James HESFORD Jnr, Arthur John HESFORD, William Patrick HESFORD and Leslie Allan HESFORD [50] [61]
Settled on prospective farmland in Perenjori in 1911 and were among the first settlers and pioneers of Perenjori [120: 7-Feb-1929]
Farmers in Perenjori 1911-1949 [6] [19] [152]
Between them they took up 4,240 acres, half of which was forest, in five blocks which cost on average about 11/- per acre [152]
They settled with very little experience of farming between them, with one of them a carpenter and another a shop assistant [152]
Initially the nearest railway siding was at Carnamah and their postal address was Carnamah until 1914 [6]
They settled in Perenjori with £900 capital and by 1916 had borrowed a further £840 from the Agricultural Bank [152]
Also received assistance from the Industries Assistance Board (I.A.B.) to buy stores and in 1916 owed them about £250 [152]
The I.A.B. took over their accounts of about £400 in 1916, which included £140 they owed their sister [152]
They and Richard F. FULLERTON were the largest two farmers in Perenjori in 1913 with about 300 acres of crop each [31: 4-Jul-1913]
By 1916 they had cleared 1,000 acres of their property, had scrub rolled a further 200 acres and had fenced in 1,000 acres [152]
They had a good well of stock water in 1916, ten working horses, four other horses and almost all necessary implements [152]
In 1916 they grew 700 acres of crop expected to average 12 bushels an acre, 140 acres of which they would cut for hay [152]
At the time they had a 8-foot Sunshine Harvester which they pulled with seven horses, and a 10-dsc Shearer cultivator plough [152]
They had no poisonous plants on the farm and in 1916 rabbits were increasing despite there being very few in 1915 [152]
In 1916 they had some cattle and hoped to eventually get sheep when their fencing was better [152]
They had a large number of poultry in 1916, and easily sold the excess eggs to others around Perenjori [152]
Arthur gave evidence to the Royal Commission on the Agricultural Industries of W.A. in Perenjori on 25 November 1916 [152]
He believed the average rainfall in Perenjori to be eleven inches, which mostly fell during the growing season [152]
They thought they needed their crop to average 12 bushels to pay all their usual expenses and their wages [152]
He added that 12 wouldn't really pay as they'd gone backwards over the previous four years with an eight bushel average [152]
He had no doubt that the bulk handling of wheat would reduce their expenses and that there was too much tax on implements [152]
He said "all the time we have been battling" and suggested that land rents be delayed for the first few years on new land [152]
Arthur was the secretary of the Perenjori and Districts Farmers' Co-operative Company Limited in 1917 [120: 21-Dec-1917]
Members of the Three Springs Football Club in 1923 [10: 19-Jul-1923]
They were the largest farmers in Perenjori in 1923 with a crop of 1,200 acres [86: 7-Jun-1923]
During 1926 they purchased 20,000 acres in Koolanooka from the Bowgada Pastoral Company [81: 5-Sep-1926]
Sold 12 bales of wool through Elder Smith & Co in October 1929 (four each for 12¼d., 11½d., and 10¾d. per pound) [4: 19-Oct-1929]
Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Hesford Bros' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 18 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/hesford-bros [reference list] |
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