The Better Farming Train was established in 1924 by the Victorian Railways and the Department of Agriculture. The train travelled around Victoria, stopping for a day or so at various country railway stations, and provided lectures and demonstrations to farmers to improve farming techniques and therefore raise agricultural production. If agricultural production was raised then the Railways would also benefit as nearly all produce was moved by rail. The train made 39 tours of country Victoria between 1924 and 1935 and stopped at over 390 towns. Over 250,000 people attended these lectures. Most of the trips were made before 1930, and due to the Depression, only one trip per annum was made after that. During World War Two the carriages were converted to recruiting trains. (1).
The train initially consisted of fifteen carriages and three extra carriages were later added; it was very distinctive as it was painted a bright orange-yellow colour (2). Once the train arrived at the Station the various displays were set up. Each carriage contained information and exhibits about different areas of agriculture such as potatoes, dairy, bee keeping, poultry. The train actually carried livestock, cattle and pigs, enabling a hands-on approach to the subject. There was also a pasture carriage, which had various plant varieties growing. The train had expert lecturers from the Department of Agriculture and the Education Department to provide information on various topics and demonstrate new techniques (3).
Carriages were also provided for lectures and demonstration to women on cookery, needlework, child welfare and home nursing (4). Between April 1925 and November 1929 the women's section of the Better Farming Train operated separately. To maximise the audience these carriages were attached to regular trains, either passenger or goods, and taken to a town where they might stay for a day or two and then be moved on by another train to the next location. An additional carriage, the Public Health Car, was later added and this was staffed by members of the Public Health Department. The Mothercraft and Child Welfare carriage could seat 80 people and the 'Domestic economy' car, could accommodate 60 people. (5).
The inaugural stop was at Bunyip, where the train arrived at 9.20am on Monday, October 13, 1924. It was met by the Berwick Shire President, Cr J. Dore and other members of the Council. Also present was the Prime Minister, Mr Stanley Melbourne Bruce, and the Railways Commissioner, Mr Harold Clapp, who was reported as saying that it was better than anything of the kind done in America. The Prime Minister said -
This train has supplied what has been wanting in Australia - a practical demonstration of how to bring science to bear in farming and to enable the farmer to set the fullest possible use of his land. The importance of the work that this train will do cannot be too strongly stressed. I hope the Press will give the fullest publicity to this effort for better farming.
"It gives farmers, particularly small farmers, a wonderful chance of education in the application of the most modern scientific methods to their industry. Similar efforts of the sort have been made in America and Africa, but none of them nearly so complete as this one, made by the Railways Department and the Department of Agriculture.
I have taken the opportunity of inspecting the train at its first stopping place. I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which the train has been made up nor of the immense value of the work it will do."(6).
Combined Staff from the Agricultural, Education and Railway Departments, more than likely taken at Bunyip on October 13, 1924, as two of the ladies are wearing the same clothes in this photo and the one above.
It was reported that 1000 people at Bunyip inspected the train and listened to various lectures including - Horse Breeding Act, Examination of stallions; Jersey and Red poll cattle; Friesian and Ayrshire cattle; Grading cows; Pigs; Herd testing; Milk grading; Grasses and top dressing; Feeding cattle; Bees and honey; Feeding pigs and Potatoes. For the women, there were demonstrations in needlework and lectures on mothercraft and child welfare. In the evening, Amalgamated Wireless Limited had a set attached to the train and district residents had the opportunity of hearing Dame Nellie Melba in Grand Opera (7).
After Bunyip, the train continued east to other Gippsland locations - Neerim South, Warragul, Yarragon, Mirboo North, Morwell, Maffra, Bairnsdale, Kilmany, Traralgon, Moe and Drouin returning to Flinders Street on October 23. (8) There were photographs of the train at Bunyip and Neerim South in the Weekly Times of October 25, 1924, here.
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This is an interesting account from The Argus of November 21, 1924 (9) of the first stop at Bunyip and the value of the Better Farming Train to the women who attended -
If there be any one with doubts as to the necessity for or the success of the "better farming" train which recently returned from its second tour into the fastnesses of Gippsland, let him talk with Sister Peck (10), superintendent of the training school of the Victorian Baby Health Centres Association (11), who, with Miss Pell and Mrs Storer, of the Education department, conducted the women's section on the train. "It was most thrilling the whole way through," she said on her return this week. "Every department in the train was a great success and none more so than ours."
"It is amusing now to remember," Sister Peck continued, "our feelings when we started off on the first tour. We were all very excited and at the same time wondering how things would go. As the train pulled in to Bunyip, our first port of call, there was not a soul in sight. Then I saw an old shandrydan (12) carrying a father, mother and baby. Three people anyway, someone said. Then she saw two women standing near a goods shed. That was five between the whole train. Then she came round the edge of some big sheds, and saw a great crowd waiting on the station to receive us. We were greeted with cheers, and simply overwhelmed by the warmth of our reception. And that sort of thing went on all the time, particularly at the small centres, where often the people had travelled 30 and 40 miles over shocking roads, having had first perhaps to rise at dawn to get necessary work finished before leaving home."
"Of course, you know that ours is the most completely equipped train of its kind in the world. The average attendance was 800, while in the women's section alone we reached 200 on the last tour, the first one having averaged about 150. On the first trip we shared the one carriage for cookery, serving and infant welfare, but the crowds were so great that on the second time I was given the use of the agricultural department's electric car during the daytime which has seating accommodation for 80 and standing room for 120. As all the women wanted to attend the welfare lectures and demonstrations as well as the sewing and cookery, classes, we altered the arrangement on the second train to sewing and baby welfare in the morning, and cooking and baby welfare in the afternoon. I stayed in the carriage all day, just taking a hurried lunch, because the women were so keen to take the utmost advantage of the wonderful opportunity the Railway Commissioners and the Department of Agriculture had given them. They were there when the train arrived, and did not leave until they must."
