From Gold to Milking Cows – in memory of Helen Astrand

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While I was recently away, I was deeply saddened and quite shocked to hear of the unexpected passing of Helen Astrand.

Although we were not close friends, we had known each other for many years through our work on the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Cemetery Board and our shared passion for local history. Helen, a proud Boulder girl, had a deep love for Boulder and its history, and she was always eager to preserve the stories of the people and places that made it so special.

Some time ago, Helen asked if I would write a story of her family’s history in Boulder, particularly the dairy they operated there for many years, if she provided me with the information and photographs. It was a privilege to be able to tell that story for her.

Today, I would like to share that story once again in Helen’s memory, as a small tribute to someone whose enthusiasm for preserving Boulder’s history will not be forgotten.

My sincere condolences go to her husband, Rex, and to all of her family at this very sad time.

From Gold to Milking Cows
A story of a young life on a dairy farm in the Goldfields
by Helen Astrand nee Pollard

The late 1890s saw John James POLLARD, born 1877 in Moonta in South Australia, travel from SA to Malcolm in the Northern Goldfields of Western Australia to seek his fortune. There he met Margaretta Louisa Staines PASSERINI, who was born in Walhalla in Victoria, and they married in Boulder, Western Australia in 1901. They returned to Malcolm after the wedding, where Harry James was born and lived to 9 months of age. He died from heat apoplexy in 1902 and is buried in the old Malcolm Cemetery on Lake Raeside.

After doing quite well with the gold finds, they moved to a property in Richardson Street, Boulder and had another six children. It was here that Pollard’s dairy was started in the early 1900’s and the family moved from Richardson Street, where Reginald Edward James Pollard was born in 1908, to Milner Avenue in Boulder. By this time there were several small dairies across the Kalgoorlie and Boulder townships to serve the ever-increasing population that were arriving to find their fortunes in gold.  The Pollard family-owned dairy survived the sometimes harshness of the goldfields and carried on for over 70 years, servicing the people of the twin towns with fresh milk delivered by horse and cart daily.

Reginald Edward James 'Reg' Pollard - Photo Helen Astrand.

Reginald Edward James ‘Reg’ Pollard – Photo Helen Astrand.

Reg, who was the third oldest child to James and Margaretta, attended Boulder Primary whilst his mother worked the dairy in Milner Avenue. By the time Reg reached the age of 12, he had left school and was working full time milking cows. His father James passed away in 1922 at the age of 45, and in 1929 Reg was given a ‘Deed of Gift’ from his mother to carry on the business.

The schedule included:

1 x Delivery Cart in good order
1 x Delivery Cart (one wheel off)
3 x horses (Carts)
19 cows in milk
6 x cows dry
Drums, Milking cans, Hand Cans, Buckets and Scoops

and so began an industry for a young lad with already a wealth of experience behind him.

The day in the life of the dairy started at 3am when the cows were milked for the deliveries later that morning. The business was built up to 200 milking cows, and to supplement feeding this herd, during droughts and hard times lucerne was grown on what was then called the “Lucerne Farm” situated where the ICI  Plant is now.  Hay was brought in from Esperance and Bruce Rock, and in the early years grain was collected twice a week from the local Kalgoorlie Brewery and hops once a month.

A Giant Haystack - Photo Helen Anstrad

A Giant Haystack – Photo Helen Astrand

The Boulder Shire often debated what to do with the milking cows, some of which were very partial to the residents’ flowers along Burt Street, Wittenoom Street and down along to Gribble Creek. Many a time the cows were impounded (corner of Ivanhoe and Burt Street) and Reg would have to go and have them released, only for them to go and do the same thing the very next day. Talk to anyone of that era, and they generally have a story to tell.

Cows ready for milking – Photo Helen Astrand.

The cows were fed hay out on the Radar Station Flats, now taken up by the airport and Anzac Drive, where they always made their own way out after their morning milk, and they roamed about and bought themselves home for the evening milk. But for some the grass was always greener on the other side, which brought about some stray cows being herded back in from the Kopai’s. A comment to the Kalgoorlie Miner in 1947 from a representative of the Metropolitan Milk Board said:

“The standard of dairies on the Goldfields is also higher than the average standard of the dairies in the metropolitan area before the board took over control”

There were many good years for local feed after our rains when our dams were always full; only one had to slush through cow manure, knee high sometimes, to just have a swim, and you never wore your good bathers as they always came out brown. The manure was well used as it was hand bogged onto trailers for the abundance of Market Gardens that were spread across the Somerville area. It also helped with the collection of huge mushrooms that grew along the cattle fences after rains. Town folk would end up collecting buckets of giant mushrooms.

A fine collection of giant mushrooms

A fine collection of giant mushrooms – Photo by Astrand.

