Download Report

ROY DOUST
SHIRE OF BRIDGETOWN-GREENBUSHES
ORAL HSTORY PROJECT
BICENTENNIAL HERITAGE PROGRAMME
An interview with
Mr Roy Doust
1975
A member of a pioneer family in the Bridgetown area
Conducted by Glenn Bennett
The original tape forms part of the Bridgetown High School Collection
With notes about the early midwives in the district.
Reference No OH 13
1 x 60 minute tape
Verbatim transcript
1
ROY DOUST
NOTE TO THE READER
Readers of this Oral History Memoir should bear in mind that it is a verbatim
transcript of the spoken word and reflects the informal conversation style that is
inherent in such historical sources. The Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire is not
responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, not for the views expressed
there-in, these are for the reader to judge.
2
ROY DOUST
Narrator
Roy Doust
Interviewer
Glenn Bennett
Place
“Moonya Lodge”, Ipsen Street, Manjimup
Date
1975
PERSONAL DATA
Roy Doust born 12 March 1890 at Bridgetown
PARENTS
Susan Doust (nee Rummer) born 8 May 1859 in England
Alfred Doust born 9 November 1853 at Newcastle (now
Toodyay), Western Australia
BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
Ida born 2/2/1881 in Bridgetown
Mena born 16/10/1882 in Bridgetown
William born 12/7/1884 in Bridgetown
Edith born 10/5/1886 in Bridgetown
Esther born 1/5/1888 in Bridgetown
Leonard born 28/3/1892 in Bridgetown
Nelmore born 10/9/1894 in Bridgetown
Keith born 18/9/1902 in Bridgetown
Victor (Bob) born 7/10/1905 in Bridgetown
SCHOOLING
Winnejup Rural School
3
ROY DOUST
SYNOPSIS
SIDE A
Discovery of tin by Mr Stinton
Early tin mining in Greenbushes – first rush to South Greenbushes, known as
Bunbury End – description of early mining – early dredge (not successful)
Early settlers – Mr Bartlett and Mr Williams came from South Australia to
Greenbushes and then later settled in Bridgetown
Recreation in Greenbushes – three football teams during the boom period –
cricket
Bridgetown Agricultural Society – formed in 1885 (?)
Description of original ground – move to present site
Timber mills. First mill constructed by James Scott near present Hester Siding.
(He later took over the Farmers Home Hotel – renamed Scotts)
Description of later mills – all purpose mills
Sleeper cutters
Spot mills – Kurtz and Allnutt cut first fruit cases
SIDE B
Hotels in Bridgetown
 Farmers’ Home – the first built by Henry Doust
 Bridgetown – second – Joseph Daw
 Terminus – third – Joseph Smith, originally a store and residence,
later obtained a liquor licence.
 Freemasons’ Hotel originally built at what is now Nelson House
(Bridgetown Motel)
 Moved to present site – built by Bunning Bros
Brick making – Mr Doust’s father supplied bricks for the Terminus
Description of original Farmers’ Home – special room for visiting doctor from
Bunbury
4
ROY DOUST
First hospital
Midwives – Mrs Joseph Smith and Mrs Jim Maslin from Bridgetown, Mrs Reeve
of Balbarrup
Early doctors – Dr Dickenson followed by Dr Dean
Surgeries
5
ROY DOUST
INTRODUCTION
Mr Roy Doust, a member of a pioneer farming family in the Winnejup area,
Bridgetown, is interviewed by Glenn Bennett. Mr Doust was born in Bridgetown
in 1890 and spent his life in the area. He was manager of the Blackwood Times
for some years and was interested in the history and development of Bridgetown.
VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT
SIDE A
GB
I’m talking to Mr Roy Doust about the tin mining at Greenbushes.
RD
After the discovery of tin by Mr Stinton there was a rush from Bunbury to
the fields and at that stage it was South Greenbushes, but for a long time
it was called Bunbury End on account of the number from that township. It
wasn’t until later on it became South Greenbushes.
Naturally to mine tin from so much other soil and particularly white slimy
soil it was necessary to build what was known as the best method in those
days, as a sludge pool. This was worked with a pony by going around
some of the old horse works on farms and other areas. It was built in a
complete circle with a wall of slabs mostly made from Jarrah, which would
be about three foot in height and sunk about eighteen inches into the soil.
