Reflections on a life well lived

A Piece of Good Land gives great insight into what life was like for new land settlers and young farming families in the state’s Mid West from the 1950s through to the ’80s.

Val and her husband Ron had begun to record their shared life together but hadn’t got far before Ron died suddenly in 1996.

It was left to Val to get the words on paper and after years of stops and starts, writing groups, searching through old papers and piecing together memories with the help of family members, her task is complete.

“I felt I owed it to my husband to finish it as we both started it together,” said Val, 82.

“When I had my 80th birthday and it was 60 years since Ron selected the farm I knew I had to either give up or get on with it.

“I did workshops at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writer’s Centre in Greenmount and got the help of an editor.”

Val’s adventure began in her home town of Meckering in 1955 when her then boyfriend Ron asked her, “How would you like to live way out in the bush?”

She was excited by the idea of Ron developing his own farm and with some advice from a bush hermit named Fred the pair bought the block later known as Four Corners, a 3600-acre farm west of Badgingarra, 200km north of Perth.

In those days it was virgin scrub bush with no communication or electricity.

Droughts, bushfires, discouraging bank managers and mining surveyors were among the obstacles the couple faced.

Ron and Val established their farm over 12 years, travelling from Meckering to carry out clearing, fencing and cropping.

They employed Frank, an “orphan” from Bindoon Boys Town, who became part of the family and was reunited with his mother many years later.

In 1967 Val, Frank and their four children (their fifth was born in 1972) were ready to move to the property permanently.

Val gives an absorbing insight into the challenges of raising a family on an isolated property and the ups and downs of sheep farming.

Ron served on the local council and became shire president, making a major contribution to the district’s development.

Val did a lot of research at the Battye Library, where she met people who encouraged her in her efforts.

“They said this sort of history needs to be recorded,” she said. “It is not just about us, there were other young families having similar experiences.”

Val’s book includes appendices providing in-depth background on topics such as government land prices and crop and stock brands, making it a valuable contribution to WA’s agricultural history as well as a personal history.

She also gives an engrossing account of growing up in Meckering and her boarding school days in Fremantle.

The couple finally left the farm and retired to Mandurah in 1990.

Val, who now lives in Wembley, has been invited to give author talks to groups and her book has been taken up by libraries and historical societies.

“I am very proud of what Ron achieved with the farm and looking back has been an enjoyable experience for me,” she said.