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PRICE Thomas Senior Research by Gordon Freegard September 2020 Edward PRICE married Mercy HILL nee BRETTELL in 1748 at Little Hereford, Herefordshire, England. Children: Thomas & Mary Janns PRICE (1830-1913) Married Emma BADHAM (1838-1910) in Leominster, Herefordshire, |
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THOMAS PRICE Senior 1906 #1
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PRICE
Thomas (Senior) Born 3rd October 1865 at Red Hill Cottage,
Richards Castle, Herefordshire Son of Janns and Emma Price, Thomas Price was born at Red Hill Cottage, Richards Castle in After leaving school Thomas worked in horticulture. According to the April 1881 England Census |
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THOMAS PRICE'S BIRTHPLACE IN HEREFORDSHIRE #2
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JANNS PRICE (1830-1913) #3 |
JANNS & EMMA PRICE AT BRIDGE HOUSE #4 On 27th February
1891, at the age of 25, with a stout elm chest containing his few
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Two days later the “Albany”
reached Fremantle. He then traveled to Perth. Settling into life in a very new
emerging township was a real shock. Lesser men might have been cowed by the
mere smell of Perth in 1891. Sanitation and hygiene were unknown or ignored.
Hay Street was narrow, filthy and crowded with people, shops and hotels. All
refuse matter was allowed to drain away into the sandy soil. In summer, Perth
literally was stinking. “I can stand the heat, but I object to hell”, one
visitor complained. Finding work was hard. Tom eventually got work as a labourer in Guildford, digging clay for a brick maker. Living conditions were even worse than in Perth. Human excreta was disposed of by burying it in backyards. Women and children usually carried out this chore, sometime in perfunctory manner. At
the boarding house where Thomas was staying, the woman made bread on a bench
where she filled the lamps, and it always tasted of kerosene. But the porridge
was worse. The oatmeal was full of cockroaches. One morning when Thomas
extracted them from his steaming bowl, they completely encircled his plate.
When he complained the landlady asked another boarder, an Irishman, if he had
any complaints. He was eating up the cockroaches with relish. “I thought they
was currants” he said. |
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Thomas
soon quit the boarding house for a gardening job at Woodbridge. He was allowed
to pitch his tent in the grounds. Achievement came at its own pace and in
keeping with Tom's motto of doing things well. He couldn't accept things any
other way - a fastidious nature which often annoyed other people who weren't so
fussy. The
local dairy was one of his first targets after the cockroach episode. He
protested to the dairyman's daughter about the dirt in the milk she delivered.
She was indignant. "That's not dirt, that's cow dung!" Life was
challenging in those early pioneering days. He
worked hard developing an orchard for the owner Charles Harper, who recognised
the business potential of growing fruit. Coming from a farming family
background Thomas knew well the knack of tree growing. When the economic future
of the colony appeared more assured the Woodbridge orchards were rapidly
acquiring a reputation for excellence. |
WOODBRIDGE NURSERY, GUILDFORD #5 |
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WOODBRIDGE NURSERY CATALOGUE #6 |
When
gold was discovered at Kalgoorlie, Thomas gave notice to join the gold rush.
Harper talked him out of it by offering him a partnership in the business, to
be trading as C. Harper and T. Price at "Woodbridge Nurseries". It
was the start of Thomas Price’s great achievement – the beginnings of the vital
fruit industry. As an active parliamentarian holding a number of public positions Harper was held in high esteem in the colony. Price, too, quickly established a reputation for fair and conscientious dealing. He travelled hundreds of miles on horseback each year in order to visit clients A large well-appointed orchard..... in full
bearing..... From the broad verandahs of Woodbridge, the visitors had a view of
the verdant fruit trees, the Swan River and the sparkling cascade of the
artesian bore. A nursery
catalogue of this time shows the main emphasis on fruit trees and vines, with
an interesting collection of roses. As many as 62 varieties of apples are
listed, as well as numerous vines, citrus and stone fruit. This was an era of
agricultural experimentation in Western Australia, on which Charles Harper
thrived and which gave him the opportunity, through his newspapers, to discuss
aspects of the fruit growing industry. This was when, in 1899 Price left Woodbridge to
run the well-known Illawarra orchard in the hills at Karragullen. The land on which this
orchard was established was selected by Edward Keane in 1891, and sold shortly
afterward to Edward Wharton White and Lionel White (the manager of the Canning
Mills), and E.H. Dean Smith (a well-known Perth architect). Situated at about
1,000 feet above sea level, it is one of the most elevated orchards in the
State. The property contained some huge
blackbutt trees, jarrah and redgums, which had to be cleared by hand. In 1893, clearing and planting began, Lionel White laying out
the initial 12 acres of ‘Illawarra’ (named after the White’s family home
at Kapunda, South Australia) with a theodolite, supervising extensive
underground drainage, and preparing the ground with a team of bullocks and a
railway formation plough. An orchardist from Mundaring, Mr. Laufer, planted the
first trees. |
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EMILY CLAUDIA ROGERS c1892 #7 |
When Price took up
residence at Illawarra on 1st August 1899 the enterprise was far from
established. It was not paying, and an overdraft of 530 pounds ($1060), with
interest at the rate of seven per cent, had been incurred in the payment of
wages. On the 28th
October 1899 at the age of 34, Thomas Price married Emily Claudia Rogers, the
eldest daughter of James and Alice Rogers of Guildford. In the same year,
Thomas moved with his new wife to Karragullen to become manager/partner of the ‘Illawarra’ Orchard, relocating from the fruit tree nursery and orchard he managed at
Guildford for Charles Harper.
MANAGER'S HOUSE AT ILLAWARRA 1899 #8 |
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MANAGER'S HOUSE AT ILLAWARRA 1900c #9
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This house was built at Illawarra for Thomas and Emily. They lived in it from 1899 to 1930. Their children Eric, Hector, Wilfred and Alice grew up there. Hector lived there until 1936 then, for some years it was the residence of a number of Illawarra employees including Land Army Girls during WW2. The land for the new orchard was heavily timbered and the stumps were grubbed by hand. It was exhausting work at any time and doubly so in the hot weather, and when one man swore he had enough and swung his mattock around his head and sent it flying into the scrub, Price understood. Ploughing after clearing was a hazardous occupation. Roots were required to be removed to a depth of eighteen inches or until they could be broken off by hand, but evidently some were missed and the plough striking them resulted in a nasty clout with the plough handle on the side of the head. Price discreetly awaited a favourable time to confer with his ploughman.
