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 Brief History of the Katandra West Closer Settlement Irrigation Area from 1927.

by Jim Burgman (written c 1995)

             The south end of the Settlement was the first farms settled in early 1927. When completed in 1929, 114 of these farms had new settlers, 82 Overseas and 32 Australian. Of these 82 overseas settlers, 3 were from Scotland, 1 was from Ireland and the remainder were from England.

            The properties ranging from 60 to 90 acres, were boundary fenced, with some weather-board and some tin houses of four to five rooms. A cow shed and store shed were built by the settlers or the Closer Settlement Commission, who also made cash advances for fencing material, machinery, grass seed and dairy cattle. Lucerne was sown on all the properties together with sub-clover for autumn feed, hence bloat caused a lot of stock losses.

             The home of the Settlements Supervisor, Mr Bankin, was the only house in the Katandra West township until the Katandra West School was built and opened in the last few days of November 1928. Children went to school at Marionvale, Old Katandra, Marungi and Youanmite South prior to the opening.  

            The Katandra West Hall was built by early 1929. A big sports meeting was held on the property, now owned by Mick Vallence and to highlight the official opening of the new hall, a ball was held that night.  

            A small weatherboard grocery store and post office was built in 1929 by Mr Jack Noble of Tallygaroopna. A butcher shop was built by Ladlow and Longson also of Tallygaroopna, which remains as built today. The grocery store and post office was successfully managed by two local girls, Miss Vera and Nancy Kyne, for a number of years.  

            As a number of English settlers played cricket and soccer in their homeland before arriving, cricket and soccer grounds were soon marked out behind the Scout Hall of today. Some outstanding cricketers developed over the next few years. Two tennis courts were then built where they are today.

             In the early 1930's the Great Depression hit the nation, the Katandra West area did not escape it. Prices for dairy produce fell dramatically and transport was mainly horse and gigs. Only the Victoria Road to the Cemetery corner was gravelled, all the rest were dirt roads. In winter some were impassable and anyone who had a car left it in the shed.  

            All the good Lucerne paddocks were starting to die out due to wet winters. Cooch grass was starting to take over, production was dropping and discontentment was starting amongst the settlers. Brochures that the English had been shown in England of Australia and the State of Victoria, were vastly different from what they were experiencing. In 1934 the English Settlers sued the State Government for misrepresentation and a Royal Commission was set up to investigate their claims. During a long drawn out court battle the settlers won the case for compensation, husband and wife being paid 300 to 600 pounds, 50 to 100 pounds each, for up to four children. Of the 82 settlers from overseas only 9 English and 1 Scotsman remained and the larger majority returned home to England. The settlers that remained were giving the opportunity of one or two farms as additional area. These were mainly taken in the next 12 months, the ones left were rented and sold by auction in later years.

Little did the English Settlers realise that they had created history, as never before had such a legal action been taken against the Victorian Government for land compensation and won.

The Settlers that remained benefited from this court action as all farms were revalued and reduced in price. Before the end of the 1930's the Katandra West Irrigation Settlement had the irrigation water reduced from 10 shillings (1 dollar) to 6 shillings (60 cents) an acre foot, the same as around the Shepparton area.  

The residents of Katandra West area were always a very community minded, helpful lot of people to those in need. The C.W.A, formed in 1929, was outstanding in this respect and very good work has been carried on ever since, the area had men and women who were leaders in different organisations that planned for the future and fortunately the sons and grandsons and new residents have made Katandra West what it is today.  

Of all the Ex-Service Men and Women during World War II 1939 -45, Peter Hobart was the only one who lost his life, in the defence of Singapore. George Tidd lost his sight in combat in New Guinea.  

In 1944 pupils from the area where taken by school bus to the Shepparton High School, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Godwin, who was an English Settler that remained, two school buses have been operating for many years now. 1945-46 saw the connection of the S.E.C. to the area, .  

In 1949 the use of horses started to decline when the T.E.A. Petrol Ferguson Tractor arrived with hydraulics incorporated in the design. This was the start of a new revolution in farming, petrol rationing had ended and everything was starting to improve.  

In 1950 a Bowling Green was established that produced many top bowlers over the years.  

1954 saw the Amalgamation of the Marionvale, Marungi and lnvergordon South schools with Katandra West. Marionvale and Invergordon South school buildings were relocated to Katandra West, Marungi was beyond moving on account of age. All the children from these centres were transported by Godden's Bus Service, which still operates today.  

