Mechanics' Institutes and the importance of a good timber floor

Good timber floors, suitable for dancing were important back in the days when Mechanics’ Institutes (and their interstate counterpart - Schools of Arts (1))  hosted dances and balls on a regular basis. 

This report from 1913 tells us the importance of a good floor not just for dancers but to the broader community. The article, from Penshurst, was about proposed improvements to the Mechanics’ Institute –
In spite of all that can be and has been said in support of the laying of a new floor, this most essential improvement has been passed over - as for as the general committee is concerned at any rate - without so much as brief mention. To say that the dancing public who have been supporting the Institute for years are indignant at this step is only expressing one of many feelings. Throughout the winter there is not another form of amusement which contributes a sum to the hall rental to be compared to that secured from the dancing public. Nearly every week - indeed sometimes twice in one week - a euchre party and dance or dance straight out is taking place in the hall, and that the floor that the patrons are asked to dance on, is sufficient to bring disfavour on the town's prosperity. (2)

Kolor South State School Euchre and Dance at the Penshurst Mechanics' Institute.

Penshurst Free Press, August 3, 1912 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165016157

What type of timber was used in floors?
Kauri Pine seemed very popular – it was used in Mechanics’ Institutes in Cowwarr in 1898; Morwell, Rosebud and Smeaton in 1905; Toongabbie in 1911; Gormandale in 1914 and Melton in 1951. In 1917 Tooradin installed a floor of Tasmanian Blue Gum and in 1888 at Blackwood and 1935 at Horsham floors of a Tasmanian hardwood were laid. In 1932 the new floor at Corryong was Murray Pine. In 1912 the new floor at Corowa in New South Wales was Jarrah and this was also used in 1939 at Bruthen. In 1954 Springvale installed a Tallow Wood floor. (3)

Tallow Wood was also used in New South Wales and it was used for floors at Gosford in 1924 and Bowral in 1949. (4) Crow’s Ash floors were installed in Gatton in 1926; Beaudesert in 1936 and Woombye in 1944 – all towns in Queensland. Brusk Box hardware was used in Epping in New South Wales in 1931.  In 1952 in Tasmania, the Scottsdale Mechanics' Institute had a Myrtle floor installed. (5) This is not an exhaustive list, of course, it is just some of the references I have found. 

Installation of floors
There were two parts to having a good floor for dancing – the installation and the preparation or maintenance. In 1905 the new floor at Rosebud was of the best kauri boards and is to be laid down in the most approved manner for dancing. (6) To be honest, I don't know what the approved manner was.

Rosebud Mechanics' Institute. I would guess this is the 1890s.

Image: Mechanics' Institutes Resource Centre, from the Dromana & District Historical Society

Even the best installation did not protect a floor. At Scottsdale, in Tasmania, in 1953,  some of the myrtle floor boards began shrinking less than six months after installation. At the local council meeting it was reported that -  The  Warden and Councillors were amazed at the fact that the floor needed treatment, as no expense had been spared in the laying down of the floor, and from the outset of the scheme, they had acted on the best advice procurable in the district. The floor has only been completed for a few months, and Councillors said that it seemed ridiculous that it needed attention so soon. The Warden said that the timber had been racked according to the advice of one of the prominent timber men in the district, the Council had been told by several that the timber was ready to be used and not to delay, and finally, the floor had been laid down by the most skilled labour offering in this area.

Councillors said that they could not understand where the scheme had fallen down, and decided that the faults must be remedied as soon as possible. Cr. Salier suggested that the C.S.I.R.O. be approached as to a suitable filling agent for the floor, and that the job be undertaken as soon as possible. The Clerk informed the meeting that a C.S.I.R.O. inspector would be in the district this week, and stated that he would take the matter up with him then. (7)

Preparation of Floors
The floor, once installed, had to be maintained to be optimum for dancing. Apparently highly polished floors could be 'too fast' and thus slippery, so sometimes sawdust was sprinkled on them to create some friction. Thus in 1898 we have this report from Cowwaar - Thanks to the committee of the Mechanics Institute a new floor of Kauri pine, 4 x 1¼ has recently been put down in excellent style by Mr Edgar Hawes, and it was a treat to dance on. At the same time no liberties could be taken with the floor, as it was as smooth and even as a mirror. It was amusing to see with what a degree of caution those who essayed their first dance waltzed and swung. The new floor is certainly a change in the right direction, and we have been very patient in putting up with the old and knotty one so long. (8)

In 1936 in the Beaudesert School of Arts it was reported that - The floor had received its final treatment by Mr. R. J. Fuller, and was in first-class condition. It was so fast that at the beginning dancers went very warily, and the first fall was recorded by the genial vice-president, Mr. J. V. Shay. (9)

On the other hand a floor could be too 'sticky' and slow.  In 1933 the floor at Bairnsdale had become very rough and heavy for dancing, so it was being replaced. (10)