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SMITH'S COTTAGE AT ILLAWARRA 1901 #10 |
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Price commenced the
clearing of a further twenty-two acres at once and established a nursery, from
which he made some sales, to provide trees for the new orchard. The old
orchard, requiring a tremendous effort to put it in good shape, made heavy
demands on him and, working early and late, he wished he had never come. To
supplement the income while waiting for the newly planted trees to bear, he
sold fruit trees, potatoes and rhubarb. In 1899 he demonstrated what could be done with thinning in an exhibition at the Producer’s Conference of Grand Centennial grapes which could only just pass through a serviette ring. In 1900 Price and
Smith each invested a further 400 dollars in the company to erect stables,
implement, storage and packing sheds, and a cottage. VERY EARLY VIEW OF ORCHARD #11 |
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THOMAS PRICE Senior WITH BABY ERIC #12 Planting was begun in the winter of 1900 and completed the following year, "a terrific effort" as his son Hector, aware of what was involved, observed years later. There were 32 varieties of apples planted at ‘Illawarra’, as well as many varieties of pears. The five main varieties of apples were Doherty’s (or Improved Yates), Jonathans, Cleopatras, Dunn’s Seedlings, and Rokewoods, while in pears, the Bartlett was the most important, followed by Gansel’s Bergamot. In addition, there were numerous varieties of stone and citrus fruits, quinces and persimmons. Thomas was a perfectionist
and his method of packing fruit obtained him the highest price ever paid for
apples at the Perth Markets, and in 1902 the Department of Agriculture, as part
of its program of education at the National Show, exhibited a case of Dunn’s
Seedling Apples wrapped in wax paper and packed for export by the Illawarra
Orchard Company, to which they were awarded a Silver Medal.
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THOMAS PRICE FAMILY c1901 #13 |
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In 1901 Thomas contributed
to four of the six trial export consignments of fruit by the Department of
Agriculture to London, and when a further trial shipment was made by the
Department in 1905, he donated ten of the nineteen cases. 1902 PLANT & EQUIPMENT An auditor’s list of plant and equipment
in 1902 is as follows; (Compare this with the 1982 list further
down this page) |
MINISTERIAL VISIT TO ILLAWARRA 15th March1902 #14 |
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THOMAS PRICE FAMILY 1906 #15 |
By 1902, there were 44 acres of fruit
trees at ‘Illawarra’, the majority apples. The earlier plantings were bearing substantially
(over seventy tons of fruit was sold), and the overdraft was paid off. At the
conclusion of the apple season in 1903 the first dividend was paid, 60 pounds
($120) on each twenty per cent share. (Price and Smith had bought out H.L.W.
White, for 1000 pounds ($2000), late in 1902, and each now held a two-fifths
interest, and E. W. White a one-fifth interest, in the partnership). Price's
wife recorded under date of 21st April 1903: "Tom went to Mr. Smith's to
tea with Mr T. (Ted) White; business after tea, ending up by giving Tom
praise for his management and by them making him a present of the price of a
cow - fourteen pounds.
GRANDMA ROGERS WITH WILFRED & ERIC #16 |
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THOMAS PRICE IN THE EARLY ORCHARD #17 |
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On 1st February
1906 Thomas commenced a trip around the world to expand his knowledge of the
industry. Firstly to the Eastern States, then across the Pacific to California
then New York and Boston, before sailing on to England to visit family and
returning to Australia via the Suez Canal. The trip took in nearly five months. There had been earlier
exports of ‘Illawarra’ fruit, with the first trial shipment to London in 1907. Thomas Price
was awarded the Diploma for Gold Medal for his apples at the Franco-British
Exhibition in London in 1908. This was only one of many awards and trophies won
by Illawarra Orchard over many years. |
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THOMAS PRICE ON HIS TRIP TO NEW YORK IN 1906 #18 |
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ERIC PRICE IN ORCHARD 1909 #19 |
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EARLY VIEW OF ORCHARD IN 1909 #20 |
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By 1911, there
were no less than 93 growers in the whole area. The growers in the Canning
Mills district (which subsequently became known as Karragullen) were obliged to
cart their produce to Pickering Brook for the next 8 or 9 years - until 1912 -
when the Government extended the line to Karragullen. The roads, other than
those which followed the timber tram lines for a few kilometres, were just
tracks and extremely torturous, with sections very boggy in winter. It took the
most isolated settler all day to transport 14 cases, per horses and cart, over
a round trip of about 28 kilometres. |
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THOMAS PRICE (Senior) WITH VINCENT SMAILES CARTING BOXES OF FRUIT TO PICKERING BROOK JUNTION 1909 #21 |
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The property in 1912 comprised 228 acres, of which 50 acres had been brought
under cultivation. The
orchard had developed and production increased to the point where Price was in
desperate need of a working partner who could assume sub-managerial
responsibilities. The annual output
in that year had reached 10,000 cases of apples and pears. He therefore
approached Frank Laverack, a nephew of Dean Smith's, who had come from Worthing in
Sussex, England. He had arrived in Albany on an Orient liner in April 1900 and
proceeded to Perth. The day after his arrival in Perth he caught the Zig Zag
train to Canning Mills and went straight to Illawarra by buggy. He had
horticultural experience in England, and learnt orcharding under Price's
direction. Later he took charge of the orchard during Price's five months
absence in 1906. While working at
Illawarra he had selected land nearby (Canning Location 492) and, in
partnership with Sydney Smailes, established a model ten acre orchard which he
named "Rokewood" after the variety of apple which he planted
exclusively. In 1907, having bought out his partner, he left Illawarra and
settled at Rokewood, where he had a small nursery to keep the pot boiling while
his trees came into bearings. Intolerant of
anything but the best, Thomas was continuously reworking absolute varieties
with improved varieties. When in 1911-12 he learned of the Granny Smith apple
he secured two trees and, impressed by their performance, began a program of
replacement. Granny Smith apples were
planted in successful trial plots in 1911-12. For 15 years after World War One
it had the biggest acreage of Granny Smith apples in Western Australia with the
area under planting eventually becoming the largest in the State. The first