Inside that and about three feet in width was another wall so that the water
could be channeled into the sludge mill and would then wash off all the
soil and eventually the tin being the heaviest of the lot required the
services of a man in the sludge pit, or sludge circular hole you would call
it, and he would throw with a shovel material back toward the inflow of the
water, and as he did that, each shovelful he threw back was washed by
the water to a certain extent. When they considered they had about fifty
or sixty percent tin and other material, then it was bagged up and taken
away for cleaning – hand cleaning usually in those days.
Then this was followed by the introduction of motor engines, petrol driven,
and they used what was known as a force of water – it was pumped out at
a high degree into the walls of the mine they were working and naturally
washed out everything! They had to be careful of course washing around
trees in case a tree would fall on them. That was washed back and it
would run into what they called a paddock, and round the paddock was
heaped up dirt to the extent that it kept all the water in and the sludge.
This was then run through a race built with galvanized tin bases at the
bottom but in layers of about four or five feet, and each layer dropped
down about six inches so that the chap standing at the top with the shovel
or two men in the race would keep throwing the tin and all the rubbish
back until they had nothing but tin and stones, or something that was fairly
6
ROY DOUST
heavy that would not wash away. All the pipe clay and that sort of thing,
which was snow white in those days and still is, was washed away and
they
sorted
the
tin
out
mostly
by
a
pan
system.
.
It was interesting to watch the old miners in as much as they could tell Tin
and Tantalite but could not separate them, by picking up the jet black
stones and throwing them onto their tongues. If it fell off it was Tin or
Tantalite. If they could not tell that way then they took a couple of pennies
and would grind the Tin down until they found out whether it was Tin,
Tomlin or Tantalite, and that is how they worked it.
Someone then had the idea that they would be able to work a dredge and
they put in a water scheme from the Blackwood River right into
Greenbushes – this would have been around 1914 or thereabouts. They
purchased a second hand plant from Singapore but they did not have
sufficient water to keep the dredge afloat. They chained the dredge with a
wire rope to two large trees, one on each side of the pit, and kept it
moving forward all the time when possible, but you can imagine that when
taking out the solid dirt, rocks and so on which were washed with force of
water going then out the back of the dredge, they became shipwrecked,
and it was never a success. They could not keep it clear so it had to be
dropped. During that time the Mines Department sought many avenues of
finding Lode Tin in Greenbushes, and even put down what is still known
as the Cornwall mine – a circular mine – and they operated that putting in
drives and shafts in many places, but they never discovered what they
were looking for.
One thing they did consider was that the Greenbushes Tin continued
under the Blackwood River and came out again at Smithfield, which is
near the Donnelly River Mill right on the Donnelly River. Tin was
discovered at Smithfield many years ago by J A Smith and two brothers
named Donovan from Greenbushes, and they worked it there but could
not find it in payable quantities. The Mines Department nowadays
considers that that was an offshoot from Greenbushes.
The great majority of miners worked on their own account – more what
you would call prospectors, or in twos and threes, but the biggest
company working there was F A Moss of Kalgoorlie, and they were
working big plants all the time and always had managers for the job. They
were there just after the turn of the century.
The miners came from many parts of Australia, particularly South
Australia, and some of the people who worked in Greenbushes came on
to Bridgetown and bought land and businesses and settled. For instance,
one of the chief businessmen in the town was the late Mr R C Williams
7
ROY DOUST
who later became Clerk of Court in Bridgetown and he was attracted to
Greenbushes because of the tin outbreak. The late “Big Bill” Johnson who
was for years referred to as ‘The King of Manjimup’, was a Victorian, and
he and his relatives came to Greenbushes as soon as Tin was discovered
and eventually moved on to Manjimup and went into business. The
miners were a jovial lot – very happy and easy to get on with. For
instance – I knew them very well from the inception, but I got to know
them better still in about 1918 to 1920.
