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MEMORIES OF A CASE-MAKER NEW Click Here
BARRITT Arthur Lucien UPDATED This article covers all the owners of Location 81 from 1874 to 1967. Location 81 was the very first parcel of land taken up, in 1874, for agricultural purposes in the Pickering Brook History catchment area. An orchard was established, and strawberries grown as a cash crop while the fruit trees became established. In 1899 Location 81 (southern section) was combined with Location 266 and Location 449 (western section) to form the orchard later known as "Braewick Orchard" or unofficially as "Tait’s Hill". This amalgamation of the three parcels of land possibly happened earlier. Location 81 was a 10-acre block of
land located on the east side of Canning Rd south of the original alignment of
what would later be named Carmel Rd in what is now known as Carmel. Original
name of Carmel was Greens Landing changed to Heidelberg and changed again to
Carmel during WW1 at the request of residents. An apt name as Carmel means: Plantation, Orchard,
Fruitful Field, Garden. Greens Landing was the original name of the Carmel
railway siding, named after an early settler.
Loc 81 is located on Bickley Brook approx. 800 metres upstream from
Mason and Birds Timber Mill or from the title deeds the southwest corner of Location
81 is 27 chains 67 links (556.6 metres) due north from the northwest corner of
Location 75 where Mason and Birds Mill was located. Location 75 was later taken up by the
Owen family. Now partly owned by the Giumelli family. |
ARTHUR LUCIEN BARRITT #1 |
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HENRY MOTTERAM & ANNA MARIA BANYARD |
Henry
Motteram (sometimes spelt Mottram), a Ticket of Leave ex-convict, took possession of Location 81 in 1874
either as a squatter or later as a Crown Lease. In Oct of 1882 Location 81 was
converted to freehold land. Title register book Vol X Folio 31. See
Pickering Brook History Web Site, Motteram Family, for more detail. Although
Henry Motteram died in 1892 the Title Deeds remained in his name for several
more years. The southern portion of Location 81 comprising of 4 acres, 1 rood & 24 perches was transferred to Maria Louisa Reed (married woman as per title deed) in November 1899. Maria is listed as owning Location 266 and Location 449 portion creating an orchard comprising of thirty acres, thirty-eight and nine tenths’ perches. She is also listed as owning Location 48/937 (Kalamunda Historical Society). Maria Louisa Daw came from Jarrahdale and married Harry Reed. Her husband Harry Reed was a full blood aboriginal. His name does not appear on the title deeds. At the bottom of Lesmurdie Hill at the time was a large aboriginal camp where the government had rounded up Aboriginals from a wide area (Pinjarra to Northam I believe) and located them there. Mrs Reed was terrified that her half-caste children would be taken from her. (This information was gained from a great-granddaughter.) Maria was known as business savvy
women. She sold the property in December 1905 and sailed to Melbourne with her
husband and 5 children leaving everything she owned behind. She returned to WA
in 1951 to visit her mother where she died suddenly. Maria’s husband, Harry, grew strawberries as
a cash crop.
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Thomas Henry Motteram, Henry’s
eighth child, took possession of the remaining northern portion of Location 81 on
December 16th, 1901. On February 11th, 1903, this northern portion
of Location 81 was transferred to Albert Edward Annetts. The land remained in the
Annetts family until the 21st century. Thomas Henry was born in 1872 and died in
1946. He married Mary Hannah Stirk (of Stirk’s Cottage, Kalamunda fame) See
Pickering Brook History Web Site, Motteram Family, for more detail. Thomas Henry’s
name doesn’t appear on the title deeds for the southern portion of Location 81 even
though that is where the initial section of orchard was established and where
the family home was built. Henry Motteram died in 1892 and ownership of the
southern portion of land passed from Henry to Maria Reed in 1899 & the
northern portion to Henry's son in 1901. Not unusual according to the historical
records keeper at Landgate.
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THOMAS HENRY MOTTERAM #3 |
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Captain James Tait took
possession of the southern portion of Location 81, Location 266 and Location 449, western
portion, from Maria Louisa Reed on December 21st, 1905. However, Location 449
was limited to a depth of 2,000 ft. In the fifties Arthur Barritt, the then
owner, was approached by a mining company to establish a gravel pit on Location 449.
Arthur rejected the application on environmental grounds, he preferred to see
fruit trees and Jarrah trees from the kitchen window. The combined locations
were named by the Captain as "Braewick Orchard" known locally as "Tait’s Hill".
Captain James Tait 1856-1942 was born in Braewick part of the Shetland Islands
off the northeast coast of Scotland. His father was Thomas Tait 1824-1884, and
his mother was Philadelphia Twatt 1828-1907. He was a captain in the Merchant
Navy before coming to Australia. He lived on Rottnest Island for a period where
he was employed as a pilot guiding ships into Fremantle harbour. Captain James
Tait married Agnes Reid 1860-1950 on January 7th, 1899, in Kew South
Australia. Agnes was born in SA. The couple had one daughter born March 27th,
1890. She was named Agnes May and later became famous, in Kalamunda, as Sister
Agnes Tait. She served in Egypt and Europe in the Australian Army Nursing
Service in WW1. The Captain was a
well-respected local. Captain Tait died January 11th, 1942 and is
buried in the Methodist section of the Guilford Cemetery. See Pickering
Brook History Web Site, Tait Family section.