In 1931 in Epping, New South Wales, at the School of Arts it was reported that -
During the holiday season, whilst the demand for the hall was slack, the committee of Epping School of Arts decided to remove the complaint that the dancing floor was not up to date. They have had it relaid with thoroughly seasoned Brusk Box hardwood, which has the reputation of being the best procurable description of timber for the purpose. With the floor sand-dressed and waxed, there should not be any excuse for local residents going elsewhere for their terpsichorean exercise. (11)

The floor was so important that we find the following sorts of references when balls or dances were advertised -
carefully prepared floor;  floor in excellent condition for dancing; in describing the new floor – should be fast enough for dancing; the floor has received special attention; floor prepared to state of excellence; new floor is equal to any in the district for dancing. (12)

At Don Mechanics' Institute in Tasmania they made the following claim in 1900 - The Mechanics' Institute is undergoing a thorough overhaul at the hands of Mr H. P. Fannon, of Devonport. The building probably ranks as one of the oldest halls on the Coast, and the floors, etc., are just as good as the first day they were put down. The floor is considered for dancing purposes second to none out of the cities in the colony. (13)

At the Corryong Athenaeum in 1932 the following decision was made regarding the preparation of the floor for a dance –
The only major improvement effected during the year was the laying of a new floor, which was made possible by the liberal offer of Mr Keays. The timber selected was Murray Pine and in spite of croakings and an inauspicious start the small brook of criticism has now ceased to flow, overcome by a large stream of praise. Guided by the experience of the first two dances held after the laying of the floor for which the preparation of the floor was left to the users, the Committee decided that the Caretaker only should be allowed to prepare the floor and that all users should pay him a fixed charge for his material and labor. Since this arrangement the floor has steadily improved and is better for each dance. The attendances have shown that the public appreciate the better dancing conditions. The Caretaker deserves great credit for the pains he has, and is taking to preserve the floor in good condition. (14)

For a ball at Frankston in 1939 it was reported that -  The dance floor at the Mechanics' will be specially planed and polished by a Melbourne firm, so that patrons will be assured of a perfect floor. (15) 

In 1944 at Woombye School of Arts - the work of laying a new floor in the School of Arts hall was completed this week by Mr. V. Batt. The flooring is crows ash and is finished with a highly polished surface…The committee is confident that the floor will prove one of the best on the North Coast. (16)

Frankston Mechanics' Institute

Volunteer Motor Corp trip to Frankston, outside the Mechanics Institute, c. 1917. 

Photographer: Herbert Bishop. State Library of Victoria image H87.34/249

What were some of the reactions from dancers of new or well prepared floors?
In 1929, at the Mechanic’ Institute in Singleton in New South Wales -The new floor put down for dancing was used for the first time, and dancers classed it as perfect. (17) It may have been perfect but another local paper had this report –
The new floor in the hall of the Mechanics' Institute, which found great favour with dancers on the opening night, March 18th, should afford much more pleasure and satisfaction on the occasion of the next dance function. On Monday afternoon the floor was specially treated, and its present well polished surface is an index of what can be accomplished by up-to-date methods. Representatives of the American Floor Surfacing Machine Company, from the Sydney factory of Burrows, Crawford, Ltd., were present with an electric polishing machine, and after the floor had been treated with a liberal application of wax, the machine was run over it, with the result that a beautiful finish was given to the floor. (18)

In another report from New South Wales, this time from Robertson in 1939 -
The dance floor of the new School of Arts Hall at Robertson was tried out for the first time on Wednesday night of last week when about three hundred dancers were in attendance at the opening ball. They were loud in their praises of the specially constructed floor and classed it as one of the best they had ever danced on. (19)  Of interest is the fact that 300 people in a country town attended a ball in the middle of the week.

In 1945, at the Mornington, the dancers were also loud in their praises  –
The new floor laid down by the Council in the Mechanics' Hall building was in use last Saturday night, when the usual Fire Brigade dance was held. Dancers were loud in their praise at the big improvement. (20)

In 1949 at Bowral in New South  Wales -  The new floor at Bowral School of Arts was used for the first time at the Scottish Association dance on Saturday night. Constructed of tallow-wood, its good surface was greatly appreciated by the dancers. (21)

In 1951 at Melton - The new kauri floor installed in Melton Mechanics' Hall was voted all that could be desired when dancers tested it at the Re-opening Ball last Monday night. A splendid gathering of over 250 people was very encouraging to the Hall Committee. (22)  Once again, the number of people attending is of interest - this ball took place on a Monday night, in a small country town - the population of Melton at the time was around 450. It shows a good community spirit. (23)

Melton Mechanics' Institute

Image: Baragwanath Collection, Mechanics' Institutes Resource Centre

We will end this post with this 'uplifting' floor story from 1927 - 

Explosion Under Dance Hall. Poowong Sensation floor lifted under feet of couples.
While a dance was going on in the Poowong Athenaeum Hall, South Gippsland, at 12.45 a.m. to day, there, was a severe explosion under the floor. None of the 50 couples on the floor at the time was injured, but the greater part of the floor was lifted over half an inch from the blocks. Apparently the cause of the explosion was gelignite, which had been placed in a tin. A few minutes before the explosion, a man, who hid his face, was seen crawling out from underneath the hall. Minute pieces of tin were found embedded in the underneath part of the dance floor, several boards of which were splintered. Police are investigating. (24)

It appears that the culprit was a man who was jilted by his former sweetheart, who refused to accompany him to the dance. On Wednesday night she danced with a man, who it is said, had been a rival of the suspect for some months. (25) They were very lucky there were no major injuries. 

