Lizzie's dreads

The ABC have posted an old Landline segment on 'Big Lizzie'.

 
Big Lizzie was built by Frank Bottrill, in Richmond, in 1915, with a 60hp Blackstone water-cooled crude oil engine and fitted with Bottrill's Dreadnought wheel, patented in 1906. Lizzie worked in the Mallee clearing fruit blocks, and traveled down through the Wimmera to Glendinning near Balmoral in 1924.
There she ended her days on a share-farm, pieces sold off and forgotten.
Then in the 1970s came the task of finding the fate of the huge chunk of machinery, and returning it to the Mallee and to Red Cliffs.

Soldiering on the land

A PROV “Soldier On” exhibition will be at Horsham Library from Monday October 17th until Friday 25th November, and then at St. Arnaud Library from Tuesday 29th November 7 until Friday 16th December.

Victoria sent about 90,000 men and women to serve overseas in the First World War, about 70,000 of whom survived to return home. As the war continued, the issue of repatriating returning soldiers became increasingly urgent. As well as providing War pensions and other financial assistance, State governments of the time set up ‘settlement’ schemes to support returning soldiers with work. These ambitious and controversial schemes involved subdividing large rural estates into smaller parcels of land for family farming blocks and leasing them back to discharged service-people. In Victoria around 11,000 farms were created. Each potential settler was required to be certified as qualified to apply, and if successful to remain in residence on that land for 5 years. In this way remote rural areas set aside for such settlement were guaranteed a population expansion for a number of years

Erecting a standard soldier settler home (SLV)

The First World War Soldier Settlement Scheme had been administered by the Lands Department and culminated with the majority of farmers walking off the land and ultimately a Royal Commission. The Soldier Settlement Commission (later called The Rural Finance Commission) began in 1945 to oversee the WW2 Soldier Settlement Scheme.

Oliver Telfer's (ex-22nd Battalion Gallipoli veteran) first house, Lascelles, 1922 (Vic. Museum)

The Public Record Office Victoria have digitised selected documents from Victorian Government files kept on returned World War One soldiers who were approved to lease a block of farming land in Victoria. These government records will help family and Australian history researchers understand the individual experience of a soldier settler, as well as the historical context of the Victorian Soldier Settlement Scheme.

An Exhibition Launch with a talk from the Exhibition Curator Kate Luciano of the Public Record Office Victoria, will take place at Horsham Library on Monday October 17th at 6.30pm. Bookings are essential via visiting the library or phoning 5382 5707.

Such was life

This month the State Library’s “Our story : Such was life” is ‘The Mallee’

In Victoria’s north-west lies the Mallee; a dry, hot region featuring sand dunes, salt bushes, shrubs and a ‘strange dwarf gum tree, Eucalyptus Dumosa, usually called Mallee…The tough land and climate certainly made an impression on Dr. Neumayer, a surveyor who recounted his experiences in 1864, ‘I can readily imagine why most people speak of this part of the country with a certain dread for there is actually no grass and no water to be found’…Over the years the land has endured its share of rural disasters, namely plagues (rabbits, mice, grass hoppers), drought and dust storms. Today its 100,000 occupants mainly reside in major towns like Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang, but the Mallee is also dotted with smaller towns with delicious names such as Patchewollock, Cowangie, Boinka, Underbool, Piangil, Walpeup and Manangatang…In 1995 the State Library received a collection of photographs from the Rural Water Corporation (State Rivers & Water Supply Commission) which span the late 19th century to 1980. The thousands of images document Victoria’s water use and include many from the Mallee and Wimmera, which feature in this post.

Unfortunately some of the records have little or no information attached, they were grouped together under titles like:  [Wimmera - Mallee District] [picture], or [Wimmera region] [picture] with Accession no(s) RWP/1855; RWP/1870; RWP/1884; RWP/1883;RWP/1906; RWP/1862; RWP/1873; RWP/1926; RWP/1895; RWP/1932; RWP/1881; RWP/1878; RWP/1871; RWP/1872; RWP/1896; RWP/1923; RWP/1860

And Summary Descriptions: Shows sand drift on a Mallee farm, crops on Mr. Black's property, sheep at drinking storage at Dumosa, crops near Murtoa, ploughing at Murtoa, Miss Lodwick in her father's vegetable garden at Timberoo, interior of wheat storage shed in Murtoa, abandoned homestead at Galah, horses drinking from bore-water trough, Consolidated State School at Murrayville, bowling green at Ouyen, sand and crops at Patchewollock.

For some, it is easy to positively identify - for example the 'ploughing at Murtoa' can only be the 'RWP 1870' as the Stick Shed is visible in the background.

Ploughing at Murtoa (RWP 1870)

Likewise 'interior of wheat storage shed in Murtoa' is 'RWP 1884' a great shot of inside the Stick Shed.

Interior of wheat storage shed in Murtoa (RWP 1884)

 

Sand drift on a Mallee farm (RWP 1906)

It gets trickier with descriptions like 'abandoned homestead at Galah'. This is possibly 'RWP 1883' if you consider the building to look abandoned or derelict. Galah was a siding on the way to Walpeup.

Possibly abandoned homestead at Galah, it is RWP 1883

Another photograph which could be 'crops near Murtoa' or 'crops on Mr. Black's property' is 'RWP 1855'.  Mr Black's property was at Timberoo - north of Patchewollck and south east of Walpeup, and south west of Ouyen. Looking at the health of the crop and the vegetation in the background, it looks more like the Wimmera, than a really good year in the Mallee.

