"Ernie" Ernest Christian Theodore KLOPPER
Born 11 May 1868 in Hope Valley, South Australia [55]
Son of "Henry" Heinrich Frederick William KLOPPER and "Caroline" Henriette Frederike Caroline WIZEL [55]
Married (1) Amy Beatrice BELL on 13 September 1898 at Saint John's Church in Fremantle, Western Australia [409: 1-Oct-1898]
He and his wife resided on Kojarena, located east-northeast of Geraldton [235: 23-Apr-1901]
Their son Herbert was born in Geraldton in 1898 [15]
His wife passed away suddenly at the age of 26 while visiting her mother in Gawler, South Australia in 1901 [434: 21-Apr-1902]
He departed Adelaide, South Australia on the steamship Ormuz and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 7 October 1901 [70]
Gardener in Kojarena east-northeast of Geraldton 1903-1906 [50]
Married (2) Alice May CONWAY in Geraldton in 1905 [15]
Farmer of Lake View Farm in Three Springs 1907-1919 [6] [31: 9-Jan-1907] [44]
His farm was 906 acres in size, being Lots 17 and 19 of the Kadathinni Agricultural Area in Three Springs [44]
The Kadathinni Agricultural Area was 10,000 acres in size and was initially intended to be a State Experimental Farm [120: 5-Oct-1933]
He spent a considerable amount of money improving his farm including a 3,300 yard dam [388: 28-Oct-1911]
A journalist who visited Three Springs in 1911 described his property as "one of the prize places of the district" [388: 28-Oct-1911]
His farm was south of Three Springs and bounded the edges of salt lakes [388: 28-Oct-1911]
By mid 1915 he had extended his farm to 1,340 acres with the purchase of Lot 18 of the Kadathinni Agricultural Area [44]
He was one of a number of Three Springs farmers who were "as busy as they can be" erecting fences on his farm [9: 27-Sep-1907]
Grew 250 acres of crop on his farm in Three Springs in 1910 [9: 17-Jun-1910]
His 1910 crop was "good and regular, and testified to the fertility of the soil, and to a good rainfall" in Three Springs [31: 7-Oct-1910]
A future asset of his farm was "a fine deposit of building stone... the best in the district" [388: 28-Oct-1911]
Foundation Committee Member of the Three Springs Race Club in 1910 and 1911 [9: 23-Dec-1910]
Sang a song at the Social hosted by Charlie and Winifred THOMAS at the schoolroom in Three Springs on 30 July 1910 [9: 12-Aug-1910]
His crop was among those inspected when Samuel F. MOORE M.L.A. visited Three Springs on 30 September 1910 [9: 14-Oct-1910]
Won 1st prize for Three Bushels of Wheat at the Victoria District Agricultural Society's Annual Show in Geraldton in 1910 [120: 22-Oct-1910]
Awarded 2nd prize for Three Bushels of Wheat at the Moora Agricultural Society's Annual Show in Moora in 1910 [9: 28-Oct-1910]
Won the Old Buffers Race and Tossing the Caber at the Sports Meeting held in Three Springs on Easter Monday in 1911 [9: 21-Apr-1911]
In 1911 it was believed by some that the clearing of large trees would improve the quantity and quality of water in wells [31: 30-Jun-1911]
There was no factual direction given at the time, however he correctly told people it would make their well water more salty [31]
He was one of 15 guarantors covering the £300 debt for the new Agricultural Hall in Three Springs in 1912 [9: 12-Jul-1912]
Came equal 1st in Pitching the Sheaf at the first ever 'Three Springs Day' held in a local paddock on 12 September 1912 [86: 17-Sep-1912]
He donated five shillings to the Moora District Hospital Fund during November 1912 [9: 15-Nov-1912]
Won the 'Throwing the Hammer' at the sports gathering held in Arrino on New Year's Day in 1913 [9: 17-Jan-1913]
Attended the Saint Patrick's Day Sports in Three Springs in 1913 and competed in the Sheffield Handicap race [9: 14-Mar-1913]
With most local farmers growing grain, he was referred to as the "1914 Chaff King at Three Springs" [9: 27-Feb-1914]
Local contractor Thomas J. BERRIGAN located first class stock water on his farm during September 1914 [10: 29-Sep-1914]
Won by one blow the much anticipated Log Chopping Competition at the Three Springs Day on Thursday 1 October 1914 [10: 6-Oct-1914]
In 1914 he was known as the Three Springs "weather prophet" due to his weather forecasting skills [10: 27-Nov-1914, 22-Jan-1915]
One of his horses died from "sand" (a consequence of the drought) during the second half of December 1914 [10: 25-Dec-1914]
Recited "Uncle Ned" at the concert held in Three Springs in aid of Red Cross funds on Friday 15 January 1915 [10: 22-Jan-1915]
Won the stepping 100 yards competition at the Saint Patrick's Day Sports Meeting in Three Springs on Wednesday 17 March 1915 [10]
He beat dozens of other people at being the closest to step 100 yards - having stepped 99 yards, 2 feet and 3 inches [10: 26-Mar-1915]
To his disappointment he lost the 100 yards competition to an Arrino lady at the Sports held in Arrino on 1 April 1915 [10: 15-Apr-1915]
All of his weather forecasts for the month to mid June 1915 had been correct and occurred within 24 hours [10: 18-Jun-1915]
In early September 1915 had his horse Prophet in training in preparation for the races at the upcoming Three Springs Day [10: 10-Sep-1915]
Attended the lecture "Factors on Wheat Growing" by a professor at the Commercial Hotel in Three Springs in 1915 [10: 21-Sep-1915]
