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AYLMORE BROTHERS

Written By Margaret Aylmore in 1965

“On the death of their father, the three Aylmore brothers, Alfred, Albert Edward (known as Ted) and Arthur, sold their 300 acre farm at Rosedale, South Australia which had been their home. Because of the scarcity and high price of land in South Australia at this time, the boys decided to come over to West Australia and look for a suitable selection. A sister, Anne, chose to remain in South Australia.


 
LAND SELECTED AT TAMBELLUP
The Aylmores came by boat to Albany and after rejecting a Denmark selection, journeyed to Tambellup. Here the
late Dick Burridge told them of land available at Lake Toolbrunup, 14 miles east of Tambellup. They chose a site
and returned to South Australia for their families. On 26th September 1898, Alfred and his wife, and their four
children, and Arthur with his wive and three children, left Adelaide on the steam cargo ship the “Gabo" arriving a
week later in Albany.Albert and his wife and their three children arrived in Albany on the 23rd February 1899, also on the 
"Gabo". Their departure was delayed awaiting the birth of their daughter, Florence Elsie, who was born on 9th October 1898.    They brought with them five working horses, 25 fowls. 40 swarms of bees, a 5ft. stripper, hand winnower, 3 furrow plough, a German wagon (a high-sided light cart) and £50 ($100) in cash. The sea was so rough on the journey over that the passengers were battened under cover, but the stock had to take the weather on the decks. The bees escaped aboard ship to cause a deal of anxiety but they were however persuaded to return to their hives without accident. At Albany they stayed at the Clifton Boarding House and straight away journeyed to Tambellup by rail and from there to the Toolbrunup selection. Land was available at 10/-, 7/6 and 2/6 an acre, depending on the amount of box poison thereon.
FIRST CLEARING
When 50 acres had been cleared and fenced (with 3 wires, No. 10 black) and a dwelling erected, the Government gave to the settler the title deeds of his block. A wattle and daub 3-roomed cottage with a thatched roof was built and here the families lived. Mallee and Yate blossoms provided perfect food for the bee hives, with Lake Toolbrunup nearby for drinking water.
HONEY MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME
As it was some time before cropping could be established their main income was from bee-keeping. In a good year 12 tons of honey was sent to Albany in 60lb. tins. It was sold for 7/6 a tin. The general food stores were purchased from Albany the suppliers being Evretts and these goods were railed to Footenup and thrown off as the train passed by. Stores purchased included cases of tinned milk and meat, sugar, flour, tea and rolled oats, jam and 60lb tins of fat. One of the greatest shortages was cooking fat. It was impossible to keep sheep because of the crop of poison and the fresh meat supply of roo and tamar did not supply them with any fat. Likewise fresh milk was unobtainable but the diet was varied with fresh-grown root vegetables. A tale is told of a farm labourer who refused to eat tamar or roo, insisting on eating only tinned meat. As a joke, the Aylmore boys cooked and compressed a portion of tamar into an empty bully beef tin and offered it to him. He ate it unreservedly and remarked on the "bully beef's" fine flavour.
DOMESTIC WATER
The domestic water supply was a dam about as big as a duck pond, which had been dug with a pick and shovel. To clear the muddy water for drinking purposes, charcoal was added and allowed to settle with the impurities. Epsom salts could also be added with the same effect. The families' first 60 acres were grubbed and cleared by hand with mattocks and axe to enable them to plow with a set plough. Mrs. Aylmore kept white angoora rabbits and these were clipped every two years and the fur sold.
 

TOOLBRUNUP SCHOOL

MRS. A. E. AYLMORE
Mrs. Albert Edward Aylmore had eight children of whom five reached adulthood, namely Albert (known as Ted or Eddie), Elsie, Herbert, Ernie and Bill. She travelled to Albany for one confinement, a Nurse Brown, who managed a local maternity hospital, attended her. The Tambellup hospital opened in 1916 and Dr. House was then in the Katanning area.
 
TOOLBRUNUP SCHOOL
In 1903 a school was opened at Toolbrunup, Miss Bentick being the first teacher. An average of 10 pupils a day was required to keep the school open. In order to do this children of 4 years of age were sent to school three days a week to keep up the figures.