Trove list

I have created a list of newspapers articled related to this topic, you can access it here. 

Footnotes

(1) I wrote this article for the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria newsletter, Useful Knowledge, which is why I have included references to Interstate establishments.

(2) Penshurst Free Press, June 28, 1913, see here.

(3) See References in my Trove list, here.

(4) Gosford Times, February 7, 1924, see here; Bowral Southern Mail, September 16, 1949, see here.

(5) See References in my Trove list, here.

(6) Mornington Standard, July 8, 1905, see here.

(7) Scottsdale North Eastern Advertiser, March 13, 1953, see here.

(8) Gippsland Farmers' Journal, October 25, 1898, see here.

(9) Beaudesert Times, April 24, 1936, see here.

(10) Bairnsdale Advertiser, June 16, 1933, see here.

(11) Cumberland Argus, February 12, 1931, see here.

(12) See References in my Trove list, here.

(13) North Western Advocate, September 8, 1900, see here.

(14) Corryong Courier, September 29, 1932, see here.

(15) Frankston Standard, August 18, 1939, see here.

(16) Nambour Chronicle, August 18, 1944, see here.

(17) Maitland Weekly, March 23, 1929, see here.

(18) Singleton Argus, March 27, 1929, see here.

(19) Bowral Southern Mail, December 8, 1939, see here.

(20) Frankston Standard, May 3, 1945, see here.

(21) Bowral Southern Mail, September 16, 1949, see here.

(22) Melton Express, October 13, 1951, see here.

(23) Victorian Places - https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/melton

(24) The Herald, March 24, 1927, see here.

(25) Sun News-Pictorial, March 25, 1927, see here.

A holiday at the Bonny Dell Guest House, Oilnda

In 1936, William and Leah Elsie Brann, and their two children Marjorie and Geoffrey,  moved from Mills Street, Hampton to Olinda, where they operated the Bonny Dell Guest House.

Bonny Dell advertisement

The Age, September 23, 1936 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205908081

Bonny Dell, Olinda

Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. State Library of Victoria H32492/803

Over the Christmas - New Year period of 1938-1939, Mrs Meyers and her son Gordon were amongst the guests at Bonny Dell.  Young Gordon looks like he is about 4-years old, so would have been born around 1934. Mrs Meyers, or perhaps Mr Meyers (who does not feature in any photos) took the following 15 photos of their time at Bonny Dell.  They have remained as a set with the negatives all these years, in their original paper packet and were discovered by my research colleague, Isaac Hermann, in an Opp shop in St Kilda recently.  I have scanned them all here, so we can all enjoy a few weeks at Bonny Dell, and as the photographs are labelled in a very informative manner, I have scanned the verso as well. This collection of photos will be passed on to the local Historical Society.

Bonny Dell Guest House Olinda, Xmas 1938-39

Guest's (Bonny Dell) Olinda Xmas 1938-39.

Mr +Mrs Anderson + Daughter; Mr + Mrs McAuley + Daughter; Miss Powell; Mrs Langford; Mr Sellars; Mr Lynch (Les); Mr Keith Kemp; Miss P. Futcher; Mrs Meyers; Gordon Meyers; Jean Walker.

Gordon Meyers (Bonny Dell) Xmas 1938-39 (Olinda). 

I wonder if Gordon received this Red Indian (as it would have been called in 1938) outfit for Christmas?

View from Bedroom door (Bonny Dell) Olinda 1938-39

Water dam Bonny Dell Olinda 1938-39

Ferns Bonny Dell Olinda 1938-39

Guest's Bonny Dell on hike Xmas 1938-39 Olinda

Olinda Bush Xmas 1938-39

Olinda Bush Xmas 1938-39

Mt Dandenong Bourke's Lookout Xmas 1938-39

Bourke's Look out Mt Dandenong Xmas 1938-39

Silvan Dam in the distance partly hidden by smoke from the Great Bush Fires  Jan 1939. Taken from Bourke's Look out Mt Dandenong.  

[The Great Bush Fires were the Black Friday fires of January 13, 1939. Read more here]

Mt Dandenong  Scene of the Great air crash, 14 killed, 1938. Taken Xmas 1938-39. 

[This was the crash of the Kyeema, October 25, 1938. Read more here.]

Silvan Dam Xmas 1938-39. 

Resting after inspecting dam - Mrs Meyers, Gordon Meyers, Miss Powell, Mrs McAuley.

