"JLB" James Lewis Berkley WEIR
Born 8 June 1873 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia [196]
Son of Hugh WEIR and Annie BERKLEY [15]
Educated at Ballarat College in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia [196]
Married "Mary" Madeline Mary PARRICK in Perth in 1898 [15]
Accountant with the firm L. A. Woolf & Co in Triggs Chambers at 81 Barrack Street in Perth in 1898 [6]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Claremont from as early as 1901 until his death in 1952 [2] [6]
Resided on Stirling Road in 1900 and 1901, on Princess Road in 1902 and on Waroonga Road in 1903 and 1904 [6]
Resided on the corner of Walter and Melville Streets 1905-1921 and then at 50 Victoria Avenue, Claremont [6]
Accountant trading as J. L. B. Weir & Co in Tannatt Chambers at 22 High Street in Fremantle 1904-1909 [6]
In addition to Fremantle his firm J. L. B. Weir & Co also operated at 62 Saint George's Terrace in Perth in 1908 and 1909 [6]
His J. L. B. Weir & Co and his former employer's firm L. A. Woolf & Co amalgamated into Woolf & Weir [6]
Accountant in partnership with Louis A. WOOLF trading as "Woolf & Weir" at 66 Saint George's Terrace in Perth 1909-1916 [6]
66 Saint George's Terrace was Halsbury Chambers, Commercial Union Chambers and then the Commercial Bank Chambers [6]
His partner retired from their firm and entered into another with Francis R. J. TEMPLETON as Woolfe, Templeton & Co [6]
Following his partner's departure he continued trading as Woolf & Weir at 66 Saint George's Terrace, Perth in 1917 and 1918 [6]
Fellow of the West Australian branch of the Australasian Corporation of Public Accountants - was Chairman in 1917 [6]
Accountant trading as J. L. B. Weir & Co at 66 Saint George's Terrace in Perth 1919-1929 [6]
Took on a partner in George L. BRODERICK however continued trading as J. L. B. Weir & Co 1926-1929 [6]
Accountant in partnership with George L. BRODERICK as "Weir & Broderick" from 1930 until at least 1949 [6]
They remained at 66 Saint George's Terrace, Perth until 1938 and were then at 101 Saint George's Terrace, Perth in 1939 [6]
Purchased Mill Farm in Winchester, South Carnamah from brothers Edward F. W. NAIRN and C. Harold NAIRN in 1908 [39: 16-Mar-1908]
He paid the NAIRN brothers £1,000 for the land and took over the land's Conditional Purchase liabilities to the Government [152]
The five Conditional Purchase leases totalling 1,600 acres became Victoria Locations 2916, 2917, 2925, 3011 and 3012 [44]
Around the same time or shortly afterwards he also took up a further 200 acres in Victoria Locations 3409 and 3410 [44]
Winchester at that time hadn't yet been named and was known as the 162-Mile Siding in Carnamah [39: 2-Dec-1908]
It is believed he briefly renamed the property Bedan Farm but changed the name again to Petan Farm in 1909 [9: 30-Oct-1908] [19]
Absentee Farmer of Petan Farm in Winchester with his brother-in-law Frederick W. PARRICK as "Parrick & Weir" 1909-1917 [6]
The farm also included 480 acres of land owned by his brother-in-law, which were Victoria Locations 3727 and 4100 [44]
His brother-in-law ran the farm and he continued working in Perth, however visited Winchester from time to time [P5]
The farm, which was fenced and equipped with buildings was opposite the railway siding in Winchester [152]
From 1910 to 1917 they also had a 5,000 acre pastoral lease in Winchester in his name from the Midland Railway Company [34] [44]
In the name of his wife the 300 acre Victoria Location 4516 and the 1,750 acre Victoria Location 4110 were later added [44]
His brother-in-law ceased running Petan Farm and left Winchester at the end of 1917 or during 1918 [6]
A few years later he purchased his brother-in-law's 480 acres of Petan Farm in Victoria Locations 3727 and 4100 [44]
Employed James ARMSTRONG to manage Petan Farm in Winchester from 1918 to 1928 [P263]
Extended his Petan Farm by another 100 acres with Victoria Location 8300 - taking the farm to a total of 4,430 acres [44]
The 4,430 acres consisted of Victoria Locations 2916, 2917, 2925, 3011, 3012, 3409, 3410, 3727, 4100, 4110, 4516 & 8300 [3] [44]
In 1913 he intended to build premises at Winchester that would meet the requirements of the Licensing Act 1911 [39: 18-Aug-1913]
The premises were to be used as a hotel and his brother-in-law Alfred PARRICK intended to rent them and secure the licence [39]
His brother-in-law's application for a provision certificate for a hotel was rejected as "a hotel was not necessary there" [39: 9-Sep-1913]
Gave evidence to the Royal Commission on the Agricultural Industries of Western Australia in Claremont on 12 October 1916 [152]
In answering their questions he revealed that they annually cropped 600 acres on Petan and fallowed 400 acres [152]
Upon purchase the farm had only a small patch of land cleared, but by 1916 they had cleared 1,400 acres [152]
For water they made a couple of dams on the farm and put down a number of bores for fresh water [152]