THE MOVE TO GNOWANGERUP
By 1903 Arthur Aylmore had decided to take up land in Gnowangerup and he leased a property called "Eugenup" from Mr. Whitehead. The property had a stone house and shearing shed and 80 acres of cleared land. This was successfully cropped by Arthur. In 1905 he was followed by his brother Albert and together they selected land around a 40 acre block known as "Kiddy's Well," north-east of the proposed township. Kiddy's Well was not cleared but it had a good water supply and belonged to Andrew Moir. Andrew Moir was a grazier from the coast and he would shepherd his sheep along the Pallinup River course. When it became necessary to stop for water and grazing the sheep, he selected an area of about 40 acres for this purpose. Glengarry, Cambellup and Magedup were three other stopping places used in this way. Eventually a shearing shed was erected at Glengarry. Albert and his son Ted had made several trips over by cart and horse and on one occasion, when Ted was eleven he walked over the 23 miles alone through the bush on the track linking Toolbrunup to Gnowangerup. A neighbour's crop was ready for harvesting and the only way to get a message to his father to come back to help was to walk the distance. Prior to this, when more working horses were required, a journey by spring cart was undertaken to the Hassells at Jerramungup. The horses would not lead behind the cart, so Albert was obliged to lead them on foot. It was decided then that no more horses be purchased from Jerramungup.
LONG WALKS
A method used when two people were travelling a distance with one horse between them was for one to walk three miles while the other rode the distance. The horse had a rest every three miles waiting for the other walking partner to catch up. The natives used this method later on with a bicycle.
CLEARING
Albert and his son Ted and Arthur commenced clearing the land by various means. They ringbarked the trees, or chopped them down and then burnt them. Green trees were burned by enlarging a fault in the trunk and feeding in a piece of burning stick. Moonlight nights gave them extra working hours. Before the erection of a mud brick house in 1907, Albert and Ted slept in a stripper rolled up in their blankets.
HUNGRY DINGOES
Leather straps, part of the harness on this stripper, were impregnated with fat and these attracted hungry dingoes who would tear them to pieces, giving, the two men inside a frightening night. The family moved over into the two-roomed house on Kiddy's Well in 1907 and an orchard was planted on the nearby flat.
THE FIRST SHEEP
Their first flock of sheep were purchased in 1909 from O'Halloran, a block owner on the Mission Road, who was selling out. They comprised three rams and four ewes, pets of Mrs. O'Halloran. Fifty ewes were purchased in 1912 from Tom McQuire. Water was always a premium and Kiddy's Well was the only fresh well for miles around. The Stutley family settled at Jackitup in 1906 and although several miles away, would come on foot to cart water for themselves daily. Three-sided sheds of bush timber to house seed wheat were erected. The mangers for the horses were in the centre and the roof was constructed of straw and ti-tree. Seeding was a laborious job by present day standards; butts of wheat were deposited five chains apart around the paddock by horse and cart and the farmer then walked up and down the paddock, broad; casting the grain by hand in 30ft sweeps. He carried the grain in a kidney shaped container around his chest and shoulders. The first year's crop could produce eight bags to the acre. Bone dust, bought for £5 a ton was spread as fertiliser before the war (World War I).
1912 WAS AN IMPORTANT YEAR
Entertainments were few. Picnics and horse racing were popular. The latter sport was held in a paddock on Arthur Aylmore's property, north of the town in 1913. Also races were held at Jackitup and on a paddock opposite Uriah Herbert's at Pallinup as well as at Kiddy's Well and Mr. McDonald's place. The Gnowangerup shopping area opened with Black's Pie-Shop near the present butchers shop. Mrs. Moir officially opened the railway from Tambellup to Ongerup at Ongerup and Mr. Albert engaged Mr. Hamdorf to build them a colonial-type home. In 1908 the Gnowangerup school opened, A Miss Harvey being the first school teacher. Mrs. Albert Edward Aylmore had eight children of whom five reached adulthood, namely Albert (known as Ted or Eddie), Elsie, Herbert, Ernie and Bill.  The first town hall was built chased by the Masonic Lodge in 1923. The first pictures were shown in 1912 behind Richardson's Store. The store was situated on the block now occupied by the Co-op's fuel stocks.
THE FIRST SHEARING
The Aylmores' first shearing took place in 1913 in a bush shed. The present shearing shed at Kiddy's Well has a history for it originally stood on Mr. Reg Austin's block opposite the hospital and was built by Ted Hinkley. It was intended that the building be used as a shearing co-operative and machines were to be in-stalled. Funds ran out and the co-operative shed was never finished. It was dismantled and bought by Albert Aylmore in 1922 and re-erected on Kiddys Well. Arthur Allardyce, his brother Jim and sister became neighbours of Albert and they named their farm "Angelsey".
"BOONGARRA"
The farm now owned by Mr. Herb Aylmore was pioneered by Arthur Aylmore who had previously leased Yougenup. He built a house in 1907 and this was burnt down in 1920. This property named "Boongarra", was sold to R. B. Davies in 1919 and bought by Albert Aylmore in 1929. Mr. Aylmore established a Merino Murray Stud in 1917 and this stud lapsed in 1959. The natural mineral spring on Boongarra which is unique in that it has provided a permanent flow of water since the memory of the white man's arrival in Gnowangerup cannot be overlooked. Its origin is thought to be an underground river. In 1934 Albert Aylmore gave the land to the then Road Board whereon the spring flowed with the perpetual rights to the use of the water. The water has been used to fill the swimming pool and at times for stock. Arthur Aylmore left the district in 1923 and settled in Mingenew. He had 11 children and died in 1931. Albert Aylmore's wife died in Gnowangerup in 1941 and he passed on in 1954.  
ALFRED AYLMORE
Alfred Aylmore, who with his family had remained at Toolbrunup, moved onto higher ground a little way from the original site. He built a house of wattle-and-daub with a stone fire place. This property was called "Claren Vale". Water was first carted from Trimmers Soak some miles away, but later water holes were dug with spades on his own property. On this farm are two small graves, a young daughter of Alfreds and one of Alberts are buried there. Later on, as more families settled around, Alfred was in demand for dances, as he was a very good accordion player. In the early days there were plenty of dingoes around and the waiting women would hear the dingoes howling and know the men were not far away.
NATIVE DROVERS
Natives often passed here on the stock route droving sheep for Mr Hassell. They would camp nearby and come for food and tobacco. The men would have first choice and then pass on to the women and Ichilden sitting behind them. Ff there was anything left it went to the dogs.
Some years later an Indian hawker, Sunder Singh, travelled around with his waggon and would trade boots and clothing etc for kangaroo and possum skins. The original Toolbrunup selection was sold to Mr. Parnell and later to Mr. R. Witham. It is still referred to as the "Bee Block". Alfred Aylmore had nine sons and one daughter. He and his wife both died in 1949.

The Gnowangerup Star - Thursday, April 22, 1965.

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

 

References:                 Article:       The Gnowangerup Star

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Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2024