At one stage they erected a tin smelter in Greenbushes which was quite a
big undertaking, because the only smelter in Australia in those days for tin
was Sydney, and Greenbushes kept going until such time when there was
not enough to handle, and consequently the mill was closed down. The
mill was within a quarter of a mile of the present recreation ground and
probably there would be the remains of the foundations still there.
GB
What type of recreation was there in Greenbushes at that time?
RD
That calls to mind many happy games played on the Reserve and
Greenbushes was so busy that they had no less than three football teams!
One was known as the Timber Corporation, with men selected from the
Timber Mill out from the North Greenbushes Railway Station, Wanderers
and South Greenbushes. In addition to the present Recreation Ground,
they also had one at South Greenbushes, and one at Brown’s Mill, so that
each club had its own ground.
They took a keen interest in cricket and some of their players were
outstanding in the first Country Week Cricket Carnival held in Perth when
Nelson won the competition. I well remember when I was scoring for the
occasion, the outstanding player at that carnival was a man by the name
of Jack Arthur who lived in Greenbushes.
GB
Do you remember anything about the foot races they held outside the
hotels on a Friday and Saturday evening?
RD
No, I don’t recall them – Wally Meares would know.
GB
What about the Agricultural Shows, Mr Doust?
RD
It is interesting to recall the effort put forward by the Agricultural Society
which was formed in Bridgetown in 1885 in as much as there was little or
no money available in the district in those days and it was even difficult to
obtain work of any sort. But the Society went ahead and they decided to
fence in the Recreation Ground which was all timber then, extending from
the (old) Bridgetown State School, that is now the railway crossing in
Steere Street, to Roe Street, opposite the Convent. It went down Roe
8
ROY DOUST
Street almost to the Brook and from there straight back to where the
railway is today and joined up then with the playground of the State
School. When the railway came through, naturally they split up the
playground with the result that we, as children had to play where the
Freemasons’ Hotel now stands. There were no buildings at all there as far
as the Farmers’ Home Hotel, now Scott’s Hotel. Then they fenced back
again to Steere Street. I’ve no knowledge of course of what Gilbert and
William Coverley charged for the work they did or what number of days or
weeks was given in voluntary work, but if you want to see some of the
efforts they put forward you can go to the present day Agricultural Society
and you will see that there is a six foot fence around a lot of that, made of
Jarrah slabs, posts and rails, solid. You will also find the cattle pen from
Peninsula Road near the entrance gate down to the old booth, all cattle
and horse pens of solid Jarrah six feet high with walking slabs on top of
the posts so that anyone could walk around on top of the yards. From
Roe Street down to the entrance gate which would be opposite the
present Police Station other pens were erected for more vicious cattle. On
the opposite side towards the railway were the horse pens. This gave
them sufficient room for football and cricket and the only building on that
full length of ground was a small shed used for produce when the Annual
Show was held.
GB
One can imagine what it would cost these days to build such a fence or
anything like it – it would be beyond the financial resources of anyone.
Sheep pens made of very much smaller material and pig pens made of
Jarrah were erected on the northern side of the round, and that left plenty
of room for all entertainments. All sports gatherings were held there and a
cricket pitch was put down, not concrete, they used to use mats in those
days.
So if we could just summarise the ground fronted on to Steere Street,
went in a northerly direction nearly to the Brook, and that was entirely
fenced with post and rail, and this has now been transferred to the present
showground?
RD
I don’t know how much went there, but a lot of timber for the stockyards
and the boundary fence. I have noticed for many years that for many,
many years when you go into the country and select your own trees they
split like matchwood, you never bothered with Curly Jarrah, consequently
when a post was put into the ground it would last for years and years,
whereas today I have noticed posts put in that would rot off quickly.
GB
So the Coverleys were the ones who did the fencing?
RD
Yes, William and Gilbert Coverley, if I remember rightly from what my
parents told me, but no doubt they had plenty of help from other people.
9
ROY DOUST
GB
What do you know about timber milling in the area, Mr Doust?
RD
Well, the first Timber Mill of any note was erected by James Scott, who
afterwards bought Scott’s Hotel, and that was erected a little more than
half a mile below Hester Siding. He supplied quite a lot of timber to the
Bridgetown district.
GB
Is it true that the motor for the original steam driven mill came from
somewhere in the Boyup area.
