Ogle family. Ogle family. Ogle family.
1961 – Current
Written by Kate Ogle
Dave Ogle came to Nyabing in late 1961 to start clearing a new land farm. This consisted of 1661 hectares of virgin bush. He started with two crawler tractors, a large log, and a very large anchor chain.
Dave and Kate were married in February 1963 and Kate then came to Nyabing to make a life for her, David, and their future children. The couple raised four children in Nyabing; Sussan, Michael, Mark and Judith. They all went to Nyabing Primary School and all excelled in most sports. For high school, the girls did five years at Kobeelya and the boys did three years at the Katanning High School.
Sussan did her wool classer’s ticket and came back to the district to work. She had a very good feel for wool. After getting tired of that life, she moved to Perth and was working for Sweetman’s for about five years. Leaving Sweetman’s, she went to Eneabba to farm for around five years. She then went back to Perth and was back working for Sweetman’s and buying a house in Bellevue.
She then sold everything and bought a farm at Koorda. She farmed with her partner starting her Black Suffolk sheep stud which did very well. She had a baby boy during this time. After a split with her husband both the farm and stud were sold and she now works as the Merchandise Manager for Elders in Wyalkatchem.
Michael did three years at Katanning High School then went on to do a mechanics apprenticeship with Gordon Anderson at the Nyabing Garage. After finishing his apprenticeship he worked with Gordon Anderson for a while before moving to Perth where he started work at Leon’s Garage.
Here he met Erin, they married and, after a time, moved to Manjimup where they set up a mechanical business. Michael has one step-daughter and one son. When in Nyabing, Michael played football for Nyabing and basketball in Katanning.
Mark did three years at Katanning High School and two years at Denmark Agricultural School. He completed his wool-classers ticket and worked around Nyabing and Katanning with various shearing teams. In between sheds he worked at home. He met and married Bronwen and they managed our farm until the children were school age. They then moved to Dalyellup, a suburb of Bunbury. He now works for Catalano at the mine in Capel. Mark and Bronwen have three children. Mark also played football for Nyabing.
Judith went to Kobeelya for five years and then went to work at the Katanning Telephone Exchange for three years before transferring to Telecom on Murray Street in Perth. She met her partner in Perth and they married in Mauritius. Judith has three children; two boys and a girl. She played netball and basketball in Katanning and played the same in Perth until the children came along.
I played netball for Nyabing both in Katanning and at Nyabing. I was the Secretary of the Nyabing Agricultural Society for eight years, and the Treasurer of the Nyabing Golf Club for six years, playing golf on the old course. I was made a Life Member in both clubs.
David played basketball in Nyabing and is also a pistol shooter. He rifle shoots at Wurgabup Rifle Club and has been a member of this club since 1962. He has represented the WA Veteran’s six times and Australia once. He was also a steward at the shooting in the Commonwealth Games held in Bendigo. He also played football for Nyabing – but that was a long time ago. In1992 David opened Nyabing Sheet Metal, in the yard previously known as the Nyabing Garage. He worked this business for about 12 years and then bought it home to the farm. He still does light jobs that do not involve heavy lifting. He also has Nyabing Centre Firearms; this business still operates from the farm on Manuel Road.
Early on in our farming life our machinery was not as it is today. We had two 3-Cylinder Cat Crawler tractors, one Little Giant Plough, one Pederick Root Rake, two Fordson P6 tractors [2], two old AL Harvesters [2], one Shearer Culti-trash, one strong back for picking Mallee roots, rocks, and all types of poison!! We did not run sheep for at least five years. Although the farm has been leased, Dave and Kate still live in their original homestead.
Does anyone have any photos of the Ogle family or farm that they could share?
Return to HOME Page
Return to Nyabing PEOPLE Page
Visit the LOST NYABING Facebook Group