shipment of these apples was exported in 1922. In 1912 Frank Laverack was asked by Thomas Price if he would like to take an interest in Illawarra. Laverack was uniquely qualified by experience for the position at Illlawarra, which he accepted. He was admitted to partnership on 1st January 1913 and became Assistant Manager, concentrating on packing. The result was that their packing became recognised and the Eastern States set their requirements in packing and grading as “Illawarra Standard”. During the construction of new manager's house Laverack and his wife Pearl White, a niece of E. W. white's, moved into Smith's Cottage where he had bached as a young man with L. B. A. Craven. A working partner
gave Price relief from the storing and packing of the fruit, a responsibility
which increased with the erection of a cold store with its special storing
requirements and an extension of the marketing season, two years later. In 1913 Thomas was
responsible for securing a school for the district by employing the Thompsett
family who had a large number of children which made up the minimum for a
school to be established. |
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KARRAGULLEN SCHOOL December 1916? #22 Teacher: Miss MAGGIE FERGUSON |
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A building of particular
interest at Illawarra is the cold store. This was erected in 1914 because
storage facilities in Perth were very unsatisfactory at the time. It is made of
Jarrah insulated with charcoal and has a concrete floor under layered with
cork. It was the first to be built on a private orchard in Western Australia
and only the third in Australia. A 48 horsepower suction
gas engine operated by charcoal gas and a small D.C. electric light plant
powered the cold store. The gas producer needed re-fuelling every 20 minutes
with one kerosene tin (capacity 19 litres) of charcoal. All refrigeration
system controls were manually operated and needed periodic adjustment,
especially the compressor piston gland to correct expansion and contraction to
prevent ammonia leaks. |
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THE 48 HORSEPOWER SUCTION GAS ENGINE #23 |
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Immigrants from southern
Italy supplied most of the charcoal over 35 years. It was a specialised skill,
especially the burning of the kilns over several days. The Italians would split
near-first quality dry Jarrah and stack it mainly in an upright position, the
whole stack ending up the shape of a dome. This was covered with green boughs
and then dirt. After the kiln was fired, small smoke holes were inserted at the
appropriate time and it the correct places. Regular inspection, day and night,
was imperative to prevent blazing out of hand. The charcoal thus produced had a
fine metallic “clink” when large pieces were banged together – a sign of good
quality. In 1930 charcoal burners were paid $5.85 per ton. |
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PREPARING CHARCOAL #24 |
BAGGING CHARCOAL #25 |
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A “Ruston” horizontal
engine superseded the gas producer in 1949 and in 1957 had an alternator
installed to supply some electricity if and when there was an S.E.C. power
failure. An extra room was added in 1932 which increased capacity to 13,000
bushels. |
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TOM PRICE Junior WITH THE OLD RUSTON HORIZONTAL ENGINE #26 |
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VIEW OF THE ORCHARD 1920 #27 |
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A MAGNIFICENT GIFT BY KARRAGULLEN ORCHARDIST Reported in “The
Australian” newspaper on 7th October 1921.
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THE PRICE FAMILY 1916 |
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THOMAS PRICE FAMILY 1919 #29 |
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In
1922, Illawarra despatched the largest consignment of fruit from any one
property to use the rail service. It was 2,268 redwood dump cases. It took nearly
a week to transport them to the rail siding, a distance of 7.5 kilometres round
trip per two wagons, each drawn by two draught horses. Horses
were always used until mechanised means of transport came on the scene. The
last horse at Illawarra was a beautiful animal named “Clyde”, who in his last
year in harness hauled 20,000 bushels out of the orchard on his own. He died
about 1954.
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"DOC" & "CAPTAIN" WITH LOAD OF EXPORT APPLES 1924 #30 |
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TEAMSTER ALF DAVIES 1924 #31 |
THE LAST HORSE AT ILLAWARRA -"CLYDE" #32 |
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The
absolute largest shipment on one vessel from one orchard was 4,000 cases in
1957 shipped to Glasgow. These were loaded in under 48 hours and comprised 13
motor truck loads. In
the 1920's Thomas bought an acre of land on Kalamunda Road to prepare for
retirement from Illawarra Orchard which he had managed since 1899. He called
the property “Pasadena” after a garden city in California U.S.A. which he had
visited in 1906. A creek ran through the property, near the road, and in winter
it became oozy mud. He employed an elderly man, Jack Montgomery to straighten
the creek, drain the land and, under his supervision, landscape it and plant
trees, shrubs, climbing vines and roses. |
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JACK HUDSON 1923 #33 |
THINNING 1923 #34 |
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In
1923 an innovation in marketing took place when the Perth City Council
established the Kerbstone Markets in Wellington Street, just east of Pier
Street. There was undercover space of about half an acre, where both fruit
growers and market gardeners from many localities plus “dealers” were permitted
to sell their product retail. The main market period was six hours Saturday
morning with a rent of 20 cents per stall per week with an annual “shop” licence
of 20 cents. The patronage of the public proved it to be a great success, with
other Kerbstone Markets opened in Victoria Park, Mount Lawley, North Perth,
Subiaco and Claremont.
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POSSIBLY KEYSTONE MARKETS, WELLINGTON STREET, PERTH #35 |
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In
1926/27 Illawarra purchased their first tractor – a “Fordson”. It proved
disappointing and was temperamental in “starting” by cranking and the use of a
magneto. The iron lugged wheels were no good in wet conditions as they slipped
everywhere. Horses were not entirely superseded until the 1950’s. On 8th December 1928, Emily Price's mother,
Alice Rogers passed away, at Illawarra Orchard, Karragullen |
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Thomas
Price Senior, retired in 1929, handing his share of the orchard to his sons, Hector
and Wilfred. In April 1930, it was reported in the “Swan and Canning Leader
Newspaper” that the local community of Karragullen gathered in the local hall
to farewell and thank Thomas and Emily for their contribution and generosity
over the past 30 plus years. Some of the comments made are listed below: Mr. Roy Gray officiated as chairman and feelingly
referred to the departure of the guests. It was Karragullen’s loss but
Kalamunda’s gain. Both Mr. and Mrs. Price were known by their quiet and
generous good deeds. An active man in local affairs and an equally hard worker
in his orchard, in which care and industry has raised it to a very high
standard. Thomas
Price responded saying he thought the speakers had been extravagant in their
praise and sentiment. He and his wife were happy to be amidst their friends.
