Loading potatoes at Koo Wee Rup Railway Station

These are photos from the Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society loading potatoes at the Koo Wee Rup Railway station. I believe they are from the 1950s (or maybe 1940s)

Koo Wee Rup Railway Station

Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society

Loading potatoes at the Koo Wee Rup Railway Station. These (above and below) are the same scene, different view. They are back to the good old days of manual labour when men and boys could lift a bag of potatoes, which weighed 150 lbs or 68 kg,  onto the back of a truck without a second thought. My father, Frank Rouse, and my uncle, Jim Rouse, grew potatoes at Cora Lynn  from 1950 - from when Dad was 16 and Jim was 18. Allegedly Jim could lift two bags of potatoes at a time - one in each hand. It may be a family story, but like many farm boys they were working for money on neighbouring farms from when they were about 13 and then milking the cows at home after that, so they were very strong.

Koo Wee Rup Railway Station

Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society

Trucks in Station Street outside the Koo Wee Rup Railway Station

Image: Koo Wee Rup Swamp Historical Society

This is the line-up of trucks, in Station Street in Koo Wee Rup, waiting to go into the loading yard. The double storey building on the left is the Royal Hotel, built in 1915. Potatoes have been grown on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp since 1893, when the land was settled after the drainage of the Swamp by the digging of the Main Drain. 

The Koo Wee Rup Railway Station was opened in August 1889,as part of the Great Southern Line. I have written about this railway line, here. Koo Wee Rup became a Railway Junction with the construction of the McDonalds Track Railway, or Koo Wee Rup to Strezlecki Railway line. This line opened in June 1922 and was completely closed by February 1959. I have written about this railway line, here.

Potatoes for health and beauty

I grew up on a potato farm at Cora Lynn, so I naturally have a fondness for the vegetable. Potatoes are grown worldwide, they are nutritious, relatively quick to grow and an effective use of land as 85 per cent of the potato plant is edible. Potatoes have been grown in the Andes for over 8,000 years and came to Europe via the Spaniards in the 16th century and then spread throughout the world. 

There used to be many potato farms on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp. In the early days potatoes were despatched by rail from local stations, such as Garfield and Bunyip; Catani and Bayles and Koo Wee Rup. In 1912 it was reported that 35 tons of potatoes were trucked from Bunyip Station on one day (1) – that’s not even a B-double load these days, but that’s a lot of bags of potatoes to all be handled manually.  

The Great Southern Advocate of July 1, 1926 had this interesting report, head-lined Koo Wee Rup Potatoes will return £500,000 and then a report of the tonnage sent from local railway stations, which indicates the importance of the vegetable to the Swamp - The potato crop in the Koo-wee-rup district was estimated to reach £500,000. This, according to railway trucks will be very nearly realised. The output of 29,404 tons was distributed: Kooweerup 6952 tons, Garfield 6451, Bayles 5591, Dalmore 3346, Tynong 2580, Bunyip 2057, Nar Nar Goon 1814, Lang Lang 443, Warragul 169. This would realise £294,030 at £10 a ton.

From December 1925 to April 30, 498 trucks (6945 tons) left Garfield and 600 tons during April. From January 1 to May 30, 156,929 bags of potatoes left Kooweerup station and there are still many thousand bags still in storage. (2)

Bags of potatoes at the Bunyip Railway Station 

Weekly Times March 25, 1911 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222241318

The importance of the potato to the area was celebrated each year in the Potato Festival, held from 1973 until 2000 at Koo Wee Rup.

Here's a light-hearted look at the health and beauty aspect of potatoes as reported in the newspapers.

September 1909 - Few women know how essential certain vegetable and fruit acids are to the general health and the retention of a good complexion. For this purpose, the most valuable are potatoes, cabbage, cauliflowers, grapes, oranges and limes (3).

March 1916 - potatoes and lettuces, especially the latter, are excellent for those who suffer from scurvy skins (4). Scurvy, a Vitamin C deficiency, causes skin to bruise, bleed and a delay in the healing of wounds. 40 years later in March 1954 there was a potato shortage in Victoria which as a result an outbreak of scurvy could develop among Melbourne's young children unless the present potato shortage ended, Miss M. Honey, chief dietitian at Queen Victoria Hospital, warned last night. She said that potatoes were essential to young children to promote growth and to prevent scurvy (5). 