Silvan Dam Xmas 1938-39.

Length 2 ¾ Miles; Height above sea level 810 ft; Crest width 20 ft; Earth fill 1679000 Tons; Water stored 8853 Million Gals; 822 acres. Reservoir Margin 8 ¼ Miles. 

The photographs were still in their original packet, together with the negatives. You can see the name Meyers written on the packet. 

The Brann family

William Edward Brann (born in 1891) married Leah Elsie Durham  (born in 1897) in 1927. They had three children Marjorie, Donald (died in 1931, aged 13 months) and Geoffrey. The Electoral Rolls show they lived at 66 Mills Street, Hampton from 1928 until 1936, when they moved to Bonny Dell. The first advertisment I can find of the Branns at Bonny Dell is the one from September 1936, at the top of this post.  The Branns were at Bonny Dell until 1954, when they sold Bonny Dell and moved to England.

Fern Tree Gully & District Times, July 29, 1954 

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article264223314

However, at some time they moved back to Victoria as William died here on July 9, 1977. Elsie (as she was known rather than Leah) died on September 5, 1986. They were both cremated at Springvale Cemetery (https://www.smct.org.au/deceased-search)

The Age, July 11, 1977, p. 22 from newspapers.com

The Meyers Family

Apart from little Gordon being born around 1934, I currently have no information about the Meyers family.

Other guests

These are the other guests -  Mr and Mrs Anderson and  daughter

Mr and Mrs McAuley and  daughter

Miss Powell

Mrs Langford

Jean Walker

Mr Sellars

Mr Lynch (Les)

Mr Keith Kemp

Miss P. Futcher

I have discovered that Keith Kemp married Phyllis Margaret Futcher in 1941; they had a son Ronald in October 1942 (see birth notice in The Herald here) and a daughter Barbara in October 1945 (see birth notice in The Age, here) and also a son Geoff. Phyllis (born in 1918) died in 2010.

https://www.mytributes.com.au/notice/death-notices/kemp-phyllis-margaret/3787459/

This is all I know at the moment about the other guests. 

George and Margaret McLellan's farm, Ellerslie, Lyndhurst

On August 8, 1908 The Leader newspaper published an article on Dairying in the Lyndhurst district. This was the start of the first paragraph - At Dandenong the two Gippsland railways diverge. The next station on the South Gippsland line is Lyndhurst, distant twenty-three, miles from Melbourne. Conveniently situated with regard to the metropolis, it is only to be expected that the district would be dotted with dairy farms. From the local station a considerable quantity of whole milk is daily railed direct to Melbourne. In this connection a Sunday railway service proves of great value to the suppliers (1)

One of these dairy farms dotted around Lyndhurst, was owned by George and Margaret McLellan. Their farming operations were reported on in newspapers in 1908 and 1912 and give us a general insight into the life of a farmer and a specific insight into their farm management. The farmer's life is often romanticised, but in reality it is a life of long hours all year round, coping with the vagaries of the weather, the high cost of feed if it is needed to be bought in and the cost of labour. The McLellans supplied milk to the Melbourne market which as the 1908 article pointed out in this connection it is well to remember that a supplier to a city milk distributing firm is bound to supply a certain minimum quantity all the year through. He cannot, like the butter factory supplier, let his cows go dry when the feed fails, but must, in one form or an other, provide them with the wherewithal to produce a normal yield of milk during every day in the year (2)

Mr G. A. McLellan's Ayrshire Herd, at Lyndhurst

Weekly Times September 29, 1917 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132695134

The two articles basically cover the same ground, so I transcribed only the 1912 article, which is below. Of interest is the fact that this article actually mentions George's wife. The reality is that on family farms the wife played just a large as role as the husband, but she is rarely mentioned in any other articles I have come across.

Before we look at the McLellan's farm, we will have a look at the McLellan family. George's father Donald, a Scotsman, took up land in Lyndhurst around 1853. In 1857 he married Catherine McMillan and they had seven children - Dugald (1859), John (1859), Margaret Ann (1862), Alexander Malcolm (1863), Archibald (1865-1868), George Archibald (1872) and Mary Flora (1870). They were all raised on the farm, called Ellerslie, Taylor's Road, Lyndhurst.(3)

 It is George Archibald who is the subject of this story. George married Margaret Close in 1905. She was the daughter of James Close and his wife Louise Hall. They were both locals, the Close family owned Willowdale, on Cranbourne Frankston Road (read about Willowdale here). Louise was a Hall from Ercildoune in Hall Road, Lyndhurst (read about Ercildoune, here). (4).

George and Margaret had three children, Gladys (born 1907, married Keith Bedwell in 1935); Mabel (born 1910, married Charles McNab in 1938. The McNabs owned Ercildoune after the Hall family, read about this here) and George Archibald (born 1916, married Barbara Perry in 1945). George had taken over the family farm, Ellerslie, and in turn it was taken over by his son, Archibald, who was still on the farm in 2004 (5). 

