When Ken was five years old and Daphne six, Daphne started school at Jelcobine, 5 or 6 miles west of the farm on Brookton Highway. Ken played up so much that day because he wanted to go to school, that he was sent off the next day. He later attended school to year 8 in Brookton. At 14, Ken applied and was accepted to attend Narrogin Ag School. He was there in 1955 and 1956 and graduated with Honours. While there he played hockey and enjoyed long distance running.
The main livelihood from the farm was the wool clip, and sale of surplus sheep. The shearing plant was driven off the wheel of the Maple Leaf Truck. A belt was run around the wheel and the truck idled to the correct speed. Henry was pro-active in using fertiliser and trace elements and the farm was successful. Rabbit eradication and pulling out box poison, which was fatal to sheep, required a lot of time and effort. Aboriginal people were employed where possible to catch rabbits, shear, pick stumps and cut fence posts. Sheep troughs were made from hollowed out logs. Displaced people from Europe were also employed – pulling out the poison plants, cutting timber, clearing paddocks, fencing and working with sheep and cattle. These people were good, reliable and hard workers and became friends.
Farming at North Stirling Downs
Ken’s father Henry was keen to expand the farm. His vision was to have a good succession plan for his family, and to provide the European immigrants who worked at Boyagin Valley with an opportunity to establish their own farms. So, in 1956 Henry took up land just north of the Stirling Ranges, about 40kms south of Gnowangerup, on blocks that hadn’t been settled as part of the War Service Land Settlement Scheme. These were the beginnings of what was to become Ken’s farm, North Stirling Downs
The land was mostly uncleared, so the hard work of clearing bush, burning, sowing to oats and clover, fencing and establishing water sources started. Ken was 16 years old, had left Narrogin Ag School and was back on the Boyagin Valley Farm. While Ken and a couple of reliable workers continued with work at Boyagin, Henry would drive the 6-7 hours to North Stirlings with a truck load of materials, camp and give some direction to the land clearing.
Fence posts were cut with an axe at Boyagin from jam, a type of acacia, and taken down to North Stirlings. Henry provided machinery. Surplus sheep from Boyagin were taken by train to Gnowangerup or Borden, then driven out on roads and tracks to the farm, taking two days.
The settlers reached a stage where they were independent, and from then on progressively developed their farms and contributed to the district. Ken and his sister Daphne’s farms were managed together, with Ross and Daphne O’Keeffe moving to the North Stirlings in 1960 and doing the last of the developing.
Ken met Judith in 1960 through Junior Farmers, when they both attended social events and dances. Judith had moved to Brookton as a primary school teacher. They married on the 3rd February 1962 at St Paul’s Lutheran church in Albany. They lived in a cement brick cottage on Boyagin Valley farm. Their daughters Leanne and Cheryl were born in Beverley in 1962 and 1964.
Ken, Judith and the two girls moved to North Stirling Downs in 1965 and for the first three years lived in a house originally used by workers building the Kwinana oil refinery, that was dismantled and reconstructed on the property. It had four rooms and was built from wood with asbestos walls and an iron roof. There was no telephone until Ken and Ross built about 8kms of phone line so they could connect with the telephone ex- change. Ken and Ross continued working together for quite a few years. They shared one shearing shed and extended it together. Sheep played a big part in the early days to make the farms viable; it took 15-20 years of work to clear the paddocks sufficiently.
Daughters Rosalie, Julie and Sandra were born in 1966, 1968 and 1970 and son Wayne completed Ken and Judy’s family in 1975. All were born in Albany. The six children attended school in Gnowangerup until year 10. Ken and Judith were members of the P&C for 20 years.
Ken witnessed many changes to farming methods and technology. When the farm was being established, fence posts were cut with an axe, bales of wool were manhandled three high onto a truck, seeding was limited to 80 acres per day and grain was bagged off the harvester. Now 500 acres is seeded per day with larger more efficient machinery and headers are emptied with chaser bins running alongside. 550hp tractors pull the machines, AI is used for sheep production, and the farm employs staff and contractors.
Ken was a successful farmer and his efforts largely established the enterprise that exists today. He benefited from his parent’s foresight to set up their children on their own farms. Ken has seen the business going from strength to strength under Wayne and Jody’s management and was confident that it was in good hands.
Ken had a very positive view of farming and was optimistic about the outlook. He accepted its cyclical nature and had built the enterprise up to a size that enabled emphasis on different commodities as markets and seasons changed, therefore ensuring its viability. His view was that if we look after the land, work with the rainfall and manage it, the future will be good.
Local Government
Ken first became interested in being involved in local government as a result of poor road conditions. The road out of Gnowangerup to North Stirlings from Formby Siding, the Formby South Road, was quite often too wet to drive on, had big sand holes or couldn’t be crossed because the river was up. The Gnowangerup Star at that time was reporting that the Shire was improving the Bremer Bay boat ramp and there was no interest in im- proving the Formby South Road. Nominations were called twice for a vacancy in the South Ward, and the second time, Ken decided to run. He canvassed strongly and in 1981 was elected with 95% of the vote. At this time the Gnowangerup Shire reached as far east as Fitzgerald and included Jerramungup. While representing the South Ward, he focussed on what he believed fairly supported those who didn’t live in the town sites.
From that time, Ken decided to do what he could to make a difference and was subsequently elected Deputy Shire President in 1984 and Shire President in 1986, serving until 1994. As President he started taking an interest in regional issues and represented the Gnowangerup Shire on the Great Southern zone. Ken put himself in positions that would be advantageous to the district and spoke up about issues affecting the shire. He was subsequently elected as the delegate from the Great Southern zone to the state Local Government Association, which included a period as chairman.
