Monday, 4 November 2024
We had a good roll up of thirty-five (35) for this event which included one (1) new member Bruce Tannock – Welcome Bruce.
After checking in we travelled to Jondaryan Woolshed to kick our day off with smoko & a talk on the history of the woolshed etc. along with the early settlement of the Darling Downs by Historian John Eggleston. This was followed by a shearing display by Charlie & a talk on how wagon wheels were made in the days of metal tyres along with a brief story on the remaining three (3) Clydesdales still resident at Jondaryan Woolshed Complex.
For your information, this is the second occasion that our group has had a guided tour of Jondaryan Woolshed. Our first visit was on Monday the 5th of December 2016, & six (6) members that attended on this occasion backed up again this time around (Eric Canning, John Kleve, David Robinson, Peter Taylor, Peter Thompson & me).
John’s approach was both interesting & informative as he provided us with an insight into early settlement of the Darling Downs, management of the Native Grasses by the Aboriginals, difficulties associated with transport of the Woolclip, establishing & maintaining Infrastructure & a stable Workforce along with Stocking etc.
From my perspective, I found both of John’s talks amazing as he used no notes, & I found due to different questioning this time around I have been able to build on my original understanding.
Following are the notes that I took over both occasions –
Jondaryan Station
- William Kent (Owner) had a vision to buy up leases & convert Jondaryan Station into a Major Sheep Station – He achieved this in 1862 when he purchased the missing link (Original Jondaryan Station Block) from Tooth Brothers (NSW Beer Barons) in 1862.
- In 1864 Jondaryan Station Holding was 300,000 Acres, carried 250,000 Merino Sheep, 10,000 Hereford Cattle, Clydesdale Working Horses along with operating its own Merino, Hereford & Clydesdale Studs.
- To manage this operation William Kent established a Headquarters Complex & Four (4) Outstations (spending around $10 M in todays dollars over a ten-year period) – Each complex Operated like a small village & had around two-hundred people in residence – The Workforce totalled around four hundred (400) with the balance being wives & families etc.
- Kent travelled to England & purchased 3000 Merino Breeding -Stock to establish his flock. He then re-fitted sailing ships & transported them to Australia with NO losses during the voyage – An amazing feat in any era.
- Kent was able to Freehold Jondaryan & clear his debt in fifteen years.
- Jondaryan Station commenced in 1840 & was broken up at the end of 1945.
- Notwithstanding his Amazing Achievements, Willian Kent did not live to enjoy it for long as he died at age fifty-one (51), still a relatively young man.
Jondaryan Woolshed
- The building of Jondaryan Woolshed has been heralded as the beginning of the Wool Industry in Australia.
- The wool shed had fifty-two (52) stands in the Hand Shearing days, but, was reduced to thirty-six (36) once Machine Shearing was introduced in 1891.
- The Woolshed held Three- Thousand sheep under cover.
- The Woolshed is Australia’s Largest, Oldest Woolshed still standing.
- Building of the Woolshed started in 1859 & was finished in 1861 – To this day still has the original Corrugated Iron Roof that was shipped out from England.
- Fifty- Shearers (50) were employed when it was at its peak. The famous Jackie Howe was one of them – Howe shore Three Hundred & Twenty One (321) sheep with the Blades (hand shears) in seven hours forty minutes in Blackall in 1891.
- The Woolshed became the Template used for the building of bigger sheds that followed across Qld/Australia.
Early Settlement History
- The Early Settlers travelled from the Hunter, crossing the Liverpool Range at Pandoras Pass, &, settled West of Warwick.
- Maitland was used as the Port until such time as Cunningham & Spicers Gaps were discovered thus allowing access to the Port of Brisbane.
- The Black Soil Plains of the Darling Downs (unfenced) were initially considered unsuitable for cattle grazing particularly on the long grass plains – Sheep were considered more suitable as they tendered to keep together as a flock, &, as such were easier to find & herd.
- There were Twenty (20) Species of Native Grasses in 1840 with some growing taller than a beast.
- Three Thousand (3000) Aborigines resided on the Darling Downs at this time & they realised that they needed to Manage the Native Grasses by Burning Off Annually.
