Congratulations Phil Bianchi

Hear hear!!!!
I look forward to getting a copy of Phil's book.

Duncan, that sounds like a good read. Another item to add to my list of Christmas presents!

Can I put my hand up here for a tiny claim to fame regarding a personal link to the CSR?

My Dad worked on Doolgunna Station (approx. 120kms North of Meekatharra) from 1930 to 1934, for a bloke named Jim Howard who was the owner of Doolgunna at that time.
Jim Howard was a terrific bloke, and employed Dad during the Depression, when work was non-existent.

When Dad turned up looking for work, Jim said he had work for him, but he had no money, as the Depression was really biting.
He told Dad he'd supply board and lodgings for him, without pay - but if and when things came good again, he would pay Dad up for all his back pay that was owing.

Dad had walked from Perth in late 1929 and the early part of 1930, looking for work (as a single man) and only found one job that lasted him a few weeks (in Carnarvon, operating the Blackstone engine that pumped water for the town water supply) - until a married bloke with 7 kids turned up, and took his job.
He'd arrived in Perth from Victoria, to try his luck, in October 1929 - just as the Depression struck!

He decided he had little choice but to take up Jim's generous offer, so he commenced work on Doolgunna and stayed in employment with Jim until 1934.
Dad worked around the Murchison on many other stations, as well as Doolgunna, while he was employed by Jim, because it appears that many station employees were often "lent" or hired out to various other stations, at various times - possibly due to staff shortages on other stations.

At the end of 1934, Jim had recovered from the Depression with good wool prices and good wool yields - and he was true to his word, and paid Dad up in full for his 4 yrs of unpaid work.
Dad never forgot Jims assistance in what was a terrible time for Dad, and they became lifelong friends. I can still remember Jim calling on us with a social visit in the mid 1950's, when he was quite an old man, and Dad was very pleased to see him.

When Dad got paid up, he decided to take on a water-boring agreement with the W.A. Boring Co.
This would be known as a franchise today - but the word wasn't invented back then!

Dad got supplied with a trailer-mounted, Southern Cross-engined, percussion boring plant by W.A.B.C.O, and he did contract water boring and windmill installation from the far North of the Murchison right down as far as Kalannie.

Now, Dad didn't have any other equipment, and he certainly didn't have enough money to buy a truck to pull the boring plant - but he did know about, and could handle - camels!

As a result, he acquired 4 camels and used them to pull his plant around while he was with W.A.B.C.O.
I believe he was probably one of the last camel-team owners in the Murchison in that era.
Trucking was already big business in the Murchison, and Kingsford-Smith's Gascoyne Transport was taken over by Westralian Farmers less than a year after Dad left Doolgunna. The onslaught of Gascoyne Transport trucks virtually wiped out any remaining camel teams.

One of the camels Dad acquired was a big black bull camel that had belonged to an Afghan in Meekatharra. The Afghan had been badly abusing the camel, beating it constantly - until one day, the camel just turned around and bit the top off the Afghans head, killing him instantly.
As a result, no-one wanted the camel, they all reckoned it was a "killer" camel. But Dad said it was one of the best and hardest-working camels he ever had, and it never gave him an ounce of bother.

Now comes the CSR link. As part of his water-boring setup, Dad had bought a dray off Jimmy Howard.
This dray was actually one of Charles Cannings drays that had been used in the construction of the CSR!

Jim confirmed it was one of Cannings drays, and Dad often remarked to us what excellent condition it was in, for its age (over 25 yrs old when he acquired it).
This dray was used to haul water in a 200 gallon tank for the boring plant - and it was also used to collect stores and carry his stores and equipment whenever he moved from job to job.

I called into Doolgunna in my Hilux in 1988, on my way back to Kalgoorlie from Marble Bar, and made myself known to the current owners at that time (their name escapes me) - and they promptly produced the station records - and in that record book, for 1934, was the clear and legible transaction where Dad had bought the dray!

Here's a couple of photos of the dray, taken when Dad was water boring.
I have no idea what happened to the dray. Dad left the Murchison and the W.A.B.C.O. in late 1937 and went back to Perth to work, because he was sick of the loneliness and dangerousness of his lifestyle.
Working alone for weeks at a time in the Outback with no communication was exceptionally risky.
I don't know what happened to his camels either - he probably turned them loose, as everyone else did, because they were worth virtually nothing by the late 1930's.

Hi Duncan,

It was indeed a great night and an opportunity to catch up with various people. Thanks for posting.

Some of the photos have been made available. Below find a real motley crew of EOites.
L to R Equinox, John Baas and the little bloke on the right is yours truly.

It wasn't only Alan that got a ribbing about a suit - I copped fair share with where's you shorts and blue hat?




Last night was I believe a fitting tribute to AW Canning - an unsung hero.

cheers to all

Hi Ron

Thanks for your info - interesting stuff. I wasn't aware of it before and will add it to my files if you don't mind.


cheers

Good to meet you finally last night Dunc.
It was a terrific night, and it is to Phil's enormous credit that he not only was able to write a thoroughly detailed book on the subject that he obviously loves (and has probably had enough of), but he was able to pull together a crowd of maybe 160 people from all walks of life, who shared a common interest.

Awesome work Phil, will take me a few long nights to read it :-)



Cheers
Alan