Awardees – Century Farms

CONNOR “Woolbrook” Taralga, New South Wales | 1911

Thanks to the provisions of the ‘Closer Settlement Promotion’ the family were able to purchase Woolbrook in 1911 for the sum of £1752.-15 -10d. A property of 430 well grassed acres near Taralga NSW. Francis and bride Winifred Ellsmore supported their family by buying, selling and breeding cattle, growing potatoes and grains. They had an [...][...read more ]

PEARSON “Lake View” Brinkley, South Australia | 1910

Almost from the outset as of the owners of Lake View, the Pearson family gained a reputation for hard work, openhearted generosity and community spirit. In true mixed farming tradition they turned their hands to whatever they felt would yield an income from their modest acreage. Milk , cream, butter and calves to sell from [...][...read more ]

KELLY “Highlands” Booleroo Centre, South Australia | 1875

It is believed that the Kelly family were landholders on the Isle of Man, and it is not known why they chose to immigrate to South Australia. The Colony had only just been opened for settlement when the William Kellys arrived in 1838 to find a very disorganised place short of food and supplies with [...][...read more ]

GUNNING Konongwootong, Victoria | 1922

After returning from the Great War, Alexander Gunning who had prior experience working on the land, became aware that he was eligible for land under a government program to settle returned servicemen. Through this program he was able in 1922 to obtain 330 acres of promising land at the cost of £355.05.06d near Konongwootong, Southern [...][...read more ]

D’ASCENZO “Benhar” Wanganderry, New South Wales | 1882

William and Fanny Malcolm acquired their land in the Parish of Wanganderry, High Range District of New South Wales in 1882, naming the property Benhar after the coal mining area of Scotland from whence they came. Their still standing, slab hut home was built in 1890. Fanny Malcolm did much of the farm work in [...][...read more ]

WILLIAMSON Whittlesea, Victoria | 1909

Mary Williamson aged 89 submitted the history of the dairy farm at Whittlesea Vic. which she and husband Mervyn have owned and run since 1959. In 1919 her grandfather Aaron Cockcroft had purchased the property for the sum of £7.30 shillings per acre. In time the land was inherited by his son George and his [...][...read more ]

ATKINSON “Natone Hills” Burnie, Tasmania | 1901

The barque Kingston docked in Hobart on 26 August 1854. On board were the Atkinson family, Thomas and his wife Eliza and their four children. They had left Terryglass in Tipperary Ireland in desperate economic circumstances and Thomas was indentured for two years labour to the Rev. Zebediah Pocock of Emu Bay. Thomas finished his [...][...read more ]

WEGNER Wirrabara, South Australia | 1916

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 [...][...read more ]

CLEARY Smeaton, Victoria | 1877

The Cleary farm near Smeaton ,Victoria was founded in 1877 by Irish immigrant Denis Cleary and his bride Ellen Doyle. It is today farmed by their great, great grandson Shaun. The highly productive mixed farm has a history of many different crops. The rich red volcanic soil growing excellent, potatoes, canola and lucerne and supporting [...][...read more ]

WARD “Erin’s Home” Bromelton, QLD | 1873

Charles Corcoran of Irish farming stock left Montmellick, County Laois, Ireland on the sailing ship ‘Erin Go Bragh’ after the potato famine had ravished the country. He arrived in Moreton Bay in 1862. Foregoing familiar farming, he went to work on the railways and by 1873 had amassed capital to purchase his own property on [...][...read more ]