The history of Yallock - Part 3 by H.J. Boxshall
Mr. H. J. Boxshall concludes his interesting series of articles on the early history of the Yallock area.
In starting this article Mr. Boxshall goes on with his section of local residents of the early period. He mentions a former member of Parliament named Tetherly, who at one time represented Ballarat in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and who had a block on the Yallock Creek bank. He had put up his tent and had started to clear some of the land for a garden but after a few weeks the creek flooded and washed him out. He gathered up his belongings and left, never to return.
On the next block Mr. T. Pretty also built a home right on the creek bank and when flooding occurred the water was soon running through the house. Mr. Pretty and his family had to wade knee deep through the flood to take refuge with a more fortunate neighbour. By midnight on the same day the house was half submerged and later M. Pretty took only a short time to move his home to higher ground.
Another sufferer from the flood was Mr. Taylor, who built himself a wattle and daub hut close to the creek. The water rose so fast that Mr. Taylor, who was an elderly man had just sufficient time to get onto the roof of his home where he remained all night until rescued the following day by Mr Ware. The rescue was carried out by Mr. Ware who rode his horse a powerful draught through the flood and then did the return journey to higher land with Mr. Taylor as a passenger. This experience was enough for Mr. Taylor, who elected to depart and not to return.
Mr. David Gray then took over the blocks vacated by Taylor and Tetherly and later bought Mr. Petty's farm. After World War 1 he sold the place to the Repatriation Commission. Mr. H. V. Izzard (late A.I.F.) lived there for some years but owing to ill health, he had to leave and go on to a small farm at Hallam Valley. Mr. L. W. Finck, junior also a former serviceman now owns the property.
I would like to record here the name of Mr. Fred Crespin who was a share farmer on "Quamby" for a few years prior to 1914. He enlisted soon after the outbreak of the war. Mr. Crespin was an accomplished organist and piano player. During his residence at Yallock he was organist at St. Saviours Church of England and was also in great demand as a pianist at local dances. He was also a good cricketer and captained the local eleven during his stay at Yallock. On his return from the war he was unable to take up farming again owing to failing health and was given employment in the Land's Office at Melbourne. He died soon after taking up the position and his passing was greatly regretted all who knew him.
ENTERTAINMENT BEFORE THE HALL WAS BUILT
Before the hall was built the people held their parties and dances at different houses and in Mr. D. Ware's barn, although the space was a bit restricted at times, these gatherings were greatly enjoyed. One of our earliest and well known settlers, Mr. Arthur Cox who was a good violinist and one of the two local lads with accordians who were always on hand to provide music.
A few years after the hall was built, it was enlarged and later in 1914, the big hall was built. The contractors were Mr. F. Simmill and Mr. J. C. Hatty. After the war a supper room was added as a Soldiers' Memorial and to house the Honour Roll.
Mr. L. W. Finck senior was secretary of the Hall Committee. He was a very efficient secretary and the fine honour roll was due greatly to his efforts. A few years after the close of the war, the hall was sold to the residents of Bayles. The supper room was retained and is now the Yallock Hall. The honour roll was unveiled in the school in 1925 by the Hon. A. Downard, M.L.A. before a large gathering of residents. Mr. W. S. Nance was the teacher in charge at the time and Mr. H. Boxshall, secretary of the school committee. Councillor Geo. Burhop and W. T. Sage attended.
SUPPLIES HARD TO GET
For some time the settlers had some difficulty in getting supplies, the nearest store was at Yannathan, owned by Mr. W. Nelson. At Kooweerup North (Five Mile) was a store run by the Government for the convenience of the settlers in that area. Mr. W. Stuart had a store at the canal bridges. Mr. John Denham had a store and blacksmith's shop on the Kooweerup-Bayles road.
BREAD BY PACK HORSE
Bread was first brought into Yallock by packhorse, the baker being Mr. J. Foster of Lang Lang. Mr. Henry Woodman had a butchers business on Chairman's property, which he rented for some time. Later he had a business and slaughter yards where the township of Bayles now stands. The first butcher to deliver meat to settler's homes was Mr. Thompson of Heath Hill and the butcher on the cart, Mr. Tony Ridgway had a most difficult job, owing to the lack of any sort of road in most places. Many settlers walked long distances to meet him as he could not get anywhere near some of the homes.
Mr. A. Flintoff of Lang Lang was another butcher to deliver meat at Yallock in those early days. At this time the price of meat was very cheap, a hindquarter of heavy mutton could be bought for three shillings and six pence. Many housewives found it necessary to bake their own bread and flour was also relatively cheap at 200 lbs in a sack for ten shillings.
THEY MUST HAVE BEEN "SUPER MEN"
One of the hardest and most difficult undertakings in connection with the draining of the Swamp country must have been that of making the first surveys and the men doing the work must have been "Super Men". The survey camp was on the creek bank near the residence of Mr. Andrews and the head surveyor was a man named Livingstone.
