S.Y.P. in 1872
Mr. Geo. Brundells Reminiscences
Mr. and Mrs. G. Brundell, of Weavers, near Yorlcetown, who recently celebrated their golden wedding, can claim to be two very early residents of Southern Yorke Peninsula. Mr, Brundell was born at Bald Hills, near Yankalilla, in 1861. His mother's people came out in the Buffalo in 183(5. His father first found employment on Tudcre Gwynne's station at Innian. Valley ami later look up lAnd on his own account at Bald Hills. In 1872 he came with his family to Dalrymple, near Oyster Bay, now known as Stansbury. They were among the first settlers in that district. Others were Arch. Anderson, Henry Bartram, and Harry Coote. Mr. Brundell clearly remembers coming across the Gulf or St Vincent in the ketch "Edith Alice" from Port Adelaide. It was in April. 1872, and the sailing craft took 5 days to make the trip to Salt Creek. He was 11 years old and came with his father, while the elder brother, Charles, j 22 years of age, camc round by road, and brought the horses and bullocks Mr. Brundell and his sons put in a crop on 25 acrcs during the first year. , and reaped 2T> bushels to the acre. The t balance of the 210 acres was all tim- j ber and scrub, and had to be cleared j in sections. It was real pioneering
work. The station owners, who were in possession of the land before the • Government repurchased it, did not j approve of the newcomers. They told ' the farmers that the land would not : grow crops as there was not sufficient 1 rainfall. However they came, settled down, and have made a wonderful job of it. [ Mr. Biundell remarked that the , blacks went meandering along in ; mobs of about a hundred and they : camped at a place called Rocky Waterhole. They were quite peacable, but if you gave one or two of \ them a little tea and sugar about 50 ; would soon crowd around the tent, j They showed annoyance if thev did ' not get ».\-.t tley wanted. Kangaroos were in thousands and it was quite easy to get four or five before breakfast without going out of sight of the tent. As more settlers cajrte to take up holdings, the kangaroos gradually went further back and at present they arc roving about in two's and three's some SO miles south-west from Yorketown. The early settlers, said Mr. Brundell, had to go to Hay ward Park for water, where a good well had been sunk by the station owners. It had a 30 gallon bucket and the winch was worked by a horse. The water was tipped into a shoot connected up with the tank on the dray.or waggon belonging to the farmer. They combined and paid the station owners .'id/- per week for the water for their stock and had to drink and wash in the water from the -same well. It was an awful taste, but they had to use it for about three years until wells were sunk on the various farms. The water was carted in a bighogshead, for two and a half miles with horse and dray.
During the second year there were CO to 70 horses and bullocks daily at Hay ward Park Well and the station owners provided a man, who collected the money for the water. For the first year they had to feed their horses and bullocks on sheoak and one of the men had to "shoo" away the kangaroos every time the horses were fed. There was no value at that time for kangaroo skins, it did not pay to skin them. Mr. BT-andell mentioned that Mr. Geo. Sheriff was the first chairman of the District Council, and Mr. Edward Stonhouse, the overseer of works. He said in those days they had a
The Foreman was trying to tell Pat what a miracle was. Pat was working on a skyscraper in New York. Foreman: "Now, Pat, if you were to climb the tup of this building and fall to the pavement without hurting yourself, what would you call that?" Pat: "An accident." Foreman : "And if you did the same tiling again, what would vou call thatr" 1'at : "A coincidence." Foreman (augrilvl: "And if vou did exactly the same again?" Pat (triumphantly): "A habit."
sixpenny rate ami their roads cleared arid made, hut nowadays, with a 1/- rate thev could not s/et anything done, lie quoted a cast- where an owner carted s chains of stone, cracked it and blinded it. Mad to travel with his horses 4 miles 1o get the roller to tinisli the job and then had to take the roller hack, all fo
£ 1 /o/V> per chain. He remembered thai Mounted Constable Mcl'harlln was the firstconstable at < )y-ter Pay. At that time there was no jetty, and the ketches that traded to the Hay were the "Voiidl' Surveyor" and the "Sailor Prince."' They made one trip per week. The mail arrangements were far from perfect and sometimes they i^ave their letters to the captains of the ketches, but more often they were posted at Weater.s Flat (now known as Yorketown), to which place they travelled through the scrub on horseback. Mr. UrundeH's elder brother, Charles, is living in retirement at Victor Harbour