WEBSE Peter Hilda. WEBSE Peter Hilda. WEBSE Peter Hilda. WEBSE Peter Hilda.
1954 – 2000
Written by David Webse
The Webse family of Peter, Hilda (nee York) and children moved from a farm eight kilometres east of Katanning to Kwobrup in February 1954, although Peter Webse had begun a share farming arrangement with Len Newman on his property just west of the Kwobrup siding during 1949. When they purchased and moved to the property “Wyarin” (Kojonup Location 2160), Peter and Hilda Webse had five children, Nancy (16) Peggy (14) Allan (13) Lorraine (8) and David (3).
Nancy had left school by this time and worked on the farm and mainly assisted with domestic chores. The farm house was a very busy place in those days with the constant preparing and cooking meals on a Metters No 2 wood stove [2] making jams and preserves, bread, and maintaining a ready supply of cakes and biscuits. Then there were the standard chores of scrubbing, cleaning and dusting, as well as lighting a copper to heat water for washing and bathing, milking cows morning and night, separating milk for cream to make butter and homemade ice-cream.
Nancy was also the principal operator of the manual telephone exchange [2] for Kwobrup, which was located in our house. Nancy worked with a few local families providing domestic help and, during busy times, shearing. She did this until her marriage to John Wake in March 1960 when she moved to Katanning, raising their three children Graham, Caroline and Beverly.
Peggy attended the Katanning Junior High School during 1954, boarding with an Aunt and Uncle. She then boarded privately and attended Narrogin Senior High during 1955/56 as this was the closest Senior High at that time. Peggy then completed two years’ study at Graylands Teachers College before taking a teaching position at Newdegate Primary School for two years in 1959/60.
Peggy also married in December 1960 to Jim Sambell and they moved to a number of country and metropolitan locations as school teachers. During this time they raised their three children, Lance, Christopher and Catherine, before finally move back to Katanning in their retirement.
Allan attended the Nyabing primary school during in 1954 and started the school year in 1955 until the February floods made roads impassable for the school buses for about two weeks. The floods had damaged a lot of fencing on our farm, so with much work to be done, Allan chose to leave school and commenced his working life on the land just after his 14th birthday.
In 1963 we acquired a part-cleared new land block south of Nyabing from Clive Bennet (known locally as “Speedy” Bennet) who had selected the property and commenced clearing in about 1955 (this is where Warren and Michelle Dolan now live).
Much of the early development was done using an old D4 crawler and 18-disc plough followed by heavy mallee chains and root rake. This was to become Allan’s family farm naming it “Kangaroo Creek”. After his marriage to Josephine Williams in February 1969 they both continued to work tirelessly to develop the land and, among other things, established a successful Berkshire pig stud.
Webse Family at Allan and Josephine’s wedding in February 1969.
L-R: David & Lorraine Webse, Hilda (nee York) & Peter Webse, Allan & Josephine (nee Williams) Webse, John & Nancy Wake (nee Webse) and Peggy Webse & Jim Sambell
During the ‘70s, Nyabing was in need of a suitable building to be used as a kindergarten. Allan and Josephine generously provided land on their farm for the community to sow a wheat crop and use the proceeds to develop the CWA building to a satisfactory standard.
Their two daughters, Mae-Patricia and Janet-Marie attended kindergarten there along with many of our current generation of young mums and dads. Trish and Janet also attended the Nyabing primary school until Trish commenced high school in 1983 when they moved to Albany to attend St Joseph’s College. Allan continued farming until 1992 when the property was purchased by Neville and Pam Harris.
Lorraine attended the Nyabing Primary School from 1954 to 59 inclusive. Upon leaving school she commenced helping on the farm as Nancy was about to marry and move to Katanning. She assumed the duties of operating the exchange until the automatic exchange was installed at Badgebup about 1965. Early in 1967 Lorraine commenced employment with the Stephens family who ran the local store and continued with Gannaway’s when they became the proprietors in 1970.
Towards the later part of 1972, Lorraine visited David and Marilyn in Sydney where they were living at the time, and decided to try for employment, where she obtained a job at a suburban Post Office. Here she met her husband to be, Gary Burling and they were married in January 1974. They made their home in Sydney where they raised their two children Raeleen and Peter until Gary’s premature and sudden death in January 1995. Lorraine continues to live in Sydney and has returned for many visits to family and friends.
I (David) also attended the Nyabing Primary School for my entire primary schooling from 1957 to 1963. At that time the school was in two locations with years 1 & 2 being taught in the “little school” as we called it, now the Brownie hut. Then years 3 to early high school being taught in the two aluminium prefab classrooms by the three teachers at that time.
This separation in location presented difficulties if the Headmaster (the term for Principal in those days) was needed to assist and there was an occasion when one young lad was being very difficult, so a boy was dispatched to summons the Headmaster (Mr Boxall). While this was taking place, our errant offender, walked around the classroom chanting “big fat Boxall can’t catch me” – but he did and metered out six of the best across this boy’s backside, restoring order instantly.