One must be an optimist to get ahead, and imagination was also of value. He
assured them that he had not lost interest in Karragullen. In sincerity he
thanked his friends for their magnificent gift. To conclude the evening vocal,
instrumental, and other items were presented by the Misses Hewison and Simpson
and Messrs Knuckey, Sampson, Kaiser and O’Keefe. Dancing was indulged in to the
strains of music by Miss Hewison and Mr. Kaiser. Auld Lang Syne brought the
proceeding to a close. At
the age of 65, he and his wife moved from the orchard into their new house from
which they could view the garden in all its beauty throughout the changing
seasons of the year. In spring there were rhododendrons, azaleas, weigelas,
roses, carnations and daffodils followed by jacarandas, summer lagerstroemias, New
South Wales Christmas Trees, solanum, waratah, pink, red and yellow begonias,
dahlias, gerberas and gladioli. The autumn colours became richer as the golden
cassias and purple lasiandras bloomed and the leaves of the Virginia Creeper
and the liquidamber were ready to fall. In the winter there were the camellias,
poinsettias, ericas, cotoneasters, pyracanthas and English hollies. There was
also a bed of his wife’s favourites – wallflowers. |
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TOM PRICE'S RETIREMENT HOUSE - PASADENA 1931 #36 |
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Jack
Montgomery stayed on after the initial planting of the garden, living in a cottage behind
the main house. The two men worked together for long hours each day until Jack
retired. During
the day Thomas would leave the gate open so that those who wanted could enjoy
the peace of the lovely garden. Some would come for advice or cuttings and
flowers. Any interest in growing flowers and shrubs was encouraged and children
were started off with gladioli corms. Thomas would sell flowers to assist the
Kalamunda Methodist Church which held a fete in the garden each November. The
Y.W.C.A. and The Methodist Children’s Homes were also helped in this way. |
GARDENS AT PASADENA 1932 #37 |
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PASADENA 1937 #38 |
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Emily
moved into a nursing home at Como in July 1949, and sadly passed
away on 14th February 1952 aged 78. In 1949 Thomas
sold “Pasadena” to new owners, who both worked in the city, snd who asked him to caretake
for them each weekday. He then moved to live with his daughter in
Kalamunda proper, and was happy to accept the offer and would commute by bus
to spend his days in his beloved garden. At 88 he could no longer give the
garden the loving care it needed so in early spring 1954 he returned to live at Illawarra, with his
son Hector, Gladys and their children. While there Thomas suffered a heart attack and passed away the next day on the 8th February 1955. In
1930 the hand grading of apples, by the packers from the fruit spread on a
bench, was replaced with a machine grader which was an electrically driven “Cutler”
machine, imported from the U.S.A. It was the first of its kind to be installed
and the largest grader in use in the State. The machine cost 202 pounds ($404) landed at Fremantle, plus 33 per cent duty. It was driven by a one h.p. electric motor. It was 43 feet long by 6 feet wide. Experienced packers working with the machine increased their output by at least 50 per cent. One young packer, Jack Abbott, packed 143 cases of Granny Smiths in just over a 10 hour period. His tally for four days was 437, at an hourly average of 12 cases. This compared with his best tally packing off the benches and grading by eye, of 108. |
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THE NEW GRADING MACHINE #39 |
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Hector
took over as Managing Director and Wilfred managed the day to day operations on
the orchard. Illawarra under Hector and Wilfred was a living memorial to their
father. With aging trees a replacement program was necessary and between 1960
and 1971 the entire orchard was replaced. They managed it from 1930 to 1977.
The present owner, Thomas “Tom” Price Junior became as Associate Director in
1965. Thomas and Emily had four children; Eric Thomas who married Pauline Tulloch in
1934. Second marriage to Dorothy Forbes in 1979 |
GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 1949 #40 |
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THOMAS & EMILY’S
CHILDREN PRICE Eric Thomas Born 24th March 1901 Western Australia. It assumed
he was born at the home of his maternal grandparents, James and Alice Rogers, in Guildford. Married (1) Pauline TULLOCH (1890-1978) 5th May 1934 Scots Church, Adelaide (2)
Dorothy FORBES (1926-1982) 1979
Primary School – Guildford State School. It is
assume that, like Hector, he lived with his maternal grandparents. Secondary School – Scotch College for 3 years as a
boarder Early Work – 5 years at Illawarra Orchard then a
year on various orchards in New Zealand Change - did some theological training in Auckland,
NZ YMCA - 1st Assistant in boys division of
Auckland YMCA |
ERIC PRICE #41 |
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7 years with
YMCA in Canada, Singapore and NZ He expected to make YMCA his life work Depression – Depression of the 30s came. Eric had a
long period of unemployment. Returned for a year to his parents’ home at
Kalamunda. While there he met Pauline. 1935 - Moved to
Auckland where Pauline was YWCA secretary World War 2 – He had long been a Christian Pacifist therefore
refused to do military service. Spent 3 years behind barbed
wire. What hurt most was that the YMCA disowned him. This experience of
detention and discrimination together with the earlier experience of long
unemployment during the depression were part of his preparation for his later
work with prisoners and those experiences enabled him to have a deeper empathy
with them. After the War he was variously employed. He
continued to study and took his Master of Arts. He studied Criminology by
correspondence from the State University of Iowa and it was at this time that
he established the first psychological service in a NZ prison. He provided a
voluntary counselling service which he offered for half a day a week for 3+
years. 1955 - He obtained a position with the Psychology Dept
of the Education Dept in South Australia. He found that to be satisfying work
under present conditions but his real
call was to prisons. 1961 - He became the first prison psychologist in SA. He held the position until his retirement in 1966.
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ERIC PRICE 12 months old #42 |
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ERIC PRICE (left) & Unknown #43
WILFRED, ERIC & HECTOR PRICE #44 |
ERIC AND HIS FATHER THOMAS PRICE #45
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Retirement from the public service set him free to
work unhindered in the humane and enlightened treatment of offenders for the
next 15 years. In this he was a pioneer figure. He was the leader in
establishing the John Howard Society. (John Howard was a prison reformer in
England in the 18th Century). The John Howard Society here was a
penal reform group which contributed greatly to the introduction of more
enlightened treatment of adult offenders in South Australia. As its executive
secretary for 15 years Eric was its main driving force and chief researcher. In the late 1960's the South Australian Government
set up a committee to report on the reform of criminal law. Up to that point
the treatment of prisoners was mainly punitive.
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ERIC PRICE & "ENGLEBERT" 1979 #46 |
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On behalf of the John Howard Society, Eric did a
great deal of research work and this without the backing of a university
department or secretarial assistance. He was relentless and painstaking in the
work devoted to the preparation of submissions and they were described as lucid,
scholarly and inspiring. His whole emphasis was that the treatment of offenders
should be based on rehabilitation not punishment. He was highly regarded by
academic figures and researchers. He was described as a gentleman and scholar of the
old school by a member of the Society. He was a regular worshipper in Scots Church in
Adelaide. He also fellowshipped with the Blackwood Church of Christ. (He lived
in the Adelaide Hills suburb of Blackwood). He was a member and supporter of
the South Australian Council of Churches. From about 1960, with his wife, he
organised tea meetings which provided opportunity for cross communion
communication between members and the opportunity to meet and hear outstanding
Christian speakers. He was a generous giver especially to the Christmas Bowl
appeal and to all appeals for the deprived. He had a singularly fine mind and questioning faith. In 1985 Eric published a book he had written with
assistance from his brothers Hector and Wilfred. The title of the book is
‘Thomas Price of Illawarra’.
