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Bega

District Prosperity Lies in Dairying.

(Copied from Bega’s Century of Progress 1857-1957 by Barbara Adams [davida8-at-bigpond.com])

 The prosperity of the entire coastal strip depends, in the main, upon the prosperity of the dairy farmer.

Since the days of the very early settlement, the dairying industry has built up from a very small beginning.

The early settlers brought a few head of stock with them, probably they were Illawarra Shorthorns- a breed that like Topsy, “just grew”.  When butter first meant money to the early pioneers, it was the age  old process that made it - churning.  But the techniques were, shall we say a little different.

The milk was set in big pans and cream skimmed off.  It was churned into butter and placed in a keg.  But it took time to fill the keg, and the butter was getting old before it was full.  When eventually filled, it was sent to Sydney and sold at perhaps sixpence, probably less, per pound, and was often so rancid that it had to be thrown away. 

The development of the dairying industry was hard.  Many of the early settlers had very little capital and droughts, a feature of the Far South Coast weather, were just as severe in the early days.

The “Bega Standard” of 1887 said:  The drought took away first his savings, and next his cattle.

In that year stock died of starvation all over the district, and the path back to more prosperous times was not easy and was gained only by good rains that fell in the following seasons.

CHARLES PARBERY, the father of Mr. Herb Parbury bought the first Ayreshire bull to the district, JOHN FARRAHER, of Candelo bought the first Jersey. The first shorthorn came with the first settlers.

The first separator did not arrive in Bega until 71 years ago, when it was bought here by DANIEL GOWING.  Slowly the new machinery was accepted and the old style of milk setting discarded.

The butter keg was also discarded, and to JONAS ALCOCK, of Bemboka is accorded the honour of using the first butter box.

In 1894 the NSW Creamery Company erected a factory at Bega, where the main building is still to be seen near Yarranung.  Milk was brought to this central factory, separated and made into butter.  The company erected other factories over the district.  Dairy farming was becoming the main income earner on the Far South Coast.

The thought of Co-operative factories was soon translated to fact.  In  1893 the first of these was opened at Wolumla.  They soon followed elsewhere, some for cheese manufacture, others for butter.

In 1900 the Bega Co-operative Creamery Company opened its first weatherboard factory at North Bega.  The building cost 800 pounds but the debt was liquidated within two years and Bega’s butter was then winning prizes for its quality.

The early directors. Messrs. T.J KELLY,  T. D’ARCY  B.GOWING   J.OTTON AND J.T. ROGERS  urged the value of co-operation so well that  within a year the factory’s output had almost trebled and reached 600 tons.

Progress was slow for the next 25 years but 1924 had seen the new butter factory built by the Bega Co-operative Society at North Bega and production from it reached 887 tons. 

Earlier the farmers having learned of the advantages of co-operation, commenced their Bega Co-operative Store, in Carp Street, Bega, or more correctly at the intersection of Carp and Auckland Streets.  The store commenced trading on March ist 1920 with MR. F.S.GOETZ  as Manager and was successful.

Rebates and discounts were given to shareholders, who purchased goods at the store, the fee to become a shareholder was fixed at five pound or five one pound shares.

In 1920 the turnover was 16000 pound.  In 1940 it was 101,000 but in 1946 it had reached 503,000 pounds

Meanwhile the early butter factory factories that had been established, all of which were co-operative, continued to expand their production, and located at PAMBULA, CANDELO, BEMBOKA COBARGO and SOUTH WOLUMLA, helped develop these areas.

Repeated proposals for the establishment of one big factory at Bega were always rejected by the smaller factories, who refused to be absorbed by one big organization

The early 1920’s saw the first attempts at large scale pasture improvement, bit it was not until the 1930’s that the use of super phosphate was recognized as essential,

JOHN L. GREEN of the NSW Department of Agriculture came to the district with the slogan “Super and sub mean success” Light country in the Cobargo district was converted and production commenced to rise, so that in 1932 Bega Factory produced1,111 tons of Butter.

But the 1930 also brought economic collapse, and the dairy farmer received only 63/4d for butter.  Pig markets collapsed. Large porkers were selling for one pound and heifer calves for ten shillings.

All over the countryside, men looked for work, and the wages paid to them on farms were seldom more than a pound per week and keep, and very often less.

It was a period of real hardship for the farmer, only made easier than it was for those in the cities because living on the land was cheap, and nature in its bounty meant good seasons.

When war came in 1939 butter output in Bega had reached almost 1400 tons and cheese at district factories reaching high figures.  The war brought many problems. 

The farmer’s sons went off to fight in it and 1941 saw a major drought.  Stock died all over the district.  Many farmers ran deeply into debt to keep their herds alive.

The “Bega Standard of 1887” could have described the 1941 when it said

“The drought took away his savings and next his cattle”

The war over, advantages came.  There was peace and growing population.  There was a better price for butter.  New Machinery came to the district and bulldozers were used for land clearing.

Milking machines, which were found very desirable during the war, because of lack of labour, became accepted on almost every farm.

The Development of the Bega Valley County Council’s hydro electric scheme in the 1940’s sent electricity out to the farms and permitted all the amenities that go with it, to be taken to them.

The “Bad old days” of hand milking no electricity and poor communication were ending for very many farms.  School transport was arranged for children.  Better roads came over the district and tractors became more plentiful on the farms.  The use of super phosphate was recognized as the key-with water- in pasture improvement. Dairy farming had passed its war time difficulties.

With confidence in the future, the Bega Co-op Society Ltd, built its own new store in Auckland Street in 1949.

In 1956 the Society installed a milk packaging plant, so that with its cheese manufacture that it began in 1955 and its equipment to treat skim milk,its manufactures can be diversified.

The dairying industry faces many difficult problems today. Prices for butter having fallen to a very low figure in the United Kingdom, where the surplus Australian production is sold.  The realization on this market is completely unprofitable.  Attempts to find more profitable outlets elsewhere have in the main failed. Australian consumption( per capita)

Is falling but the overall consumption is increasing because of a growing population. 

Today almost all the dairy breeds are Jerseys. That they are high quality stock is best illustrated by the recent Bega Jersey heifer sale when 1,725 head were sold on February 18 this year and buyers came from many parts of NSW and Victoria to buy Bega Valley Stock

“From little Acorns Great Oaks Grow”

The history of the development of the Bega Valley wouldn’t be complete without a tribute to the pioneers of this district, who, though few in number, had the foresight and faith in this district to call a public meeting the July 15 1899 from which was created

The Bega Co-operative Society Limited.

From a nucleus of twenty-eight suppliers in December 1900 and a share capital investment of 2687 pounds The Society has grown to a membership of 2600 as at December 1956, with share capital invested at 92,000 pounds assets, exceeding 375,000 and a yearly turnover of factory products and retail trading in excess of one million

The Society is an indication of what can be done on a co-operative and collective effort and stands as a humble testimonial to those early stalwarts who had the faith and courage of their convictions.

It would be fitting that the names of those present at the first public meeting, be preserved

JOHN D’ARCY (Senior)                                      JOHN OTTON

J. B. D’ARCY (Junior                                          A.L.MANNING               

JOSHUA BRITTEN                                             JOHN BRITTEN                                            

T.J KELLY                                                       THOMAS COCHRANE

HENRY OTTON                                                  E.H. SCOTT

JOHN TAYLOR

P.H.WOOD

J.J.RICHIE