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Whatever it takes

31/7/2020

6 Comments

 
PictureEvery exhibit in Ian Hitchings’ farm museum is a triumph of home-grown ingenuity
By Geoff Ellis
​

“MISS one payment and I will foreclose,” Mr Graham intoned as Edith Emily Hitchings signed the contract to buy his farm in 1928.

Ever since then, the Hitchings family has been working that farm, a section of the original Powlett subdivision a couple of kilometres north of Wonthaggi. Edith named the farm Avonhurst in memory of the river she had left behind in England.
​

When the Great Depression hit in 1929, the family had to do whatever it took to keep the farm.  Rather than spend hard-earned money they were forced to make do with whatever was at hand, mostly the family’s sweat and tears.

Ian Hitchings is the third generation to farm the property. He started working on it in the `60s and took over management from his father in the late `80s. He updated the management practices while upholding the tradition of making do. Instead of buying a silage wrapper, Ian built one. When he needed a front end loader, he fired up the welder.

The Hitchings now own several properties and the next generation is taking on the day-to-day running of the farms. The original farm is evolving into a heritage museum as Ian acquires redundant machinery from other farms and returns them to original working condition.

He knows the stories behind all the pieces and takes great delight in telling them.

As a member of the local historical society, after a visit from other members, Ian was awarded a plaque of recognition for outstanding research and presentation of a unique collection of various historical artefacts.

Lately he’s been preserving the story of people who carved a dairy farm out of the bush at Almurta. In 1896 the Jones family packed all their belongings onto a horse-drawn carriage. They trekked from Echuca to the hills above Western Port with their Jersey cows walking with them. They sold milk along the way. Once they reached their destination they moved into the hut built by Evans, the selector, and continued to develop the land.

That carriage was used for decades but gradually became redundant as trucks and tractors replaced horse-drawn carts. One day it was finally parked in a shed as a memento of the pioneer effort. When that shed fell into disrepair the carriage was moved to another and then to a third one as time and technology moved on.
The third shed started to collapse last autumn and Rodney Jones decided the carriage needed a permanent home.  He offered it to Ian who insisted that it had to remain in the Jones family so they struck a handshake deal. Ian would restore it in return for a share of the ownership.

After years of building and repairing farm equipment, Ian is greatly respected for his ability and creativity but even he was stretched by this project. Although the carriage was intact, a century of hard work was evident.

He took it apart in sections. That was no drama but one hurdle was removing the rust. The iron springs were derusted through electrolysis. To do that Ian connived a rust removal bath with a heavy-duty battery charger and a wheelie bin full of water and sodium bicarb.

The wooden wheels were the next challenge. He crafted a pattern for the spokes to reproduce the basic components but the rims were a challenge.

Ian can cut iron and steel, fold it, weld it and drill it but bending wood was a new experience. With the help of Professor Google, he built a steam box out of an old boiler and secondhand steel to prepare the wood for bending. Then, after much trial and error, he used a purpose-built steel form to bend it to the required shape.

Then he painted and re-assembled the metalwork before Collin McKenzie added the period pin striping.

The finished carriage now has pride of place in the museum next to a Daniel White jinker.

Would he build another one? “No. You only need to do things successfully once, then you can move on to the next challenge.”

Ian likes to have three projects in the pipeline: one on the go and two more to mull over. With the carriage on display Ian is focused on relocating the Jones family shearing shed. Then there is a John Danks windmill to bring back to life. But that’s another story.

“At the end of the day I’ll have the satisfaction of leaving behind things from the past for future generations.”
6 Comments
CHRISTINE GRAYDEN
31/7/2020 04:20:17 pm

Wonderful job Ian! You are doing a great thing restoring those machines. Are they available to view in some way? Do you have them on a website? I'd also like to know if you have photos of the process of restoring them - that would be a great record for other/future restorers. Maybe Catherine can do a few feature articles about each one of your restored machines with some info on each and they can be shared that way. Best wishes for future projects.

Reply
david taylor
31/7/2020 05:07:02 pm

A LITTLE TREASURE TROVE OF WAY BY GONE FARMING HISTORY RESTORED WITH GREAT DETAIL
FABULOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP IAN

Reply
JOHN GASCOIGNE
31/7/2020 06:40:56 pm

This Coast Post is a great antidote to COVID depression. Creation, restoration and a population pulling together in hard times. Makes you think of Aristotle, who said about 2340 years ago that the Whole (read "Bass Coast community in mid 2020") is Greater than the Sum of its Parts.

Reply
joan Woods
31/7/2020 07:10:55 pm

Great juncture Ian - the modern initiative with past trades craft.
Love the buggy your family arrived in. It must have been a shock for them all.

Reply
Bob Fox link
28/8/2021 04:25:04 am

Nice and interesting content to read that is hardly found. Though the internet is flooded with content the utility is rare to find.

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Carolyn Charles
6/6/2022 04:50:25 pm

Hello, I am trying to get in contact with Ian Hitchings in relation to donating a piece of vintage farm equipment that came from my grandfather's farm in Woodleigh. It seems to be quite rare and I haven't been able to find anything like it.

I found a phone number for an "H Hitchings" and have left a message, but I'm not sure if it is the correct person.

If you would be able to pass on my details, I would appreciate it. We have had to sell the farm and the item really needs to go to a collector for display.

Thanks and regards,

Carolyn Charles
0417 722 769

Reply



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