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PRICE
James Hector (known as Hector James) son of Thomas Price Born 24th November 1904 at
Guildford at the home of his
maternal grandparents, James and Alice Rogers. He was educated at Illawarra School, Guildford State School and Scotch College where he was a boarder. In his youth he was heavily interested in sporting activities, especially cricket and athletics. He was secretary of the Karragullen Sports Club in 1923-24. At the inaugural sports meeting he won the 100 yards championship and with it a gold medal presented by the Hon. R. S. Sampson, M. L. A. His other interests included Church Eldership and young people’s activities and photography. Following the retirement of his father, Thomas, he succeeded
to the management of the Illawarra Orchard Company in 1930. Gladys F. Kinross was born
on 2nd January 1910 at Brown Hill, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Her parents were James Arthur and Lydia Ann Kinross (nee Furze). |
HECTOR PRICE #47 |
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Gladys started school at North Kalgoorlie in February 1916. In March 1917 the Kinross family moved to Cottesloe where she attended the Cottesloe Primary School, then a
year at Princess May Girls’ School in Fremantle and finally she won a
Scholarship to attend Perth Modern School. After four terms at Perth Modern the
family moved from Cottesloe to Kalamunda. This meant long trips every day via
the train on the zig-zag to Perth and back. She attended Perth Modern School
for five years and during that time became a Prefect. She completed her formal education
at the University of Western Australia and graduated with a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma of Education. At the beginning of 1930 she first met
Hector after his mother had invited Gladys and Myrtle Walker to Pasadena to meet her young people. They also saw photos of Hector's recent trip to Darwin after which he walked her home and
they then saw a lot of each other from then on. Their first outing together was
to the Royal Show. On Sundays they would go together to the Lake Street
Churches of Christ in Perth. In April they became engaged and planned a wedding
for the next January. |
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GLADYS KINROSS 1911 #48 |
GLADYS KINROSS AND PARENTS 1911 #49 |
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On Gladys’ 22nd birthday, Saturday January 2nd 1932 she married Hector James Price, of Karragullen, who was 27. Gladys' sister Val was bridesmaid and Hector’s brother Wilfred was bestman. It was a hot summer’s day. The Service was conducted by Pastor Charles Schwabb at the Lake Street Church of Christ, in the middle of the afternoon in front of a crowd of relatives and friends. On the way to the church Mr. Kostera, the driver of the taxi, drove through Guildford to avoid traffic from the horse races. The service was followed by a small reception at the Kinross family home in Shakespeare Road, Kalamunda. After their wedding Hector and Gladys spent a night at Illawarra, Karragullen then drove to Bunbury in 106 degree temperature in the Oakland Tourer that his father bought in 1924 for 435 pounds ($870) but never drove. Hector learnt to drive in 1924 and proudly boasted that he had accelerated to 24 mph (40 km/h). The next day they travelled to Caves House, Yallingup to spend a week before moving on to Augusta then via Bridgetown and Manjimup to Walpole to spend another week. They returned home via Denmark, Albany and Wagin.
THE OAKLAND TOURER 1924 #52 |
GLADYS KINROSS AND HER SISTER VAL c1914 #51 |
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HECTOR & GLADYS PRICE'S WEDDING #53 |
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In 1936 Hector, Gladys and Margaret Price and Lydia Kinross, who was the mother of Gladys, moved into a new house. Thomas planned the garden. Their children Margaret, Jean and Tom grew up there. Lydia left in 1947 and Thomas (Senior) spent the last few months of his life there. He died in this house. Hector, Gladys and Jean were the last to leave when they moved to Kalamunda in December 1976. |
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THE NEW HOUSE FOR HECTOR & GLADYS #54 |
GARDEN PLANNED BY THOMAS PRICE (Senior) #55 |
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Hector
and family loved going for summer holidays. In the second half of the 1930's
they would go to one place and stay in a guest house at places like the
Porongurups, Busselton or Cottesloe. During WW2 no holidays were taken. Each year after WW2 they rented a cottage in various places such as Safety Bay, Palm
Beach, and Yallingup. Hector showed much interest in industry matters and
co-operated substantially with the Department of Agriculture in a wide variety
of fruit growing, handling and storage research projects, especially as
Illawarra was frequently used as a research station until 1955, when Stoneville
Research Station was established.
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HECTOR PRICE WITH CHILDREN & "PUNCH" THE HORSE #56 |
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DEVELOPING A NEW AREA #57 |
DEVELOPING A NEW AREA #58 |
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He held various executive offices in the
Western Australian Fruit Growers’ Association over 40 years, including five
years as Vice President. He represented Western Australia at Interstate Apple
& Pear Conferences several times and was the inaugural Hills member of the
Western Australian Apple Sales Advisory committee and Chairman of the Fruit Fly
Advisory Board for 10 years. He was also one time Secretary of the Central
Darling Range Branch of the Western Australian Fruitgrowers Association, and
was inaugural Secretary of the Pickering Brook and Karragullen Branch for one
year, then President for 18 years. |
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The
greatest apple picking feat at Illawarra, and perhaps it is a record still for
the whole area, occurred on Easter Saturday in 1943. A patch of heavy bearing
Granny Smiths with large fruit was selected. Nineteen pickers, consisting of
eight senior Girl Guides, six Land Army girls, three students and two Prices
picked 1,376 cases (about 1,100 bushels of apples that day). The yield for the
patch was 1,551 bushels per acre, equal to nearly three times the average for
the whole orchard, including other varieties. In
1947, community minded Hector and Gladys were keen to start a Sunday school in
Karragullen. After canvassing the district they found fourteen children whose
parents would welcome a Sunday school. The first meeting was held in their home. Permission was gained to hold the Sunday School in the Karragullen
Hall. They continued teaching at the Sunday school for many years. A re-union, which was held at Illawarra in 1996, brought back many happy memories.
SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS & TEACHERS #60 |
GLADYS WITH HER CHILDREN #59 |
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SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS #61 |
SUNDAY SCHOOL RE-UNION #62 |
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Hector
made many visits to fruit growing areas and research stations throughout
Australia, and followed in his father’s footsteps with a visit to North America
in 1954. Illawarra commenced a small nursery in the early 1950’s with the
object of obtaining suitable apple and pear trees for new acreage and
subsequently for replanting the old orchard. This developed as a commercial
enterprise and over 160,000 trees were disposed of during the peak planting
years of this era and until planting saturation was reached in all areas of
Western Australia in the 1960’s. This operation has continued privately to
supply Illawarra Orchard with the best rootstocks to propagate any new variety
and especially to supply further replacements.
