Eli Quartermaine. Eli Quartermaine. Eli Quartermaine. Eli Quartermaine.
LAST OF THE OLD-TIMERS.
MR ELI QUARTERMAINE CROSSES THE GREAT DIVIDE.
AFTER A LIFE OF 84 YEARS.
Southern Districts Advocate
31 August 1936
On Thursday afternoon last there passed out at Katanning Mr Eli Quartermaine, one of the fathers and real pioneers of this district, at the ripe old age of 84 years.
Eli Quartermaine
on his 80th Birthday
The photo plate (right) shows the late Mr Quartermaine as he appeared on his 80th birthday, which was celebrated by a fine gathering of some 50 to 60 of his immediate relatives at his residence, “Roseburn,” in Richardson Street, Katanning.
Mr Quartermaine’s parents came out from Oxfordshire, England, about the year 1838, in a windjammer, which in those days took just on six months to do the trip. During that six months Mr Quartermaine’s eldest brother (Charles) was born.
The father of the family came out under engagement to Mr. Smith and Dr. Viveash, who had taken up land in W.A., in the York district. He remained with the firm for about 10 years, and selected land on his own account at Beverley. This property was called “Addington,” and it was here that Eli was born in the year 1852. Young Eli remained there until he attained the age of 12 years.
“In those days,” Mr Quartermaine informed us, “there were no such facilities as schools, and what little schooling we got was from men who then, as now, were out of work, and came along looking for a job. They would most likely be ticket-of-leave men, who had perhaps a decent education. These would be employed to do some work, and advantage would be taken to give the youngsters a few lessons.”
During this period many natives were employed on the sheep runs, this being about the only industry followed at the time, and Eli’s dad had one native in particular. This sable son of the soil got time off once to “go Yougenup” (then called by the natives “Youngening”) for a big corroboree. While at the jamboree the native noticed long spear grass about three feet high, and he pulled some of it and carried it all the way back to Beverley to “show Boss.” He reckoned the country would be quabba (good) for sheep. The native had been treated well by the Quartermaine’s, and the little kindnesses shown the poor fellow brought its own reward.
Mr Quartermaine, senr., came back with the faithful man, per cart drawn by a couple of horses, this being the first cart driven through the long stretch of what was then bush country. He was satisfied with the prospects, as he found some of the pools in the district. He then took up on lease 80,000 acres (32374.851 ha) of the area taking in what was afterwards to become Katanning, Woodanilling, Carrolup, the Police Pools and Corakin. He brought along 3,000 sheep, which were shepherded hereabouts, depending for water on the various pools, which in those times, due no doubt to the uncleared state of the country, did not contain the volume of fluid which they do today. They dried up quickly, and sometimes the sheep had to be shifted about half way down to the Blackwood.
Shortly after this Mr Quartermaine the elder selected “Yougenup,” about 1,800 acres of what he considered the pick of the country, and laid the foundation of the grand old home, which is still there, on the main road about four miles north of Katanning.
Eli worked with his father and the family on Yougenup until he reached the age of 24 years, when he got married to Miss Smith, of Wedgecarrup, a settlement to the west of Wagin. His father gave him a start, and he settled down at “Mean Mahn,” a camping place then called by the natives “Mean Manking,” situated about four miles east of Katanning.
Here Mr Quartermaine set to work in true old pioneering style (without the aid of any Government assistance, so popular these days), and proceeded to develop the holding, the while he and his good wife brought up a fine family most of whom to-day are among the prominent citizens of the district. Being a steady, industrious and energetic farmer, he succeeded, though at times all was not the simplest. His wife died in 1898 and, 13 years later, the family having practically all grown up, he married again, his second wife who survives him being Miss Martha Fouldes.
In Mr Eli Quartermaine’s family there were five sons (George, Walter, Morton, Donald and Eli), and six daughters (Mrs. O’Donnell, Mrs. C. Haddleton, Mrs. J. Haddleton, the late Mrs. W. Haddleton, Mrs. S. Treloar and Mrs. G. Wilkinson).
On the death of Mr. Quartermaine, the original old home and property were left to the youngest son and, on the death of the latter, it passed by purchase to Mr. A. C. Gillam who held it for eight years. It was then for sale, and Mr. Eli Quartermaine bought it back into the family in 1913. He went back there to live and handed over `Mean Mahn’ to his son Walter, who still carries on there. Until 12 years ago Mr. Quartermaine remained at Yougenup working the property with his son, Eli, then retired.
He had a penchant for the open free and easy life and the rustic environments and, until only a short while before his death, went out daily to another farm about 21 miles along the Oxley road (which he purchased from Mr. W. H. Forbes) to see to the pigs, fowls, etc.
We have heard our late lamented old friend recount many stories of the early days when the mail was carried from Beverley to Albany, by way of Narrogin, Wagin, Yougenup, Eticup, Pootenup and through to the port. In those days Yougenup was as large and important as was Narrogin or Katanning, for there was no town or settlement then at any of those places.
Mr. Quartermaine had watched the district’s progress, from the days mentioned above in 1864, when as a lad of 12 he learned “the pleasures of the pathless bush,” through to the time when the syndicate under Sir Anthony Hordern secured the concession for the Western Australian Land Company, and the railway followed; and on to the days when all the towns thereon were established; and still further until today we have some of the finest provincial towns and richest rural districts in the great State of Western Australia.
