By Grade 4

from Karis, Rachel, Mark and Alistair

My name is Carlee and I would like to tell you about Mannibadar. Mannibadar is a farming area in the Western District of Victoria, Australia about 100 kilometers from Ballarat. The nearest small town is Skipton.

FIRE- There was a fire in 1944, starting at Mininera and spreading through the surrounding districts. Some farmers were burning a paddock and it got out of control. My family had the only truck in the Mannibadar area, with water tanks on, to help put the fire out. Unfortunately four young men from Mannibadar lost their lives.

FIRE BRIGADE- The Willowvale Bush Fire Brigade was the first brigade in the area before the Mannibadar one was started up. The fire shed was built in 1945, with the first fire truck being designed by my grandfather, Tom Thornton, and Ed Keeble. Our new fire shed was built in 1988.

SCHOOL-The first school in Mannibadar was built by the settlers in 1929. In 1942 the Government built another school room beside where the new fire shed stands today. A portable room was moved there in the later years, approximately 1966-1967. The school closed down in 1976 and a bus service was provided and took the children on to Skipton. The school building was moved to the Ararat Technical School.

POWER-First started in 1957.

MANNIBADAR-Green Swamp, is the aboriginal name for Mannibadar. Mannibadar was taken over from the Mt Bute Station in 1920 by the Government and made into soldier settlements. The Mannibadar Soldiers Memorial Hall was officially opened on Friday, August 14th 1959, by Sir Henry Bolte, the then Premier of Victoria. Over 400 people attended this ball and my Aunty Lynn presented flowers to Lady Bolte.

Carlee -Skipton Primary School, Victoria, Australia

One night the aborigines were stealing from Mr Yuilles place. While the cook was cooking he saw the aborigines so he ran out and hopped on his horse and went to David Fisher's house where they were having a meeting about the aborigines. The Yuilles were at the meeting. He came in and said, "The aborigines are stealing all your belongings."

So six squatters took their guns and hopped on their horses and went to the Yuilles house. As they came across the aborigines they shot their guns and the aborigines tried to run away with the squatters white shirts on upside down looking very funny because they had their feet in the sleeves.

Squatters are men who having claimed unoccupied land.

by Sam (taken from a story in 'Of Sheep and Men', by Claude Notman)

I live in Victoria, Australia, in Skipton and there is about three hundred people who live here.

The founders of Skipton were the Anderson brothers in the early 1800s. The first hut was built on the billabong area at Stewart Park.

I interviewed Roma Wise and she told me about how they got to school. The pupils from the rural areas came to school by horse and cart or on horse back. The horses were left in a paddock nearby the school. Ponies and hacks were used for riding and clydesdales were used to pull carts.

In 1994 bad fires burnt from Skipton to the coast taking several of our historic homesteads in its path. The earliest transport was horse driven Cobb and Co. It was also the mail carrier. The horses were shod by a farrier. This was the practice until motor cars came along. Quite a lot of useful things were made by these farriers like gates, spades, fire dogs, pokers, cart rims, branding irons and the wheel barrow.

By Kate

Skipton is a small town in the Western District, Victoria Australia. About 300 people live in Skipton and it is surrounded by big sheep stations and smaller farms.I interviewed Gordon Wise. He was born in Skipton in 1932. His family came from Linton to Skipton in 1905.

In January 1944 fires burnt on the west, south and east sides of town, but Skipton was not destroyed.

The street has been flooded several times.

Some of the buildings have gone, like the Ripon Hotel and the railway has closed. There is a new bridge, a new water system, a new hospital, and a new swimming pool. There is a new eel factory which exports eels all over the world. Skipton is a quiet town and I love living in it.

by Jesse

My name is Simon and I would like to tell some history of Skipton.

Skipton is in Western District of Victoria, Australia. My mother Pat, was born in the old Skipton hospital on the 17/10/50. Jim and Marjory are Pats parents. Dr Fremantle was the Doctor in Skipton. His home and surgery were where Mr and Mrs Lines live now. My Mum can even remember the steam trains coming to Skipton. She can remember the big flood that stopped her getting to school because there was deep water on both sides of the bridge. There were often gymkhanas at the recreation reserve where locals rode their horses, chopped their wood or looked pretty. In 1989 when Skipton celebrated 150 years of settlement. Pat organised the games and races for children. Noni, my sister can remember winning a ribbon and loved seeing all the red kites that the Lions Club helped the children make, in the wind.