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HECTOR PRICE AND PET DOG #63 |
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HECTOR PRICE IN THE FRUIT TREE NURSERY 1958 #64 |
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In 1967 Hector had a massive heart attack and his brother Wilfred had a stroke. This meant Tom had to take on more responsibilities with regards to the orchard. After recovering, Hector remained at Illawarra until December 1976. Hector, Gladys and Jean then moved to 11 Springdale Road, Kalamunda where they lived for nine years. Hector regularly returned on Saturday mornings to do odd jobs on the orchard. He was helped by Tom’s son Jeremy. Unfortunately Hector’s health deteriorated until he could no longer walk. In 1985 it became apparent that Hector needed to live in a nursing home so in December he moved into Carinya Nursing Home in Mount Lawley. In March the following year Gladys moved into a unit which had become available in the independent living section at Carinya. Late in his
life Hector was delighted when his book 'KNOWN BY THEIR FRUITS The story of
fruit growing in Kalamunda and districts Western Australia’ was
published. Hector
died in April 1986. Hector and Gladys had three
children:
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GLADYS PRICE 1999 #65 |
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PRICE
Leslie Wilfred (known as Wilfred Leslie) Born 18th
May 1908 at “Mayfield”, 32 Market Street, Guildford which was the home of his
maternal grandparents, James and Alice Rogers. Wilfred and Rae had two children: Grandchildren: Six Education: In 1913 Thomas Price Senior, was responsible for securing a school for the district by employing the Thompsett family who had a large number of children which made up the minimum for a school to be established. Wilfred started schooling at this school when he was underage because 12 students were needed to open a school. The school was built near the gate at the south end of Illawarra orchard. Later he went to Scotch College where he was a boarder. He worked at Illawarra Orchard until his
retirement. In 1930, when their father Thomas retired and moved to Kalamunda,
Hector and Wilf were left to run the orchard. The brothers had different
talents and complemented each other. They worked well as a team. Hector
attended to the business side of the orchard and the storing and packing of the
fruit. Wilfred managed the outside work which included the picking, pruning and
irrigation. He was big and strong and a good worker.
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WILFRED PRICE #67 |
There was plenty of worthwhile
discussions especially when the brothers walked to the shed together on their
way to work. At first the brothers shared a car and
took it in turns to spend the weekend in Kalamunda with their parents. Alice
was their housekeeper until Hector married in 1932. Wilf and Alice then moved
from the original family home into the house which had been the residence of
Frank Laverack. Eventually Alice moved into Kalamunda and Wilf employed a
housekeeper until he married. If needed, the brothers also helped each
other out of working hours. Hector’s wife Gladys was pleased to have Wilf as a
friend who was ready to help when Hector wasn’t well or was away from the
orchard. The brothers also shared milking cows with Wilf’s brothers-in-law.
Both brothers retired to Kalamunda and Wilf was helpful there too. Wilf
and Hector never took holidays at the same time because one needed to stay at
Illawarra. They therefore needed only one pair of bathers. In the photos you
can see Hector in the bathers they shared. . |
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WILFRED & HECTOR PRICE 1925 #68 |
Wilf married Naomi Rachel (Rae) HIAM on 3rd October 1939 in Victoria. Rae was a
Victorian and two of her brothers and their wives moved from Victoria to help
on the orchard. 1967 was a very eventful year. Early in
the year Wilf suffered a minor stroke. Fortunately he was well enough to attend
Naomi’s wedding in March and Malcolm’s wedding in July. Wilf recovered from the
stroke but decided to slow down. He and Rae moved to 66 Lyndhurst Rd, Kalamunda
but he continued to work at Illawarra 3 days a week. Over the next couple of
years he steadily reduced his hours until he retired properly. However he never
lost an interest in Illawarra and loved visiting.
WILFRED PRICE & RAE HIAM ON THEIR WEDDING DAY #107 |
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WILFRED, NAOMI, RAE & MALCOLM PRICE #69 |
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Wilf enjoyed gardening and in Kalamunda
grew magnificent flowers, fruit and vegetables which he shared with all and
sundry. He was particularly fond of roses and camellias. Bible study was important to Wilf and he
lived his life in accordance with his Christian ideals. Like his mother and brothers he was a
conscientious objector re war. He was also interested in world affairs and had
a great interest in local history.’ His son-in-law said that in the first
half of the 80s Wilf was forced to watch his beloved wife battle with cancer.
He drew great comfort from his faith and bore his burden stoically. He remained
at home in Kalamunda until 1994. As he was finding the summers too hot for him
to maintain his garden the way he wanted it he moved to a villa at Carinya
retirement village, Plantation St, Menora. He settled in well there and made
friends. Wilf suffered a bout of pneumonia and a mild heart attack in mid-2000
and was never to regain his full strength and vigour but he carried on
uncomplaining until the end.
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WILFRED PRICE 1999 #70 |
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PRICE
Alice Dorothy Born 19th July 1910
Western Australia (Probably Guildford) Education: Illawarra School and
Methodist Ladies College in Claremont where she would have been a boarder. Alice grew up at Illawarra Orchard,
Karragullen. After leaving school she went home and
helped her mother in the house. She would have been needed more than ever when
her grandmother Alice Rogers became ill and needed to be nursed before dying at
Illawarra. (Alice Rogers lived with the Prices from 1917-1928) In 1930 Thomas and Emily Price retired from Illawarra to their new home ‘Pasadena’, Kalamunda Rd, Kalamunda and left Alice to housekeep for her brothers Hector and Wilfred. In 1932 Hector married and kept the Price house. Wilfred and Alice moved into another house on the property. Alice eventually moved to Pasadena. |
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EMILY PRICE WITH BABY ALICE, JULY 1911 #72 |
THE SCHOOL AT ILLAWARRA #73 |
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ALICE'S FIRST DAY |
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ALICE WITH COW AT ILLAWARRA #75 |
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ALICE PRICE 1926 #76
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Alice was a teacher at the Kalamunda Methodist Sunday School in 1945 and other years. When Alice and Arthur married they lived at first at Pasadena. Later they lived in a house in Canning Rd, Kalamunda. The marriage was not a success and Arthur eventually returned to Albany. Alice and Alf lived at 4 Salisbury Street,
Saint James. Alf died of cancer 19 April 1969. Aged
73. Alice and Alf enjoyed traveling and
photography. At first Alice remained in the St James
house then eventually she moved into the Methodist (now Uniting Church)
Rowethorpe retirement village at Bentley Margaret
E Puzey 2020. |
ALICE AT ROWETHORPE #77
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HECTOR &
GLADYS’ CHILDREN PRICE Margaret
Emily Born 5th September Faversham Hospital,
35 Glenroy St, Mt Lawley Married John
Puzey 14th January 1956 at Mosman Park Methodist Church Children: 3 Until she married, her home address was
Illawarra Orchard Karragullen but she was not always there. For 9 years,
(1946-54), she was boarding with relatives at 5 Edwyna St, Mosman Park during
the week in term time and at home at Karragullen on weekends and holidays.
