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“SUNNYSIDE” & “BOONGADOO”
By Wally Filmer
Walter James Filmer selected land in the Kent District of Nyabing in 1910 and named it “Sunnyside”. He later purchased a homestead block in 1934 on the Nyabing Dumbleyung Road, 21 km west of Nyabing.
In 1904, at the age of 16, he arrived in Fremantle from South Australia and made his way to Katanning where his father Edward Filmer (b.1850 – d.1930) and mother Annie Martha (Bell) had a farm on Oxley Road, (Filmer Road) Katanning. They had eight children – Hubert Edward, Alfred Thomas, Frank Gordon, Gilbert Stevens, Preston Charles, Walter James, Harold Octavius, Gertrude Everilda Annie Pollard (nee Filmer), Harry Joseph Filmer.
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FIRST GENERATION
Walter James & Ethel Blanche (nee Kenwood)
Walter James Filmer (b.1888 – d.1958) selected land in the Kent District of Nyabing in 1910. Known as “Sunnyside”, Williams location 14009 a first class homestead block at a cost of £1 ($2) and Williams Location 9181 in 1934 on the Nyabing Dumbleyung Road, 21 km west of Nyabing.
Walter and Ethel Filmer
Walter James (known as Wally) came from Adelaide to Fremantle by cattle boat in 1904 at the age of 16. After arriving in Fremantle he made his way to Katanning where his father Edward (b.1850 – d.1930) had a farm on Oxley Road, (Filmer Road) Katanning. Walter James became one of the best blade shearers in the district, as well as a clearer of land by axe. The shearing rates were £1 ($2) per 100 sheep shorn plus keep. Wally would blade shear 120 -150 per day.
Whenever time allowed Wally would travel from Bullock Hills with his future brother-in-law Fred Kenward. They had separate selections of land to clear and their mode of transport was one horse. One person would ride for an hour then tie the horse to a tree and start running, the other would run until he reached the horse and then start riding. W.J. lived in a tent for two years under salmon gum trees in the ram paddock east of the “Sunnyside” homestead, he then built a room using upright sticks nine-feet high with mud filling up in between. Later he built a two-room mud bat house. Both rooms had an iron roof. His first shed was of upright sticks with a straw roof. There was one dam on the farm of 1,000 yards put down by Gunn Bros and was financed by the Agricultural Bank. After ten years Wally had 550 acres cleared, three dams, five miles of sheep fencing, horses, two cows and 250 sheep. Pigs were not profitable for W.J. Filmer and he sold them all in disgust “a lot of work for very little profit” he wrote.
Walter married Ethel Blanche Kenward in 1911. They raised five children on the farm – Ivy, May, Roy, Jack and Stan. W.J.F.’s first crop in 1911 was 24 acres from which he received 16 bags of wheat. This was scratched up with a four furrow plough and five horses, wheat seed hand broadcast and tree branches dragged over it to cover the seed.
W.J.F., who was still developing the land, sadly had to leave the farm in 1922 when his wife Ethel died of Tuberculosis (TB). He purchased a house in Katanning.
The house was walking distance to town and the Katanning school. He had five children aged nine months to seven years to look after and educate. He employed several housekeepers over the years to look after the children. He leased the farm until his eldest son Walter Roy Filmer (Roy) was old enough to take it over at 15 years of age. Walter James Filmer married Henrietta Thoman in 1929 they had a son Victor Filmer.
Walter James Filmer became a businessman in Katanning. He started a machinery business, W.J. Filmer then Filmer & Forbes then Filmer Brothers. He was a man of ambition, drive and toughness, but also a fair and honest businessman. He had a laugh that could be heard three blocks away and very distinguished with a pipe in his mouth. Wally and Henrietta retired to Emu Point, Albany.
