This Gazette article – published in the late 1980s or early ’90s – looks at Upper Beaconsfield in the 1930s through the eyes of long-time resident Don Begg.
Upper Beaconsfield was a township of orchards and guest houses when Don Begg first arrived in 1930 aged 12.
The 1930s and ’40s are a period in history which particularly interest Don – probably because he has an excellent memory.
It’s also a period often neglected in favour of the pioneer days of the district prior to 1900.
However, the face of Upper Beaconsfield in Don’s early years was very much different to the face it presents today.
“It was very quiet,” Don said. “There was no electricity then.”
The Begg family moved to an apple orchard at the corner of Foott and Albers roads. Don spent a year at the Upper Beaconsfield State School before he left, not yet 14, to work on the orchard.
Orchards covered much of the area, including the spot where Don lived on Stoney Creek Road.
“Practically all of them were apple orchards,” he recalled.
“The Albers had cherries and we had some lemons, but we never made any money on them. We had no water to keep them going over summer and the frosts played up with them as well.”
Don reeled off a list of orchardists’ names quicker than most could remember their neighbours today.
“Young Street was all orchards owned by E.W. Harris, then Dave Thompson had orchards on both sides of Albers Road.
“The Albers were in Foott Road, then there were Tom Black and Dr McCarthy, who had a big orchard which was managed by Mr Bennett.
“The Knaptons were on Stoney Creek Road, and so was Fred Sluman and Josends. Tom Hamilton had an orchard on Burglund Road, while Harold Osborne was on the corner. Captain Griffiths, Loves and Carpenters were all in Carpenter Road and Wally Brown was on St George’s Road, where Ron Murphy is. George Grant owned the orchard where Eric Bumpstead is today – he’s the only one left.”
The Colles family owned ‘Mundra’ where Don lived; an orchard he took over in the 1940s and farmed for many years.
In those early days the unemployed were paid £1 a week plus their keep to work on the orchards. The work was all done with horses and Don estimates the average orchard size to be 20 acres.
The apples would be loaded on to trains at Beaconsfield for export to England and other overseas countries. The popular strains were Jonathons, Yates, Rokewoods, Five Crowns and Rome Beauties – with Granny Smiths just starting to come into vogue.
Upper Beaconsfield was known from its early days as a beautiful getaway and in the 1930s and ’40s that tradition continued.
A photograph of the new road in 1934 shows signposts to many of the town’s guest houses – including Kia Ora, Tteckaba (Abeckett spelt backwards), Runneymede and Salisbury.
“It used to get very busy at Christmas time in the ’30s,” Don recalled.
“People would travel up to Beaconsfield on the train, then a chap called Bob Coventry, who drove a Dodge Tourer, would bring them up from the station.
“Sometimes he had to make a couple of trips if the car lasted that long. You had to be a mechanic if you drove in those days.”
The hall was the main meeting place in the town and it also played host to the Congregational Church. The original Church of England stood where St John’s is today.
The backdrop to the 1934 “back to” photograph shows the centre of Upper Beaconsfield as it was then.
“Johnny Nathan’s store was till there up until the Ash Wednesday bushfires,” Don said, tracing a finger over the old photograph.
“The milk bar is still where it is today, though.”
There was no butcher – the closest was in Beaconsfield – and bread was also sent up from Beaconsfield in horse and cart. It arrived twice a week and Don remembers that it could sometimes be “pretty stale”.
The “back to” also marked the re-grading of the Upper Beaconsfield Road to avoid a sharp incline on a deviation at the bypass.
Entertainment was the occasional dance in the hall and a trek down to Berwick most Saturday nights to see the pictures.
“We had a 30 cwt truck for the orchard during the ’30s. Dad would pick up people on the way to Berwick and bring them back again.”
The truck was only used for special occasions, such as church. For anything else in the hall, Don and his siblings would have to walk three miles each way.
The tennis club and the cricket club were both active in town, although there was never any football.
Don was a keen cricketer and also a member of the Scout Troop, which met at Kelleway’s place. He fondly remembers Scout camps at Christmas time on the beach at Lang Lang. “They were a real treat.”
Although the cricket club was never very strong, it won a premiership in 1954.
Another highlight remembered by Don was the formation of a women’s team including Gertie Albers and his older sister.
“Mrs Colles was the captain,” he said. “They only lasted about a year and when they played against the men we had to bowl underarm.”
The ground is in the same location as it is today, although then there was only a small shed. A copper was boiled for afternoon tea.
Although he only attended the school for a year, Don remembers many of its details. It has one room and 30 pupils. Out the back was a shelter shed and a playing area where many of the buildings are today.
Golf was gaining popularity in the ’30s. The Beaconhills golf links were established in 1926 as a nine hole course.
Don was a keen golfer at Montuna, which had grass greens established in the late 1940s. He was one of those who re-established the course after it was neglected during World War II.
Montuna’s membership was boosted when Pakenham’s original course, on the corner of Racecourse Road and the highway, closed down.
The Ash Wednesday bushfires forever changed the face of Upper Beaconsfield, Don said.
“I had a job to save this house. I lost all my cool stores but saved the house.”