In January 1918 an article said that It has been demonstrated that a butter and potato diet, together with fresh fruit, soon clears uric acid out of the system (6). Uric acid is a cause of gout, so possibly a diet of scalloped potato may well be the answer.

In May 1936 the League of Nations (a similar organisation to the United Nations) Health Commission Diet Committee released a report to the effect that the use of milled white flour should be decreased and its place partially taken by lightly milled cereals and by potatoes….Potatoes, according to the committee's report, contain more iron, calcium, and phosphorus than milled cereals, and also more of vitamins B and C (7). 

October 1936 - A course of potato-water drinking for the sake of the complexion may cause you to open wide your eyes with astonishment. But if you suspect acid in the system, which usually affects skin as well as the general health, try this: Select old potatoes and scrub them thoroughly. Peel them about an inch thick and throw this peel into a saucepan. Allow two cupfuls of water to each potato. Boil for forty to forty-five minutes. Strain off the liquid and drink it warm or cold an hour or so before meals. Dietitians say that a course of this potato-liquid will not only banish acid from the system but will whiten and beautify the skin. Try it! (8). 

In January 1937 potatoes were recommended as a cure for sunburn - Sea bathing on a hot day tends to make the complexion rough and red looking. The action of the salt and the sun make one feel like a lobster. At night, before retiring, sponge your face in warm water, no soap, please. Peel a raw potato, then gently massage the skin with it for three minutes. Use a gentle massage movement always moving in a circular motion. Allow the juice to dry into the skin and remain on until the morning. In the morning add a few drops of witch hazel to the water and wash the face. This will soon whiten and clear the skin (9).

In August 1937 it was suggested that if you want a complexion like a rose then you should eat a lot of onions; they are particularly good for your complexion. For people who don't like onions, it is a good idea to mix them with mashed potatoes; the onions hardly taste that way (10).

This beauty tip comes from January 1943 - Grated potato makes an excellent eye-pack for relieving tired or strained eyes. Wrap in a thin cotton pad, place over eyes, and lie down a while (11).

We will finish off with this beauty tip from September 1950 - the article shows a photo of a model, with her face covered in fruit and vegetables, with this caption. The cucumber on our model's forehead acts as an astringent and soothes her brow as well as smoothing out a few lines. The pears on her temples and in front of her ears nourish the skin. The banana on her eyes takes away that tired look. You can actually feel it coaxing out the tiredness. The potato on her nose makes it whiter. The peaches on her cheeks, above her mouth and on her chin, feed and revive the dry skin and help to give peaches and cream complexion. The carrots around her mouth take away the lines (12).

A fine crop of potatoes, almost drawfing a Fergie Tractor, 1960. 

The photo was taken by my uncle, Jim Rouse, at Cora Lynn.

Sources
(1) The Australasian, February 3, 1912, see here.
(2) Korumburra Great Southern Advocate, July 1 1926, see here.

(3) The Leader, September 25, 1909, see here.

(4) Bendigoian, March 23, 1916, see here.

(5) The Argus, March 13, 1954, see here.

(6) Geelong Advertiser, January 19, 1918, see here.

(7) The Argus, May 20, 1936, see here.

(8) The Australian Women's Weekly, October 3, 1936, see here.

(9)  The Herald, January 14, 1937, see here.

(10) The Australian Women's Weekly, August 28, 1937, see here.

(11) Gippsland Times, January 4, 1943, see here.

(12) The Argus, September 27, 1950, see here.

Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival

The first Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival took place on February 17, 1973. Over 4,000 people attended the event. It started with a Grand Parade of thirty floats from business and community groups. The floats assembled in the Railway yards, took in Station Street, Rossiter Road and other streets and then ended up in Cochrane Park. The official opening then took place at 11.45am by Sir Gilbert Chandler, the Minister for Agriculture. After that the spectators could choose from a wide range of activities including dancing exhibitions, decorated bikes, a gem display, a pet parade, vegetable competition and a cooking contest with prizes for the best sponge, fruit loaf, scones and lamingtons.

However, the highlights of this Festival and the many that followed were the Australian Potato Picking Championship, the Potato Loading competition and the Potato Carrying competition. The potato picking competition required the entrants to pick two bags of potatoes - each the standard size of 150lb (about 68 kg). The inaugural winner of this competition was Frank Spano. The potato loading competition required two men to load a 150lb bag as high as they could onto a load of pallets, the height of which was raised after each round. Winners would lift up to eight feet or about 2.4 meters. Barry and John Hester were the first winners of this event. The potato carrying competition required the men to carry the bag of potatoes over 40 yards (about 36 metres) and Norm Bethune was the first winner of this event. It all sounds like a bit of a health and safety nightmare, but men were obviously tough in those days.