During my time at school, two additional class rooms were built and the school attained the distinction of becoming a four-teacher school. To my recollection, the student numbers hovered around the 90 to perhaps a bit over 100. Schools were much simpler places then with the four staff doing all the teaching, supervision, sport etc. and the Headmaster handled all the administration as well as taught full-time. Again, to my recollection, the only additional staff member to the teachers was Mrs Bell who did the cleaning.
Other than a few town kids, we were all ferried to and from school by bus. These where a far cry from those used today. They were based on a regular truck chassis with a frame constructed of timber and metal with rattly windows that leaked dust, wind and rain. One redeeming feature was that they were prone to regular breakdowns which could mean a delay in arriving at school or, even better, a day off.
As I recall, for some of the time I was at school, Gilbert’s shop provided the opportunity to buy lunch on one day a week by accessing a supply of pies and pasties from the Katanning bakery. We would walk to the shop (unsupervised shock horror!), collect our order and return to school. (Gilbert’s shop was located in the building adjoining the east side of the Nyabing Inn).
After completing High School and a Sheep and Wool course at Fremantle Technical College, I returned to the farm briefly in 1969 before heading to the big smokes of Perth and Sydney to work. It was during this time that I met and married Marilyn Murphy in February 1972. We returned to the farm in January 1974 with daughter Renee as Justine was born later in 1976. They both went to kindergarten in Nyabing with portion of their primary schooling also at Nyabing. I progressively took over the running of the farm from dad and, when mum and dad moved to live in Katanning in 1977, assumed full responsibility for the management of “Wyarin”.
During our time on the farm we were involved in a number of community organisations. Marilyn with CWA, play groups, school activities, the Agricultural Society and the like, and I was active in the local Farmer’s Union being president for a time, the Agricultural Society (two terms as president), the Kindergarten committee, the Ground Improvement Committee and even had a bash at playing golf, but found my lack of sporting prowess became embarrassingly evident.
Peter and Hilda were very active members of the community with Peter becoming a member of the Nyabing-Pingrup Agricultural Society in 1950 and exhibited sheep in that year’s show. He later became President of the society and was always a keen exhibitor of sheep, wool and agricultural produce. Hilda was equally keen with knitting, crochet, jams, preserves and cooking, both winning many trophies. There was always a flurry of activity around show day with active participation from all sectors of the community and, although the event was held in Nyabing, there was always a strong representation from Pingrup.
Peter also had a keen interest in politics and served on the Council as the representative of the Kwobrup Ward from May 1959 to May 1968. It was during this time that he was very influential in lobbying the State Governments of the day for funds to be allocated for improvements to the district. He seized the opportunity when a Government Minister was visiting for Show Day and secured funding for two public houses to be built in Nyabing. He also lobbied hard to have power supplied to the town and was successful in negotiating a deal where the Council made a contribution to a diesel generator with the balance, and the transmission lines, being subsidised by the SEC (State Electricity Commission).
Another major capital works project that Peter lobbied hard for was the construction of the town storage dam and water reticulated to the town site. Another change initiated during this time was for the showgrounds, which “belonged” to the Royal Agricultural Society, to be vested in the Shire as a sports ground. Peter also took an active roll in other community organisations such as the P&C. Upon a request from the Nyabing Ladies Guild he organised a meeting, and became chairman, of a committee to raise funds for and construct a community church in Nyabing. An annual gymkhana was held for several years to assist in the fund raising effort.
All the family enjoyed the country lifestyle engaging in local sports such as tennis at both Badgebup and Nyabing. Local dances were very regular and Peter would join in with his violin, Mrs Larter played the piano, Arnold Larter on the sax, and someone would keep time on the drums. It was a great time for us kids We would run around outside (again unsupervised) and watch the tempo of the dance pick up once the pub shut. We also noted a few of the chaps beat a retreat to the salmon gum during the dance breaks to share a “king brown” served eloquently in little tin cups kept in the glove box of their car for such occasions. Then supper would be served, sometimes in two or more sittings if there was a big crowd. Hilda, along with lots of the ladies, would lay out a banquet of little red sausages, sausage rolls, sandwiches and sponge cakes layered with cream for us all to enjoy.
The dances evolved to be more of a cabaret style event from the late sixties and were still a very popular form of socialising. They also presented an opportunity to raise funds for various sporting groups and community organisations.
As with most things there comes an end, or change. For us it was the decision to leave farming at the beginning of 2000 so ending 60 years in the farming industry in this area over two generations.
It is with the fondest of memories that I will always look back to our time in Nyabing and its people. It is pleasing to return and witness the continuing enthusiasm and pride that the people have in their town and district and would hope our families’ contribution has been of some benefit. Our mum (Hilda) passed away in September 1984. At the time of writing all other members of the Webse family referred to here survive to this day, including 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren while Peter resides at Bethshan Lodge Katanning aged 96 years.
Final Harvest Season 1999-2000 – David and Peter Webse
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