RD
I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you that, I know it was steam driven. The next Mill
of any note that came in was Sexton and Drysdale who constructed a Mill
a little over a mile on the northern side of Hester Siding. This was
followed by a mill erected by Connell, William Connell, at Hester Siding,
and that kept going for many years.
GB
Was there any particular reason for them congregating in the Hester area?
RD
If you want really good timber you want to get into gravel ironstone ridges
– timber will keep better and it is easier to work, the poorer the land as far
as agriculture is concerned proved to supply the best timber, and the
timber around Hester Siding and for many miles out was excellent and it
took many, many years for them to cut it all out.
GB
When you say a mill was begun, what sort of construction was there in the
mill?
RD
They were cutting all classes of timber, including fruit cases and sleepers,
six foot six inch sleepers, not the nine foot, they were all cut by hand. The
Sleeper Cutters came along and they cut everything worth cutting. For
instance, I know one man and afterwards he became MLA J A Smith, he
was cutting sleepers, and on one occasion I was passing through a bit of
bush, horse hunting, when I saw one of the finest jarrah logs I had ever
seen in my life in size, shape, etc. When I pulled up alongside and had a
look at it, I saw no less than three wedged blocks of wood side by side
and they had not even split that log open, and I happened to mention to J
A Smith many years afterwards what I had seen. He said that was his log
and did I know how many lengths he had cut off it? I said I thought about
five or six, and he said, “Yes, that was the toughest log I’ve ever seen in
my life – we just could not split it!” You can imagine if that had been going
through a mill every bit would have been saved.
Sleeper cutters were very lax in finishing a log – if it was heavy and nasty
and a bit cross-grained they refused to go with it, they would look for
another.
10
ROY DOUST
GB
The original mills were all purpose mills?
RD
Yes, but the cutters were there before the mills, and of course when the
cutting became short on crown land they eventually bought up all private
property. I’ll just give you an interesting episode which occurred and was
told to me by the man himself. He bought a T-model Ford, but it was a
second hand one and not new. He was driving through the area one day
when all of a sudden the driving wheel came off in his hands and left him
with no control. It was all gravel or sandy roads in those days and within a
few moments the car left the road and finished up nicely wedged into a
Jarrah tree stump. Fortunately he was not hurt very much, he got out of
the car, walked around it, looked at the stump and saw his own sleeper
brand on the stump. In those days every cutter was obliged to carry a
registered brand and immediately he cut a tree down he had to put his
brand on it. So he looked at that stump and said, “you rotten swine, I
thought I’d finished with you thirty years ago!”
GB
You mentioned the three mills that started up around Hester. Were there
any of what were called “Spot Mills” in the Bridgetown area?
RD
Yes. I think possibly one that started up possibly about the same time that
Scott started was operated by Kurtz and Allnutt. Kurtz was a German who
came to Australia and had taken up a property in Bridgetown, and the two
of them combined to cut the first fruit cases that were used in Bridgetown
and they were known in those days, and still are, as three-quarter flats.
They were followed by other smaller mills, and some of those mills on the
farms were even cutting River Banksia which is a beautiful wood, and the
cases were pretty to see, but what a pity to waste that wood.
GB
So these Spot Mills just spread around everywhere?
RD
The Spot Mills in the end of course, were cutting practically all sleepers.
The point you’ve got to consider is this – for years now they have been
cutting from private properties, and when you ring bark country and leave
all the valuable Jarrah, they develop a cross grain, so you can only used
them in a mill as you can’t use them for sleepers.
GB
How did these men actually work in cutting the timber?
RD
Generally if you were working for yourself you had a mate and you would
use one another for backing off for putting a scarf in a tree. You are using
a six or eight foot cross cut saw so you want someone to give you a start.