 
The first festival also introduced the Festival Queen. The first Queen was crowned at a ball held on Friday, February 9 at the St Georges Hall (Wattle Theatre). The ball was organised by the W.H.Y.L.O.S. (or the Westernport Hospital Young Ladies Organisation, a fund raising group for young women to supplement the efforts of the Hospital Ladies Auxiliary). The inaugural Queen was Jenny Burton. Jenny received a sash and a transistor radio. Subsequent entries into the Queen competition, the Princesses, had to be sponsored and raise (in 1974) at least $50.00. The entrants were also judged on appearance and dress, the ability to speak in public, general knowledge of the potato industry and a willingness to represent the Koo-Wee-Rup Festival at the Fassifern Potato Festival in Queensland. The Queen was always crowned at the Festival Ball.

The Festival was promoted in the media and attracted some high profile visitors – it was opened by the Premier of Victoria, Sir Rupert Hamer, in 1979; the next year by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Winneke and in 1981 by media personality, Sir Eric Pearce. From 1975, the Festival had a float in the Moomba Parade, where the Festival Queen rode on the ‘King Spud’ float. In 1977, a new ‘King Spud’ was made as a potato costume and worn to publicise the Festival. We have this costume at the Historical Society. As the Festival grew other events were added, for instance in 1974 the Australian Potato Peeling competition was introduced (the inaugural winner was Mrs Joyce Mills); in 1977, the heaviest potato; in 1978, junior bagging and carrying competitions and in 1981 the Ladies potato bagging.

The 1979 Potato Festival Promotion in Bourke Street, Melbourne

Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society photo

The whole idea of the Potato Festival was to raise money for the Westernport Memorial Hospital and the first Festival raised over $2,000. The concept of a Festival was discussed in 1972 and in the October of that year the Chamber of Commerce Sub-committee for the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival met for the first time. Those present were Keith Ridgway, Ken Huxtable, Ron Townley, C.Fisher, J. Acciarito, Keith Doherty and Harry Graham. Harry Graham was elected Chairman and the planning and organisation undertaken by this group resulted in the first successful Festival. Around September 1973, the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival Committee was formed, with Harry Burton as inaugural President, and the members of this Committee continued to manage successful Festivals with great support from local business and community groups.

The last Festival was held on March 25, 2000. From reports that we have at the Historical Society it appears that in the previous years support in some quarters was dwindling, plus there was some uncertainty over the future of the Hospital, which was renamed Koo-Wee-Rup Regional Health Services in February 1997. On Friday, February 16 2001 the former Potato Festival Committee members met to ‘farewell a community institution’ as the Pakenham Gazette reported. The Committee had an opportunity to reflect on the success of past Festivals which raised large amounts of money to support the local Hospital and put Koo-Wee-Rup and its potato festival on the map.

There are photos of the 1987 Festival, here. 
 

The late Fred Hooper, Head Master at Koo-Wee-Rup High School for close to twenty years from 1963, has written a book on the history of the Potato Festival, At King Spuds Court: the story of the Koo-Wee-Rup Potato Festival’s first ten years (1972-1982). It is available from the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp Historical Society for the very modest price of $5.00.

100 years ago this week - Potatoes

100 years ago this week, The Australasian, in the Country Gleanings column reported on the good potato season on the Swamp.

The Australasian  June 26 1915

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142975577

This is how the potatoes would have been loaded. 26 tons, 310 bags, loaded from Garfield.
State Library of Victoria Image H92.301/92.

100 years ago this week - Potatoes and Asparagus

Here's the Crop report from 100 years ago. 

