Gnowangerup History

The Coopers were pioneers of the Bremer Bay area.

Reg's parents selected property known as "Oakdale" southeast of Borden about 1925 and developed it into a farm in the ensuing years.
While the development of Oakdale was in progress, Reg and his brother Ken, as lads, spent a number of years shepherding sheep on their parents' coastal property "Yantyarup", 20 miles from Bremer Bay.
They lived mainly off the land and what they could grow in an excellent garden they had cultivated.
Just prior to World War II the boys left the coast and worked on farms in the Ongerup area.
Reg joined the services when war broke out and spent some time overseas.
After his discharge, Reg and his wife Dawn spent some years working in the Kojonup district where most of their family was born.
In 1953 Reg, Dawn and their children, Leah, Olive, Gil and Vincent, moved back to Bremer Bay again living on Mr N. Garnett's farm, the children attending Bremer Bay school.
Again Reg resorted to shepherding sheep and helping the salmon fishermen to get a stake.

In 1954 Reg purchased the 100-acre homestead block "Yantyarup" from the then owner, Mr North Garnett, settling down to run sheep on a lease surrounding the block.
It was back to the piece of land on which he had spent so many years of his youth.
In 1960 when the CP blocks were allocated, an area of the lease Mr Cooper had grazed was surveyed and allocated to Reg on a CP basis and from this he made the farm now known as "Yantyarup".
Bremer Bay regrets the loss of a pioneer and extends sincere sympathy to Dawn, Leah, Clive, Gil and Vincent.
In 1975 Mr Max Wellstead, of the Bremer Bay Progress Association, said it was with regret residents of the district learnt of the death of Mr Reg Cooper aged 57 years. 

References: Article: Gnowangerup Star Newspaper

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