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MARGARET PUZEY (nee PRICE) 2012 #78 |
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Education: 1939-1945 Karragullen State School, Brookton Road. 1946-1950 Perth Modern School after winning a
scholarship. 1951-1954 University of Western Australia where she
studied Education which was a four-year course. She chose Physical Education
and Health Education as her optional subjects. Most of the fourth year was
spent at Claremont Teachers’ College. |
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HECTOR & GLADYS PRICE WITH BABY MARGARET 1934 #79 |
HECTOR WITH DAUGHTER MARGARET (right) 1936 #80 |
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When Margaret was three years old the five Clydesdale horses which were
free to roam around the property in the week-ends, managed to get into one of
the employee’s sheds where he stored wheat for his fowls. Wheat is disastrous
for horses and despite efforts to save them only the strongest, Clyde,
survived. To induce them to remain standing, the horses had been in patches of
wet clay. Margaret had been a bystander as the men worked to save the horses.
Her parents were startled to find the hobby-horse her Great-grandfather had made for
her, standing in a patch of clay outside the backdoor of their house. It was
suffering too, she said, but fortunately it survived. |
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MARGARET AND BABY TOM #81 |
MARGARET & JEAN (centre) AND GIRLS PICKING FRUIT #82 |
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TOM. MARGARET & JEAN #83 |
MARGARET WITH THE LAST HORSE AT ILLAWARRA - "CLYDE" #84 |
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Margaret wore sandals or shoes to Karragullen
school but took them off when she arrived. Having to wear black lisle stockings
and shoes to Perth Modern School was a shock. The days of racing around the
schoolyard with bare feet were over. The boys at PMS could play games at lunch
time but not the girls. Margaret adjusted to this new life and in her final
year was a school prefect. Her favourite activity at school was sport with
hockey her favourite game. She performed well at athletic carnivals. In the
classroom she enjoyed maths. When she was about 15 her father employed
her in his office during some holidays. During the long vacation, when a
university student, she thinned apples and packed fruit.
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MARGARET PRICE 1953 #107 In January 1955 Margaret became engaged to
high school teacher John Puzey whom she had met at university when they were
students. During that year they bought a block of land at Yokine. Margaret, who
then had a Bachelor of Education, taught at Bunbury High School in 1955. After marrying in 1956 she and John lived at
Albany and both taught at Albany High School. In 1958 they were in the metropolitan
area and their Yokine house was built. This was the family home except for the 8
years when they lived in country towns Bunbury, Katanning, and Manjimup where
John taught mainly physics and chemistry and eventually became a high school principal. Margaret always attended church, mainly
Methodist then Uniting, as did John and they were involved in church related
activities. School holidays were often enjoyed in their caravan in a caravan
park by the sea. Exploring Australia and other places by road, including UK
where their ancestors had lived, was enjoyable. Margaret loves to read. While a senior
citizen her favourite occupation has been researching and recording family
history. |
MARGARET PRICE & HER FATHER HECTOR ON HER WEDDING DAY #85 |
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MARGARET PRICE ON HER WEDDING DAY #107
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PRICE Jean Ann Born 18th July 1937 Faversham Hospital, 35 Glenroy
St, Mt Lawley Died 26th July 2015 Bethanie Joondanna Education: Jean grew up on Illawarra
Orchard. She started school in 1943 and Rae
Price drove her to school in an old buggy which was pulled by “Punch” the
horse. Later Margaret dinked her until she was able to ride her own bike. Jean stayed at the
home of relatives, her Aunt Val and
Val’s husband and son at 5 Edwyna St, Mosman Park while continuing her education at Methodist Ladies
College and Technical School from 1949 till 1954. Her sister Margaret was also there at the same
time. Jean and Margaret were home at Karragullen during weekends and holidays. |
JEAN PRICE 1953 #108 |
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TOM AND JEAN #86 In 1986 Jean bought a unit at 56 Spencer St, Yokine
and lived there until 1994 when she moved into a villa at Carinya (now Bethanie
on the Park), Menora, which is a Churches of Christ retirement village. Her
mother had moved into a villa there in 1986 following Hector’s admission into
the nursing home in December 1985. Wilfred Price also moved into a villa there
in 1994' |
After finishing school Jean worked in the Illawarra
packing shed for over 20 years. She became a professional packer for the export
and domestic markets and was a perfectionist. She consistently packed eighty
cases a day. Initially when there was no fruit to pack she helped her mother,
Gladys, at home. Over the years many of the firm’s visitors were entertained in
the home. Gladys would have been pleased to have Jean’s help when preparing
meals or afternoon tea for these folk. Later Jean engaged in casual domestic
work in a nursing home and for Silver Chain. In 1976 she moved with her parents
to 11 Springdale Rd, Kalamunda. Her father, Hector, needed a lot of care at home in
1983, 1984 and 1985. Jean was
there full time to help Gladys.
JEAN PACKING FRUIT 1975 #87 |
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JEAN PRICE #88
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Because Carinya planned to pull down the villas
Jean moved to a Churches of Christ retirement village in Joondanna (now
Bethanie Joondanna) in 2002. At first she lived in an independent villa. Later
she moved to a hostel in the same village. Jean attended Sunday school at the Kalamunda
Methodist Church until her parents started a Sunday school at Karragullen when
she was 10. As Jean loved small children
she eventually helped teach the children in the Kindergarten section of the
Sunday school. When living at Karragullen she enjoyed attending a church youth
group at Roleystone. She became a member of Kalamunda Church of Christ. When
she moved to Yokine she transferred her membership to Dianella Church of Christ.