He was of a quiet unassuming turn of mind and got his greatest pleasures from the land and his work thereon and, as shown above, he kept up a lively interest in that direction almost to the end. He was indeed “One of the Pioneers.”
Funeral
The remains were laid to rest on Saturday afternoon last in the Anglican portion of the Katanning cemetery, the pall bearers being (by wish of deceased) his four sons, Walter, Don, Mort and Eli, and two sons-in-law, J. F. Haddleton and M. O’Donnell, while for the same reason his neighbour, Rev. J. R. Thrum officiated at the graveside. There was a very large attendance from all parts of the country, and the road for a great distance was lined with cars.
Many beautiful wreaths, floral tributes and other expressions of esteem were placed on the graveside by the following friends and sympathisers:
Loving wife and daughter (Tilla and Ellen); Don, Laura and Laurence; Walter, Jessie and family; Eli, Craddle and family; Mort, Mavis and family; Charlie, Mary and Norma; Martin, Lizzie and family; Job, Aggie and family; Stan, Ellen and family; George, Tilla and family; Eli, Ivy and Shirley; Les, Ethel, Horace and Molly; Harold and Min; Edmund, Eric and Hilda; Tom, Mary and family; Ellen and Roy Butterworth; Rose, Nora and Eva; Mort, Pat, Charlie and Jack; Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Severin and family; W. and M. Rafferty and family; Chairman and Members Katanning Road Board; Rowley Coombes and A. Wallwork; Mr. and Mrs. N. Hanna and family; Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Wise; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Scott and family; Mr. and Mrs. H. V. Piesse and family; Mr. and Mrs. D. Walters; Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Wanke and family.
Mr. and Mrs. F. Higman; Mr. and Mrs. F. T. F. Crosby and Kyra; Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Rogers; Mr. and Mrs. Eric Ward; Mr. F. Martyn; Mr. and Mrs. E. Stonestreet; Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Day and Sons; Mr. and Mrs. W. Sampson; Mr. and Mrs. J. Clancy and family; Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Terlick and family; Mr. and Mrs. J. Battersby and family; Mr, and Mrs. S. Kemble and family; Mr. and Mrs. K. Quartermaine; Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Beeck; Mr. and Mrs. G. E. House; Mr. and Mrs. H. V. Yeldon; Mr. and Mrs. A. Dickson; Mr. and Mrs. Woollett and family; Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Coate and family; Mr. and Mrs. E. Gilchrist and family and Mrs. A. Justin and family; Mr. and Mrs. Hanna and family; Mr. and Mrs. Murdock and Jimmy; Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Clayton; Mr. and Mrs. Blythe and family; Mr. and Mrs. L. McLeod and Mrs. Potts.
Mr. and Mrs. R. S. Bell; Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Wallace and Arthur; Mr. and Mrs. S. W. Longmire and family; Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Bell and family; Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Severin and Keith; Mr. and Mrs. I. G. Pickering and daughters; Mr. and Mrs. J. A. McDonald; Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Lewis; Mr. and Mrs. T. Haddleton; Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Beeck and family; Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Garstone and family and Mrs. Garstone, senr.; Mr. and Mrs. C. Fitzgerald and family; Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Cruickshank and family; Mr. and Mrs. F. Kemble and family; Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Braund; Mr. and Mrs. W. Mouritz and family; Mr. and Mrs. Hurtle Beeck; Mr. and Mrs. Field and family; Mr. B. and Mrs. H. Lindner; Mr. and Mrs. W. Treloar and family; Mr. and Mrs. H. Butterworth; Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Martin and Betty; Mr. and Mrs. E. Wilhelm and family; Mr. and Mrs. A. Pamment.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Justins and family; Mr. and Mrs. J. Mouritz; Mrs. B. R. L. Richardson; Mr. J. A. Meldrum and family; “All the old Glencoe” friends; Chairman and Directors of Rogers Limited; Ancient Order of Foresters; Mrs M. Garman and Lucy; Mrs. Curnow and family; Mr. H. E. Wise and Elva; Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Wanke and Bert; Directors Richardson and Co. Ltd.; Bevan, Eliza B. and family; Stock and Trading Company Limited; George Blythe; Mrs. Washington and son; Matron Ross; Manager and Staff Elder, Smith and Co. Ltd; Mrs. Layton and family; H. H. Smith and Son; Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Washington and sons; Mrs. E. A. Wilson and family; Mrs. Worsley and family; Alfred and Frank. Keirle and family; Mrs. Gill and Will; Fred and Ivy Kenward; Mrs Bradbury, snr. And Bill; Mr. Harry Boekman.
Mr. E. Gilbert and family; J. C. Hall, Albany; Harold V. Piesse M.L.C.; Vi and George, Albany; Mrs. Harold Parker, Perth; Muriel & Kevan, Kununoppin; Mrs. E. M. Quartermaine, Olga and Lloyd; Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Norman; P. Leach; Mr. and Mrs. Andy Windred, Sydney; Mrs. D. McLeod and family; Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Richmond and family; Mr. and Mrs. S. Smart and family; Mr. and Mrs. Mark Roberts and. family; Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Purkiss; Mr. and Mrs. R. Wilhelm and family; Mr. and Mrs. W. Rogers and family; Phil Tanner and family; Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Courtis and family; Mr. and Mrs. Hanna and family; Mr. and Mrs. E. Atkins; Peter Foulds, Northam; Mrs. H. Walker; Lizzie, Jim, Tom and Eva. (Albany): Mr. and Mrs. Wise and family; Mr. and Mrs. A. Burridge; Muriel and Bill Ledwith, Albany.