- The Annual Burn Off occurred around November/December – All of the Tribes gathered on the banks of the Condamine River & lit Fires Simultaneously – All the unfortunate Native Wildlife caught in the fires provided a BBQ Feast for the Aborigines.
Jondaryan Woolshed Heritage Centre
- The concept of a Jondaryan Woolshed Heritage Centre was first discussed during the planning for the Jondaryan School Centenary Celebrations in 1972.
- The Inaugural Woolshed Ball in 1972 had One Thousand One Hundred (1100) in attendance.
- Establishing of a Heritage Centre at Jondaryan Woolshed gained traction when the owner at the time, Laurie Rutledge, donated the Woolshed Buildings along with twelve (12) Acres of Land around it in 1973.
- John Eggleston (Historian) has been a volunteer since the Heritage Centre commenced in 1973 (51 years).
Shearing Industry Changes
Also, Charlie (shearer) during his commentary while he was demonstrating shearing, as well as responding to questions afterwards, left us with an insight into the changes in the Shearing Industry over the past Fifty (50) odd Years – Examples include:
- Introduction of the use of Wider Combes increased the numbers shorn in a day by up to 25%.
- Having the Catching Pens (unshorn sheep) on the same side of the Board as the Chutes for shorn sheep reduced the amount of walking (lost time) shearers had to do i.e. Historically the pens with unshorn sheep were at Board Level on the opposite side of the board to the shearers & the chutes to release the Shorn Sheep down to Ground Level.
- The introduction of Elevated Boards (Shearing Platform) eliminated the need for roustabouts to bend down to pick up fleeces – Great for looking after the welfare of the roustabouts – WH&S.
- The Shearers Sling Type Braces also help to protect their backs.
- Shearers now provide all of their own tools (Hand Piece -Bogeye, Combes & Cutters) & sharpen their own combes & cutters as well – Historically the Contractor known as the expert started the motor early for each run & sharpened the shearers combes & cutters along with other chores such as penning up & Boss of the Board etc. – The shearers now only have themselves to blame if their combes & cutters aren’t sharp enough.
- The introduction of Women (Shearers & Roustabouts) into sheds – Historically the only women who entered a shearing shed was the odd cook delivering smoko, & when this occurred it was proceeded by the call of “Ducks on the Pond” – Translation Woman entering the shed cut out foul language.
After lunch we acknowledged & celebrated birthdays falling in November in our usual manner (with birthday cake etc) Viz. Ray Akins, John Baines, John Burton, John Kleve, Russell Mauch, Peter McAuliffe, Nick Peters (our usual/preferred driver) Ross Phipps, Paul Reynolds & David Turner.
In closing, special thanks to those who contributed to making this another safe & enjoyable event/outing for all attendees, including:
- Peter Taylor – For organising this event.
- Staff at the RSL – For providing uis with a good lunch.
- John Eggleston – For his incredibly interesting & educational history talk.
- John, Matt & Charlie – For our tour of the Blacksmith Area, introduction to the remaining Clydesdales & shearing display & commentary (including Q & A)
- Bob Whittaker & Team – For being on duty as our trusty First Aid Officers, along with Bob for his safety briefing & reminders.
- Peter Thompson – For his usual gig as our coach doorman ensuring we all got on & off the coach safely at each stop.
- Michael Bourke & Russell Mauch – For looking after our Finances & Name Badges, & Russell for the Receipting & Banking of our Surplus Cash.
- Warwick Dingle & Russell Mauch – For assisting the kitchen staff with the timely delivery of meals, along with the cutting up & serving of the birthday cake.
- Ron Lewis & Eric Canning – For looking after our Hydration & Hygiene requirements with bottled water & hand wash respectively, along with loading & unloading of the coach, as required.
- Warwick – For his usual gig as head counter ensuring we don’t leave anybody behind at each stop.
- Mark Rowland – For running our Melbourne Cup Sweep (Now an annual event for us).
- Jan Neal – For making our much-appreciated birthday cake.
- Lorraine Betros – For making our platters of sandwiches – This is a change to our Smoko Menu due to popular requests.
- Dianne Hayward – For transporting us to & from Jondaryan safely.
- Peter Taylor & Ron Lewis – For sharing photos taken with us.
Dick Neal
15 November 2024