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LUCY BARRITT AT "BRAEWICK ORCHARD" 1946 #4 |
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LUCY BARRITT IN MURRAY STREET 1947 #5 |
In 1929 "Braewick Orchard" was
transferred to Eva Alma Ind and Ethel Pryor both of Kalamunda and both listed
as spinsters on the title deeds. By November 25th, 1930, Ethel Pryor was
listed as the sole proprietor of "Braewick Orchard". Nothing more is known of
these two ladies. In 1936 Mrs. Lucy Barritt
1877-1950 is recorded as living on "Braewick Orchard", Carmel. Lucy was a widower
and became a partner with Miss Pryor, as she was known by the Barritt family.
Arthur Lucian Barritt, her son, commenced working on the orchard as a farm hand
sometime after 1937 and before the commencement of WW11. Lucy Barritt took
possession of "Braewick Orchard" on January 11th, 1946, and on her death
in 1950, Arthur Lucian Barritt became the sole proprietor on February 14th,
1951. The Metropolitan Water Supply
Sewerage and Drainage Board resumed the orchard on August 16th, 1967
for a planned expansion of Bickley Reservoir – which never eventuated. Lucy Barritt 1877-1950 was born
in Stebbing Essex and was married to Arthur Oakden Barritt 1848-1921, her
second cousin and 30 years her senior. The couple both had previous marriages.
This marriage produced one child, Arthur Lucian 1910-1979. They lived at 125
Winnnock Rd, Colchester, Essex. In England the Barritt family had been Quakers
for many generations dating back to John Barritt 1601-1678. Lucy and her young
teenage son immigrated to Western Australia departing London on the "Osterley" in
1928. They left the Quaker religion behind. Lucy lived at 30 Museum Street,
North Perth in 1931 where she took in lodgers.
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Arthur Lucian married Phyllis Mary Noble 1913-2006, in 1935. Phyllis was born in Twickenham, Middlesex and immigrated to Western Australia with her widowed mother, Helen Alberta Noble nee Webster, 1918-1950, and elder sister (Kat) Katrine Emma & brother (Dick) George Richard. Phyllis’ father, Edwin George Noble, died in England. The Noble family lived at 44 Copthall Gardens
Twickenham prior to departing London and sailing to WA in 1923 on the
"Barrabool". Helen Noble, with her children, lived on the south side of Adelaide
Terrace near the junction with St Georges Terrace in Perth where she operated a
boarding house. The row of semi-detached two-story
buildings were still standing in the sixties. Phyllis attended St Mary’s school
in West Perth. Phyllis did much of the washing for the boarders and hated
it. Later Helen Noble worked as a cottage mother in the Parkerville Children’s
Home for a time. Phyllis lived with her mother at the home and made life-long
friends with one of the children.
Phyllis, as a teenager, lived for a short period in Metricup helping to
look after her pregnant sister and young daughter on a soldier settlement farm
in Metricup. Phyllis recalled that running water to the house consisted of a
nearby running creek where water was to be had using a bucket to haul water to
the house. She worked for a time prior to marrying Arthur, at what was later to
become Yanchep National Park. She was a live-in nursemaid for two young
children. |
ARTHUR & PHYLLIS BARRITT ON THEIR WEDDING DAY #6 |
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Arthur Lucian arrived in Western
Australia in 1928. Arthur had various jobs prior to moving to "Braewick Orchard"
including working as a sheet metal fabricator making galvanized 2-gallon metal
buckets and galvanized dunny cans in East Perth. During the depression years
Arthur worked on wheat farms grubbing out stumps and clearing the land. In 1937
he worked on the Phoenix gold mine in Norseman as an underground timberman. He
and his young wife & 2 young children lived in a white-washed hessian home
in Norseman. His life was nearly cut short in Norseman. While he and his best
mate were shoring up a mine shaft ceiling with timber struts, a portion of the
roof collapsed bringing a large rock down on top of his mate standing next to
him, killing him instantly. The rock struck Arthur a glancing blow to his hand.
Norm is buried in the Norseman Cemetery. Arthur related the story of a
neighbour who managed to get some dynamite wet. Thinking to dry the dynamite, he
placed the wet sticks in a wood fired oven. The neighbour left the dynamite too
long drying and the resulting explosion destroyed the house. Fortunately, no
one was injured. |
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Arthur had a very successful
orchard producing a wide variety of stone fruit, oranges, mandarins, and pears
for the local and English and Singapore markets. A roadside stall selling Navel oranges was
very successful with weekend picnickers travelling from Perth into the Hills
purchasing all the available fruit every weekend. Arthur and Geoff were run off
their feet keeping the stall loaded with half-dump boxes of oranges, sold at
10/- per half-dump. Up until 1958 all fruit was transported from the trees to
the packing shed by horse and cart. A bright red Massey Ferguson MF35 replaced
the faithful horse, "Beautie". The cart was retained and modified to suite the
tractor.
