CUMMING BROS
"Andy" Andrew Smith CUMMING and "Don" Donald Ferguson CUMMING [27]
Sons of George Robertson CUMMING and Annie SMITH [54]
Both served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War [18]
In 1923 they each obtained adjacent farms on the Inering Estate in Carnamah through the Soldier Settlement Scheme [7: page 65]
Andrew acquired Lot 11 of the Inering Estate (804 acres) and Donald acquired Lot 12 of the Inering Estate (1,477 acres) [61]
Farmers in Carnamah, Western Australia 1923-1928 [9: 22-Jan-1926] [4: 17-Nov-1928] [19]
Won 1st prize for Sheaf of Oats of Hay at the Annual Show & Sports Carnival in Carnamah on 20 September 1923 [86: 4-Oct-1923]
One of their crops was reported in October 1923 to be standing about 5 feet 6 inches (168 centimetres) tall [225: 22-Oct-1923]
They purchased a Morris one-ton truck in about May of 1925 [81: 10-May-1925]
On 30 September 1925 purchased from the Midland Railway Company 3,517 acres of virgin land near the Inering Estate [27]
The 3,517 acres consisted of Lots M977, M979, M980, M981, M982 and M994 of Victoria Location 2022 [27]
The land was partly situated in Carnamah and partly in Three Springs and cost £1,795 payable by instalments over 15 years [27]
Purchased a new G.M.C. truck for the 1925-26 harvest [9: 22-Jan-1926]
In December 1925 they and neighbouring farmers NIVEN Bros requested a road be established between their farms [34]
The Carnamah District Road Board wrote to the Midland Railway Company to request consent to have a road surveyed [34]
The Company denied consent, however at some later point the road was made, forming part of what is now Inering Road [34] [62]
Had an account with Carnamah blacksmith, wheelwright and motor mechanics Henry Parkin & Son 1925-1928 [53]
They were among the first farmers in Carnamah to cart wheat to the railway siding by truck [9: 22-Jan-1926]
In the 1925-26 harvest they shifted with their truck 240 bags a day from their Inering farm to the Carnamah railway siding [9]
On 30 January 1926 purchased Alexander HUDSON's 639 acre farm (Lot M976 of Victoria Location 2022) [27]
The 639 acres still had most of its £335 worth of instalments owing to the Midland Railway Company [27]
In the 1920s also purchased the nearby 683 acre Lot 14 of the Inering Estate from Charles B. DODD [61] [3] [120: 9-Jan-1930]
With an average of 30 bushels per acre they won the Cup for the best wheat state wheat yield for the 1926-27 harvest [120: 20-Dec-1928]
Fires in early 1927 destroyed about 300 acres of their crop stubble, which was valuable livestock feed [81: 20-Feb-1927]
They grew over 2,000 acres of crop in 1927, which made them and John BOWMAN the largest farmers in the district [9: 29-Jul-1927]
In 1927 donated a trophy to the Carnamah Rifle Club which was known as the "Cumming Bros trophy" [9: 19-Aug-1927]
The Inering Post Office and Telephone Exchange was located at their homestead until early 1927 [4: 18-Jun-1927]
They were cropping over 2,000 acres in 1928 which made them and John BOWMAN Carnamah's largest farmers [9: 29-Jul-1927]
In about August of 1927 they sold 4,156 acres of their farmland to PARKER Bros of York [4: 27-Aug-1927, 24-Sep-1927, 10-Dec-1927]
The 4,156 acres was their Lots M976, M977, M979, M980, M981, M982 and M994 of Victoria Location 2022 [27]
Parker Bros only held onto the land for about six months and then on-sold it to Conrad A. E. BUSSENSCHUTT [4: 10 & 17-Mar-1928]
Purchased a 70 sports model Chrysler car through local agent Charles ROBERTSON in December 1927 [4: 10-Dec-1927] [81: 11-Dec-1927]
In November 1928 they were getting more wheat from a ten acre plot then they had over a whole mile the previous year [4: 17-Nov-1928]
In 1928 their crops of Nabawa wheat were averaging the then impressive 32 bushels an acre [4: 17-Mar-1928]
Their crops of Yandilla King wheat were expected to average between 32 and 35 bushels per acre in 1928 [4: 17-Mar-1928]
Owing to Donald's ill-health, they sold all of their remaining farmland, except for Lot 14 of the Inering Estate [120: 9-Jan-1930]
In early 1929 sold Lots 11 and 12 of the Inering Estate to Bedwell, Ludeman & McIntosh (Angus MCINTOSH) [3] [60]
They held a clearing sale on the farm on Friday 15 February 1929 to sell their livestock, plant and machinery [4: 26-Jan-1929]
The livestock sold at their clearing sale consisted of 900 sheep/wethers, 20 good farm horses and three cows [4]
Their extensive machinery and plant sold at their clearing sale included a Model 70 Chrysler car, 2 ton G.M.C. truck, [4]
1 ton Chev truck, two 15/20 McCormick Deering tractors, four 30 tyne McKay cultivators, [4]
two 14 disc Sundercuts, Sunrise disc plough, two Shearer mouldboard ploughs, Linke-Noack 12 disc plough, [4]
McKay 20/42 Suntyne combine drill, two 19 disc McCormick drills, Federal grader and pickler, two 2½ ton drays, [4]
7 ton wagon, spring cart, sulky, 5 h.p. Lister engine, Munro chaffcutter, two Sunshine headers and two Sunshine harvesters [4]
Following their clearing sale and the sale of almost all of their farmland Donald appears to have left the Carnamah district [19]
Andrew remained farming in Carnamah on the one part of the farm not sold, the 683 acre Lot 14 of the Inering Estate [120: 9-Jan-1930]
Andrew also leased and later purchased the 750 acre Lot 15 of the Inering Estate from Louis JOHANSEN [3] [61] [120: 9-Jan-1930]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Cumming Bros' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 16 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/cumming-bros [reference list] |
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