In her audience were young mothers and old mothers, mothers with large families and mothers with their first babies, and perhaps most appreciative of all of the opportunity for obtaining sympathetic advice were the young expectant mothers. A great many of the women were the English wives of soldiers, who were worried by climatic conditions with which they did not know how to cope. And what Sister Peck could tell them of the care of milk, of the many uses of the kerosene tin, including the admirable little cooler, of how to prevent and how to treat summer diarrhoea, and what to do to combat the deadly fly, interested them intensely. She carried practically all the equipment of a baby health centre, and the Railways department had printed for her posters carrying the slogans of the association. These were set up around the lecture hall and it gave Sister Peck such pleasure to know that while the men sat at their lectures at night these slogans were all the time before them. (13)
Beautiful Gippsland Babies.
Sister Peck speaks most enthusiastically of the splendidly healthy babies that were brought to her from all parts of Gippsland. It was easy to see the result of fresh air and sunshine and good food. As a matter of fact in nearly every case where the baby, was a little out of sorts it was due to over feeding to too rich milk, from which both bottles and breast fed babies suffered. And the mothers easily learnt how to remedy this trouble. It was interesting to find that everywhere we went there were mothers who had written to me, perhaps years before for advice about their babies. One woman had driven 30 miles to show me her three-year-old baby, about whom she had first written to me when he was three months. Many of the bush nurses also visited the train, and from that they and other people told me there seems no question as to the value of the infant welfare training for the bush nurse.
While Sister Peck had most to say, naturally, about the work of her department she emphasised the fact that the domestic economy centre was equally successful and appreciated. Both she and her colleagues realised what the coming of this train meant to the women, in the isolated places. Although frequently they experienced very bad weather, as, for instance, at Mirboo North, it did not keep people away. The train was always crowded. As it came in to some of the wayside stations the scene resembled, Sister Peck says, a great picnic or country fair in each place there was a local committee to make arrangements, and there were always large boilers to supply hot water. The people came in all manner of vehicles, motor-cars, milk waggons, drays, and buggies. It was not uncommon to see a milk waggon fitted up with kerosene boxes and carrying mother, father, and five or six children.
One morning, while Sister Peck was preparing for her lectures, 10 little boys came into the carriage exploring. They were particularly interested in the milk cooler, and she had to explain how it was made while they all determined to "make one for mother." The little felt slipper made from an old hat also interested them, and they asked for patterns, which they carefully hid away. Since her return this week Sister Peck his had several letters from women who visited the train expressing their gratitude for the help they had received and asking for patterns of the little garments which she had recommended. Altogether the experience has left her and her colleagues in the train with very happy memories. "Although at the end of each day we were nearly always too tired to accept the hospitality that was offered us everywhere, it was a most satisfactory tiredness." (14)
Here are a few other local accounts -
The train was at Pakenham on Friday, October 21 1927. The Pakenham Gazette of October 28 reported on the visit -
It went to Berwick on Friday July 3 1930, where 1,000 people inspected the train including students from the local State Schools and Dandenong High School (22). The train stopped at Clyde on Tuesday July 21, 1930 and the next day at Yannathan and then continued on to South Gippsland (23). The Argus reported that over 700 people attended the visit of the Better Farming Train at Clyde. They came from Cardinia, Dalmore, Tooradin, Devon Meadows, Lyndhurst and Cranbourne (24).
The Better Farming Train was on view at Yannathan on Tuesday, the 22nd inst., and attracted a very large crowd. The officials on the train were welcomed by Mr Thwaites, owing to the unavoidable absence of Mr Bennett, M.L.A. Later in the day Mr Bennett arrived and apologized for not being able to attend earlier, but thanked Mr Thwaites for acting in his stead. He congratulated the Yannathan people in being fortunate enough to have a visit of the train. With the able lecturers and interesting addresses he felt sure that the visit would prove of great value. Mr J. de C. Talbot responded on behalf of the staff, and Mr Mullany on behalf of the railways.
Lectures and demonstrations on top-dressing and dairying were largely attended. Mr Yuille emphasized the need of herd testing. Valuable information on pig breeding was given by an expert, who urged farmers to keep pigs as a profitable investment. The women’s lectures on dressmaking and needlework by Miss McAlister were interesting and of valuable assistance. A cookery lecture by Miss Killeen was also good and intently listened to. Sister Peck gave lectures on home-nursing and mothercraft. The school children were keenly interested in the exhibits and demonstrations. Visitors were present from all the surrounding districts. (25)
There may well have been other visits to the region, I was going through reports on the train in The Argus trying to pick up any mentions of the tours, and that reminded me just how extensive the Rail network was in the 1920s and 1930s and thus how many small towns could have been visited by the train. There is a great website with maps that show the rise and fall of the Victorian Railways http://www.vrhistory.com/VRMaps/
This is an interesting aspect of our history and reflects the importance of the railway in people’s life at a time when most people didn’t have a car and, until the 1960s, nearly all the farming produce - milk, potatoes other vegetables and cattle - from the area was dispatched by train to market.
(1) Harrigan, Leo J Victorian Railways to '62 (Victorian Railways, 1962), pp. 265-268.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
A version of this post, which I wrote and researched, has appeared on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past, and the Koo Wee Rup Blackfish and the Garfield Spectator.