Thomas Ralph Oddie settled our farm in 1852 so I am is the 5th generation to live on this farm.

The soldier settlements on Mt William Rd, Mt Emu area and Bradvale had a huge effect on the number of families at Skipton School. Many of these have been bought by neighbours reducing the total population of Skipton district over the years.

I interviewed my grandma on the old Skipton hospital. She has lived here for 53 years and was born in February 1945. She can remember when the hospital was in the building where Mrs Hutton now lives. Three of her babies were born there. Dr Donaldson was the doctor before Dr Freemantle. The new Hospital was opened by Sir Henry Bolte about 1963. The Skipton water supply was the reservoir behind the Pre School . It was always muddy. She remembers seeing Sir Henry Bolte turn on the water supply that now serves Skipton from St Enochs. He let the water pour down the road outside the Mechanics Hall to show that Skipton had water. Skipton was divided between the Shire of Hampton and the Shire of Ripon. The Emu Creek was the dividing line. Hampton Shire annexed the Ripon Shire and Skipton became one.

By Simon aged 9.

It is a small in Western District in Victoria is in AustraliaPeople came to Skipton in 1839 and they settled by the Emu Creek. They came in wagons and they set up a shop and got their goods from Geelong. It took a day to get to Ballarat and they stayed the night at Ballarat and went back the next day.The children got to school on wagons. At the school they didn't have an electric bell so they used a hand bell. We use the same bell today at school

by Scott

FLOODS-The Emu Creek flooded several times causing a lot of damage in the Skipton Hotel, Garage and Crawford Dowling shop. There was lots of fish floating around the back of the hall.

SCHOOL-Their were no buses to school. Daisy and her brother drove an horse and gig to school. There were no carpets on the floors in all the rooms and there were open fires in each room

The post office site was originally a rookery or half way house for men the post office was built in 1913The national bank was built in 1914 and closed in 1998Jubilee Park was named at the time of the Queen's Jubilee.The swimming pool was built in 1968 and opened 22nd of November 1968.New hospital opened in 1996.New nursing home opened in 1996.The ambulance station opened1972.

The present hotel was built in 1857 and was also the Cobb Co coach stables.Mr Madden was the first hotelier. Mrs Heffron's house was built in 1855 .This was also the site of the first tent store the valley village.

The Mechanics Hall was built in 1880 for airports 200 pounds .Lodge's house was build in 1863. The old police house was erected in 1912.

Stewart park was plant in 1902 under the direction of Mister Thomas Cleveland and this was the site of the first bark hut.The sporting bodies that were in Skipton were, ploughing matches, coursing dogs, horse racing, gun club (live bird) , athletics, football, cricket, golf and tennis.

By Asha.

Barry went too Skipton Primary School from grade 1 to 6 and then to Ballarat to a High School. There lots of new classrooms. When Barry was at the school there was only 3 classrooms and there was 8 grades.

The most important thing in Skipton would be the Hospital and at later years the new hostel. The town has a swimming pool the creek has flooded quite a few times. Barry has seen the water up to the windows of the hotel . Their hasn't been many fires. The biggest one would be in the 1940s. It started in the north of Skipton and burntmany properties in the area.

by Karis grade 3

Terang was first around a lake but it dried up in 1975 . It dried up because there was not enough water going into it and even totally filled with silt . Farming land now cover where the lake was.

by Jared grade 3.

