FILMER FAMILY

Filmer family. Filmer family. Filmer family.

“SUNNYSIDE” & “BOONGADOO”

By Wally Filmer

Walter James Filmer selected land in the Kent District of Nyabing in 1910 and named it “Sunnyside”. He later purchased a homestead block in 1934 on the Nyabing Dumbleyung Road, 21 km west of Nyabing.

In 1904, at the age of 16, he arrived in Fremantle from South Australia and made his way to Katanning where his father Edward Filmer (b.1850 – d.1930) and mother Annie Martha (Bell) had a farm on Oxley Road, (Filmer Road) Katanning. They had eight children – Hubert Edward, Alfred Thomas, Frank Gordon, Gilbert Stevens, Preston Charles, Walter James, Harold Octavius, Gertrude Everilda Annie Pollard (nee Filmer), Harry Joseph Filmer.

FIRST GENERATION
Walter James & Ethel Blanche (nee Kenwood)

Walter James Filmer (b.1888 – d.1958) selected land in the Kent District of Nyabing in 1910. Known as “Sunnyside”, Williams location 14009 a first class homestead block at a cost of £1 ($2) and Williams Location 9181 in 1934 on the Nyabing Dumbleyung Road, 21 km west of Nyabing.

Walter and Ethel Filmer

Walter James (known as Wally) came from Adelaide to Fremantle by cattle boat in 1904 at the age of 16. After arriving in Fremantle he made his way to Katanning where his father Edward (b.1850 – d.1930) had a farm on Oxley Road, (Filmer Road) Katanning. Walter James became one of the best blade shearers in the district, as well as a clearer of land by axe.  The shearing rates were £1 ($2) per 100 sheep shorn plus keep.  Wally would blade shear 120 -150 per day.

Whenever time allowed Wally would travel from Bullock Hills with his future brother-in-law Fred Kenward. They had separate selections of land to clear and their mode of transport was one horse.  One person would ride for an hour then tie the horse to a tree and start running, the other would run until he reached the horse and then start riding. W.J. lived in a tent for two years under salmon gum trees in the ram paddock east of the “Sunnyside” homestead, he then built a room using upright sticks nine-feet high with mud filling up in between.  Later he built a two-room mud bat house.  Both rooms had an iron roof.  His first shed was of upright sticks with a straw roof.  There was one dam on the farm of 1,000 yards put down by Gunn Bros and was financed by the Agricultural Bank. After ten years Wally had 550 acres cleared, three dams, five miles of sheep fencing, horses, two cows and 250 sheep.  Pigs were not profitable for W.J. Filmer and he sold them all in disgust “a lot of work for very little profit” he wrote.

Walter married Ethel Blanche Kenward in 1911. They raised five children on the farm – Ivy, May, Roy, Jack and Stan. W.J.F.’s first crop in 1911 was 24 acres from which he received 16 bags of wheat. This was scratched up with a four furrow plough and five horses, wheat seed hand broadcast and tree branches dragged over it to cover the seed.

W.J.F., who was still developing the land, sadly had to leave the farm in 1922 when his wife Ethel died of Tuberculosis (TB). He purchased a house in Katanning.

The house was walking distance to town and the Katanning school. He had five children aged nine months to seven years to look after and educate. He employed several housekeepers over the years to look after the children. He leased the farm until his eldest son Walter Roy Filmer (Roy) was old enough to take it over at 15 years of age. Walter James Filmer married Henrietta Thoman in 1929 they had a son Victor Filmer.

Walter James Filmer became a businessman in Katanning. He started a machinery business, W.J. Filmer then Filmer & Forbes then Filmer Brothers.  He was a man of ambition, drive and toughness, but also a fair and honest businessman.  He had a laugh that could be heard three blocks away and very distinguished with a pipe in his mouth. Wally and Henrietta retired to Emu Point, Albany.

Read the full FILMER FAMILY story HERE

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