Outback Joe – a verse

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The Sun, Sunday 11 June 1899, page 5

OUTBACK JOE
A LEGEND OF THE 25-MILE.

You miners of Westralia! attention grant, I pray,
While I relate in doggerel, a plaintive sort of lay,
Wherein a sharper kind of bloke— a half Finn-German Jew —
Was introduced to Out-back Joe and shown a point or two.
The Jew had been insolvent twice, at law was very tough,
He’d had three fires, had been a fence, and stood on whips of stuff.

He built a slap-bang little pub, would buy a bit of gold,
As whisky, brandy, wine or gin strong turpentine he sold;
The bar was copper bottomed on where on the boozers stood,
For fear the red hob liquid scuff might burn away the wood.
One day a drunk upset his glass— the first had made him tight—
And in the twinkling of an eye the place was all alight;
“By Jove,” says Ikey, “now mine frendts dere ain’t no swiville dere.”
“I pudts no vater in mine grog, s’help me ; I declare”

When Out-back Joe arrived in town his funds were very low,
But in his pouch he had some gold he took from Ivanhoe ;
He carried it from camp to camp it was his stock in trade,
And with a bob or two for booze he was not much afraid.
He yabbered on geology, of which he something knew,
Of kaolin, schists, and diorite, of bottoms false and true ;
He flashed his gold, the Jew caught on; says he, “Come, haf a drink. .
” Ond, vere you gott dot shotty gold, About someveres, I dink.

” Joe filled and drank and pledged the Jew, and filled her up again,
And country and formation both to Ikey would explain.
He talked of leads and lodes and reefs, of laws and leases, too;
Though looking stupid as a sheep, he charmed the little Jew!
“Now, gud, mine friend,” says Ikey ; you pud me on du ground
Vere you vas got dat shotty gold, I gif you twenty pound.
I find you, too, in tucker, and you “can vork dat out.”
And Out-back Joe took on the deal — it fetched another shout.

“I have a mate the other side, and he must have a share ;
We worked together now for years— I’ll wire him cross his fare.
He has four kids,” says Out-back Joe. ” Your goodness does you proud,
But don’t,” says Ike, ” be foolish, man, and go and bring a crowd.
We’ll get a contract,” said the Jew, and called for pen and ink.
And Joe, as full-blown partner, proposed another drink.
Joe drank the fiery liquor, and never made a frown,
His brain was set on one thing— to take the Hebrew down.

“One hundred feet of virgin ground, and likely country, too,
I think the show’s a beauty.” “I dink so,” says the Jew. ‘
They started out at break of day, and found the virgin ground ;
A camp was there, and shovels, picks, and dishes scattered round.
A dish or two they took and blew without a trace of gold.
The third showed “just a color,” three weights the fourth dish told.
They specked a weight, promiscuous like —set there by Wily Joe,
Who cursed his luck for having sold, so I cheap, a splendid show.

The Jew paid down the twenty quid, and made Joe give receipt,
And stated and strutted all about — ” Oh, : Moses, dis vas sweet;
I’ll go and fetch dot shaker out and pring some tucker, too, .
Ond you stop dere ond vork dot claim ond mind dat jumping crew.”
He went away to get the things, and in three days got back.
But Joe had put Matilda up, was well upon the track.
You’ve seen some willy-willies, you’ve heard the thunders roar;
But these are simply nothing to the way that Ikey swore.

He pranced around and bustled, and I called on Moses, too,
On Abraham and Isaac, and every brand of Jew.
He cursed Joe with a Hebrew curse — in  such he raved and swore—
As thief and rogue and swindler, continuing to roar.
He cursed him as a spieler, he cursed his ill got self,
He cursed the country up and down, then turned and cursed himself.
And if you want to rile him now, and make his temper grow,
Just ask him where a note will find his ‘ friend, old ” Out-back Joe.”

The Woman Behind the Headlines: The Story of Catherine May Davis

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The photographs in this story were kindly supplied by Catherine and George’s Granddaughter, Jan Hale. This photo shows Catherine ‘Kate’ Davis in a nurse uniform outside her private hospital in either 1898 or 1899. The occasion was Jan’s mother Dorothy’s 4th or 5th birthday. She is the little dark-haired girl in the front row, 4th […]

The Forgotten Architect of the Goldfields –

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The Man Behind Kalgoorlie’s Grandest Buildings Geoffrey Oswald Hawkins Geoffrey Oswald Hawkins (1870-1936) was born on 10 July 1870 at Sandhurst (the town regained the name Bendigo from 1891), Victoria.  He was the third of twelve children born to Edward Jackson and Eliza Rebekah (nee Annear) Hawkins, who had married at Sandhurst in December 1866. […]