While she lived in retirement villages she attended church services in the
villages. Main Hobby: Crochet. Jean was often seen with wool and a crochet hook or
knitting needles. On other occasions she had a needle, thread and pieces of
fabric. Margaret E Puzey 2020
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PRICE Thomas (Tom)
Hector Born in August 1943 at the Devonleigh Hospital, Cottesloe. Born in August 1943, Tom commenced his schooling 6 years later, at Karragullen in
1949. During these early years he suffered from deafness which meant he was
delayed by one year in his schooling. But with coaxing from his mother he
managed to keep up with his schooling. During this time he was encourage to read as this helped. Though his reading he developed an interest in people that led in their various fields. This installed in him a desire to push to become a leader himself. However in 1957 he had an operation that
removed some blockages in his ears which enabled him to gain full hearing
again. In his last year at Karragullen School in 1956 he was asked to join the
Roleystone/Karragullen “A” Grade Cricket Club as they were short of players.
He was taken under the wing of the Ken Knuckey and Ray Pound who encouraged and guided him in these early years. This started a love for the various sporting activities which developed over
the next few years. |
THOMAS (Tom) PRICE #89 |
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BABY TOM #90
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TOM WITH HIS MOTHER GLADYS #91
TOM WITH PULL CART #92 |
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KARRAGULLEN SCHOOL 1950 #93 |
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He started schooling at the Armadale High School in 1957 and a friendship clicked with his first mate that he met, Don Buckingham, and they are still the best of mates sixty-four years later. (2020) Attending Armadale High School from 1957 he
thrived: Each day after arriving home from school, he
had to milk the cows. Also in his spare time from 9 years old till he was 17,
he made up wooden boxes for 3 pence (2 Cents) to save money to buy a car. Which
he did and purchased his pride and joy, a second hand Austin Lancer. But he
quickly up graded to a Simca Aronde semi sports car. |
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To further his education he spent a year at Burnley College in Melbourne billeting with a family in Doncaster. Whilst there he joined the Methodist Youth Group, and this proved to be a great help in the development his charater. He joined the family business in 1961 at the
age of 17, becoming the third generation Price on Illawarra Orchard. He never
had any wish to do anything else but follow his father and grandfather at the
orchard. When nine years old he spent many hours making fruit cases. In 1967
his father, Hector had a massive heart attack and his Uncle Wilfred had a
stroke. This meant Tom had to take on more responsibilities with regards to the
orchard. During the same
year Tom became engaged to Glenys Collins and they were married on New Year’s
Eve. He assumed responsibility in the packing sheds and later took charge of
the storing, packing and marketing. Tom and Glenys had two children. Melissa
Ann in 1969 and Jeremy John in 1972.
TOM PRICE WITH SON JEREMY 1974 #95
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HECTOR PRICE WITH GRAND-DAUGHTER MELISSA #94 HECTOR PRICE AND JEREMY #96 |
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He joined the Church
of Christ at Subiaco and gained a lot of self-confidence through the circle of
friends there. During the late 1970’s to early 1980’s he coached the Under Age
Roleystone/Karragullen Cricket Club. He became Youth Leader and also spent some time coaching the
Kalamunda Church of Christ Boys Basket Ball Team. In 1973, Tom bought out Wilfred’s share,
giving him 51% share but Tom always dreamt of owning the orchard himself. This
became possible in the 1980's with the success of the W.A. bred Pink Lady apple
which the orchard was one of the first to grow and market this variety. |
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JEREMY AND MELISSA PRICE #97 |
JEREMY HELPING HIS DAD TOM #98 |
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MELISSA PRICE #99 |
JEREMY AND MELISSA PRICE #100 |
MELISSA PRICE #101 |
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Equally competent
in the several branches of production, he had by 1975 assumed the main
responsibility, and by 1977 full responsibility for orchard husbandry. After recovering
both Wilfred and Hector remained at Illawarra until 1976. Hector, Gladys and
Jean moved to Kalamunda but Hector regularly returned on Saturday morning the
do odd jobs on the orchard helped by Tom’s son Jeremy. |
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JEREMY AND TOM PRICE #102 |
In 1980 a group of
17 local orchardists flew to South Africa, led by Lance Morgan from the
Agricultural Department, to inspect the orchard industry over there. On arrived
back this resulted in the formation of the Hills Orchard Improvement Group with
Tom Price becoming President and John Di Marco as Vice President. A trip to New Zealand in 1982 centred around the stone fruit industry there. It was during these travels when he fell in
love with stone fruit. California was breeding new and interesting varieties. In recent
years, Tom has trialed many of these new varieties. One such selection was the "Pluot", a cross between a plum and an apricot. This proved very successful because of its distinctive flavour. In 1983 he
succeeded his father as chairman of Directors. Committed to the tradition of
thoroughness, of not hesitating to spend where it indicated, and of searching
for improvement which had established and maintained Illawarra, he became the
new custodian of a living memorial. |
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In 1984 60 local
orchardists from the Hills Orchard Improvement Group, hired a plane and flew to
Kununurra to inspect the industry up there. Then over the next 10 years, the
group also made 3 trips to North Queensland. Local Queenslander, Renee Somers
became the tour guide and arranged the itinerary for the trips. Romance
developed and in 1997 Tom married Renee Somers. Part of the deal was that her
pet parrot had to come with her too. So the three of them live happily together
at Illawarra. Tom feels blessed his wife Renee fully
supports his passion for the orchard industry and his commitment to preserving
the past history of Illawarra and the area. Tom has a huge collection of
historic records, photos and machinery that is a credit to the whole Price
Family. He was very close to his Grandfather and
grateful for the support he gave him over his developing years. Giving him a
good education, helping him to create a balanced life style and supporting him
to get to where he is today. |
TOM & RENEE PRICE ON THEIR WEDDING DAY 1997 #103 |
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NEW PLANTINGS IN THE ORCHARD #104 |
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TOM PRICE #105 |
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Illawarra Orchard is one mile long with an
area of 200 acres of which 60 are stone fruit. Each year Tom
replaces sections of the orchard with some of the latest and newest releases
onto the market. Thus keeping Illawarra to the forefront with the best
varieties available. Illawarra Orchard has new stone
fruit varieties to enjoy each year, keeping West Australians returning to
purchase delicious and healthy fruit for their families. 1982 PLANT & EQUIPMENT (Compare this with the
1902 list earlier on this page) List of plant and
equipment in use at Illawarra Orchard in 1982 is as follows; (Compare this with the
1902 list)
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AN AERIAL VIEW OF ILLAWARRA ORCHARD 2017 #106 |
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References: Article: Gordon Freegard Images: Price Family Collection
Copyright: 2008 - 2021 Gordon Freegard |