George snr died on December 2, 1958, aged 87. Margaret, died on September 14, 1958, aged 85. They were both cremated at the Necropolis at Springvale. (6).

The 1908 article was in The Leader, on August 8, 1908 (read it here) The article, below, was in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal of March 21, 1912 (see here)

Mr. Geo. McLellan's Dairy Farm. The Economics of Dairying.
Dairymen engaged in the supply of whole milk for the metropolitan area find that the season is entirely unfavorable. The heavy rains of winter rendered the land so boggy that the sowing of the usual crops was rendered more or less impossible. In the few cases where Algerian oats were sown the yield was extremely poor. In many instances not more than a ton of hay to the acre was harvested. Immediately on the heels of this excessively wet period set in a spring notably lacking in rain. The sodden ground soon set hard, and again almost defied ploughing. Where such fodder crops as maize, sorghum and millet were sown the results have been extremely unsatisfactory. October and November were remarkably deficient in moisture. There was a fair precipitation in December. Since then there has been an abnormally rainless interval.

About the end of January the pastures began to dry up to almost incredible extent. Contemporaneously the milk yield of the cows has fallen to unpayably low averages. This is a general consensus of opinion amongst dairymen that the manner in which the flow of milk from the cows has dwindled is almost without precedent. It is now tolerably certain that all the fodder crops are failures. With good hay at drought prices, and bran costing about £6 a ton on the farm, hand feeding is necessarily a costly item. It is claimed by some of our most capable dairymen that even with milk selling at 1/ a gallon it is not possible just now to do more than cover working expenses. There is no profit for the producer.

One of Mr McLellan's best milkers

The Leader August 8, 1908 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197064710

A Typical Case
Mr. George McLellan, of Lyndhurst, is a well-known dairyman engaged mainly in the production of whole milk for the metropolitan area. He is one of the leading Ayrshire breeders of the State, and his fine representatives are frequent prize winners at many of our important agricultural shows. His cows are bred largely on utilitarian lines, and the Ayrshires from this farm are an unusually good lot of milkers. The figures of such a farmer are therefore instructive, since there can be no question as to the good dairy character of his milking herd. The animals are also well fed-almost too well fed, one is inclined to suggest, having regard to the heavy cost of concentrates at the present time.

The fodder supplied to three good milkers.

The pumpkin was a soft skinned American pumpkin named the Mammoth is successfully grown, and is found of great

 value. It has the special quality of not requiring to be cut up before being fed to the cows. As its name suggests, 

it grows to a large size, is a heavy yielder, and provides a wholesome, succulent fodder at a time when other 

green feed is scarce (7).

Image: The Leader August 8, 1908 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197064710

The farm consists of 320 acres, of which about 50 acres is under crop each year. About 30 acres of Algerian oats are sown in autumn, while some 20 acres are seeded with Hickory King maize at the first convenient opportunity in spring. At the present time 44 cows are being milked. They consume each week 134 bushels of bran and 2 tons of chaff. In addition to the continuous service of Mr. McLellan and his wife the dairying absorbs hired labour costing £4 10/ per week. Fixed charges, such as rent or interest on the value of the land, interest on the capital sunk in stock and working plant, depreciation and rates and taxes, amount to £5 per week.

So far, the milk is selling at 11d. per gallon. The weekly expenditure (8) is therefore as follows:
134 bushels of bran at £6 per ton.. £ 8 0 0
2 tons of chaff at £3 ... .................. £ 6 0 0
Wages ... ... ... .... .......................... £ 4 10 0
Fixed charges ... ............................£ 5 0 0
Railway freights.............................£ 1 0 0
Total expenditure...........................£24 10 0

Income:
Sale of 525 gallons at 11d.............  £24 1 3
Profit on sale of stock . ..................£ 2 0 0
                                                        £26 1 3

Lyndhurst Railway Station - the milk from the McLellan farm was sent

to Melbourne from this Station.

Image: The Great Southern Railway: the illustrated history of the building of the line in South Gippsland 

by Keith Macrae Bowden. (Australian Railway Historical Association, 1970)

Charges that are ignored
According to this statement, Mr M'Lellan and his wife work hard all through the week, and at the end of it are, strictly speaking, less than two pounds in pocket. This is an accurate review of the financial position of a capable dairyman under the conditions that have obtained during the last months, and which are likely to continue for several months longer.

The question not unnaturally arises, why does the dairyman continue at such a poorly remunerative industry? There are two answers. One is that it is not always an easy matter to get out of a going concern. The other is that, like many other men on the land, this farmer ignores several charges which are essentially a part of the cost of production. For instance, the farm itself is worth from £3300 to £3500. At four and half per cent. this represents £156 per annum. Plant, including implements, horses, vehicles, engines, cans, etc., represents an outlay of £675. As the wear and tear is heavy, depreciation of at least eight per cent. should be allowed for by the owner. In other words, he is content to make a fair return over actual working expenses without paying due regard to those fixed charges which are always a recognised item in any correct balance sheet.