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SECOND GENERATION
Walter Roy & Lena Madge (nee McDougall)
When Walter Roy Filmer (b.1917- d.2010) (known as Roy) turned 14 years of age his father Walter James Filmer told him he had to start work at the shop owned by W.J. Filmer. Roy enjoyed school at Katanning and was a very good scholar. He served petrol, bought kangaroo and rabbit skins, bags of wool, sheep skins and manna gum. It was during the serious depression time and he received two shillings a week for the skins and gum and an extra sixpence a week if he served petrol until 8pm and worked weekends. He banked the money and used it when he went farming buying himself a bush rug to keep warm.
Roy and Madge Filmer
1932 when Roy was 15 years of age he decided to go farming. His father still had the “Sunnyside” block. In 1937 Roy purchased 400 acres Williams Location 13821 on the south side of the road at a cost of £40/16/6 (approx. $85) Roy worked on the land for the next 70 years. Roy’s father, Walter James had started to farm the land again and had an Irish chap, Bill Henry working it. Roy recalls in his autobiography (“Sunnyside Farm” The Life and Time of Walter Roy Filmer), there was a lot of work to do, root picking, sucker cutting, poison pulling, clearing and fencing. Roy had not been back to the farm since the age of five when his mother died.
Roy was taken out to the farm by a neighbour Mrs. Lottie Rands who gave him a bed for the first night. Lottie later became fondly known as “Auntie Lottie” to Roy and Madge’s children and also Wally and Linley’s children. Roy made his bed out of mallet rails, threaded through wheat bags and propped up on sticks at the end. Bed and mattress made, he decided to sow more bags together and make a “wogga” for bed cloths, and his bush rug.
Roy batched with Bill Henry in the mud bat house full of fleas for a few years. In Roy’s book he quotes “DDT controlled flies and fleas, it was common to undress at night and find a ring of fleas around ones middle under the belt line, rather uncomfortable.”
Bill Henry taught Roy to cook Johnny cakes when they ran out of bread. Cooking was done on an open fire. Meat was kept by part cooking in salt water in four-gallon kerosene tin. Boiled rice and a few prunes or dried apricots was a favourite meal. Stores were purchased at Kwobrup from Rogers Ltd, Katanning run by Mr. Smith. Old Mr. Rands who lived near Wurgabup Rifle Range would come around in a horse and cart selling vegetables and grapes in season.
Bill Henry owned a Chev utility, so together they would go to a dance on a Saturday night at one of the district Halls; Boongadoo, Datatine, Rockwell or Badgebup. On Sunday Roy attended Church which was held in the Datatine Hall and later Boongadoo Hall. When Roy turned 17 he needed a driver’s license. He drove to town (Katanning) by himself, proceeded to the Police Station and asked the Sergeant for a license. He wasn’t overly impressed by Roy driving without a license from the farm 30 miles away so the Sergeant rang his father Wally to check on his age. Roy then received his license.
Roy Filmer
Madge Filmer
said it was love at first sight. The “Sunnyside” homestead was contracted to Pietro Capararo to build in 1940 and a contract was legally drawn up and signed by Roy and Pietro with clauses 1 – 21 to be carried out on the building. The cost of the four-room stone home was £175/-/- ($350). The homestead was built of stone during the war years. Some of the building stones were 5 foot long and very heavy. One very long stone is placed in the front wall. The house was ready for Roy and Madge to move into when they married in March 1941. Roy and Madge started their family in 1943 with Norma, 1945 Valerie & Lorraine (twins) and 1947 Wally.
Roy and Madge purchased more land in 1960, Kojonup Location 5844, etc. from Harry Anderson, “Montalta”, originally selected by the Gaby family. Harry was a Swedish bachelor, lived in a small tin humpy, his cans and bottles were throwing distance from his camp and his dog’s kennel was a huge hollow tree. He retired to Katanning. Harry was the last farmer to own Clydesdale horses and as no one wanted them, they were shot. When the bones were found the paddock was named Clydesdale in remembrance of those strong large horses who once worked the land. Roy and Madge Filmer cleared Clydesdale and North paddocks.
Mick Kennedy worked with the Filmer’s for many years.