RWP 1855

From another catalogue record comes this graphic photograph, likely to be - 'wind erosion and sand drift at Patchewollock' and the gentleman, one of the commissioners - McClelland, Greenwood, Stafford, McNab, Fitzgerald, Hall, Rogerson, Welch, Godkin or East. It was taken during Royal Commission on Water Supply in 1936.

RWP 589

All clear for the Mallee

A postcript to my initial post on the fires north and south.
A message from the CFA yesterday, announced - "The final ALL CLEAR has been issued this week for the Mallee fires that started nearly a month ago. Lightning sparked 18 fires on the night of 14 January, and since then more than 110,000 hectares have been burnt". 
Fighting the fires has been hard work for all involved - the firefighters, the allied organisations, the shires, and the communities. While other fires came and captured the news headlines, these communities battled on.

CFA photo from the Mallee

To everyone, thanks for your efforts, and looking forward to All Clears for the other bushfires too.

Bushfires north & south

Unfortunately it's time once again to depict bushfires in the local area. This time it is again fires in the Grampians, but also fires to the north (Yaapeet) and north-west (Yanac).
Again we are fortunate to have Lynton Brown photographing fires at the opposite extremes of the region.

Lake Albacutya fire Tuesday

Lake Albacutya fire Tuesday night

Firstly he was at the Lake Albacutya (Yaapeet, Nypo, Hopetoun West) fire on the 14th & 15th, and is now at the Northern Grampians (Halls Gap, Roses Gap) fire.

Albacutya fire Wednesday

Smoke from the Albacutya fire, 15th

Tankers at Yaapeet on Wednesday

Checking on the CFA site today the Lake Albacutya fire has burnt 10,700 hectares, there are a number of other Mallee fires in the Wyperfeld National Park and near Tempy, as well as the Big Desert fire north of Yanac which has burnt 2,881 hectares.
The main Grampians fire (there's another outbreak in the Black Range near Bunjil's Cave, and and in the southern area near Mt Victory) near Polhners Road is also out of control burning in rocky terrain between Roses Gap and Wartook. Lynton has managed to capture these photos on his phone.

Smoke from the Northern Grampians fire 16th

Approaching the Northern Grampians fire, Thursday

The family farm 2014

The International Year of Family Farming 2014 is an initiative promoted by the World Rural Forum and supported by over 360 civil and farmers' organisations on 5 continents. The I.Y.F.F. was declared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to highlight the enormous role that family farms play in the world's food production, and to promote the sustainable and environmentally friendly development of the over 500 million family farms throughout the world.

A family farm encompasses familial groups, indigenous clusters and neighbourhood co-operatives, whether they are involved in farming crops, livestock or marine creatures.

The I.Y.F.F. aims to raise the profile of family and small-scale farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, particularly in rural areas. Through local knowledge and sustainable, innovative farming methods family farmers can improve yields and create more nutrient-dense and diverse food systems.

In both developing and developed countries, family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in the food production sector. The world's family farmers produce 80% of the food consumed in the developing world, and produce the food that feeds billions of people.
There are a number of factors essential to the successful development of family farming: agro-ecological conditions, access to markets, access to land & natural resources, access to technology & extension services, access to financial, demographic, economic & sociocultural conditions.

Family farming has an important socioeconomic, environmental and cultural role:

• family and small-scale farms are inextricably linked to world food security
• family farms preserve traditional food products, while contributing to a balanced diet and safeguarding the world's agro-biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources
• family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies, especially when combined with specific policies aimed at social protection and well-being of communities

Family farmers aren't just food producers - they're business women and men, they're teachers in their communities, they're innovators & inventors, and they're stewards of the land. They provide the ecosystem services that benefit us all.
Thoughout this region there has been a proud tradition of family farms being the backbone of agriculture and an essential element of the history of land settlement, so spare a thought for our farmers now and then.

West of civilization

Hopetoun West Baptist Church sign

The Hopetoun West Baptist Church operated from 1906 until it was closed in 1965. Between 1933 and 1954 the Karkarooc Shire's population fell by 35%, due to farm mechanisation and the drift to larger towns, the droughts in the 40s and 50s. To say nothing of mouse & locust plagues, sand-drift, drought or farm income fluctuations.

The Church & its monument

This left the hopes and dreams of the church founders empty and abandoned. Fortunately for us today they built to last, and the remains of their stone buildings still stand today, abet somewhat shakily. The floor is a little treacherous, and sections of the roof have fallen in, but you still get the impression of what the church was like.

The interior with its pressed tin ceiling

The lead-light window panes have been destroyed

Likewise the Hopetoun West State School No. 3321. It opened in August-November 1898 in a hall with a porch built of pine plastered with lime and later an iron shelter shed.

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The school entrance to the school

 A new hall, built with local labour, was occupied in 1913. The Hopetoun West school closed in May 1947 due to falling attendance.
In this marginal land, schools opened and closed with remarkable frequency, with buildings moving from one site to another following the population flows. Of the 378 schools established in the Mallee region, only 100 remained open by the 1970s, and they have dipped even further since. 
Despite being unused for more then 50 years the building stands as testament to the efforts of the local families who erected it.

The interior with its fireplace and tongue & groove board ceiling

Locally for kids

It is not often that books are produced for children about the local area, but Bob Heddle has written three on the Mallee.
The trilogy about Zac and Ria and the Valemink family - 'The monster tower and the Gannawarra Goppo', 'The mischievous witch of Wychitella' and 'Chinkapook and the Manangatang mountain munyips' all take place in the Gannawarra area in the northern Mallee, where some of the strangest and wildest things in the world happen.

The books are aimed at the primary school 8+ age range, with a number of black-&-white and water-colour illustrations (also by Bob Heddle) scattered through the text.