Bunyip Free Press October 1, 1914

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129629602

Garfield Railway Station

The construction of the Sale Railway line was the seminal event in the establishment of the town of Garfield. The Gippsland line to Sale was opened in stages - Sale to Morwell June 1877 (the material for this stage was shipped along the coast to the Port of Sale); Oakleigh to Bunyip October 1877; Moe to Morwell December 1877; Moe to Bunyip March 1878 and the last stretch from South Yarra to Oakleigh in 1879. Originally, the only Stations between Dandenong and Bunyip were Berwick and Pakenham. However a number of timber sidings developed along this line including the Cannibal Creek Siding which opened in December 1884. (1) The town of Garfield developed around this Siding. Two early staff appointments at Cannibal Creek station were Daniel McGillycuddy  and James Joseph Godrey. Godfrey was the ‘Porter in charge’ at Cannibal Creek siding in October 1885 and he became the Post Master in 1886. (2)  The Cannibal Creek Post Office was established at the Railway Station in May 1886; the station changed its name to Garfield on May 16, 1887 (3).  The Post Office moved from the Railway Station around May 1908. (4) The name Garfield came from the assassinated American President, James Garfield, who was shot on July 2, 1881 and who died on September 19, 1881, you can read about him here.

View of the Goods Shed at the Railway station in 1920. The Garfield Hall is in the background.

Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society 

It appears that Garfield was not busy enough to have a stationmaster appointed until 1907, and thus a station mistress was in charge, a Mrs Thomson.  Apparently people were unhappy about this as in April 1902, The Age reported that -

Garfield - The absence of a stationmaster here is being sadly felt by the residents, who through their progressive association are forwarding a petition to the Railway department, asking for a man to be appointed. The duties are such as a station mistress is unable to discharge. (5) 

In February 1907,  'good' news was received - Residents of Garfield are pleased to learn that a station-master has been appointed at that place in lieu of Mrs. Thomson, who has been transferred to a station in the Mallee district. (6)  Mrs Thomson, was Ada Jessie Thomson, listed in the Electoral Rolls at Garfield as the post mistress; her husband John was a railway employee and their daughter, Mary Ann,  a sewing mistress, presumably at the State School.  We have no information as to whether Mrs Thomson was happy being shifted to the Mallee. 

In the book Rigg of the Railways: Stationmasters of the Victorian Railways (7) the author Tom Rigg lists the following stationmasters as having served at Garfield -
McLean, Roderick - May 1907 to August 1911

Finnie, Norman - July 1912 to August 1916

Smith, William George - August 1916 to February 1918 (when he sadly committed suicide). (8) 
McCauley, John Alexander to June 1918 to March 1920
Lanigan, Patrick - September 1919 to February 1919

Mather, James  - around 1920 or 1921
Stewart, Francis David - March 1920 to September 1921
Lang, Elmo Thomas -  December 1921 to July 1923

Bartlett, Hermann Colin - August 1923 (9)
Marks, John Alexander - July 1924 to January 1927
Bently, Leslie George - December 1926 to June 1928
Callaghan, Henry Richard - July 1928 to January 1933
Hosking, Henry Towers - January 1933 to September 1937. Due to the economic depression his wife was caretaker part-time at Garfield.
Smith, Arthur Leslie - June 1942 to December 1944
Graham, Norman Joseph - December 1944 to December 1954. 

I couldn’t find anyone listed after 1954, but Mum says that a Mr Tighe was the Station Master around the late 1950s /early1960s. This was Ferdinand George Tighe, occupation railway employee, who in 1949 and 1954 was listed in the Electoral rolls at Tynong and in the 1963 Electoral rolls at Garfield. (10)

This is a view from the Station towards Main Street Garfield - taken in the 1980s.

Image: Shire of Pakenham slide, Casey Cardinia Libraries

Station Masters were classified according to the Station to which they were appointed, there were nine classes, and Garfield (in 1923 at least) was a Class 8 station, as were its neighbours Tynong and Nar Nar Goon. Bunyip and Pakenham were  Class 7 and so must have had more freight and was therefore busier; and Koo Wee Rup was a Class 6. (11) 

1965 Garfield Railway Station diagram from www.victorianrailways.net

Over the years, all sorts of produce was loaded at the Garfield Railway Station - vegetables from the Koo Wee Rup Swamp, apples from the local orchards, livestock, milk and other dairy products (such as cheese from the Cora Lynn factory), chaff and timber. There was a spur line that went off the main line to the Goods Shed and loading area, where the car park is now on the Highway side of the railway line.  

My Dad, Frank Rouse, used to load potatoes there. All potatoes in the 1940s and until 1954 had to be sold through the Potato Board and had to be loaded at a prescribed loading area, in this case Garfield.  They were loaded onto the rail and sent to Spencer Street railway yards where the marketing board had their shed. They were then sold by the Board. If you sold ‘out of the Board’ you were up for massive fines. Farmers were given a quota for the week, for instance seven bags (each bag was 150 lbs or 65 kg, later on they were reduced to 50kgs)  and that was all you were allowed.

