EARLY DAYS ON THE ROAD

By Arthur Allardyce written in c1937

(This is rather a long read but is very memorable)

My thoughts today take me back to the “old times” in Gnowangerup long before the coming of the railway when our nearest point along the Great Southern Railway was Broomehill about 25 miles away to where I did about six seasons carting my wheat.

I well remember how bad the roads were and – to add to our delays – there were “umpteen” fences and gates across them through which we had to pass, meaning stopping the team at each gate, open the gate, pass through with the team and go back and shut the gate and walk back to the wagon again.

Those fences and gates no doubt meant a considerable saving in fencing to the owners of the land thereon but were often blessed – or worse – by us teamsters! I was one of the many wheat growers in the Gnowangerup district who had to transport by wagon and about eight or more horses my yearly yield of wheat to Broomehill.

This meant that I, with several others who had to travel similar distances, took two round trips per week per wagon containing from 50 to 60 bags per load and required to work rather long hours to accomplish that much. On account of the very bad patches on the road we all required to have good teams, that is, all the horses had to be good workers and staunch to enable us to deliver our loads.

There were several camping places on this road namely the “D3” camp about four miles out of Broomehill and where two much-used roads met. As the road of 4 miles from “D3” to Broomehill was so good to travel upon after coming off the long rough road from Gnowangerup I remember that Alick Visini – one of my fellow teamsters – once remarked to me in his broken English “When I am at ‘D3’ I am at Broomehill”. I knew what he meant although it sounded more like the remark of an Irishman than an Italian!

Then further east was the “9 mile” camp and, further yet, was the “Telyarup” reserve camp about 17 miles from Broomehill and about eight miles from Gnowangerup. Quite a large array of teams used to use these camping places during wheat-carting seasons.

On one occasion I was camped with my team of eight horses along with fifteen other teams at the “Telyarup” dam, each team would average about eight horses hitched to a wagon carrying from fifty to sixty bags of wheat so that the aggregate number of horses there that night would be 128. At the “D3” camp where another road joined it bringing more teams than I counted, one night, 24 wheat teams, the number of horses in each team varying from 6 to 11 and the loads varying from 50 to 65 bags of wheat so that the aggregate number of horses would be about 192 and the bags of wheat about 1450 – 4 bushel bags – as the 3-bushel bags were not in use in those days.

The roads were badly “cut up” and consequently very dusty and grew worse as the wheat carting season advanced. So very dusty that we teamsters used to arrive in camp looking more like half-castes than white men! Then again, on account of the very bad spots in the road we found it better for at least two teams to travel together so that if one should become “bogged” in the loose sand which happened fairly often – the other would assist with his team without delay.

One particularly bad spot was known as the “Devil’s Grip” – a particularly heavy and loose patch of about 100 yards of deep sand alongside one of “Woodyarrup” paddocks – was the scene of many “boggings” of teams. Often the second team would go to the rescue by unhitching his leading 2, 4 or 6 horses leaving his “shafters” – with the wagon attached unattended – and by hooking on his horses to the “bogged” team the two drivers with the “double-banking” of their teams always succeeded in getting the loaded wagon pulled out onto firm ground again.

Sometimes it was said that if a teamster travelling alone became bogged he had to either unload at least a portion of his load or wait until another teamster came along and helped to pull his load out. The air was said to have become “blue” on account of the lurid language used by several of the teamsters during such trials and tribulations, and even some went so far to say that the air remained that way for several years after! I have no record giving the lurid language referred to!

I cannot help thinking when I pass along this road nowadays which has been so much improved – of those “old time” experiences how little does the motorist know of what the same road was like then!

I used to find that the most tiresome and monotonous part of the round trip was the returning home driving 8 horses in an empty wagon all the long day and most of those days the sun would blaze down on us and we had no shade!

This frequently caused me to feel rather sick. Then I would indulge in “day dreams” about a railway someday to Gnowangerup! Then we would not require to cart so far, perhaps we would be able to cart two loads per day instead of but two loads a week! What a relief and what a saving of time! we would cheer up by such optimism.

But we were not always dreary. Occasionally a funny happening would take place on the way which would give amusement to us all. Once, on our homeward journey a teamster – who was a practical joker, and like many other practical jokers enjoyed fun at the other fellow’s expense – this teamster knew who was coming along with his team of horses and empty wagon about three quarters of a mile behind.

Well, as I have said before, there were many gates to be opened and shut on the way, our practical joker took the trouble – after passing through each gateway with his team to make a hurried but thorough job of fastening the gate very securely to the post by hitching it up tightly with a piece of strong wire!! I was not quite near enough to hear the language on this occasion by the oncoming teamster when he got out of his wagon to open each gate!! so am quite unable to repeat his remarks, etc. etc.

