Rosanna Golf Links Primary School Once a Farm, Now a School
When I drive past Rosanna Golf Links Primary School it brings back childhood memories. The site was part of a 17 acre (6.8 hectares) property owned by my parents, Bonnie and Harry Banfield. My little white pony grazed over the area, and later when I was older and had outgrown Silver, my horse Percy did the same.
Our frontage was on Lower Plenty Road, where Rosanna Views now stands, and our back boundary was Finlayson Avenue, then a dirt road named Heidelberg Avenue. I loved to canter my horse flat chat from Greensborough Road up to the crest of the hill in the avenue.
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[edit] Dairy Farming
My parents were dairy farmers. They milked 90 head of cows by hand, twice a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days of the year. It was hard work with numbed fingers in winter and swollen sweaty hands in summer. The cow bails stood on the land near where the Kindergarten now stands in Interlaken Parade. It was a long iron shed with eight bails in a row. Eight cows at a time came in to eat while being milked. Some of the cows kicked, knocking over the bucket so that we lost the milk. The milk was cooled in the nearby dairy and put into cans ready to be transported to Cutts' Dairy in Fairfield where it was processed for delivery to homes in the area.
My favourite cow was Judy, a big red Guernsey. Her horns grew down instead of upwards, and rested near her eyes. She was very gentle and must have liked children. She would lie down in the paddock and let us sit on her back and she would lick us with her big, rough tongue. It was like sand paper. When she was being milked she would shut her eyes and chew with relish. I loved her. Other Animals My mother kept poultry and we had dogs, including a good working dog, as well as some cats and pigs. Joan, Bellowyn, Bonnie and Lady Alicia were some of our horses. I can still see Mum’s silhouetted figure riding up to the stables on Bellowyn at dusk and hear her singing ‘Riding down the sunset trail’.
Dad loved the land and farm life. His mother had apprenticed him to a boot-maker but Dad had other dreams. He was a very good farmer, managing the dairy herd and growing wheat and other crops to produce hay and chaff to feed to the cows.
[edit] Ploughing
As a small girl I loved to watch Dad plough. He would harness up the horse to the single furrow plough with its long sharp blade and iron handles. Dad would stand in between the handles with a rein in each hand and walk behind the plough, guiding it as it dug into the earth and made a furrow, laying the earth to the side. I’d marvel at the way the horse instantly obeyed the commands he gave it: ‘Gee up’ to go, or ‘Gee off' to turn, and 'Whoa' to stop. Dad’s furrows were always true and straight.
When Dad was ploughing Mother would cut sandwiches, make a billy of tea and entrust me to take them up to him so that he did not have to unharness the horse and walk down to the house. For me this was a most important task and I could stay and watch him plough.
[edit] Seed Sewing
In Autumn, after ploughing, came the seed sowing. This was done either by broadcasting the seed by hand from a bag hung around your neck, or by a horse drawn seed drill. Then the soil had to be raked over by iron harrows, a frame with short, thick teeth, pulled by a horse. Then came the excitement of seeing the first green shoots, watching them grow and turn golden, ready for harvest
[edit] Harvesting
Harvesting was done with horses and a machine called a reaper and binder. It cut the wheat and grass into sheaves and tied them around the middle to hold them in a single bundle. My older brother and I were allowed to make the wigwam shaped stooks with the sheaves of hay. Once dry, the stooks were carted by horse drawn dray to another paddock and made into a haystack. Strong hands and backs were needed for this work.
At the end of each day the horses were unharnessed and given food and water. Dad would unharness them in the back paddock and lead them down to the cow bails. For me this was a magical moment. Dad would hoist me up onto this great broad back, tell me to grab a handful of mane so as not to fall off, and away we would go. The sheer delight of sitting astride this giant of a horse gave me a love affair with big horses that remains with me still. The ride back always seemed far too short and I would beg Dad to let me stay on while he got the feed for the horses. Of course, Dad always said ' No' and would lift his little girl off with a promise of a ride tomorrow.
[edit] Swimming in the dam
On the rise of the hill in the back paddock we had a shallow dam. My brother Ralph was two years older than me, which meant he knew far more than his little sister. One fairly warm day he decided we would go swimming in the dam. He must have been about five years old, making me three.
Off we went up to the dam. I wasn't so sure about going into the water. My big brother said, 'I'll go in first, you follow me and you'll see it's not deep. Just watch where the water comes up onto me. You’ll be safe'. I dutifully took off my dress so as not to get it wet and gingerly entered the water.
Ralph kept urging me to come further and further into the water, saying "It's not too deep, it’s only up to here on me." The water became deeper and deeper with each step I took. When the water level reached my chin, I knew it was time to turn around and get out. Ralph kept urging me to turn back as it was only up to his chest. All of a sudden Mother Ralph kept urging me to turn back as it was only up to his chest. All of a sudden Mother appeared from nowhere, scolding us both as we could have drowned, and me for being in my undies. I was the only one who would have got out of her depth and drowned!
[edit] From the Hill
When I stood on the hill top, where the Rosanna Golf Links School is now, I could look right up to where McDonalds now stands. All I could see were grassy open paddocks, the Salt Creek with its white railings and Greensborough Road which carried very little traffic in those days. We were lucky to see two or three cars in a week although there was a regular yellow bus which travelled from the Lower Eltham Park to Heidelberg. Mostly we saw push bikes, horse drawn fruit wagons from Diamond Creek, horse-drawn carts and people walking. As I looked across to the east & south, only about half a dozen houses dotted the paddocks. From the back of our property I could see the Rosanna Golf Links with its big green Club House and flags on the fairways. On the frosty nights I could hear the train pull into the Macleod Railway station.
[edit] Lots to do
I loved living on our farm. There were so many things to do: helping my mother collect the eggs and feed the chooks; gathering sticks and bark to help start the stove and fires in the open fireplaces; pumping water from the underground well beside the dairy to the tank above so the milk could be water cooled; helping my grandmother feed the calves. There were places to hide, trees to climb, (especially the fig tree!), fruit, walnuts and almonds to pick. We built big bonfires for Empire Day (May 24th) and Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th). We could wander across the paddocks, search for mushrooms in the autumn, look for tadpoles, and play Cowboys and Indians. I felt very important when I helped move the cows further away to their night paddock. Best of all, I learned to ride and got my own pony when I was 10.
My parents milked cows up into the early 1950's when progress, bringing more people, houses and traffic, changed Rosanna from open spaces to what it is today. Sometimes when I drive past I can see Dad behind the plough or smell the new mown hay and I’m that small girl heading for home on a broad draught horse back once more.
Dorothy Lemin 2007
[edit] Further Reading
New Sports Oval The Heidelberger June 15, 1966 p. 3
