families across the world
Australian
Scottish
Heritage
Scottish
Heritage
Stuart Anderson at Craigie Lea
My father's family Stuart and Isabella (Guild) Anderson were dairy farmers in Dundee and I believe that
the dairy stayed in the Guild family until a few years ago.
My Grandfather,Stuart Anderson,was a bread baker in WW1 and served in the Gordon Highlanders and
the Black Watch units,he served on the Western Front.After WW1 representatives from the NSW Government went to the UK to recruit experianced farmers to farm along side returned Australian men,
some who had no argricultural experiance but were taking up farmer settler block in the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Area.My Grandfather was promised a farm under the same grants and conditions as the
Australian returned men as he was an experianced dairyman,so came out here to take up a farm.Initially
he came by himself and left my grandmother to manage the dairy and look after the business in Dundee.
He had to work on an established Irrigation farm for some time to get experiance in managing Irrigation
water.
He drew a Farm 1439 at Murrami (between Leeton and Griffith) in 1922 with no improvements whatsoever,
only corner pegs to mark out the alloted area.Isabella and 4 girls,Christina,Margaret,Robina and Isabel
arrived out here in January 1923 on the Esperance Bay.What a shock it must of been for them arriving
in the heat of summer to live in a tin shack.Apparently they were quite comfortable in Scotland but there
must have been some rift with renewing the dairy lease off my grandmothers family,so all the cows were
sold and they used these funds to set up a dairy,shedding,fencing etc,out here.Unfortunately he never
recieved the grants promised to him by the NSW representatives in Scotland.He even had an audience
with the Premier when he came down to visit this area to complain that promises were broken.They
lived in the tin shack for 10 years until they could afford to buy a house and have it dragged here from a
close by area.The AIF men recieved grants for houses and improvements.A few years ago at the Pioneer
Park in Griffith I saw the ads reffered to,inviting people to this area to farm.
This has all been documented as the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area was fully controlled by the Water
Conservation and Irrigation Commission.
Everything you did to improve your farm,grow crops,etc needed approval by the WC &IC,so I spent
several days researching there archives.He ended up being one of the pioneers of the rice industry
growing rice for the first time in 1926.The dairy was wound up in the 1930's and they went into rice,
chaff and lamb production and became very successful farmers.
My father,also Stuart was the first and only son born in Australia,then 3 more girls Beatrice,Ellen and
Winifred.Isabella was a founder member of the Presbyterian Ladies Guild (their first meeting was held
at her home),Golf,Cricket and Tennis Clubs and was active in pettitioning to get a school out here which
began in 1925.Until then the older girls used to travel about 5 miles morning and night by sulky.They really
had some tough times,but remained very close and there was always lots of mischief,fun and laughter in
the family.
My father farmed until his death and now my husband and myself are still on the same property
"Craigie Lea"(named after my Grandmother)
Kindly contributed by Libby Bailey (nee Anderson)
My father's family Stuart and Isabella (Guild) Anderson were dairy farmers in Dundee and I believe that
the dairy stayed in the Guild family until a few years ago.
My Grandfather,Stuart Anderson,was a bread baker in WW1 and served in the Gordon Highlanders and
the Black Watch units,he served on the Western Front.After WW1 representatives from the NSW Government went to the UK to recruit experianced farmers to farm along side returned Australian men,
some who had no argricultural experiance but were taking up farmer settler block in the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Area.My Grandfather was promised a farm under the same grants and conditions as the
Australian returned men as he was an experianced dairyman,so came out here to take up a farm.Initially
he came by himself and left my grandmother to manage the dairy and look after the business in Dundee.
He had to work on an established Irrigation farm for some time to get experiance in managing Irrigation
water.
He drew a Farm 1439 at Murrami (between Leeton and Griffith) in 1922 with no improvements whatsoever,
only corner pegs to mark out the alloted area.Isabella and 4 girls,Christina,Margaret,Robina and Isabel
arrived out here in January 1923 on the Esperance Bay.What a shock it must of been for them arriving
in the heat of summer to live in a tin shack.Apparently they were quite comfortable in Scotland but there
must have been some rift with renewing the dairy lease off my grandmothers family,so all the cows were
sold and they used these funds to set up a dairy,shedding,fencing etc,out here.Unfortunately he never
recieved the grants promised to him by the NSW representatives in Scotland.He even had an audience
with the Premier when he came down to visit this area to complain that promises were broken.They
lived in the tin shack for 10 years until they could afford to buy a house and have it dragged here from a
close by area.The AIF men recieved grants for houses and improvements.A few years ago at the Pioneer
Park in Griffith I saw the ads reffered to,inviting people to this area to farm.
This has all been documented as the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area was fully controlled by the Water
Conservation and Irrigation Commission.
Everything you did to improve your farm,grow crops,etc needed approval by the WC &IC,so I spent
several days researching there archives.He ended up being one of the pioneers of the rice industry
growing rice for the first time in 1926.The dairy was wound up in the 1930's and they went into rice,
chaff and lamb production and became very successful farmers.
My father,also Stuart was the first and only son born in Australia,then 3 more girls Beatrice,Ellen and
Winifred.Isabella was a founder member of the Presbyterian Ladies Guild (their first meeting was held
at her home),Golf,Cricket and Tennis Clubs and was active in pettitioning to get a school out here which
began in 1925.Until then the older girls used to travel about 5 miles morning and night by sulky.They really
had some tough times,but remained very close and there was always lots of mischief,fun and laughter in
the family.
My father farmed until his death and now my husband and myself are still on the same property
"Craigie Lea"(named after my Grandmother)
Kindly contributed by Libby Bailey (nee Anderson)
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