WEGNER Wirrabara, South Australia | 1916
By Kelly Aitken In Awardees On November 2, 2023
Australian born of German farming stock, Maria Martha Edelgarde and Heinrich Carl Wilhelm Wegner purchased the original farm of 745 acres in 1916. Located in the mid north of South Australia, there would have been plenty to do regarding clearing land and sewing crops.
They grew oats for their horse stud and sold oaten chaff to others in the district. Photographs with the application include those of meticulously constructed haystacks for which the South Australian German farming community was renowned.
Wheat was grown and sheep farmed for wool production. The Wegners also cut timber which they hauled to surrounding towns.
The farm was transferred to Heinrich’s son Alfred Oscar in 1947 and the company formed was then later transferred to James, the current owner and grandson of the original settlers.
Over the years further parcels of land had been added to the original farm and today the Wegner’s grow wheat, peas, vetch, sunflower, safflower and canary seed. Sheep are still run on the property but they are for production of fat lambs rather than wool.