NOW & THEN BOOK

Frederick and Charles Piesse
Frederick Henry Piesse
Frederick Henry Piesse, CMG (6 December 1853 – 29 June 1912) was a farmer, businessman and politician who
is credited with much of the early development of the region around Katanning, Western Australia.
Frederick was born at Northam, Western Australia, on 6 December 1853, the son of policeman and magistrate
William Roper Piesse and Elizabeth Ellen née Oxley. Among his brothers were Alfred, Arnold and Charles, all of
whom would follow Frederick into politics. Piesse was educated at state schools at Guildford and Northam, and
began his working life at the Northam general store. He later went pearl fishing at Shark Bay between 1872 and
1875. He was postmaster and telegraphist at Williams between 1875 and 1880. On 18 October 1877 he married
Mary Jane Elizabeth Chipper, with whom he would have four sons and a daughter.
In 1880, Piesse partnered with his brother Charles to launch the general produce firm of F. & C. Piesse at
Williams. He set up a portable store in 1886, and followed the progress of the Great Southern Railway, finishing
up at Katanning. He then bought agricultural land near the railway and, in 1891, built the flour mill in Katanning.
He established a wine industry, making wines that won awards in Perth, London and Paris.
From 1880 onward, Piesse became increasingly involved in public affairs. He was a member of the Williams Road
Board from 1880 to 1889, and its chairman from 1886. In 1889 he became a Justice of the Peace, and from 1889
to 1896 he was on the Katanning Road Board. From January 1894 to June 1896 he was also a member of the
Board of Agriculture. At the 1890 election, Piesse was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
seat of Williams, becoming a member of the first Parliament of Western Australia under responsible government.
From 1 April 1896 to 23 August 1900, he was Commissioner for Railways and Director of Public Works in the
Forrest Ministry. He was a Western Australian delegate to the Federal Convention of 1897 and, for a period in
1900, he was Acting Premier of Western Australia. During George Leake’s first premiership from June to
November 1901, Piesse was Leader of the Opposition.
In the 1904 election, Piesse stood for and won the new seat of Katanning. He would hold the seat until his resignation
on 26 October 1909. For his last four years in parliament he was Father of the House. Piesse was made a
CMG in 1908. He died at Katanning on 29 June 1912, and was buried in Katanning Cemetery.
Frederick Henry Piesse
Charles Austin Piesse
Charles Austin Piesse (11 November 1855 – 13 July 1914) was an Australian businessman and politician who
served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1894 until his death. He was a minister in
the government of Newton Moore.
Piesse was born in Northam, Western Australia and after leaving school, Piesse was briefly involved in the
pearling trade at Shark Bay with his brother Frederick, later purchasing a farm near Williams. In 1880, he went into
business with his brother Frederick and formed the firm of F. &. C. Piesse.
In 1887, Piesse was elected as the first chairman of the newly created Arthur Roads Board, serving in the position
until 1890. He was elected to parliament at the 1894 Legislative Council elections, as a representative of the
South-East Province. After his initial two-year term, Piesse was re-elected to six-year terms in 1896, 1902, 1908,
and 1914. From 1906 to 1907, he served as a minister without portfolio in the ministry of Newton Moore.[1] Piesse
died in Perth in July 1914. He had married twice, having nine children by his first wife (Martha Chipper) and three
by his second (Flora Hickson). One of his daughters-in-law, Winifred Piesse, was also an MP.
Charles Austin Piesse

Drawing from F&C Piesse’s official letterhead of 1905
KATANNING ROLLER FLOUR MILL
The Katanning Roller Flour Mill was built by brothers Frederick and Charles Piesse. The York firm of Thorne, Bower and Stewart
erected the mill in 1891 and it was officially being opened on 1st May 1891. It was equipped with machinery supplied by Otto Schumacher
of Melbourne. Head miller Charles Quigley carried out the installation of the machinery. The mill was to become the most dominant
in the Great Southern region, having its production capacity doubled by 1909 and extensive alterations and additions in 1912.

KATANNING ROLLER FLOUR MILL
The Katanning Roller Flour Mill, after the demise of the business in the 1970’s, lay dormant for many years and looked
like being demolished. However the Katanning Shire took control of the building and, in 2015, sold it to the Dome Coffee Group
for $1.00 on the proviso it was restored to its former state. The group set about refurbishing the building, turning it into a boutique
industrial heritage hotel with a café and downstairs wine bar.

KOBEELYA
Kobeelya was erected for F H Piesse in 1902, as the family’s private residence and built to overlook their property and the town.
The name, suggested by Sir John Forrest, is an aboriginal word which means “place of sleep and rest”. Kobeelya passed out of the hands of the
Piesse family in 1922, becoming the boarding house and schoolrooms of the Church of England’s Kobeelya College and later Penrhos College.
This school for girls, opened on 14th September 1922, was unique by allowing students to bring their horses with them.

KOBEELYA
Since taking over Kobeelya, the Katanning Baptist community has worked hard raising
funds to restore the building to its former glory. The temporary walls on the second
floor have been removed, the interior refurbished and, in 2016, the exterior was completed.
The community uses the complex for worship and as a retreat.

