Charsley Family
1907-1993
Keith resident from 1964 to 1993, Christine resident from 1947- 1993.
Written by Christine Butcher (nee Charsley)
Hi, my name is Christine Butcher (nee Charsley) and this is the story of the Charsley’s of Nampup. It began in 1907 when my grandparents Herbert and Effie came from Ceylon near India, to take up land in the Great Southern farming region. Under the “Conditional Purchase” scheme introduced by the government to increase farming opportunities in WA, they bought farming land and named it “Nampup”. Some of this land would later be bought back by the government to establish the town site of Nampup – later Nyabing.
In 1907 farming was just beginning to open up in the area and “Nampup” was the first farm to be established. My grandparents were Herbert John Charsley (1856-1932), born in Melbourne, and Effie Mespah (nee Davidson 1874-1959) from England. They met in India where Herbert had a tea plantation. They had two children while living in Ceylon; Wilfred and Effie Katherine. For two years Grandma and their two children lived in Albany while Herbert built the cottage on the farm. Just before Christmas 1909, the family moved into the cottage on the farm and my Dad, Richard Charsley was born on December 28.
Dick, as he was known, was the first white child born in Nampup (Nyabing) and then followed the birth of Phillip in 1911. Wil and Dick worked on the farm with their father Herbert; Phillip went on to University then went his own way, as did Katherine. Dick did a couple of years at Guildford Grammar School then he came home to the farm. Wil died in 1936 at age 31 from an injury from a shooting accident. Will was well known for his work with the Farmers Union, exhibiting at the Nyabing-Pingrup Agricultural Show and the Kent Roads Board.
Clearing the land was pretty hard labour in those days with only horses, axes and hand saws. They used to roll the timber with logs between two horses. The new paddocks had names like “Growlers” because it was hard work to clear, “480” because of its size – the biggest paddock on the farm and “Cow Paddock” because it was the home of our cattle; these are just a few that I remember.
In 1912 the powers of the day, decided that the town name “Nampup” had to be changed to Nyabing because the name sounded too much like Nannup. The government bought back some land from grandfather and Nyabing was born as the town site.
Dick married Rita Ellen Becker from Woodanilling in May 1943. They lived and worked Nampup farm in the 1920-60’s. They had two children, Neville John Charles (Born 31st March 1945) and Christine Blanche (born 12th March 1947). Dad was very proud of his farm and kept it in excellent condition.
Farming was basic back in the day, with lots of men and horsepower, and limited machinery. There was a black smith shed for shoeing horses and lots of stables for the old draft horses. Dad used to grist his own wheat to make his porridge which I was never fond of. There was a lean-to on the side of the shed for when we used to milk the cows.
Kent Road Board Members – 1934
Sitting: Messrs Altham, Goddard, G. Patterson, A.J. Blundy, G. Hobley (Chairman), M.G. Manuel, W. E. Charsley, T. Deagon.
Standing: W. Colquohan, E. Keay, W. Peanman, W. Moore, R. Mitchell (Secretary).
Dad was involved in many things; he was a Shire Councillor and he carried out fundraising for the church to be built which required many hours of driving around the district getting donations of wool and grain to sell. He also carted mallee roots by the truck load to Katanning to sell and donate the funds raised. I remember helping him on a few occasions.
In his younger days he was involved in cricket which he loved, and playing tennis (I could never beat him or mum!). He donated land for the new golf course, which is still played on today.
Mum was a busy lady too. She was on the church, golf and tennis committees, as well as the CWA. As a music teacher she used to teach the children to play the piano after school. In her younger years she would teach sewing at the Nyabing School and tend to her garden in which she grew vegetables and flowers that were entered in the Nyabing District Agricultural shows.
The farm produced not only wheat and sheep, but had an array of market style produce – fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk and milk products. The large fruit orchard had apricot, pears and peach trees, as well as a few old fig trees. Mum would gather the fruit to sell and bottle the left overs as jams and preserves to also sell around the district. She was also known for making butter and cream. Eggs were sold too. Rita was ever the entrepreneur, to supplement the family income and never one to waste produce, she would use only what the family needed and sell the rest.
We had a huge granite rock range at the back of the house, which had large rock pools. Dad used to wash his super bags in them. The bags would be left to soak for a couple of weeks during the winter months. Then we’d go back and drag them out to dry. After a few more weeks, we would collect them all and stack them up ready for harvest to store the grain in. Recycling was popular even back then. I loved to walk over the rocks in winter and spring; there were so many wildflowers and things to look at. Some people used to say Nampup was “haunted”, I never saw any ghosts, maybe it was just the cracking of the rocks as they cooled down at night.
I still have fond memories of my childhood, growing up helping Mum and Dad with the seeding and shearing. Birthday parties were always fun, a treasure hunt over the rocks and down to the “witchwood” and area of jam trees at the bottom and back home, while Mum and Dad got the party food ready. I left the farm for three years in 1960 to go to school at Saint Hilda’s Girl’s School in Perth at age 13. I came home in December 1963.
In 1964, on April 4th, a young man named Keith Butcher came to town. Ross and Pat Crosby had bought a farm and needed a young worker. Keith moved to Nyabing to become a farm hand and learnt many new things while working for the Crosby’s. Picking stones and mallee roots, driving tractors and shearing were just a few. Keith was also a bit of a sports star, and was pretty handy football player, he went on to become a big part of the Kent Districts Football Club.
Dick and Rita retired to Katanning in the Christmas of 1967. Dad (Richard/Dick) died on the 13th June 1992, aged 82, and Mum (Rita) passed away on the 23rd May 2000, aged 93.
Keith and I courted and on October 14th 1967, the Nyabing Community Church was ready for its first wedding (well almost – they were still busy laying the carpet and finishing the pews on the morning of our wedding day!). Our wedding was the first to be held in the new church and I can remember being thirty minutes late because I had forgotten the bible I was to carry with me down the aisle.
Understandably, Keith was getting worried that I had changed my mind. It was a great day and I can still remember coming out of the Church to a huge crowd. It seemed like the whole town had come out to watch the first wedding in the new Church.
Keith and I managed “Nampup” for two years until Neville came home from travelling. Neville married Isabelle (nee Foote) who was from Victoria and they had three children; Edward, Bernadette and Jacqueline.
Neville and his family continued to work the farm until it was sold in the early 1980’s. Both Keith and I loved our sport. Keith wore the number #23 guernsey for the KDFC and played his 150th game on the 14th July 1973, the year of our first grand final win. He was also the President and the coach was Ray Gannaway. I played over 200 games of hockey with Nyabing, also tennis and a bit of badminton.
We have three children; Lesa, Clayton and Jonnathon. In keeping with the Charsley tradition, they all went to school in Nyabing, then onto high school in Katanning. All are now married and have two children each of their own. Lesa played netball, and Clayton and Jonnathon both played football in junior and senior grades.
Keith and I bought our first house in December 1969 and lived at 5 Bourke Street, Nyabing until 1977. We then sold that house to go and work for Grantley Smith and lived at “Tarworrie”. We later moved to “Morialta” to work for Chris Garlick. In 1993 we left farming and bought a house in Katanning where we lived for thirteen years. Since 2005, we have lived in Esperance. Our semi-retirement has bought us closer to two of our children, and four of our grandchildren.
I still miss the farm, but I know it is in good hands. We wish the new owners all the best as we remember that it was our ancestors who helped to clear the land that they now live and work on.
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