Camperdown is a great dairying and agricultural district. The town is built on the northern side of the gentle slopes of Mt Leura. Extending to the north is rich volcanic matter such as, Wiridgil Hills, Mt Myrtoon and Cloven Hills. It was in the 1830s when the first white settlers took up land in Camperdown district and commenced to transform it from wilderness into a province producing plenty. Today there are many prosperous dairy farms around Camperdown and Camperdown has grown to a large country town. There are two rows of tall English elm trees from a lovely avenue in the center of the roads. There is a big clock tower in the middle of Camperdown in memory of a Mr Manifold who was killed in a riding accident. Today there is a big cheese butter factory which started about 1901.

by Marc grade 3

Farming area. Soldier settlers commissioners allocated the blocks , fencing materials,stock etc. Residents lived in garages for 9-12 months until their house was built. There were no access roads to many of the blocks with no electricity either. They relied on generators and kerosene refrigerators. In 1953 Paul Heenan arrived in the area with his mother and father. At the age of 6 he attended the Carranballac Primary school with 22 pupils. He travelled by car for a short distance then by school bus.The school started in 1914, closing in 1978 with 100 students. As a child he would go rabbiting then sell the rabbits. He would earn 2 shillings a week.This would allow him to buy a small bottle of coke, one icecream [Jupiter] and a small bag of mix lollies.

By Matthew

At one stage the Chirnsides owned 35,000 acres throughout Victoria.

They also built a huge mansion at Werribee Park, which today is a tourist attraction. They brought Skibo castle in Scotland in 1866. It was a Viking castle built in the 9th century the castle is still standing .

The Carranballac Primary school started in 1914 and was closed in 1978.

by Sam aged 9

There was only eight grades in the school. Bessie Wilkie went to grade eight. There was over 100 people at the school, there were three brick rooms and one sick bay and one office. When the bell went they had to line up in the morning while one boy played the kettle drum. As they marched to school once a year they had a penny concert. Everyone brought a penny. The girls played hopscotch and skipping for their sport. The boys played hair and hounds, mables, footy and cricket , sometimes tennis or swimming in the creek on Friday afternoon. The girls would learn how to sew and the boys would weed the garden. Some Skipton children would go home for lunch. Some would have to ride bikes to school. The kids would have separate areas. If you were naughty you would be sent out.

by Sandy gr 3/4

I would like to tell you the history of my house. My house was built around 1863. The first owners were Mrs and Mr Parsons. Mrs Parsons was a teacher. Her husband owned a boot shop with other things .The next owners were David and Wilkie. They owned a general grocery store. They lived there for about 20 years. Then David worked at a shop across the road. Next, a man named Danny, who was a hair dresser and tobacconist bought the shop.

Next owners were the Vandermeers. John worked at Alan Mcdonald's store . Alan grew lovely vegetables on the creek bank and he also sold milk. Alan,s home was rented by Marie Wilson and her family.

There is a well in our house. The well was built around 1863, it is somewhere under the floor in the kichen. There is a cellar under there as well. The cellar would of had ham , bacon, butter and what ever we have in the refridgerator. They sold butter in blocks of 75 pound.

by Steven grade 3

In 1839 Borriyalloak was the first part of a big run owned by Anderson, Montgomery and Wright. A run is a very large sheep station. Some runs were thousand of acres . In 1851 Borriyalloak was sold to Francis Ormond.

Francis Ormand came from England with his father who was a sea captain. His father ran a hotel called the Settlers Arms in Shelford about 70 kilometres for Skipton on the Geelong rode. Francis and his father bought some land called Piggoreet West. In 1850 it was a dry year and the sheep where poor. They had to pull the plough behind them because they couldn't afford to buy horses.

The 6th of February was called black Friday. A fire spread from Lismore too Portland. Francis lost all his sheep and buildings. The ground was completely burnt. After the rains came the pastures greened. In 1852 they sold Piggoreet and bought Borriyalloak. He bought the land in 1852 and he ran 35,000 acres including some of Mt Widderin.

Francis Ormond became very wealthy after the gold rush. He bred very good merino sheep and became a leader in the Skipton district. He formed the Western District Pastoral and Agricultural associations in 1859. He was very interested in education and tried to improve the education of his workmen by teaching them himself. He donated money to many educational instititutions. One was the Ormond Working Men's College now called the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

In 1890 Borriyalloak was sold to Albert Austin and the Dawson family bought in 1972 and still own it.

