Foreword (continued)

In Truro Allan visited the technical museum because Watt (the inventor of the steam engine) came from Truro. Allan discovered that Watt's steam engine was a reciprocating device for pumping water out of tin mines. That particular steam engine produced no rotary motion. It was George Stephenson who invented the railway steam engine which drove the wheels on an engine.

Allan's father was born at a place called Bungaree about ten miles from Ballarat and was the eldest of a family of four girls and three boys. Their farm at Bungaree was a Crown allotment, formerly part of a gold-mining area. Allan's mother was born at Bularto about ten miles from Daylesford right on top of the range. Allan's maternal grandfather was born in Australia as was his mother's mother.

There were no internal combustion tractors at that time. Harvesters were just coming into use. Allan's grandfather had the problem of having six sons to keep busy so he bought a steam traction engine, a thresher, a chaff cutter, a wagon and a water tank. Grandfather and his sons would start at Swan Hill and work southward through the State as the crops ripened using their machinery to thresh the grain.

Two of Allan's uncles would go ahead on horses, contracting with farmers to provide and operate the steam engine and ancillary equipment, and to ensure that labour was available. It was necessary to have about 20 people to operate the thresher, cart the wheat and oats, and shift the bags out. Families would help each other in working bees.

Bureau of Meteorology