The railway trucks could take 12 tons but before they were loaded they had to be inspected by the Potato Inspector, Jack Stalker. Apparently, he was a fan of the VW Beetle, so if you wanted to get your potatoes passed you just talked about VWs or if you told him you were a ‘bit worried about them’, and then he would just pass them. If they weren’t passed then you had to empty the bag, remove the bad ones and re-pack them and re-sew the bag. The farmers had to load the railway trucks themselves and some railway trucks had doors but others were like carts, with a wall about a metre or so high and in this case the bags had to be lifted by hand over the wall and then stacked in the truck. Sometimes the produce just sat there for days before they were picked up. The Potato Board finished in 1954 and after that you could sell them where you wanted. Dad and his brother Jim used Dan Cunningham as an agent and they also later loaded at Nar Nar Goon. If you sold them interstate they could be delivered by truck.

There was an interesting report in The Age in October 1929 about the theft of potatoes at Garfield, and the length that the police went to in order to solve the crime - 

Theft of Potatoes. Man Arrested at Garfield.

For some weeks residents of the district have suffered heavy loss owing to the theft of potatoes from the local railway platform. Detectives Beale and Milne, of the Railway department, assisted by Constable Dale, of Garfield, have been investigating the thefts. After a long vigil, they saw a man at 3 a.m. today loading potatoes on to a motor truck, and placed him under arrest. Later, at the local watch house, Gibdin de la Revierre was charged with illegally removing potatoes from the Garfield railway station. (12)

Garfield Railway Station. I am unsure if this is the original station or the station which was constructed after the 1924 fire.

Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society 

The trucking yards and the goods shed were constructed in 1906 and a weigh bridge was erected in 1919. (13)  In the morning of  Thursday, February 21, 1924 the Station was destroyed by fire. Here are two reports; this first one is from The Herald - 
The Garfield railway station, on the main Gippsland line was totally destroyed by a fire which broke out about two o'clock this morning. The station master, Mr Bartlett, locked up at 10.30 last night, when everything appeared to be safe, and the origin of the outbreak is a mystery. The crew of a goods train gave the alarm, but the fire had gained such a hold that nothing could be saved. (14) 

Another report in The Argus has more information about the fire -
The Garfield railway station was completely destroyed by a fire which occurred about 2 o'clock on Thursday morning. The fire was first noticed by the crew of a goods train who awakened the station master. Owing to no water supply being available, the onlookers were unable to prevent the flames from spreading. A few milk cans were rescued from the goods shed. A number of parcels, including two bicycles and a perambulator, and a quantity of passengers' luggage, were destroyed, in addition to departmental records. The origin of the fire is unknown. (15)

After World War Two, the production of briquettes at Yallourn was increased and it was expected that the 1.7 million tonnes from two briquette factories would require 20 additional trains daily above the seven existing  services. (16)  To facilitate this, the Victorian Railways made the decision to duplicate and electrify the line from Dandenong to Traralgon. The duplication work took place from 1950 to 1962, with the section from Tynong to Bunyip completed in August 1956.  On July 22 1954, an electrified rail service to Warragul commenced, the first such non-suburban rail service in Australia (17)

The two level crossings and the pedestrian crossing at Garfield were removed in conjunction with this work. The level crossing which was basically opposite the Picture Theatre was closed and the overpass constructed. Dad said the Thirteen Mile Road used to continue over the railway line to the goods yards and this was also closed. The pedestrian crossing was replaced by the sub-way. (18)

In 1929, the Sun News-Pictorial published a letter complaining about the conditions at the station - Chilly Wait - I would like to draw attention to the ‘‘comfort’’ on the Garfield railway station. Thursday night was bitterly cold, and how nice it was to sit on the platform seat, with five young children, including baby! Surely a fireplace could be built and people waiting for trains could have a little comfort. I wonder what the writer would think of the banal and tacky structures that pass for railway architecture today. (19) I wonder what the correspondent would have thought about the banal and tacky structures that pass for railway architecture today.     

The railway buildings which were constructed after the 1924 fire were still there in December 1989 - if you want a nostalgic look at them, then check out this website When there were Stations - http://www.stationspast.net

Garfield Station, up platform, view west. 11/12/89. Photographer: Dave Phillips. 

