Northcliffe Edited by
Alison Daubney |
Fourteen families tell of life after
arriving in Northcliffe, Western Australia, in the early 1900s. One family
bought land in 1909, others from Britain, arrived on the Group Settlement Scheme
from 1924 onwards. "Our shack looked like a chook house!" and "I'm going to save
up and go back!" were two of the reactions. One boy searched in vain "for the
apples that grew on every tree in Australia".
Lack of farming knowledge saw one farmer "sow a paddock of bran" but on a lighter note, "We used to stack the neighbour's side of the hay shed first to make it look full!" The humour and hardships are summed up by a sign outside a local business: "In God we trust, all others cash. Free bread tomorrow." The families worked together to build a future. Some walked off their land, others stayed and their descendants still live on the original farms. As these stories show, humour played an important part in their survival. The stories are told by the people who lived them. |