The men had to walk long distances ever boggy country and it was no minor task. In the winter time they would leave camp in the early morning darkness and arrive back home at their base in the evening, long after sunset. They had to walk because it was impossible to get a horse anywhere near where they were working.
ROADS A LONG TIME COMING
It was some years before the tracks along the banks of the drains became anything like good roads and even the coast road or Southern Highway was bad in places. The road from Tooradin to the inlets near Harewood Mains was a heavy sandy track and was very hard going for both the horses and bullock teams which used it. The carrier who moved the household goods and furniture of the Boxshall family from Fitzroy, took two days to reach Bourkes stockyards and not liking the corduroy across Lyall's Swamp, decided to camp for the night as his two horses were very tired. He finished the trip in the morning, unloaded and started back to Melbourne after lunch. It had been a four day job and he was paid £2.10.
CARLOS (sic) CATANI
Mr. Carlos Catani, the Surveyor General of Victoria, who was responsible for the work on draining the Kooweerup Swamp was considered to have done a good job on what was a very difficult undertaking. Mr. Catani was well known to most of the men employed on the drain work. No matter how far away or how small the drain, he would insist on having a look at it to see how the work was progressing. He got to know many of the men by name and would sit on the bank of the drain and have his lunch with them. These trips meant long rides on horseback and often longer distances on foot, but it was all in a day's work for Mr. Catani.
TIMES WERE HARD
In order to give the younger generation an idea of what the country was like at Yallock while the drain works were being carried out, I would like to record the following incident. A party of the workers were travelling home along the No. 6 drain about two miles east of Abel's corner where they stopped to help one of the settlers pull out a cow bogged in the drain, one of the men suffered a severe strain and was in great pain and unable to walk. His mates procured a couple of ti-tree poles and improvised a stretcher out of coats and an old sack. One of the party hurried ahead to get a horse and cart to meet the men and take the injured man to his home. The nearest the horse and cart could get to the No. 6 drain was on the school road, near where Mr. T. Light now lives. At this spot the injured man was transferred to the cart and then taken to his home. He had been carried on the improvised stretcher for a distance of two and a half miles.
TOM BELL WAS THE MAN TO PULL YOU OUT OF TROUBLE
A man whose name will be remembered by early settlers at Yallock and surrounding districts was Mr. Tom Bell, who lived on the farm now occupied by Hogden Brothers on the Bayles to Kooweerup road. With a dentist hard to get, Mr. Bell was the answer when a person had a troublesome molar. Although not a recognised dentist, Tom had a deftness in his operation for the removal of a tooth. The patient was seated in an ordinary chair, clamped in position by one of Tom's big young son's arms and was ready for the removal job.
Mr. Bell would then produce his forceps from an inner coat pocket, fasten on to the tooth and have it out in a twinkling of an eye. It was all done in cold blood, no anaesthetic or any pain killer of any kind. A person suffering with an aching tooth reckoned that the temporary pain of the extraction was worth putting up with for the relief obtained afterwards. After the tooth was out, the mouth would be washed out with warm salty water. I have never heard of anyone suffering with after effects or Mr. Bell meeting up with any tooth he could not deal with. He is remembered by many old settlers for the relief he gave them in the early days of hardship.
CRICKET CLUB FORMED
A cricket club was formed at Yallock in 1898 although there wasn't an association on the Swamp at this time. Matches were played against teams at Yannathan, Tooradin, Nyora, Longwarry and Monomeith.
FIRST FOOTBALL MATCH
The first football game was played in 1895 on "Quamby" where the first cricket pitch was later laid down. Central umpires were J. O'Brien for the first half of the game and Mr. Desmon took the second half. Rafferty's rules and hard bumps were endured but good humour prevailed. A return match took place at Kooweerup soon after on land where the Kooweerup hall now stands. I do not recollect which side won either game. After World War 1 the Yallock interest in cricket and football shifted to Bayles in the 1920's.
During World War 1 a very active branch of the Red Cross Society was formed and large sums of money were raised for funds. One notable effort was a Queen Carnival in which Lang Lang, Kooweerup, Yannathan and Yallock took part. After a fancy dress procession through the town, the Lang Lang Queen was declared the winner with well over £1,000. Yallock was a close second being only a few pounds behind. Nearly £3,000 resulted from the effort. Miss Myra Leeson was the Yallock Queen.
Not many of those first comers to Yallock lived to reap any benefits from their labours and hardships. All have now passed away and the present generation owe a debt to those men who by their hard toil and endurance paved the way to make Yallock prosperous and the high producing district it has become.
FINIS
This is part 3 of Henry Boxshall's history of Yallock. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.
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