You put your scarf in with an axe and then you back off with a saw and
you want two men to handle it, otherwise one end of your saw is dropping
down all the time and cutting too deep and makes a bit of a mess. Then
when you do that you generally billet off. If you’re cutting six by eight by
11
ROY DOUST
four, six foot long, eight inches by four inches, you billet off the pieces you
can save, depending on what the tree is like – if it is a reasonable cuttable
tree you have no trouble, and when you put your sleeper on, what we
used was a cord with charcoal on it. You put the cord in and take it down
the other end where you want to use to cut off you bring down the cord
and tap it in, then you pull the cord up in the middle and drop it and it
leaves a black line dead straight right down the middle, and that’s the line
that you follow. Usually you have to take off most of the outside with an
ordinary axe and then finish with a broad axe. A broad axe is about ten or
twelve inches long and only sharpened on one side, the other side is
perfectly straight so that it doesn’t matter whether you are left or right
handed – you can put your handle in either end. This axe is so heavy that
you can just drop it on the line and it comes right through and it looks as
though you’ve planed it off with a plane.
SIDE B
To get sleepers out of the bush you usually used a horse and snigged
them out onto a reasonable place where you could load up, and it’s not an
easy job handling nine foot sleepers, or even six foot sleepers, but there
were horses and even bullock teams carting sleepers in, in those days.
One of my first visits to Manjimup, and that was a long time ago, a bullock
load of sleepers came in while I was there.
GB
I wonder if you could tell us about the four hotels in Bridgetown, perhaps
starting with the Terminus?
RD
The terminus was the third built in the town and that was originally built by
Joseph Smith, and he and his family used it as a residence and a store.
The store was on the town end of the building, and it was necessary to
walk up a flight of steps to enter. Eventually he applied for and was
granted a (liquor) licence. But the first hotel built in Bridgetown was
known as Farmers’ Home Hotel, which is now known as Scotts Hotel and
that was built by Henry James Doust. The next one built was the
Bridgetown Hotel which has retained the same name, and that was built
by Joseph Daw and was run by him for many years. It was eventually
sold to someone else.
The Freemasons’ Hotel was built as a hotel, now known as Nelson House,
but it was realized soon afterwards that it was too far out of town to have a
share of the business and in those days it had to be remembered that
people were coming from Manjimup, Upper Blackwood and all those
districts to Bridgetown for trade, because Boyup Brook was practically
unknown then, Manjimup was just known as Warren, and some of those
people had to travel thirteen, fourteen miles and more, so each of the
12
ROY DOUST
hotels had to have a stable to hold at least ten or twelve horses so that
when farmers did come it, they had somewhere to put their horses while
they stayed in the town, and many would be there for four or five days, just
for a change.
The Freemasons’ Hotel was erected by Bunning Bros. and in the end they
decided to build another Freemasons’ Hotel on the corner of Steere and
Hampton Streets where it stands today, closing down Nelson House and
transferring the licence.
GB
Do you know anything about the construction of the Terminus? Can you
remember the clayholes from which the bricks were taken?
RD
Yes, the bricks for the Terminus came out of my father’s property not half
a mile out of the town, because I remember he received eight bricks for
every hundred they made, as his share, and in addition to that he supplied
a pony for the Mill.
GB
How were the bricks made?
RD
Clay was wheeled up out of the holes in a barrow – the pony had to stop
while he was tipping the clay into the Mill, which was just like an ordinary
well, but built up, and there was a driveway down to where the brickie
worked himself. The pony went round and round with iron bars stirring up
the clay, who knew just what amount of water to put in with it, so it
wouldn’t be too puggy. It was only on rare occasions that the brick maker
would call out for another half a bucket of water. The poor unfortunate
pony used to turn up every night after work with lumps of clay sticking to
him all over the place, because when he stopped for a rest he was
encouraged to start again with a lump of clay being thrown.
GB
How were the bricks actually constructed by the brick maker for the
Terminus Hotel? Was there a mould?