ROGERS CENTRAL STORE
The

ROGERS CENTRAL STORE
The

Alexander (Alec) Thomson
Alec Thomson came to Western
Australia in 1895 working as a
Journeyman. In 1896, he married
Edith Maud Jenkinson, and they had
four sons. He moved to Katanning in
1905 where he opened a timber and
hardware store known as Thomson
and Melany. At the 1914 state
election, Thomson was elected to the
seat of Katanning and was the
Country Party’s deputy leader in
1921. He was a director of the
Katanning Flour Mill, founder of the
Katanning Fresh Air League and
Katanning Historical Society, and
was active in local affairs.
William John Rogers
William John married Hannah Mary
Pinkerton and they had seven
children. In 1901, William arrived in
Katanning and set about establishing
his store. He was a very successful
retailer who began with modest
premises and expanded into his
larger Central Store. He purchased
CA Harris’s Central Store in Clive
Street and, by 1904, Rogers was
ready to build his own much larger
premises. In July 1904 tenders were
called for the new Roger’s Central
Store, the architect being FW Burwell
of Fremantle. The building still
dominates Clive Street today.
Elijah Quartermaine
Elijah is considered to be the first
settler in the district of Katanning.
In 1851 he was grazing 1,900 sheep
and, finding abundant water and feed
for his sheep in the area,
Quartermaine permanently settled
being the first to secure land (1852).
He named the property Yowangup,
a name derived from a spring on
his property. He married Elizabeth
Dickenson on 20 November, 1835
and they had 12 children.
Descendants of Quartermaine still
own and manage the property,
which also has his grave on it.
George McLeod
George McLeod was a respected
local businessman as the owner of
the Katanning Hotel. F&H Piesse’s
original hotel burnt down in 1893
and was rebuilt on its present
site in 1898.
George McLeod Jnr purchased the
goodwill and freehold of the hotel.
He was also a member of the Roads
Board and the Hospital Committees
and was a political candidate for the
Nationalist Party in 1914.
McLeod built his residence in
1912 and the family lived in it
until the mid 1930s.

PIESSE’S KATANNING WINERY
The Piesse family had established vineyards on their property as
early as the 1890s. It was not until 1902 that the family
employed a winemaker. This was Carl Bungert, who was
selected by A. Piesse who was visiting South Australia.
The original winery was erected in 1904 using bricks from the
Piesse brickworks. A brick distillery with a basement cellar was
added in 1910 and this is the only remaining structure. The tower
housed four water tanks.
The wine was very successful and not only was supplied to
surrounding districts, but was also sold overseas. Wine was
exhibited at the Perth Agricultural Society's Show and in 1904 it
was awarded the Ferguson Challenge Cup. In 1908 the
winery received a gold medal at the Franco-British Exhibition
in London.
The winery in production c1905
Although the wine was to win many other awards, the death of
F H Piesse in 1912 and eventful family mismanagement caused
the Piesse family to sell off much of its property in the early 1920s.
The wine cellar casks and tools were sold to New Norcia and to
South Australia.
It is believed that the vines contracted a disease not uncommon to
wine producing vines.
The family had a number of circumstances to contend with after
the death of FH Piesse and it appeared they lost interest in the
affairs of the business. The situation may have been beyond their
control at the time.
In 2004 the Historical Society of Katanning decided to sell the Winery.
It was bought by A and M.E. Fritz, descendants of the Piesse family.
The winery derelict c1965
From the State Heritage Council’s inherit website

PIESSE’S KATANNING WINERY
Today, even the partial walls in the background have gone and the water tower is all that remains.
The remains of the winery were taken over by the Katanning Historical Society and, in 2004,
the Society decided to sell it. It was bought by A and M.E. Fritz, great granddaughter of Frederick Piesse

KATANNING POST OFFICE
In 1912 Mr J Park was the successful tenderer for the new post office
situated in Clive Street opposite the Federal Hotel. The original building was constructed
in 1892 of which A E Piesse was the first postmaster. The contract price for the new post office
was £2482 / 4/ 10 and the building was completed in 1913, opening in April.

KATANNING POST OFFICE
Today, the building still operates as Katanning’s official post office. The building in
the background is the Katanning Telephone Exchange which plays an important
role in Western Australia’s telephone and date network.

F&C PIESSE BUILDING
The Piesse brothers first established a one-room store in
the town of Katanning in 1889, at the time the Great Southern
Railway was established. Owing to their success, they were
later able to replace this with a more substantial wood and iron
structure. In 1901 the Piesse complex was erected – the third
and finest of their stores. The building was designed by
E Summerhayes, of Perth, and built by J H Brown,
the contract price being over £3000.
From here the Piesse brothers continued their successful
trading operations until 1904 when Robert Lawson Richardson
entered into the partnership and the store became known as
Richardson & Co.
Richardson took the store into a very successful period,
whereby other branches were being opened up all
over the Great Southern and Richardson becoming a
household name. As a result, a new wing was added
to the store in 1908 to meet the demands. In 1924
the business was floated into a limited company
under the name of Richardson and Co. Ltd, with
Richardson as the Chairman of the Board.
Extensive additions and alterations were carried
out to the building in 1927, costing over £8000,
when the premises were purchased from the
Piesse estate. The architects were
Oldham, Boas, Ednie-Brown and the contractors
were Hine & May.
Top: F&C Piesse’s second store with the
brother’s mill in the background.
Right: The building as it was originally
constructed in 1901

F&C PIESSE BUILDING
This building is often referred to as the “Richardson” building although it was built
by the Piesse brothers, Frederick & Charles. The wing containing the shop front to
the left was added by Robert Richardson in 1908. Today, the interior has been gutted
and now houses an arcade and retail shops.