ALL IN THE PIONEER'S DAYS' WORK

By Arthur Allardyce written c1938

“When a number of us unmarried fellows started in to improve our newly selected areas, so that they could be called farms some day if we worked long enough and well enough – our first move was “to put up a humpy” which, in size varied from the usual tent size viz. 10 x 12 to any old size that could be divided into two rooms that would enable the indoor and outdoor man to prepare his meals in the one and have his “stretcher” “and the rest of his 30 years of gathering” in the other.

In my own case, the nearest point on the old winding track was about a mile away from where I intended to build my “humpy”, and amongst my goods and chattels there were the sheets of galvanised iron intended for my roof. As I then had no other way of transporting it that mile through the bush I carried it on my head – a few sheets at a time – and by doing several round trips I “delivered the goods”! Surely I must have presented a strange sight to any wild animals that happened to be in the vicinity!

Most “humpies” were constructed on wooden frames with galvanised iron or bags on the sides with galvanised iron for the roof. Some humpies were built of “rubberoid” altogether.

The fireplace in the kitchen was usually made of galvanised iron with a few large rocks or clods of earth built up a few feet on three sides of the fire place. The roof’s shape was of the “lean to” style of architecture and the front door made of meat cases with leather hinges cut from an old boot! The humpy was usually built close to a soak or dam.

Now I shall try to tell you of the usual days’ work in the life of a pioneer in the Gnowangerup district.

We used to prepare breakfast about 6.30a.m. so as to get the “washing up” done, also any other “chores” so that we could get out to work at 7.30.

Then “Kelly” could be grabbed, and sharpened, if necessary and off we went either to “cutting down” or ring-barking. Some labour- saving and time-saving bachelors had a supply of dishes large enough to enable them to use clean dishes at all of the three daily meals, and have a big clean-up of dishes after the evening meal. This method certainly saved time, and time appeared to be “the essence of the contract”. Some bachelors told me that a kangaroo dog was “on his own” as a plate cleaner!! And, having seen the work done in this department by a kangaroo dog I have no hesitation whatever in verifying this statement. The dog always left the plate dry and clean and very bright!! He was very thorough!

Breakfast was usually begun with a plate of porridge, and those who were not loyal Scotchmen fried bacon and eggs or tinned meat hot or cold. The “billy” was always boiled for tea-making and some damper well buttered eaten with it.

Then with the axe ready and with a stone or file in the trouser pocket, off to the place where one began the days work of chopping down the trees – of Salmon gum, York gum, Morell white gum and patches of mallee – later on in midsummer to be burnt up and where one was busy getting it cleared ready for the plough.

About noon one “made for camp” hungry and ready for a “spell”. And this is where the average bachelor usually fell down badly. I mean that instead of preparing a good square meal for himself to do justice to his strength so as to enable him to keep going well he usually would have “a bit of a look” in his bag safe to see what was left over from previous meals, and, if he found something, would soon decide that was good enough!

Much easier and quicker than preparing a good solid meal. Hang the working capital! Off to work again soon after lunch and the afternoon seemed very long and when he knocked off for the day about 6 p.m. he felt very tired and very empty especially as afternoon tea was usually not taken.

This method of clearing I shall now try to describe.

The trees were cut down “axe-handle high” with the exception of leaving a nice single tree or a group of trees, for shade later on. The bark on the stump was generally knocked off with the back of the axe and this bark heaped around the stump so that when the “burning off” took place in the dryness of midsummer this bark when burning would scorch the stump thus making it much easier to burn it out later than if this were left undone. Much of this work was hard and sometimes very hot and the hours long and the time between “feeds” were very long too! But among a lot of young strong men all bravely “held up their ends” and were very cheerful about it all.

Another practice of felling trees up to nine or ten inches in diameter was to cut them down about the level with the surface of the ground. By so doing this left no stumps to be burnt out later, but it was very hard on one’s back on account of so much stooping required.

This practise was called “mullerising” as it was a man named Mullers who introduced it. Any trees considered too big in diameter for the axe were burnt down by placing a handy log along-side the tree and on the side on which the wind was blowing and when one had a lot of trees being treated in this manner one would “go the rounds” of them all, pushing the burning log closer to the burning tree on each round until the tree was burnt down.

There were no such luxuries as morning or afternoon teas. One usually carried a billy of cold tea or a water-bag and placed them in a cool place handy to the work.

One at lunch time, had to prepare his own meal it being a saying among some of the bachelors something like this – “I just have to do my own cooking and house work as my fat cook is so unreliable, seems to be always away gossiping over the fence with her neighbours”.

Lunch generally consisted of damper or home-made bread baked in a camp oven and the usual “tinned dog”. There usually was a variety of this, as we generally cottage by the case so we did have a choice of dogs! Then, if one happened to be the proud possessor of a rifle or a kangaroo dog one could have fresh meat for a change.

I remember having grown so tired of ”tinned dog”, as it was usually called, I arranged with Mr R. Burridge, who lived about 14 miles away, to drive there in my spring cart for a fat sheep for mutton and the change was delightful! Potatoes and sometimes onions were boiled for the evening meal, to be eaten with hot or cold tinned meat of a different kind from that used in the previous meal.

Then the “wash up” and straightening up of the bed so that was very little time for reading. as one usually went to bed early feeling rather tired.

Occasionally, one would be visited after tea, by his neighbours when the latest news and gossip would be discussed and then the talk would be mostly “shop”. Before the visitor left for his humpy by a walk through the bush in the starlight alone the billy would be swung on one of the wire hooks hanging over the fire and supper - of a kind - partaken of.

The Sundays were spent in several ways by these young men. For instance between breakfast and lunch the weeks’ washing was done and hung out on plain wire stretched between trees. Some preferred to used barb wire for this purpose saying the barbs were handy in the place of clothes pegs - which were then away in the shop at Broomehill!

Then the afternoons were spent in various ways such as visiting neighbours, hunting kangaroos or baking a good supply of damper for the forthcoming week, and the damper would be placed in the camp oven to retain its freshness and keep it from becoming too hard.

I well remember that during each week when very busy I had very little time to think how lonely it was that during Sundays, when resting, I had plenty of time to think of my friends in other places, I felt loneliness then very much, causing me frequently to seriously think of packing up and “clearing out”!

Often when taking a look backward on those strenuous times I have thought that there should have been a society formed by the old pioneers of W.A. with a coat-of-arms engraved thereon, say, a frying pan, a billy and tin-opener with a kangaroo dog rampant!!! With the motto “God bless our home”.

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References:                 Article:      Arthur Allerdyce

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Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2023