Image: When there were Stations - http://www.stationspast.net

Garfield Station, up platform, view east. 11/12/89. Photographer: Dave Phillips. 

The Garfield Hotel is on the right.

Image: When there were Stations - http://www.stationspast.net

Garfield Station, up platform, ticket window. 11/12/89. Photographer: Dave Phillips. 

Bill Parish's Fruit depot is behind, facing Railway Avenue, on the corner of Garfield Road.

Image: When there were Stations - http://www.stationspast.net

Trove list - I have created a list of articles on the Garfield Railway Station, access it here.

Footnotes

(1) https://vicsig.net/infrastructure/location/Garfield

(2) Rigg, Tom, Rigg of the Railways: Stationmasters of the Victorian Railways (The Author, 2001);  the information about Godfrey being 'porter in charge' comes from local historian  Bill Parrish’s notes on the history of Garfield, held at the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society. 
(3) Post Office gazetted in the Victoria Government Gazette on June 4, 1886; notice dated May 29, 1886. Warragul Guardian, June 10, 1886, see here; Name change - The Argus, May 6, 1887, see here, says the railway station name was changed; The Riverine Herald, May 6, 1887, see here, says the post office name was changed. 

(4) The Argus, May 4, 1908, see here.

(5) The Age, April 1, 1902, see here.

(6) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, February 6, 1907, see here. 
(7) Rigg, Tom, Rigg of the Railways: Stationmasters of the Victorian Railways (The Author, 2001)

(8) William George Smith is not listed in Rigg of the Railways. His transfer to Garfield - Hamilton Spectator, August 18, 1916, see here; death - The Herald, February 15, 1918, see here; death notice The Argus, February 18, 1918, see here.

(9) For some reason, Hermann Bartlett's only service in Rigg of the Railways is at Kilmany from March 1917. However, the Gippsland Times of August 30, 1923 (see here) reports that he left Kilmany after six years for Garfield. 

(10) Mr Tighe is not listed in Rigg of the Railways

(11) Rigg, Tom, op. cit.

(12) The Age, October 23, 1929, see here.

(13) South Bourke and Mornington Journal, February 21, 1906, see here; South Bourke and Mornington Journal, August 8, 1906, see here; South Bourke and Mornington Journal, March 13, 1919, see here.

(14) The Herald, February 21, 1924, see here.

(15) The Argus, February 25, 1924, see here.

(16) Dornan, S.E. and Henderson, R.H. The Electric Railways of Victoria : a brief  history  of the electrified railway system operated by the Victorian railways 1919 to 1979 (Australian Electric Traction Association, 1979), p. 88

(17) Dornan, S.E. and Henderson, R.H., op.cit., pp 88-92.

(18) Dandenong Journal, September 26, 1951, see here; Dandenong Journal, November 26, 1952, see here. The location of the old level crossings comes from my Dad.

(19) Sun News-Pictorial, June 18, 1929, see here.

Royal Melbourne Agricultural Show 1960

This is what the Royal Melbourne Agricultural Show used to be like.  My dad, Frank Rouse and my Uncle James Rouse (J. & F. Rouse Potato Growers, of Cora Lynn, telephone Iona 331 ) demonstrated  the washing and packing of potatoes, on machinery provided by Port Implements. You could buy the finished produce, 4 pounds of potatoes for 2 shillings and six pence. The spectators were very formerly dressed compared to today.

Show special advertisement in The Age September 23, 1960

That's Dad, leaning on the machine with his back towards the rollers.

100 years ago this week - Koo-Wee-Rup rains and a Health report

From the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of November 14, 1912.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66181744

This is interesting for a number of reasons - firstly we have had too much rain in the area over the past eighteen months or so and potato farmers especially have suffered. 

Secondly, I don't believe peas are grown around here any more. [I wrote this in 2012, but I can tell you that in 2024 there was a large pea crop in Bennett Road, Catani and also one on the 13-Mile Road at Vervale]

Thirdly, the second paragraph is a reminder to us how devastating diseases such as measles and influenza could be before immunisation and antibiotics. For instance, in 1912, the Infant Death rate in Victoria was 74; that is for every 1,000 babies born, 74 would die before they turned one. This was down from 108 in 1902. The rate is now a bit less than five. (Source: Australians: Historical Statistics (Fairfax, Syme and Weldon, 1978)