GRANDSON ANTHONY CARLING AT THE FRUIT STALL #7 |
GEOFF BARRITT ON THE MASSEY FERGUSON MF35 TRACTOR #8
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EARLY MAP SHOWING LOCATION 81 |
In the early days two tram lines extended out from the Mason's Mill. One went east and
the other went northeast, following the two creeks, creating the two formations
that would later be known as Mason Mill Rd. The northeast formation passed
through "Braewick Orchard" on the east side of Bickley Brook along a line of
apricot trees that were planted on the formation. Geoff used to play in amongst
the rusty old boilers and traction engine pieces left behind from the mill on
the east side of Hardinge Road, which originally was the tram-line formation
down to Mason’s Landing on the Canning River, now a popular canoe launching and picnic area, next to what was then Canning Road and later to become
Mason Mill Rd when Canning Rd was re-aligned. There is a timber bridge that
carried the tramline over Munday Brook that was built using convict labour on
Hardinge Rd. Geoff spent many a happy hour sailing Contiki rafts built using
4-gallon chemical drums and planks of wood lashed together with rope on
Victoria Reservoir. The reservoir was very isolated at the time. With
no road and access along an overgrown track that hadn’t been used for many
years. The reservoir had no visitors for years except Geoff and occasionally
accompanied by Keith Littlely who lived with his father on an orchard on the
corner of Canning Road and Welshpool Road. Walking alone past the grave of
Francis Western in the thick Jarrah bush was a very frightening experience when
Geoff was just a youngen. |
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HELEN MARY BARRITT #10 |
Arthur and Phyllis had 4 children
(Hem) Helen Mary 1936 - 2022, (Terry) Terrence Arthur born 1938, (Geoff) Geoffrey
Graham born 1946 and (Sue) Susan Jennifer born 1951. Helen was born in Perth
and Terry in Norseman. Geoff and Sue were born on "Braewick Orchard". Helen went
to school at St Brigid’s college in Lesmurdie. Terry went to Carmel Primary and
Kent St Senior High School. Geoff attended Carmel Primary and Governor Stirling
Senior High School. Sue attended Carmel Primary and Kalamunda Primary followed
by Kalamunda Senior High School. |
TERRANCE ARTHUR BARRITT #11 |
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GEOFFREY GRAHAM BARRITT #12 |
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SUSAN JENNIFER BARRITT #13 |
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CARMEL SCHOOL 1950 |
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It is believed by the Barritt
family that the front 2 rooms of the house on the northwest corner of Location 81
southern portion was built by Henry Motteram and enlarged by his son Thomas to
a 4-bedroom spacious home with a verandah all the way around with a built in
sleepout and bathroom and the front section was most likely the first home
built in the Darling Ranges. The front two rooms had a bullnosed verandah with
large apricot trees overhanging the roof. Great for building tree-houses in.
One room was a bedroom, and the other was most likely the original kitchen as
there was a fireplace on the north wall. The house was well built, and
Arthur Barritt carried out extensive repairs and improvements during the 50’s
and 60’s, including replacing the lath and plaster walls with plasterboard. The
jarrah timber verandah was replaced with a concrete floor and a beautiful
laterite rock retaining wall was built around 3 sides of the house by Bill
Gilchrist. Bill constructed laterite walls as good as any Italian stone mason of old. The external walls of the house were shaped jarrah weatherboard with a 3 pitched corrugated iron roof. There was a large loungeroom with a beautiful turned timber framed mantled fireplace for winter fires. The windows were sliding timber framed glass windows with heavy metal counterweights that slid up and down as a window was raised or lowered and were connected to the windows via a pulley with sashcord
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GEOFF & SUE BARRITT READY FOR SCHOOL #15 |
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GEOFF, TERRY, PHYLLIS, SUE & ARTHUR BARRITT #16
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PHYLLIS, ARTHUR & SUE BARRITT #17 |
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A breezeway that ran through the
centre of the house connecting the front and rear doors. Keys to the two
external doors were non-existent. Prior to about 1955 hot water was obtained
from the wood fired copper in the outdoor laundry and carried to the house in
two 2-gallon metal buckets and passed through the bathroom window and tipped
into the bath. Cold water was added by turning on a tap. Modern luxuries, eh?
Later a chip heater was installed in the bathroom followed by a gas heater.
Cooking was done on a No1 Metters Wood Stove and later a gas stove. A fridge
replaced the Coolgardie safe and ice from Kalamunda Ice Works in about 1959. It is a shame the Water Board
destroyed what should have been retained as a well-maintained historical home.
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SUE, PHYLLIS & GEOFF BARRITT #18 |
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VIEW OF "BRAEWICK ORCHARD" EARLY 1960"s #19 |
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VIEW OF "BRAEWICK ORCHARD" EARLY 1960's #20 |
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Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
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References: Article: Geoff Barritt Images: Barritt Family Collection 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2024
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