Roy started the Boongadoo Bush Fire Brigade and meetings were held at the Boongadoo Hall north of the Boongadoo homestead. This was the first brigade in the Kent Shire. Roy and Madge had an Irishman, Michael (Mick) Kennedy working for them. Madge was kept very busy with the children, cooking and organising the household. Madge was an excellent cook and helped on the farm when time permitted.
Mick lived in a Cottage away from the main homestead. He did a bit of shearing each year around the district learning on 100 old sheep of Roy and Madge’s they wanted to sell. Roy gave Mick a hand piece and a book on how to shear and left him to it. When Mick left Sunnyside, the Filmer farm after 14 yrs, he worked for Ross and Norma (nee Filmer) Hersey of Badgebup until he retired to Katanning. Mick Kennedy was a legend around Nyabing.
Roy suffered pain in his right arm from childhood. His right arm was shorter than his left. The pain was unbearable at times, but he continued to work and it did not stop him from doing the things he loved and enjoyed. Roy and Madge travelled to many places around the World. They also travelled extensively throughout Australia. Their travels included tours of New Zealand, 1976 Europe, England and America, 3 weeks in each. 1978 they visited China not long after the country was opened to tourists. 1980 saw them visit Jerusalem, Egypt and Kenya, 1982 Alaska, and Penang in 1992 with Norma and Ross Hersey. 1994 Tasmania for a Past Presidents bowls tour.
They both enjoyed playing bowls and Roy was a Champion bowler winning many trophies and travelling to numerous towns to play. He was honoured with a Life Membership. Roy and Madge moved from the farm to Katanning when Wally and Linley (nee Page) married in 1971. Roy travelled to the farm wearing out three vehicles over the years. Madge packed his lunch every day to the delight of Karen, Jane and Bradley as Grandma (Madge) would include a special treat for them. Behind every successful man there is a good woman to help him. This was very true for Roy. Madge and Roy enjoyed and celebrated 70 wonderful years of marriage.
Farming was in Roy’s blood, they both loved the land and Roy enjoyed helping Wal and Brad. Three Filmer generations were working side by side for a number of years, Roy, Wal and Brad. His knowledge and help was invaluable.
When Roy (aged 92) was bought out to visit the farm during harvest time he sat on the header with Wal and witnessed the header driving itself via satellite. Roy saw new technology and was amazed at how something up in the sky could tell the header where to go. He mentioned back at the house to Linley that he would not trust it. Roy was the header driver for years and adapted to new machinery very quickly. He stopped driving the harvester at 83 years of age. Roy was a very hard working, honest and diligent, wise and successful farmer. Sadly, he fell and broke his hip passing away in 2010. A proud and devoted Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather. A Gentleman.
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THIRD GENERATION
Walter (Wally) William & Linley (nee Page)
Walter known as Wally or Wal (b. 1947). Wal was educated in Dumbleyung (the bus driver stayed at Sunnyside), High School in Katanning and Narrogin Agricultural School and then came home to work on the farm. Wal purchased land in 1969 “Hidden Valley” or Slee’s from W & R Collins, Kojonup Location 7802, etc.
Wal at school
Wal invited Linley Page to a Ball held at the Nyabing Town Hall in 1970. Linley was honoured with the title of Belle of the Ball and the hospitality and friendliness of the Nyabing folk. Wal married Linley from Katanning in March 1971. She worked as a legal Secretary for five years. Moving out to the farm from Katanning was a challenge compared to town life. The farm phone system, the isolation, lack of water from drought years and carting water for the garden and homestead and our mode of transport was the farm ute. Fortunately the SEC was connected in 1969/70. Wal went out shearing off farm to help the farm income. Linley would drop him off at the farm he was shearing then drive on to Katanning, do the grocery shopping and visit parents and pick up Wal when he finished work, then home. A family car was purchased when Jane was born. After 41 years of marriage to a wonderful man, living in a lovely stone homestead and learning about the land, experiencing the changing seasons, farm life is both a challenge and a privilege. A wonderful place to raise children.
