Council, was formed in . . . Dad became very actively engaged in this
organisation, serving some seventeen years, eleven of which he was chairman.
This position made him chairman of the board of the Wudinna hospital. The
position of chairman was very time and thought consuming. Many days and a lot
of nights were taken up on this honorary position. Many days, sometimes up to a
week at a time Dad would be away from the farm. It necessitated much travelling
on Eyre Peninsula and to Adelaide (some of these costs would have been refunded
I think). The erection of telephone lines throughout the district made
communication much better and saved much travelling.
Dad relinquished his district council
position in 1944 and was elected
a member of the state Legislative Council in that year. He served in that
position for eighteen continuous years. On retirement from the Le Hunte
District Council Dad was presented with a printed ‘address’. This is a copy of
the wording and signatures of members past & present at that time.
< >
“We the members and past members of the
District Council of Le Hunte and the board of management of the Central Eyre
Peninsula Hospital Inc wish to record our appreciation of the valued service
rendered by you as a member of the District Council for seventeen years during
which period you served office as chairman for eleven years and also as
chairman of the Board of Management of the hospital.
“The satisfactory state of affairs of
the district we trust will be a lasting memorial of your able administration
and keen interest in public affairs connected with the district.
“Your election to the Legislative
Council in the state parliament is indicative of the high esteem in which you
are held by the people of the district.
“We have every confidence in you and
your extended sphere to the public service to the State of Sth Aust and desire
to extend to you our heartiest congratulations and best wishes for the future.
D.L. Sampson K. Bedford
John McBeth W.J. Black
H.W. Broad C.J. Oswald
G.H. Simpson W.J. Bedford
J.G. Christian H.H. Tyler
L.W. Parker Tho Knight
P.W. Symonds G. Williams
J.L. Whitehead M.A. Trudinger MBBS
H.A. Hampel A.W. Christian MP
H. McKenna
J.L. McMahon
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My parents were solid supporters of the
Wudinna Show Society with up to a hundred entries in one year. Horse, sheep,
cooking, vegetables, flowers, grain, etc. I can remember leaving home before
daylight with Dad with a dray-load of entries and several horses. The rest of
the family came in the buggy a little later. I was a big day of the year
socially.
In the latter 1930s Dad had a home-made set of drums and played them at
local & district dances and balls. Ralph Farrant, a young lad in the back
of Minnipa was pianist.
The years sent by. Jack married and
went out on his own, Ralph started full time with the Le Hunte Council as a
truck driver. He worked up to more responsible positions and eventually made a
career in Engineering & Water Supply Dept.
Dad and I, with some casual help at
times, worked the farm. As Dad’s public responsibilities increased I took on
more responsibility of farm and management.
In 1944 Dad was elected to the Legislative Council of Sth Aust.
During that year my parents and sister went to live in Wudinna. I, now married
with a family, moved in from section 48 to live in the old home working the
farm on a share basis.
In 1946 our mother died after a long illness and is buried in the
Wudinna cemetery.
Dad, now a member of the Legislative Council
representing the northern and western areas of Sth Aust, needed a base in
Adelaide to be near his headquarters, Parliament House. He sold up his
household effects at Wudinna and went to Adelaide to live. At first he boarded
with a private family but a little
later purchased a house and lived at Pt
Noarlunga SA.
In early 1949 Dad sold his farming interests to me and had the property
(sections 48-49) transferred to me.
After a few years he re-married and
bought a house and lived in Brooklyn Park SA.
It was here in April 1962, a few months after having
finished his term as MLC (18 years) that he had a stroke and died a few hours
later in hospital. He is buried in Centennial Park cemetery in Adelaide.
Thus ended the life of one who had a full and useful
life, and who, with his first wife, was one of the Yaninee-Wudinna district’s
early pioneers.
E.H.
Edmonds – activities
other than farming after residing at Pygery.
Dist Council of Le Hunte – member
17yrs, Chairman 11 years
Wudinna Hospital Board of Mgmnt –
Chairman
Central Eyre Pen Medical Club –
Secretary
Legislative Council of SA – 18 years
Parliamentary New Industries Committee
– Chairman ?
Partly responsible for having the tuna
& prawning industries established at Pt Lincoln by having Haldane Bros of
Pt Fairy Vic build a boat and move to Pt Lincoln
Justice of the Peace – many years
E P Local Govt Assoc – Chairman ?
Ag Bureau (local) – Chairman (conducted
farm trial many years)
Wudinna A H & F Soc – worker and
exhibitor
Trained and rode show horses (other
people’s)
Trained and rode race horses (other
people’s)
Jockey of some repute (country)
Trained athletes and footballers
Played some football, and umpired
football for many years
Dance band drummer on home-made set of
drums
Member of Land Settlement Committee
after WW II
General community worker
Le Hunte Crop competitor (sometimes
winner)