Ken continued to speak up. In 1992 he was elected Deputy President and then President to the Country Shire Councils Association. His election to deputy and then President of the Western Australian Municipal Association, the forerunner of the Western Australian Local Government Association, followed. He was then automatically a delegate to the Australian Local Government Association. Each position was limited to a two-year term.
Ken’s local government interests took a lot of time and travel. Ken and Judith had a young family, and Judith primarily cared for the family and managed the home. Ken had some good employees and was able to oversee the farm when he was home. Later he reached a level in local government where he could determine the timing and length of meetings.
One of the issues at a state level that Ken, together with the State Executive of local government, was instrumental in realising was to direct a percentage of the fuel tax allocated to the state towards local government roads. A Regional Road group was set up and funding allocated to different regions on a pro-rata basis, therefore enabling development of roads that needed attention.
Ken was involved in lobbying for road funds at the Federal level, which lead to “Roads to Recovery” where funds were directed straight to local government regions, by-passing State and Federal road budgets. The Gnowangerup Shire was able to improve and bitumise a lot of roads. The Formby South road was improved using these State and Federal funds.
Other issues that Ken advocated for while in local government included telephone towers and country health services. He was involved in lobbying the State government for Royalties for Regions, which lead to improved health services and development of sporting facilities. Ken said the community could be very proud of the Gnowangerup Sporting Complex, which was built from community fundraising efforts and funds from Royalties for Regions. Ken was not a sportsman, but he recognised the importance of sporting facilities for a cohesive community.
Ken’s other interests and leadership evolved from his local government activities and included the Gnowangerup Local Emergency Management Committee, the Great Southern Development Commission and Development Authority Advisory Committee, the Great Southern Regional Road Group and the South Coast Regional Initiatives Planning Team.
While involved at a state level, Ken represented Local Government on many state boards and committees including the WA Bushfire Board, Animal Welfare Board, Regional Road Funding State Advisory Council, Lo- cal Government Insurance Services and Local Government Superannuation Board.
Ken retired from council in October 2013, after 32 years.
Ken has said he wouldn’t have been as involved in local government without support from Judith and his family. That and the support provided by shire council and staff enabled him to complete the projects he was involved in.
Community
Ken was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1986. At a community level, Ken was a member of the Gnowangerup Police, Aboriginal and Community Liaison Committee; the Gnowangerup delegate to the Ongerup Football Association tribunal panel; a member and past president of the Gnowangerup Rotary Club and Chairman of the Great Southern Order of Australia Association.
Ken gained a lot of satisfaction from his association with the Gnowangerup community over the last 60 years. He always took a great deal of interest in developments in the District and most recently put his support behind the GNP 360 cooperative. He made a difference through his active involvement, ideas and lobbying and has made some significant contributions to the community.
Landcare
When Ken and others were developing land for farming, little thought was given to land care. But over the years it became clear that salinity was a problem. Trees were planted but there was salt on the soil surface in some places. Ken thought outside the square and together with a neighbour undertook 8-10 kilometres of drainage work, with the outcome being water that was three times saltier than seawater streaming out of the ground. He was fortunate to have country that could be drained. The country that had salt on the surface now has clover growing on it and good salt bush for stock fodder, and it’s still improving. Ken was a member of the Land Conservation District and served on the State Salinity Council.
Gnowangerup Agricultural School
Ken was a strong advocate for the Gnowangerup Ag School. He was a board member and for a period, chair- man of the Advisory Committee. The Pech family share cropped with the school to provide further opportunities for students to develop practical skills and provide the school with a source of income. The Pech share went into a fund to develop the Gnowangerup Sporting Complex. Ken, and others, were determined to keep the Ag School running and Ken was very disappointed when it closed because the Minister and state government decided it wasn’t viable. He recognised, however, that the local Aboriginal community is looking after the land very well.
Country Health Services
Ken was acutely aware of the shortage of doctors in country towns. He was an inaugural trustee of the Country Medical Foundation, established in 1989 to provide scholarships for medical and nursing students who would eventually work in the country, and served for a time as Chairman.
Ken also served on the boards of Healthway (Western Australia’s Health Promotion Foundation) and the WA Centre for Remote and Regional Medicine
Mallee Fowl
In 1991, Ken and Judith presented the people of the Shire with a life-sized replica of a mallee fowl, crafted by local artisan John Davis. The gift was a gesture of appreciation to the district that had treated Ken and his family generously over the years.
There were several good reasons for choosing this bird, by this artisan: Ken and Judith wanted Shire residents to own an example of John’s work, as he was rapidly gaining international fame from the Australian birds he was making; Gnowangerup was named after the Ngow and it was the emblem of the Gnowangerup Shire and on the crest of Gnowangerup District High School.
In 2010 Ken was appointed as Gnowangerup Shire’s representative to the board of the Yongernow Mallee Fowl Centre in Ongerup and served as Chairman of the Board from 2011 to 2018. Last year he was very happy to assist with releasing a few of the birds bred at the centre into the Dryandra Woodland. This year Ken was awarded the first Life Membership of Yongernow.
Awards
Ken was awarded the 1990 Gnowangerup Citizen of the Year for his outstanding and tireless contribution to the community through his involvement in a broad range of organisations.
For his service to Local Government in Western Australia, Ken was awarded Honours on Australia Day 1999. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
On the 1st January 2001, Ken was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to Local Government. Ken was awarded Life Membership of the Western Australian Local Government Association in 2003. He was awarded Freeman of the Gnowangerup Shire in July 2006.
Ken was an innovative farmer who valued community and the purpose and interaction of public life. In all his endeavours, Ken was magnificently supported by Judith. His family and home grounded him, and home was the farm at North Stirling Downs".
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