Walter William (known as Wal) married Linley (nee Page) in 1971.
We started our family in 1973 when Karen was born, 1976 Jane and 1978 Bradley. Whilst pregnant with Karen and having labour pains, Wal told me to just sit by the fire while he quickly fed the pigs before heading off into Katanning Hospital! With your first, you don’t know what to expect. The bumpy gravel Warren Road in our Valiant ute was a 53km trip (half an hour if doing the correct speed!) I felt every bump and relieved to see the Hospital. Karen was born many hours later.
Karen, Jane and Brad all travelled on the school bus to Nyabing Primary School. One week they had early bus and the next late bus. We had a pet lamb who followed the children one morning and jumped on, she was returned!
Over the years Wal has been a devoted Nyabing community member involved in The Nyabing Kindergarten, Nyabing Primary School, P & C President. Nyabing Show Committee, (Linley catering committee), Miss Show Girl Quest (Wal & Linley) Nyabing Golf Club and Football, Nyabing Oval Reticulation Committee, Boongadoo Bush Fire Committee.
Wal received an Education Award for his outstanding contribution to education in the Nyabing District. He was instrumental in making sure the teachers were comfortable and happy in Nyabing. We would invite the teachers out to our farm on weekends. Some drove tractors and helped with farming chores. Some female teachers married local farmers and now live in the District. Potential teachers doing their practical teaching stayed with us.
Linley worked at the Nyabing Kindergarten and the Nyabing Primary School as a Teacher’s Aide and Office Secretary. Studied Child Care externally while working at the Kindergarten and received a Certificate in Child Care. On the Committee of the local Brownie and Girl Guide Association which was run by Mrs. Jo Addis for 33 years.
It was not unusual for Wal to be at a meeting every evening after his farm work for different organisations. Wal is renowned for his record keeping and the farm office is testament to that. He has numerous requests from different organisations for his records.
One of our biggest achievements is winning the State and National Canola Competition in 1998. We had even forgotten we had entered our Canola crop in the competition until we received a phone call to ask if we could be interviewed. We received the news we were a finalist and attended a function in Perth, where we were then announced the National winner. It is the first time onlookers had witnessed Wal speechless. The shock of the news hit him giving way for (Linley) to make a speech, unprepared, but managed to say more than Wal. He did a very good interview for ABC radio after this initial reaction.
Winning the State and National Canola Competition in 1998
In 1999, we took the prize which was a 12-day study tour trip to Canada, North America and Germany and our personal extra trip to Paris and Switzerland. We travelled with Wheat Competition Winners. The WA prize was winning an Eastern States Tour with the other finalists in the Canola Competition. Winning two trips, we were very privileged and honoured to win this award, the biggest award in the Australian Grain Industry. Great memories.
We have also travelled to Tasmania for the World Sheep and Wool Congress. South Africa to learn about the South African Meat Merino sheep genetics. Embryos were imported and we manage a SAMM Stud “Sunnyside Prime SAMM”. In 2001 we purchased 1200 acres of “Boongadoo” from Mel and Daphne Harris which included the house and sheds. Kojonup Location 990, 991, etc. Brad wanted to continue the farming tradition so we needed more land. “Boongadoo” was some of the first land selected in the Nyabing area by four Warren Brothers. “Boongadoo” was selected by Mr. A.F. Warren. In 1898 Margaret Warren was grantee to Kojonup Locations 990 and 991.
Karen Michelle Filmer (b. 1973) attended Nyabing Primary, Katanning High, and then Secretarial College in Perth. A Brownie and Girl Guide at Nyabing. Karen is a Personal Assistant to CEO Clough Engineering and has travelled extensively. Karen married Shaye Duckworth in March, 2004. They have two daughters Caitlyn (5) and Chloe (2), Beginning the 5th generation of the Filmer’s.