Labor Problems
It may be argued that Mr McLellan could have reduced his cost of feeding by growing fodder crops on the farm. To some extent this claim would appear to have a sound basis. As a matter of fact, a good area is placed under maize each year, and a portion of the crop is converted into ensilage. But when this point was submitted to Mr. M'Lellan he pointed out that it was impossible to go in for much cultivation nowadays. The labor problem, he avers, will not only prevent the dairyman from extending his cultivation as he would like, but will actually compel him to restrict it. The growing of fodder crops on right lines, their cutting, storing and hand feeding, are all operations calling for a large supply of reasonable cheap and efficient labor. At the present time this seems to be out of the question; therefore the dairyman will be able to produce less fodder for the regular nutrition of his cows.

It is pointed out that the claims of the Rural Workers' Union will represent on an average farm a weekly payment of from 70/ to 80/to each adult worker. If the eight hours' principle is cancelled, and overtime and other concessions are allowed-according to the scale formulated by the union-it is pretty safe to say that the average dairyman will have to pay £4 a week for each man he employs. A scrutiny of Mr. M'Lellan's balance sheet will show how impossible it is that his wages should be thus doubled.
(South Bourke and Mornington Journal, March 21, 1912, see here.)


Trove list - I have created a list of articles connected to the McLellan family on Trove, access it here.

Footnotes
(1) The Leader, August 8 1908, see here. I have written about local Milk Trains here https://kooweerupswamphistory.blogspot.com/2026/01/milk-trains-on-koo-wee-rup-swamp-and.html
(2) The Leader, August 8 1908, see here.
(3) Information in this paragraph comes from 100 Years in Skye 1850-1890, by Dot Morrison (Mornington Peninsula Family History Society, 2004), pp 82-83.

(4) Ibid
(5) This information is from 100 Years in Skye 1850-1890, by Dot Morrison, as above and reports on the family in the local papers, see my Trove list, here.
(6) Margaret's death and funeral notice were in The Age, September 15, 1958 and George's death and funeral notice in The Age of December 3, 1958.

Margaret's Death and funeral notice in 

The Age September 15, 1958, p. 12 from newspapers.com

George's death notice in The Age December 3, 1958, p. 23 from newspapers.com

(7) The Leader, August 8 1908, see here.
(8) It is hard to get the columns to line up. The figures show pounds, shillings and pence - hence total expenditure is 24 pounds, ten shillings and no pence and total income is 26 pounds, one shilling and three pence

Acknowledgement: This was originally posted on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.I complied and researched the story and it is hard to believe that Lyndhurst was once a farming area,so I feel this history is worth repeating here. This is one of four posts on interconnected Lyndhurst families - the others are - the Hall family of Ercildoune (see here); the McNab family of Ercildoune (see here) and the Close family of Willowdale (see here).  

Ercildoune - a farm at Lyndhurst - the Hall family days

In this post we will look at the history of a farm at Lyndhurst, Ercildoune, in Hall Road. It was occupied by the Hall family, who gave their name to Hall Road,  from around 1860 until it was put up for sale in September, 1917 and purchased by William and Mary McNab (who you can read about here)

Frederick Hall was born around 1830 to William and Grace (nee Tucker) Hall. Fred married Elizabeth Hunt in 1849 in Brighton. Elizabeth was the daughter of George and Elizabeth (nee Newman) Hunt. Fred and Elizabeth had the following children:
1. Louisa (birth registered at Brighton, 1850. Married James Close in 1867; died 1923)
2. Frederick (birth registered at Western Port, 1857; died in 1857, aged 5 months)
3. George (b. c. 1859. Married Mary Annie Thomas in 1883; died in 1929 aged 70)
4. William (birth registered at Lyndhurst, 1859; died 1942)
5. Frederick (birth registered at Lyndhurst, 1861. Married Emma Carol Gaunt in 1896; died 1942)
6. Elizabeth (birth registered at Lyndhurst, 1864. Married Percy Teychenne in 1886; died 1892)
7. Emma (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1866. Married Christopher John James in 1888; died 1941)
8. Susannah (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1868. Married Daniel Tierney in 1907; died 1955)
9. Fannie (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1870. Married Thomas James Stephenson in 1891; died 1940)
10. Walter Henry (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1873; died 1922)
11. Florence (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1875. Married Richard Ernest Einsiedel in 1899; died 1962)
12. Alfred (birth registered at Cranbourne, 1878; died 1929) (1) 
Frederick Hall died on December 2, 1896 and Elizabeth died on July 2, 1916. They are both buried at Cranbourne Cemetery. (2)

The house on the property, is now surrounded by housing estates, but is owned by the City of Casey. The property is on the City of Casey Heritage database and is listed as being constructed in c. 1888, 25 or so years after the Hall family arrived in the area and when the family obviously had some capital behind them to build a new house. The Heritage citation describes the house thus Aesthetically, it is significant as a superior and well-preserved example of a Victorian Italianate villa in a rural setting. (3) 

We are fortunate that in 1893, Fred was interviewed by The Australasian  newspaper, so we have some idea of his life and his farming methods. The article said that Fred had been on his farm at Lyndhurst, for 33 years, which is 1860; however as one child was registered at Western Port in 1857 they were obviously in the area earlier. 