On another occasion many of us camped at the “Telyarup” dam one night or rather on the unfenced road opposite the “Telyarup” dam. And here I would say that many of us would like to get on the road about first the next morning so as to enable us to get in first to the Broomehill wheat stack so as to ensure no delay in unloading, for otherwise if one arrived in about last of the teams one generally would find several teams ahead and waiting their turn to be unloaded consequently in that case would often have to wait quite a long time for his turn to be unloaded as the wheat receiver could attend to the teams only one at a time and each in his turn.

Now about the joke:- Well, two teamsters decided – unknown to us, of course – they would “get up” about 3 a.m. water their horse, harness up, all as quietly as possible to avoid arousing any of our sleeping camp – and get away ahead of us so that they could be first and second to unload at Broomehill. The distance to the dam was about a quarter of a mile. These two untied their horses and quietly drove them down to the dam for a drink.

All their horses went willingly and quietly enough for a drink but on the return journey the fun began, for having quenched their thirst some of them – the mares – remembered they had been compelled the day before to leave their foals at home and immediately decided they should like to be with them soon! So off the mares started trotting through the bush neighing loudly – which noises woke us up! – They took a short cut through the bush taking no notice of whatever of the loud calls of the drivers to stop! Soon they were gone and the drivers after them!

At least one of the drivers had to run all the way home – about seven miles – caught them there, hurried back the seven miles harnessed them hurriedly and – as further punishment – compelled them to trot almost all the whole way to Broomehill drawing their loads, and even overtaking some of the teams they had designed to steal a march on! Needless to add that we all “had the laugh on” them and some were sarcastic about it. Their plan would probably have succeeded had they led their horses for a drink instead of driving them.

And what of all those good horses we used to drive on this road? I suppose there is not one of them alive now. It is hard to realise they have finished their work and are all gone. They often had to work hard under hot, dusty and thirsty conditions. Their hours were often very long and they received no wages but their feed and sometimes a “Sunday off”. I would, if it were possible, just enjoy giving each of them a big feed of the best of chaff with a liberal supply of oats. I do hope all of them have passed to their reward for good willing and staunch horses. I feel sure all of them earned it on that road! I was ever fond of good horses.

And lastly but not leastly, what about their teamsters? I would very much like, if it were at all possible to gather again with you around the camp fire at night (after all our horses had been watered and fed) and “live our battles o’er again”. But to my great regret, such is quite impossible! I know that some of you have “passed on”. Almost all of us have moved to other districts. I do sincerely wish you all the best of everything especially that of good health – God’s greatest blessing to mankind.

I still seem to hear the “gee Dick, Gee Dick” of Harry Bennett, the peculiar click of “Dad” Stutley (when they were urging their teams through a very bad sandy patch). Also I can yet see in my mind’s eye “Dad’s” son Herb – who was but a boy then – driving the team of theirs along behind “Dad’s”. Herb often appeared on the borderland of sleep, most probably due to the long hours on the road.

The road from Broomehill from “Telyarup” dam was fenced across with a gate thereon. This was the eastern boundary fence of the “Pallinup” Estate and our road for almost four miles through this property – which then comprised of 22,000 acres and was owned by Mr. Powell, and for a considerable time was for sale for 15/-d per acre! It always “looked good to me” at that price and very often wished to be in the position of being able to buy it!

Here the names of those with whom I often travelled and camped with on the Broomehill track in those days:-

George Eastwood – (with several white horses in his team and occasionally a foal or two following) – Harry Bennett, “Dad” Stutley, Herb Stutley, Andrew McDonald, Joe McGuire, Monty House – (with his big dray) – Ned Parnell, George Hams and occasionally one of his brothers, Jimmy Beard (whose horses once bolted killing one and injuring the others) – Angus McDonald, Jack Daly, Jim Garnett, Sam Jenkins, Arthur Aylmore, Sam Wise – (the Seventh Day Adventist) – Billy Wray, Alf and Jim Richards (in their especially big wagon), Herman Gunther (in his big wagon the “Cunnamulla”) Abe Richards - (the silent and hard to understand man) and Joe Clancy and Alick Visini who used to walk most of the way leaving “Tigah” one of his leaders in charge.

Such experiences are gone from us for ever. The dreamed of railway to Gnowangerup is an accomplished fact. The fast motor-truck has taken the place of the slow moving wagon. One would think we should be happier and far better off for this advance. I must say, in closing, that I doubt it’.

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Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2023