Over the years their crops had averaged about 16 or 17 bushels, and it had cost £2 per acre to put in and take off the crop [152]
He stated that costs could be reduced by the removal of duties on implements and corn sacks [152]
A recently acquired Steel Mule tractor had been used to plough up 40 acres, but no more as they ran out of naphtha petrol [152]
He described the district as "good sheep country" and they carried 500 or 600 sheep on the farm, a few head of cattle [152]
There were dingoes about but they didn't lose many sheep to them, although they'd lost more since the bonus had ended [152]
He believed that more women should be induced to go on the land, and that they should be educated in agriculture as boy were [152]
He also believed that the English system of taxation should be adopted, where taxation was calculated on a three year average [152]
Trustee of the Winchester Hall Committee [7: page 23]
Purchased 125 dozen wheat bags for 10/- per dozen from the Midland Railway Company in January 1917 [34]
At his request the 1,500 bags were delivered to Angus A. N. MCGILP of Coorow [34]
On 6 August 1920 purchased from the Midland Railway Company 491 acres of farmland in Winchester [27]
The 491 acres was Lot M913 of Victoria Location 2023 and cost £1325/8/- which he completed paying for on 9 August 1921 [27]
M913 is on the east side of the Midland Railway and adjoined the Winchester Railway Siding and Winchester townsite [62]
M913 had been half of REID & TAUNTON's Auchindoir Farm, the sale of which the Midland Railway Company had rescinded [27]
On 1 March 1921 purchased the adjoining 372 acre Lot M1307 of Victoria Location 2023 from the Midland Railway Company [27]
Lot M1307, which was virgin bush, was purchased for £158/7/3 (8/6 per acre), payable by installments over 15 years [27]
Finished paying for Lot M1307 and later sold both blocks to James S. STRAITON [3] [27], who named them Hursley Farm [P89]
On 16 September 1920 wrote to the Director of Education requesting a school be established at Winchester [7: pages 82, 83]
The Education Department sent him a form to fill out however the school was not granted due to insufficient numbers [7]
Purchased the vacant quarter acre Lot 11 of the Winchester townsite from the Midland Railway Company on 4 July 1922 [27]
He was one of the first people to buy a block in the Winchester townsite, which cost £25 less a 5% discount for paying cash [27]
Retained Lot 11 until selling it to the North Midlands Farmers' Co-operative Company during the 1940-41 financial year [3]
Patron of the Carnamah Race Club 1922-1930 [10: 27-Jan-1922] [9: 8-Apr-1927] [4: 21-Dec-1929]
His horse Golden Pips ran at the Carnamah Race Club's Annual Race Meeting in Carnamah on Thursday 10 April 1924 [10: 3-Apr-1924]
Absentee Farmer of Waddy Waddy Farm in Waddy Forest in partnership with Angus A. N. MCGILP as "Weir & McGilp" [9: 20-Mar-1925]
They appear to have dissolved their partnership in 1925 and held a clearing sale at Waddy Waddy on Friday 6 March 1925 [9]
Sheep sold at the sale totalled 1,407 and included 464 right aged Koonoona ewes which sold for 65/- each [9]
32 horses were sold including good farm horses (£43 to £49 each), aged horses (£18 to £3), lighter sorts and hacks [9]
Plant and Machinery sold included a binder (£50), scrub rake (£42), harvester (£80), wagon (£40), [9]
reaper thresher (£60), dray (£30), chaffcutter (£30), wool press (£21), ploughs (£33 to £55) and drills (£29 to £51) [9]
The property Waddy Waddy was said to have been owned by a company in which he was involved [P12]
Absentee owner/lessee of Bullara Station at Winning Pool in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia 1927-1930 [6]
In April 1928 sold his Petan Farm in Winchester to South Australian farmer William J. PETHICK for £8 per acre [4: 21-Apr-1928]
The land sold was 2,280 acres consisting of Victoria Locations 2916, 2917, 2925, 3011, 3012, 3409, 3410, 3727 and 4100) [3] [44]
He initially retained ownership of 2,150 acres of PetanFarm in leases for Victoria Locations 4110, 4516 and 8300 [3]
Leased the 2,150 acres to William J. PETHICK for six and a half years until selling them to him on 9 November 1934 [3]
Executive Committee Member of the Pastoralists Association of Western Australia 1944-1950 [196]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Claremont until his death in 1952 [2]
Father of one son and six daughters, including Hugh Lewis Frederick, Guida Annie, Edna Margaret and Freda Lois [15] [196]
Died 15 December 1952; ashes interred at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Crematorium Rose Gardens, G, 1) [2]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'James Lewis Berkley Weir' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 15 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/james-lewis-berkley-weir [reference list] |
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