The article on Frederick Hall

The Australasian July 1, 1893 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138656960

The interview with Fred was in The Australasian on July 1, 1893 (4) It is transcribed here.

DAIRYING IN GIPPSLAND.

(BY OUR AGRICULTURAL REPORTER.)

A CRANBOURNE FARM.

One of the most advanced and successful dairymen in Gippsland is Mr. F. H. Hall, of 'Ercildoune' whose farm is situated a few miles from Cranbourne, on the Frankston road. Mr. Hall has been engaged in dairying for probably a longer period than any other farmer in the colony, and on that account his experiences and the system he adopts in managing his herd are of exceptional interest and value. He arrived in Victoria when quite a young lad in 1833, and has, therefore, had sixty years of colonial experience. What a long time to look back, and what changes he must have witnessed in the development of the country. For the last thirty-three years Mr. Hall has been engaged in dairying on the farm where he now resides.

SOME EARLY REMINISCENCES
Although close upon seventy years of age Mr. Hall is still a robust, healthy man of fine physique, and a typical specimen of a jovial, burly yeoman. He performs some light work every day, either among the cows or in the paddocks, for he says he was accustomed to active employment in his early life, and complete idleness would soon kill him. His "yarns" about the digging days and the troubles of early settlement in the colony would interest many of those desirous of going on to the land to-day, and would prove to them that the present depression and difficulties are trivial compared to what they were before the discovery of gold in the fifties. "Times are considered bad enough now," said Mr. Hall, in our conversation, "but I have seen them very much worse." "I remember" he went on, "when quite a big, strong fellow, and able and willing to undertake any kind of labour, that wages were far lower than they are now." He had worked as hard as any farm hand has to do now for 3s. per week and his keep, and he even ventured to marry on a salary of 15s. a week. Young men turn up their nose at such a wage nowadays, but Mr. Hall not only made progress but reared a family on it. Of course, the comparative value of 15s. now and fifty years ago are two very different things, yet it is refreshing to hear an old pioneer like Mr. Hall speak of the present dull times with a lightness of heart which indicates the great confidence he has in the future prosperity of the country.

THE SYSTEM OF FARMING
The area of the farm is 250 acres. The land is all first-class, however, and above the average in quality of the soil in the Cranbourne district. It was originally pretty heavily timbered, but nothing like to the country further south about Korumburra or Leongatha. Similar land could be cleared to-day for about £6 an acre. The system of farming pursued is simple, but methodical. Nearly everything grown on the place is converted into milk and batter. A number of pigs and poultry are kept, but the chief pursuit is dairying. About 80 acres for hay are cultivated each season for the sole use and benefit of the cows, which are all fed liberally in their stalls throughout the winter, or whenever the grass becomes scarcer. Mr. Hall grows, also, a large quantity of green crops for mixing with the hay. At the present time there are about 10 acres of green fodder, consisting chiefly of barley and rye, ready for cutting, and which would, have been ready before now but for the dry autumn experienced. A continuous supply of this green feed is provided by sowing at different periods. A quantity of maize is generally grown for summer and early autumn feed, but the maize failed last season on account of the dry weather. When the maize crops are finished, a rotation of green barley, oats, or rye is available, and they are severally used for mixing with the chaff and bran ration. Mr. Hall has been farming on this system for years, and he finds it to be much more profitable than the usual plan of allowing the cows to dry off in their milk for want of feed.

HOW THE COWS ARE TREATED
As already indicated, the cows are exceptionally well provided for at 'Ercildoune' in the shape of food. Unless in the season when the grass is flush and verdant, they are liberally hand fed in the byre or shed at very considerable expense. Mr. Hall says that feeding the cows well is the only way—and he speaks from a long experience—to make dairying profitable. Yet the majority of farmers who make butter do not feed their cattle in winter. The question is whether they or Mr. Hall is right. I venture to assert that the latter makes most money at the business, and that surely is the main object, without discussing the relative cost or trouble attached to the two systems of feeding v. starvation. Mr. Hall also believes in providing shelter for his cattle. His milch cows are stabled every night all through the winter—a practice too seldom adopted in Gippsland, or any other part of the country. It involves a deal of extra Iabour and expense in cleaning out the stalls daily and in providing bedding; but Mr. Hall has proved that the system pays better than allowing the cows to sleep out on the cold wet ground. He considers it is of little avail feeding a cow well, unless shelter is provided at the same time. Shelter, of course, is the equivalent of food, and the greatest abundance of fodder is wasted on any animal that is exposed to severe cold. Our own personal feelings tell us that in order to be well and healthy we must put on extra clothes in winter, and, further, that we will gain more benefit by the shelter and warmth obtained therefrom than by taking an extra quantity of food. Either man or beast is to be pitied who cannot secure sufficient clothing or shelter from the cold, and if we only consider how tender and sensitive an animal a milch cow is, the folly of expecting her to yield a large quantity of milk under such conditions is at once apparent.