Won 1st prize for Pitching the Sheaf at the annual "Three Springs Day" held on Monday 16 September 1915 [10: 24-Sep-1915]
In May 1916 his weather forecast was for a little rain on 18 May but no heavy rain until the end of the month [10: 16-May-1916]
Won 1st prize for Chaff at the Three Springs Day at Casuarina Park in Three Springs on Wednesday 27 September 1916 [10: 6-Oct-1916]
In 1917 grew 350 acres of crop on his Three Springs property [10: 19-Jun-1917]
Signed the petition and financial guarantee in 1917 for the Midland Railway Company to provide a resident doctor at Three Springs [34]
Won 1st for Wheaten Chaff and 2nd with his horse Darkie in the Farmers Hunter at the Three Springs Day in 1917 [10: 5-Oct-1917]
Member of the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee in 1918 [124]
His horse won the High Jump at the Red Cross Gala Day held in Three Springs on Thursday 23 May 1918 [10: 31-May-1918]
The Darkie who ran in the Trotting Handicap at the Peace Day Celebrations in Carnamah in 1919 may have been his [10: 25-Jul-1919]
His team of Three Springs men defeated Carnamah at Tug of War at the Three Springs Day held on 26 September 1918 [10: 4-Oct-1918]
His horse Cutaway won the Pony Handicap race at the Sports Meeting in Three Springs on Saint Patrick's Day 17 March 1919 [124]
The mortgagee of his farm held a clearing sale to sell his farm, livestock and machinery at 2 p.m. on Friday 20 June 1919 [10: 6-Jun-1919]
At the time 400 acres of his 906 acre farm had been cleared and contained seven miles of boundary and subdivisional fencing [10]
The 896 acres consisted of Lots 17 and 19 of the Kadathinni Agricultural Area in Three Springs [10]
His farm contained a comfortable dwelling house, good sheds, a stable, 200 yard dam and a 62 foot deep well [10]
Regardless of whether the farm itself sold his livestock and machinery was put up for auction, and included: [10]
Chestnut gelding "Ginger," brown mare "Jennie," black mare "Flirt," bay mare "Miss Wallace," black mare "Black Bess," [10]
bay mare "Trilby," two pigs; Massey-Harris drill, Deering reaper and binder, McCormick reaper and binder, 3 foot plough, [10]
6 foot plough, Martin stripper, Osborne cultivator, T bar roller, Bagshaw chaffcutter, spring dray, King of the Road sulky, [10]
wagonette, harness for 2 team horses, set of buggy harness and sundry harnesses [10: 6 & 13-Jun-1919]
His 906 acres of farmland was sold at the clearing sale or a short time later to John L. HEBITON [44]
Following the sale of the farm resided at Lot 38 of Victoria Location 2020 on the east side of the Three Springs townsite [44]
His and Peter MCKENNA's horses tied for 1st place for the High Jump at the Three Springs Day on 25 September 1919 [10: 3-Oct-1919]
Assisted Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee with donations of 10/- in 1920, 10/6 in 1924, and £1/1/- in 1925 [124]
Won the Booby Prize at the Euchre Party & Basket Social held in Three Springs on Wednesday 22 June 1921 [10: 1-Jul-1921]
In February 1922 a trotting match with a considerable stake was held between his horse Mick and Nathaniel MCKENZIE's horse [10]
After a while his horse was the sure winner, and crossed the finish about ten yards ahead of Nat's horse Pacer [10: 17-Feb-1922]
Mick was the gelding of Golden Gloss, and became known as "the champion trotter of Three Springs" [9: 24-Mar-1922]
Attended the Picnic Race Meeting on the Parakalia Race Course in Three Springs on Saint Patrick's Day in 1922 [9: 24-Mar-1922]
His horse Mick won the One Mile Trot at the Three Springs Day in Three Springs on Thursday 28 September 1922 [9: 20-Oct-1922]
Member of the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee in 1924 and 1925 [124]
In October 1924 he was appointed Caretaker of the Carnamah District Road Board's windmills in Three Springs [9: 31-Oct-1924]
His duties included ensuring that no settler carted away more than 200 gallons per day from the town dam in Three Springs [9]
At the same time he was granted the right to crop the reserve at the town dam providing he maintained its fence at his own cost [9]
Father of Herbert by his first wife [15] and Mervyn and Doris by his second [P2]
Died 31 May 1928; buried at the Three Springs General Cemetery in Three Springs (Anglican, Row 1, Plot 3) [24] [29]
He was registered at birth with the given names of Ernest Christian Theodore but also gave his name as Christian Ernst Teobor [15] [55]
From The Midlands Advertiser newspaper, 8 June 1928:
Three Springs
"Mr E. C. Klopper, of Lake View Farm, died rather suddenly on May 24. The funeral took place at the Three Springs cemetery the following day. The deceased had taken a great interest in local affairs and sport, and universal regret is felt in the district at his sudden demise. The cause of death was stated to be heart failure. He leaves a wife, adult sun and a daughter aged twelve."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Ernest Christian Theodore Klopper' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 21 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/ernest-christian-theodore-klopper [reference list] |
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