THE BIG FIRE

Borriyalloak is a farm with mainly sheep. Long ago there were several homesteads there. In 1944 on February the 14th a big fire went through Borriyalloak With bad luck every house and every fence was burnt. What a mystery; no-one knows how it started. All they know is that it went across the Glenelg Highway

BY Susan grade 3

In about eighteen seventy Carranballac school first started. It is a small rural (means country) school. In 1935 some students walked to school and some children rode horses. The Smith boys went to school in a horse and gig. Their names are Ken, Phil Graeme, and Max. They rode 6 miles from the school. The horse name is Biddy The Horse. Mr and Mrs Waldron took off the gig and let the horse into their paddock. There where twelve children all in one room and one teacher and a open fire. Victorian school readers where used for reading and dictation, learning poetry, grammar and spelling.

by Stacie grade 3.

l interviewed Colin Smith. He has lived in Carranballac all his life. Carranballac is a farming area 30 kilometres from Skipton. There was a bush fire in Streatham in 1977. It lasted for one day. Some people died and lots of livestock also died. It spreadv from Tattyoon to Pura Pura. It started when a S.E.C pole caught on fire. As the fire came to Streatham it broke into five tongues of flame One took the cemetery and another jumped the highway. As one farmer rushed home from the Nerrin fire to check on his home and family he was overtaken by the flames and died from his burns. After the fire had gone only a few houses remained standing. The hotel and the school were gone and the beautiful bluestone church was partly destroyed . Today it has been completely restored.

BY KIMBERLEY grade 3

I interviewed Jean Stimson who has lived for 40 years in the Skipton area and 24 years in the Mingay area. Mingay is a farming area out of Skipton. This part of history concerns the Skipton Primary school.

The room now used by prep/1 was shifted to that site in 1968 / 69 from Vite Vite North where it had been used as their school . It was to be used as a multi - purpose room for arts , crafts and similar activities . Mr Dohnt officially opened the multi purpose room on 29 October 1974 . It was shifted here in 1971.

Mr Dohnt retired in 1972 and Mr Graham was then the principal . Prior to being used as the school at Vite Vite North it was a school at Mingay, it had been shifted there from Mingay in the 1940's. The school was built at Mingay in the early 1920's and served the district of Mingay until it's closure in 1947. After the disastrous fires of 1944, the school was the only remaining public building left and was used as a meeting place as well as school. Mrs. Stimson attended the Mingay school for all of her primary schooling from 1940-46. Her grandmother, Mary Black burn was registered on the Skipton school rolls in 1864. Her Mother, Kate Sturgeon, ttended the Skipton common school, as it was then, from 1900 , and all of her children, incluuding my father attended Skipton.

ABBY grade 3

In 1810 the government opened up the area in 80 acre blocks for selectors. The people often worked as farm hands at Langi Wills and Mt Bute because it was difficult to make a living off 80 acres.

At its largest, the school had 90 pupils . There was 5 acres set aside for the town, which was never built.

In 1894 diphtheria epidemic killed 6 children.

Mathew Notman rode his horse from Gippsland, (it is 250 miles from Spring Hill). He tried market gardening, but found it was no good, so he bought some cheap droughty ewes and put them on his fathers in -laws block .The weather was poor and it was bad economiclly for farmers so many people sold out. He wanted to sell his land but no-one wanted it so he bought more land from his neighbours for very low prices. By 1910 he owned 1,500 acres .

The Notmans eventually bought part of Borriyalloak called Mt Widderin .

By1920 only one house remained at Spring Hill. The ground of the school is now the pine plantation of Skipton Primary School.

By Jessica and Monique, grade 3.

After the first world war large areas of land was purchased by the government to cut into 300-400 acres for, viable farms for the returning service men.

The Bradvale area used to be a huge sheep station called Mount Bute.

Gorden Quinnell was the first settler on our block. Later, his daughter Nancy and husband Les Bennett built their home on Nancy's part of the block. There were many first world war settlers in this area.In later years several of these farmers have been sold to neighbours enlarging their farms as it was found that this acreage was not enough land to make a living on.

The second world war settlers were given extra land as many of the first world war settlers failed due to insufficient land to live on.

Nick grade 3

By Gemma grade: 3

BY Rachael Grade 3