RD
Yes, every brick comes through a mould. It’s surprising how easy it is if
you have the right mixture. Almost every brick in those days had a thumb
mark or two on it. They would have a barrow about six feet long and that
would hold about three or four dozen bricks. On the barrow and in a layer
was a light deal board, and each brick was placed as he pushed it out of
the mould with his two thumbs. You had to be careful so the brick wasn’t
pushed out of shape. Then as soon as he got the barrow full, he would
wheel it off for stacking to dry. The barrow had a wheel which was back
almost half way so that when he picked up the handles it wasn’t too hard
to hold up, and when it got too heavy he would raise his hands and let the
weight go forwards to pull him on. The bricks would be stacked in layers
about four bricks wide on a perfectly level surface covered with sand and
13
ROY DOUST
about a quarter of an inch apart, and he works the full length of that row so
it gives them a chance to dry. In a few days, if the bricks are dry enough,
he starts another layer, and so on. I think they only went about three feet
in height, then they would be covered with bulrushes or ferns, but mostly
bulrushes taken from miles around wherever you could find them, and it
didn’t matter if they were green or dry. They would put a sapling along the
bricks on the opposite way to where the wind was coming from, and then
put the bulrushes on so there was something to take the rain off, then they
would put another sapling on top to stop them blowing off, and that’s how
they dried their bricks. When they are completely dry they were burnt the
same as you would see them at a kiln at Burekup. I forget how long they
were kept in the kiln.
GB
How about the old Bridgetown Hotel? That was built before the Terminus,
wasn’t it?
RD
Scott’s Hotel, the new part of Scott’s where it is now, that was built out of
the same yards, my father’s yards, but the Bridgetown Hotel was built of
bricks made not more than two hundred yards from Fisher’s Garage, the
clay pit was right in the gully there, and I think it may still be in evidence.
GB
When did they reconstruct the Bridgetown Hotel? I’ve seen photos of the
old one and that was down in the hollow, wasn’t it?
RD
When the hotel was built, it was level with the track, and the Road Board
had to build it (the track) up as it got to be a quagmire in the winter time,
and when they did that you had to go down steps into the Hotel, so they
had to demolish it by degrees and build the existing one.
GB
Could you tell me something about the Farmers’ Home Hotel and its
appearance before it became Scott’s?
RD
The Farmers’ Home Hotel originally was a rather low building, low for
architecture in those days. It was built with one small bar and numerous
other rooms for various purposes. One was specially built for the medical
officer who in those days lived in Bunbury. He was the only doctor in the
district, Dr Lovegrove, and he used to come once a month. As a matter of
fact I remember it well because I was vaccinated there, I must have been
five or six, but I do know they took a long time to get me out from under
the form.
Between the main section of the Hotel and the Dining Room, washing
quarters, maids’ quarters and so on, would be fifteen or twenty feet on and
a roadway or carriageway between. The Dining Room was a very large
one used for wedding receptions and all that sort of thing, in those days,
as a matter of fact it was the leading reception room in the district when it
14
ROY DOUST
was not the Dining Room of the Hotel. It was built on the old system of
going into a room by going along a verandah or covered way and into
another room. I don’t remember a passageway of any kind in all the
building. So as you can imagine it covered a fairly big area, but all that
was later pulled down and only the existing building erected.
GB
We were talking about medical facilities in the town, and Mr Doust has
memories of the first hospital there.
RD
Yes, I can remember the first Hospital being built. It always appeared to
me to be a dwelling rather than a Hospital, and the old building is still in
existence with the addition on the southern end for a maternity section of
three small rooms whilst I was a member of the Board. Originally three
rooms made of weatherboard were at the back called “Native Wards”
where blacks and half castes were taken and kept separate. I well
remember at a meeting chaired by the late W P Scott, Chairman of the
Bridgetown Road Board, we decided that instead of adding on pieces here
and there the best thing to do would be to sell the Hospital as a residence
and build somewhere else. Well they laughed in scorn at us and we got
no support at all so we gave up the idea, but since then they’ve gone on
patching it up all the time.
Before a Medical Officer arrived in the district, whenever anyone was ill or
having a baby you would only have to go with a horse and buggy for either
Mrs Joseph Smith or Mrs Jim Maslin, both trained as Midwives and they
would be immediately on hand to render service. Another great lady was
Mrs Reeve of Balbarrup, who often travelled thirty or forty miles on
horseback to attend a case.
There were ten in our family, five boys and five girls, and eight of us were
born without a doctor, most of us brought into this world by Mrs Smith, so
you can see what a great part they played in the early days of Bridgetown
and other country towns – it was phenomenal.