THE RESULTS OBTAINED
The first immediate result of feeding and stabling the cows is the much larger quantity of milk they yield. Mr. Hall was at one time in the milk trade, but he now makes butter exclusively. Since he procured a cream separator he finds butter-making quite as profitable and easy as selling the whole milk. On an average his cows yield 8lb of butter per week throughout the year. The farmers who do not feed and shelter their cows obtain less than half of that return. If the cost incurred in the better treatment of the cows amounted to the value of the extra produce there would be no profit gained; but this extra expenditure Mr. Hall declares is all returned in the benefits resulting from the manure which is collected and applied to the land. The manure is the medium which enables him to produce heavy crops of hay, green fodder, and grass, and these in turn enable him to keep nearly double the number of cattle he could do otherwise. He, therefore, gets all the extra butter produced for nothing, so to speak, and besides, from having so many more cows on the place, his aggregate returns and his profits are just about double of what they would be if the cattle were treated on the starvation system. It is easy to see from the good residence and steading, and the fine appearance of the farm generally, with everything in excellent condition, that Mr. Hall has prospered. He would assuredly have been a poor man still if he had not fed and sheltered his cows. Dairymen who follow his example will never, I feel sure, regret giving up the ruinous practice of starving their animals in winter.

(The Australasian,  July 1, 1893, see here)

After Fred's death in 1896 Family members worked the farm and in 1905 George Hall advertised the farm for lease (5)

Ercildoune for lease

The Leader, June 3, 1905  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198170067

In September 1917, the farm was put up for sale and it was purchased by William and Mary McNab, (read about them, here.) The sale advertisment, from the South Bourke & Mornington Journal September 6, 1917 (6)  for the property gives some idea of what the farm was like at that time. 

SATURDAY OCTOBER 13

At the Homestead, on the Property at 3 o'clock To Dairy Farmers, Small Holders, Farmers, Onion Growers and Others SUBDIVISIONAL SALE (in the Estate of the late F.Hall), situated within two miles of Cranbourne Subdivided into four farms, homestead and 80 acres, and three farms averaging about 55 acres each Some of the best land in the Cranbourne district. 

 KEAST, MORRIS AND MILES and STEWART AND WOOD (in conjunction) have received instructions from the executors in the estate of the late F. Hall to sell by public auction that -
Very Fine Property, containing 245 acres, subdivided into four convenient farms, namely, homestead and 80 acres of land, and three farms averaging about 55 acres each. The homestead block will be sold together with all improvements, consisting of a brick and w.b. house, large milking shed, hay shed, stables and numerous outbuildings. 

All the blocks have a frontage to a good metal road, and the land consists chiefly of beautiful black banks, nice undulating rises, and is considered by good judges to be one of the best farms in and around the Cranbourne district, being situated only about 2½ miles from the Cranbourne railway station, the land now being occupied by Mr Strong, whose lease expires within a short period. 

We would draw special attention to the sale of this land, which is very suitable for dairying, potato and onion growing, mangles and maize, and in fact all kinds of root crops. The district has a splendid rainfall, and is considered to be one of the safest in any part of Victoria. The property has been in the Hall family for very many years, and is now being sold to wind up the estate, and intending purchasers can inspect with confidence. Buyers will be met at the Cranbourne railway station, and shown over the property, by giving one day's notice to the auctioneers.

Liberal terms will be given. Plans on application to the agents. For further particulars, or arrangements to inspect, apply Keast, Morris and Miles, 140-6 Queen-st., Queen's House, Melbourne; Stewart and Wood, Alexandra Chambers, 46 Elizabeth street, Melbourne.


Trove list - I have created a list of newspaper articles on the Ercildoune property; you can access it here. 

Footnotes

(1) 100 Years in Skye 1850-1890, by Dot Morrison (Mornington Peninsula Family History Society, 2004), pp 75-76.  and the  Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages

(2) Frederick and Elizabeth's death notice

Death notice - Frederick Hall

The Argus, December 5, 1896 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9167993

 

Death notice - Elizabeth Hall

The Argus, July 3, 1916 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1598064

(3) Victorian Heritage Database https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/63135

(4) The Australasian,  July 1, 1893, see here.

(5) The Leader, June 3, 1905, see here.  

(6) South Bourke & Mornington Journal September 6, 1917, see here.

Acknowledgement: This was originally posted on my work blog, Casey Cardinia Links to our Past.

 I complied  and researched the story and it is hard to believe that Lyndhurst was once a farming area, so I feel this history is worth repeating here. This is one of four posts on interconnected Lyndhurst families  - the others are - the McLellan family of Ellerslie (see here); the McNab family of Ercildoune (see here) and the Close family of Willowdale (see here).