Draft #3

Prologue
by Andy Crawford, Goode Beach Albany
An autobiography by Wal Filmer; a man with an amazing photographic
memory and an interes ng, complex story to tell.
His lifelong endeavours have been crammed with examples of crea ve
innova on, service to others, a dedica on to family, underlined with an
incredible stamina, courage and a sense of purpose.
Prelude
I grew up on Sunnyside farm which was selected by my Grandfather, Walter
James Filmer, in 1909. He cleared the land with an axe and first lived in a
tent. He then built a humpy with upright poles daubed in mud, followed by a
mud brick, three and a half-roomed house when he married Ethel
Kenward. They had five children under the age of seven years when Ethel
died from Tuberculosis.
Unable to cope with raising such a young family and clearing the land,
Walter leased the farm and moved to Katanning. There, with the help of
housekeepers, he raised the family whilst working in town. He started his
own business selling cars and machinery and buying sheep and rabbit skins
and manna gum. Manna gum came from a type of Acacia (wa le) tree and
was used for glue.
My father Walter Roy, known as Roy, was the eldest son and had to leave
school the day he turned 14 years. He worked in the business selling petrol
and trading sheep skins.
Twelve months later, the next son, Jack, le school and took over Dad’s job
at the shop. Dad returned to the farm at Sunnyside having not been there
since he was five years old.
So, his farming career began when he was 15 years of age and ended when
he stopped driving the header at 83……. indeed, a remarkable farming
career.
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