Jane Elizabeth Filmer (b. 1976) also attended Nyabing Primary and Katanning High, then Notre Dame University obtaining a degree in Environmental Science. She was also a Brownie at Nyabing. Jane is a Senior Environmental Officer (Department of Environment and Conservation) Environmental Regulation Division and has also travelled extensively. Jane married Andrew Dalin in November, 2010. They both work and live in Perth. They are expecting their first child in April 2012.
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FOURTH GENERATION
Bradley Stuart & Rachell Springbett
Bradley Stuart Filmer (b. 1978) attended Nyabing Primary, Katanning High, then Wesley College and Muresk Agricultural University. He started working on the farm after completing his degree at Muresk and travelling.
Bradley Stuart married Rachel Springbett in 2005.
Brad proposed to Rachael Springbett (from York) whilst climbing Machu Picchu in Peru on a trip to South America. They married in October 2005 and they live at “Boongadoo”, Nyabing. They both attended Muresk obtaining degrees in Agriculture.
Rachael has worked as a Research Agronomist. Brad & Rachael are involved in the Nyabing Farm Improvement Group & Nyabing Progress Association. Brad is involved in the Football Club, while Rachael, Hockey, Book club and Playgroup.
Their children Oliver (4) and Georgie (2) are the fifth generation of the Filmer’s farming in Nyabing. They are expecting their third child in July 2012. In 2008 “Springfield” was purchased from Peta Patterson. Williams Location 10184, etc. The 2011/2012 harvest was interesting to say the least, Brad was hit by lightning in an electrical storm on the North Boongadoo Road beside his truck and survived!! Incredibly lucky! It has been a very wet harvest.
Four Generations of Filmer’s – Roy, Oliver with Brad and Wal in 2009
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HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED AT SUNNYSIDE
Growing crop
When W.J. Filmer sowed his first crop at ‘Sunnyside’ he scratched up the ground with an old cultivator and horses, hand broadcast wheat and dragged a tree bow over it to cover the seed. He harvested 16 bags in total from 24 acres. five bags of wheat per acre = one tonne per hectare (T/ha).
Roy Filmer with old six-furrow Mouldboard Plough that he started farming with.
W.R. (Roy) Filmer had a four-furrow mouldboard plough cutting four feet (1.22 metres) to plough the ground. Sitting on the plough pulled by horses with a half 44 gallon drum next to him with mallee root fire in it to keep warm. The horses were replaced by a steel wheel tractor that was very rough to drive on the new ground. They moved to a scarifier or disc to plough the ground and sow with a full cut point 16-row combine ten feet (3 m) wide pulled with 35 horse power (HP) (25.74 kW) international Farmall tractor with no cab and a big improvement was rubber tyres. The next big improvement was tractor hydraulics to lift the machine behind instead of hand winding the lift mechanism. This was a good help when you were getting bogged as you could lift the machine a lot faster.
Wally Filmer started Direct Drilling with his combine in 1976, one of the first people to use this new technology.
To sow a crop the ground was ploughed up killing the first weeds, then cultivated to kill the second lot of weeds, then the grain sown with a combine.
In 1976 W.W. (Wal) Filmer was one of the first in the area to start direct seeding the crop (one pass). He had a lot of back problems and all this tractor driving didn’t help so he thought this could be a better way (one pass). We still used a full cut point, meaning all the ground was disturbed.
The next improvement was moving from a combine for seeding to an airseeder which had the ability to have a wider run each round as the wings folded up for transport.
After this came the knife point which only digs a 15 or 18mm ground disturbance where the seed and fertiliser are sown. The airseeder is 36 feet (11m) wide and pulled with a 325 HP (239kW) four wheel drive tractor that has Global Positioning System (GPS) and steers itself down the paddock with an air conditioned cab. Now all the grain and fertiliser are in bulk with no more heavy lifting of bags.
