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Interviewee

James 'Nick' Beattie

Place Recorded

Coffs Harbour-NSW

Interviewer

Lesley Gibbs

Collection

Agency

Yarrila Arts & Museum (YAM)

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James Beattie Interview

Details

IntervieweeJames 'Nick' BeattieInterview Date13 February 1987Place RecordedCoffs Harbour-NSWDuration1h27m04sAccession NumberLS2020.1.104Credit LineCoffs Harbour City Council, 1988.

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Description

Nick was a member of the Board of Directors of The Old Butter Factory in Bellingen.

The Beattie family was one of the original selectors of the Thora Valley.

InterviewerLesley GibbsCollectionYAM Museum CollectionVoice of Time oral history projectAgencyYarrila Arts & Museum (YAM)SummaryStandard disclaimer. Visit the 'Voice of Time' web site to read or listen to the disclaimer. Nick was one of four children and all were named after their grandparents -- He grew up in Thora. The family had property there for ninety-five years. His grandfather came from Hastings in 1882, with seven children, in a horse and cart, to settle in the area -- There was an upset to their lifestyle due to the lack of schooling for children -- Thora in 1921 was fine dairying country. Most farms had only small herds of between 25-40 head -- The cream was the main saleable item on the farms until Nestles came to the district and wanted milk. Later, Peters also competed for the milk -- Con and Gate took over the Raleigh Butter Factory. There were many changes to the district -- The formation of the Co-operative Dairy Association (CDA) -- The difficulty for North Coast farmers to break into the milk zone which was the city market. The input and hard work of Roly Paxton -- The decline of the dairy farms in the valley. Nick's memory of the Bellingen Butter Factory opening day -- His father was on the Board at the factory and the town of Bellingen. Nick took over that position after his father's retirement -- The effect of the 1950 flood on the Butter Factory and the town of Bellingen. Recollections of three floods in eight years -- The positioning of the factory building was right for the time. The carriers in Thora. How the cream pick-up times worked -- The original settlement of Thora. There were no mountain roads, just a few cattle tracks -- The conditions of selection. It was a pretty sore point with some neighbours. The horse teams and steam traction engines were Dorrigo's only link with the coast. The teamsters would wear out a set of brakes on each trip down the mountain. Many horses were lost over the mountain -- Nick was born in 1911 at Port Macquarie -- In 1921 Nick's father trucked his cattle by train to Macksville from the Hastings then walked them to Thora -- Nick's pony. The fate of unruly horses. The importance of grooming the horses. Brush the hair of the horse or mum would be covered in it -- It was a one-hour drive with a horse from Thora to Bellingen, eight miles at the trot. The fine staff at The Bellingen Butter Factory including Alan McDougall who was the secretary -- The difference between the CDS and the CDA -- The improvements with the AI (artificial insemination) -- Hand feeding the cows has improved milk production -- The war years and managing the farm. The vegetable contracts for the army. Nick married in 1938. They have two children -- Life in Sawtell after the years in Thora. People don't seem to be as friendly anymore -- The dances at Thora Hall. Nick helped to build the hall and was secretary for forty years -- The biggest day in Thora was when the bridge was opened in 1966. Everyone was there from horseback riders to helicopters. Mrs Beattle lived in the Richmond area and has lived in many places. There is a bit of gypsy blood in her -- She met Nick at a dance in Bellingen -- Ticks in the valley were bought into the area through cattle sales -- Lantana was always a problem. It is a terrible way for cattle to be poisoned -- The worry of Parramatta grass. The Doepels at East End. They also had a timber mill at Thora -- As a boy, Nick's recreations included tennis, football and cricket -- He always went to the Thora school along the Thora flats. Great memory of teachers. The Wills' mill -- The cedar in the valley. The cost of today is approximately $500 per cubic metre -- Nick's hobby of wood turning -- Nick's opinion of the importance of the cedar getters and the clearing of the land. The river and the land change. The clearing of timber due to floods. Standard disclaimer. Visit the 'Voice of Time' web site to read or listen to the disclaimer (Internet link is below). Nick had land that was logged and feels it didn't hurt the environment at all -- Bullock drivers and handling cattle. The importance of working quietly with animals -- Nick's father was always good with animals, particularly horses. He trained animals very well and worked hard at breaking them of bad habits -- The phrases used when working a bullock team -- Not only skills in handling cattle, but great knowledge of breeds that some men have. Dealing with cattle illness. The reasons for following the pasteurisation method -- The local veterinary service has only been available since World War Two -- The farmers mostly used home remedies. It possibly worked -- The unfortunate fate of the pet cow with bloat. The treatment of cattle with infected feet -- Growing or baling or just grazing lucerne -- The change to tractors and how this changed farm life including the good and the bad -- The first car was a Chrysler Six in 1926 -- Learning to drive in the back yard. 50 mph was the top speed in a car that cost the family $400 -- The big day out in town at a cost of 2 shillings and six pence. The change to metric was not easy -- Are the children of today better or worse off? -- Parents and discipline. Children need something to do -- Children and rebellion -- World War Two and the effect on their lives. How the local men helped the war effort -- How easily an invasion could have taken place.