The Deanes

Wal & Norma – Munglinup by young Wally Deane

Late 1950’s Bendigo (Victoria) Wal was cutting timber with an axe and owned a small sawmill, Norma was newly pregnant when word started to get around about an exciting new land release in the South of Western Australia. Having never been to WA, they decided to buy a block for a better future for them and their future children a 2,079 acre & 35 perches Conditional Purchase Block, which had many conditions including stipulating land, required to be cleared. The first payment was 1st October 1960 The full cost was £831.13 ($1,622), half yearly payment on 1st March & 1st Sep for the first 5 years of £3.4.0 ($7), then 1/40th of the full purchase price (£20.78, which equals about $10) on each ½ yearly day.

Note: Before 1950 This land was gutless and would not grow anything until the Agricultural Department analysed the soil was deficient in copper & zinc trace elements, so in the 1950’s they recommended that any new land should be fertilized with copper & zinc, then the land become productive, this is why almost no land was developed until the mid-1950’s and then in the next 20 years there was a huge rush and most of the area was cleared and farmed. The Western Australia Government advertised around Australia encouraging families to move to the west to develop this land.

1960 Wal & Norma, with 1 year old Wally drove from Bendigo to Munglinup to inspect their block (Lot 741), after arriving, driving up and down the main highway, looking for survey markers to identify their block without any road signs or people, they met Kevin & June Jenkins who had just arrived to start developing their farm. They become life time friends and in later years would catch many fish together, travel to New Zealand together and spent many afternoons watching their beloved Swan Districts Football Club.

Early January 1964 Wal & Norma packed up all their possessions into a 1952 Fargo truck and a 1955 FJ Holden ute, with sons Wally 3yo and James 11 months, they left Bendigo for Munglinup, saying goodbye to all their family and friends for a better life and future in the west. The 3,000km trip took 11 days on the mostly unsealed, corrugated, potholed, unhospitable desert Nullarbor Highway, arriving 20th January 1964. James had his first Birthday on the Nullarbor and once Norma thought she was being chased by aborigines, really they were only trying to sell boomerangs.

January 1964 they arrived at their 2,000 acre CP (conditional purchase) uncleared block, the family lived in the back of the Fargo truck, the nearest neighbours were many miles away, after several trips to Esperance (60 miles/100km) and Albany (240 miles/380km) to buy building material in the Fargo, a one room house was built, which had all the luxuries, a wood stove, a wood fired copper for washing clothes, kerosene fridge, kerosene lamps and large tub for bath, they had no electricity, limited water and for 4 years, this is how they lived, until they moved into a new transportable house in 1968

March 1964 They bought a tractor & plough and started ploughing 158 acres, Phil Giles seeded clover in May at £1/acre, the first dam was dug, they started fencing the cleared paddock, and Wal cut the posts from the Jam reserve and dug every hole by hand.

August 1964 Wal started working for Kelman's at Torradup, and would do many trips to Perth (370 miles/600km) in Kelman's truck, carting cattle and sheep and returning with building materials to build the large house on Torradup.

March 1965 They bought their first sheep from South Australia, 198 ewes, July they marked 152 lambs (69w, 83e), October 1965 They shore sheep, 6 bales, sold for £375, bought rams Named their farm Baroona, this is an Aboriginal word meaning “Place Far Away”

As money was made more land was cleared

1966 They built a shearing shed, developed more land, bought more sheep, 219 from SA, 180 from Thring’s, put in a 3000 yard and a 2000 yard dam, dams filled within 3 weeks after 3” of rain, shore sheep, 16 bales.

1967 Drenched 17 rams, 852 sheep, bought new Holden VT Station Wagon, seeded oats, barley, wheat, bought 262 ewes, shore 1040 sheep, 21 bales, $2,552, bought 251 Compagnoni ewes, 20 rams, bought header (harvester)

1968 They bought a 2 bedroom transportable house, a lightning plant (generator), first switch on turned the lightning plant on, last switch off turned the lightning plant off, unbelievable technology, a high TV antenna was built to capture a black & white snowy picture from Albany, needing blue cellophane over the screen to reduce the snowy reception. Bought Salami the pig, she farrowed, (8), 2 sows, 6 boars. Wal worked for Hugh Robinson managing their farms for a number of years.

1969 Bought 300 ewe lambs ($4), 11 rams, shore 2,190 sheep, 3 windmills, harvested 38 tonnes wheat, and 14 tonnes barley.

1970 Bought 38, 7 day old calves from Harvey, bought & sold sheep, shore 2,248 sheep, 67 bales, new 8,000 yard dam, baled oats hay (2,820), harvested 113 tonnes wheat, 71 tonnes barley, bought Holden HG Ute.

1971 they bought a truck ($4,000) and Wal contracted sheep transport and grain cartage around the district. Seeded wheat, rape seed, barley, mated heifers, bought & sold sheep, harvested wheat 41 tonnes, rape 46 tonnes, barley 34 tonnes, hay 1,254 bales.

1981 They sold the farm to retire in Perth, Wal died 1991 and Norma died 2012, both in Perth, in their adopted state.

Wal & Norma were members and did volunteer work for the Munglinup golf club, football club, cricket club, P & C, CWA.

Over the years they farmed sheep, cattle, pigs, wheat, Barlee, oats, rape seed (canola), clover They took a huge unknown risk to leave a safe environment, family and friends to travel 3,000km to unknown hardships, knowing return was almost impossible, they experienced many hardships, lack of money, hard work, lost contacts of family and friends, the unknown and a number of miscarriages, bringing up 2 young children.

There were times when they questioned their decision, always knowing they had made the right decision, they became Sandgropers and never looked back. Wally & James always remember their sacrifice and thank them for their decision.