The first doctor appointed to Bridgetown was Dr Dickenson. Following the
death of Dr Dickenson, after a serious accident, the practice was taken
over by Dr Dean who was there for very many years. There were quite a
lot more doctors following him, but I could not put them in order. There
were a lot of relieving doctors who came occasionally, and all of them
gave good service, travelling in horses and buggies or whatever might be
available. I well remember one doctor who was of a nervous disposition
and he bought a Ford car, which was the first one owned by a doctor in
the town. He could drive all right, but he hated to let go of the wheel,
especially when driving over the River Bridge. So wherever he went he
took his wife with him, and he made her learn how to switch the key on
and off, and the story goes that she tied a string to the key so she could
15
ROY DOUST
pull it either way when necessary, and that was the way he travelled
around the district. In the end Mrs Lonergan took over from her husband
and drove very well.
GB
Can you tell me the history of the present Medical Building in Steere
Street?
RD
The first surgery was at the then Medical Quarters on the south side of the
river opposite Blechynden House. The next one I remember was the late
Dr Williams’ house in Steere Street, and now the present surgery is
adjoining a building constructed by the second policeman who came to
Bridgetown, Constable Stokes, and that property has changed hands
many times since then.
16
ROY DOUST
APPENDIX A
The importance of the early midwives in the Bridgetown District.
Mr Doust makes reference in his tape to the important work done by the early
midwives in the district. This sentiment is echoed in other tapes so I have
obtained what information I can about two of the ladies most frequently
mentioned, Mrs Joseph Smith and Mrs Jim Maslin.
Joseph Henry and Eliza Smith first came to Bridgetown in 1862 when Joseph
was the foreman for the building of the bridge over the Blackwood River. Mr W
Forrest, the father of Lord Forrest, was in charge. Eliza Smith (nee Cain) of
Bunbury was one of the first midwives in the district. Mrs Lou Evans, her
granddaughter, has told me she was in great demand by black and white alike,
and you only had to go to her for assistance if anyone was sick or a woman was
about to have a baby, and she would go on horseback or in a horse and buggy to
give assistance.The nearest doctor at that time was in Bunbury, so this
emphasises the importance of these ladies.
Mrs Smith was the first registered Midwife in Bridgetown. She had had nursing
experience but she also used to travel to Bunbury with her husband when he
went for stores and did training under a doctor there; later in 1895 when her
husband built a home (opposite the present bowling green) Mrs Smith furnished
one room for use as a maternity unit and patients came to her. She also helped
both Dr Dickenson and Dr Dean after they came to the town. The Doctor’s home
at that time was almost opposite the Smith home on the other side of the road by
the bridge.
Mrs Evans told me that her grandmother and Mrs Maslin helped each other.
Besides all this community work, Mrs Smith reared a family of nine children. She
died in 1914 at the age of 69 years. Some of her descendents still live in the
Bridgetown district.
James and Elizabeth Maslin first came to Bridgetown in 1873 and took up
residence in the building now known as the Bridgetown Pottery and Tearooms.
Mr Maslin had an orchard on the land behind the house running down to the
Geegeelup Brook. Mrs Maslin (nee Bogue) had had nursing experience and she,
like Eliza Smith, would go to the assistance of anyone in need of medical help.
According to an article in the West Australian (Newspaper) 2 March 1985, page
55, “the Maslin house was built in 1870 using hand-made bricks. It became the
region’s first maternity home. In 1937 it was named Macedonian House after a
young Macedonian woman and her husband opened the building as a boarding
house. They sold it in the late 1950’s and the house then housed a succession
of restaurants. In 1984 it became the ‘Bridgetown Pottery and Tearooms’”.
17
ROY DOUST
(Information obtained from the Bunbury State Library)
Mrs June Doust, a grand-daughter of Mrs Maslin has told me her mother could
remember the maternity home and told her how they used to carry water up from
the brook. Like Mrs Smith, Mrs Maslin also reared a large family of 5 sons and 5
daughters. She also has descendents still living in the area.
Another lady who is mentioned as having been a midwife is Mrs Henry Doust of
‘Geegeelup’. Mr Doust played an important part in the business and civic affairs
of Bridgetown. Mrs Doust’s contribution must also have been considerable.
As the first doctor did not take up residence in the area until 1892 it can be
appreciated the important part these ladies played in the early development of
the town and district.
DALLAS CHEVIS
18