Katandra West township consists of; 54 houses built and in construction, an excellent general store and post office, a garage, a 1929 unused butcher shop, a large new hall built along side the 1929 hall, Scout hall, Kindergarten, Anglican, Uniting and Catholic Churches. The town also consists of a sports ground with lights for night football, a turf cricket pitch, concrete netball courts, four concrete tennis courts and a bowling green with lights. These facilities all have quality pavilions. Three new housing estates have been opened up in the last five years, here a number of new homes have been erected.  

Some of the Highlights Over the Years  

            In 1934 seeing John McEwan standing on a pine tree stump, one Saturday afternoon, addressing Cricketers at their afternoon tea break about the forthcoming election. He was hoping to win a seat as the County Party representative, for a Federal seat, in Parliament, which he won and retained for 37 years. When he retired from politics, He had became Deputy Prime Minister and was Knighted Sir John McEwan.

 Sport:  

Cricket 1930 -39:  The top performers were Les Dryden, Jim Pask, Stan Davy, Jack Bartlett, Jack Burgess and Ken Ellery, Harold, Frank and Jack Burgmann all played Country Week Cricket for Shepparton.  

Football 1932-39 The top performers were Jack Creighton, Bill Dean, Jack Burgmann*, Eddie Ford*, Stan LeLeivre*, Sandy McIntosh*, Paddy Wallden and George Teague.                ( * denotes all played for league teams.)  

The four Burgmann boys arrived with their parents and sister on the 21 st of January, 1928, at Katandra West. Their aim was to become dairy farmers, the same as the three generations before them, which started dairy farming in the Hunter Valley on the North Coast of N. S. W. in 1865.

In 1935, Harold and Frank secured a farm each, after the exit of the English Sett1ers and Jack in 1939, these farms were improved over the years to become dairy farms again. Harold and Frank set their farms up with grade Jerseys, Jack always had a liking for Friesians and Jim preferred Jerseys.  

Harold bred one of the top grade Jersey herds under test, for a number of years, before he sold his property in 1973. Frank started his 'Katandra' Jersey Stud in 1937 and by the early 1950's he had established himself as a breeder of quality type and production cattle. His first major achievement was breeding the Champion Jersey cow at the Melbourne Royal Show 1955-56. Katandra Silvernine 5th, many Katandra Jerseys were sold to breeders, who won Championships at all Capital Shows in Eastern Australia. Due to his ill health, in 1976, the 'Katandra' Jerseys were sold by Auction:- his milking herd, heifers and young bulls. They created an Australian record for a dispersal sale over 100 head. Buyers came from all Eastern States of Australia and also New Zealand. Her majesty the Queen was also sold a bull to use in her Jersey Stud in England.  

Although Friesians were not very popular nationwide in 1946, Jack was still determined to establish a Friesian stud. His thoughts were, "I will paint the area black and white in years to come", much to the amusement of his brothers and close friends. Jack called his Stud 'Blossom Park' and in 1947 he first showed at the Royal Melbourne Show where ten head were exhibited. During the late 1950's and the early 1960's the population of Friesians were starting to increase rapidly, mainly through A.I. breeding. Jack passed away in 1982, his mission accomplished not only in this area but Australia wide and he was a State Council member for some twenty years, also.  

Frank and, Jack judged at the Royal and Country Show's throughout Australia. Jim bought his first registered Jersey in 1938 and very little happened until 1946, after serving in the R.A.A.F.  

The Burton Jersey Stud started to grow mainly through cattle purchased from the Karindee Jersey Stud, of Mr W. P. Beattie, of Katandra West as well as Katandra bred bulls. The aim was to breed big frame high production cows which paid off in years to come being awarded as the top production Jersey Herd in Australia in 1961-62. All herds were tested by the Department of Agriculture Officers, from Melbourne and could be check tested at anytime as well as tattoo checked. Young bulls were the main sale, the majority going to Soldier Settlers in the Cobrarn / Numurkah area and the Burton Stud was finally dispersed in 1969.  

Mervyn, the son of Jim, fancied Ayrshires, he took over the Brookfield Ayrshire Stud in 1968 and in 1979 moved to his own property, 1.5km from Katandra West. Here he bred a herd of good type and production cows. He imported three bulls from New Zealand and then went on the breed the Champion cow of the Shepparton Show. The Brookfield herd was dispersed in 1989, creating an Australian Ayrshire record for the 100 head sold. The top produce cow 'Brookfield Belle Star,' was shown at the Melbourne Royal Show by her new owners and won the type and production cow for three consecutive years.  

Written and compiled by  Mr. JIM BURGMANN

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