HARVESTING
Gas Producer on tractor with old harvester at Sunnyside – Helen, Madge and unknown workers c1940s
The early harvesters had horses pulling them and you sat on the harvester in the hot sun with all the chaff & prickles steering the harvester with a long handle and using a choke cutter when the crop blocked up in the comb. When tractors came in, some still sat on the harvester and had long rods with universal joints going from a harvester steering wheel up to the tractor steering wheel. There were ropes to put the clutch in and out to start and stop.
Moving on we sat on the tractor with hydraulics for lifting the comb up and down with the harvester trailing behind with the comb offset. When the grain box was full it was run out into bags. We then moved to augers for unloading which saved a lot of work.
Now we harvest with self propelled harvesters that have an open front that doesn’t block up in the long comb fingers as the old harvesters did in a tangled crop. With the self propelled harvester you don’t get a neck ache looking behind you at the comb and harvester. They are self steer with GPS and record the crop yield over the paddock, air conditioned quiet cabs.
When the box is full it is unloaded into a chaser bin on the run which increases the efficiency of the harvester by about 20 percent as it doesn’t stop to unload. The chaser bin tractor also has GPS so you both drive in a perfectly straight line and don’t hit the end of the comb. The chaser bin is unloaded to a field bin or the truck for carting to Nyabing Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) all in bulk. The tractor today is like driving an automatic car. This is a vast difference from how W.J. Filmer first started in 1910.
DURING THE WAR
Petrol was very hard to obtain during the war so tractors, trucks and some cars were run on gas. This gas was made by digging a large hole in the ground and filling it with mallee roots, which were plentiful on farms in those days. The roots were set on fire and when they burnt down to be all coals, tin was placed on top and covered with dirt to completely starve the fire of oxygen, this put the fire out and left charcoal. The charcoal was then dug out when cold and put through a hand turned, homemade screen to leave clean charcoal. This was used in a gas producer on the machine where the gas was taken from the charcoal and used to run the engine. Another thing that was hard to obtain was cement. The current ‘Sunnyside’ stone house was built in 1941 when Roy married Madge. They couldn’t buy cement so the stones only have lime and sand between them.
CARTING GRAIN
When W.J. Filmer carted his first grain it was in 186 pound (87kg) bags sown at the top with the correct number of stitches per inch to stop the grain running out when stacked. These bags were carted on a wagon pulled by Clydesdale horses to Kwobrup siding when the train line to Nyabing was built. When Roy carted grain it was the same except it was done with an old Rugby truck. When you arrived at Kwobrup each bag was weighed and recorded then carried on their back up a plank to be stacked. Very hard work.
Roy Filmer carting bagged wheat from Sunnyside to Kwobrup c1940’s
When W.W. (Wal) started farming in 1965 we still had bags (87 kg) that weren’t stitched to put on the truck as when you arrived at Moornaming siding these bags were tipped into the elevator hopper and into a bulk head at CBH. Then we progressed to a bulk bin on the truck that you augured the grain out into the elevator hopper at CBH, and then came the ten-ton tipper bulk truck. We have the same today, only difference is they just get bigger bins or two trailers with more truck horsepower.
Weighing bagged wheat at Kwobrup Siding c1940’s. Bag is placed over the lumpers head to stop the grain going down the back of the neck
Sunnyside harvest c1960’s
PHONES
The first phone at ‘Sunnyside’ was a single wire on bush poles with an earth return that came from the Badgebup exchange. There were ten people on the one line. We all had different call signals, ours was two short rings and one long. The other nine had different combinations. A technician came once and wanted to know where the second wire was. He didn’t know about earth return phone lines.
Next we had to erect and maintain 8 km of our own two wired line to Datatine where it was then connected into the Telstra line to North Badgebup. We only had Crosby’s and us on the party line, better than ten. From this we had the line placed underground and is what we have today, just us on our line. Now we have mobile phones, Bluetooth in the tractor, internet via satellite and two way radios for communications.
FARM ECONOMICS
In earlier years it seemed to be easier to fund farm improvements shown in some of Roy’s figures extracted from his journals £1 (pound) in 1966 when metric converted to $2 Farm ratio of income to machinery purchases.