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Marie Rigby née Vile - Pokolbin resident. Recorded 20 April 1983. Part 1/1.

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Mrs Marie Rigby discusses dairy farming in the Pokolbin area.

SummaryMARIE RIGBY
Recorded 20 April 1983
Part 1 of 1

0:26
Marie’s mother is Stella Slade, and her father is Walter Vile (mother), and is the great-granddaughter of George Brown. Her mother’s mother is Jane Brown who married Sid Slade, Stella’s cousin is Harold Slade. In the Vile family there was Walter, Reg Vile and Albert Vile. They were the sons of John Vile who originated from Gosforth. The boys came from Gosforth through to Mount View. Her father was originally on Mel Snape’s property, dairying. That land today is owned by Peterson's Vineyard.

2:25
The father then went out by the cemetery and lived in a house that burnt down, opposite St. Patricks Church. It may have belonged to Birmingham. Marie was born in Maitland and lived as a child at Mount View. She went to Nulkaba Primary school, and then at West Cessnock. Father was at Mount View and then he and Reg leased Cruikshank's property, and share farmed themselves, when Marie was nine the place was sold and her father bought it. He had 95 acres,. They had dairy cattle and delivered milk to Cessnock,. He did that for 32 years.

5:43
Father ran it with his brother, Reg. Later on his other brother Albert took on the land next to them, it was also one of Cruikshank’s properties, and the daughter of Mrs Cruikshank’s Mrs Bailey bought it and leased it to Albert. Her father had 63 head of cattle at one time that the family milked. Clark's property was next door to Arthur Slade almost opposite the post office at Nulkaba. From Marie’s place (Where Rob’s are today) out towards the Potteries, the farms belonged to Arthur Slade next door, then Clarkes, then the Potteries. Pat O'Connor was up around the Post Office, and he had a shop on Cumberland Street. Marie’s father’s property ran back towards Black Creek behind the Septic Tanks.

8:44
In her mother’s family, the Slade Family there were seven children, her mother Stella was the eldest, then George Slade, Harry Slade, Dick Slade, Edgar Slade, Myrtle Slade, and lastly Ken Slade. Separately there was Arthur Slade’s family which had four of them Vera Slade, Harold Slade, Muriel Slade married a Johns, and Jack Slade. Ewan Sams is Marie’s grandson, Ewan’s great-grandfather was Ted Sams, whose father was Fred Sams.

11:32
Marie was married in 1946, aged 23, to Fred Rigby, his father was Bob Rigby that was the bread carter. Dick Rigby was a builder and was Fred’s uncle. The Rigbys came from Minmi Marie believes and their grandfather was in the mines as a Blacksmith at Minmi. Their daughter married Sam Horne (the first Postman in Cessnock), who was Fred’s uncle. They may have come to Cessnock through Sam. Old Granny Brown was Elizabeth Hawkins, George’s mother was a Hawkins, and his wife was a Jones, Moses Jones, Ned Jones, Johnny Jones, Marie’s uncles. One of the few descendants left is Doug Jones who is an auctioneer in Maitland at the sale yards for Jones Berry & Company. He is Uncle Johnny’s grandson. Marie and Fred had three children, Janelle Rigby who married a Sams, the eldest is Robert Rigby who married a Cessnock girl Carmel Adler, and Dianne Rigby married Lorimer Adams.

17:45
The location of the racecourse over the creek right next door to their property, Hammond Hartcher had land out near them at that time. Bede Hartcher was one of their children. Marie’s uncle lived next door to them at "The Pines", on Mount View Road, Dave Hartcher who married her dad’s sister. The Brick yards were at the back of the wine shop, on the opposite side of the creek but down from where the early saleyards used to be, in Paddy O'Neill’s place at the back of Peter Marselos right down to the creek. Edna Allen had a scrapbook that was filled with info about the area, she used to go to Harry Bridge and Miriam Bridge’s home, as did her mother and father and take a batch of pikelets.

22:47
Out towards Bellbird from Marie’s land was the Cruikshank family, Cyril Cruikshank, they all had a house in that row up to where Goode’s Poultry farm was. The old wine shop was owned by Mr Lewis Lazarus, he never married. Joe Irwin moved in to where Lazarus was just before Marie got married, he was painting their house when Fred came back from the War.

25:19
The old wine drinkers who were regulars would be Phil Bambach, all the Bambach family and the Kings from Mount View in their little truck. There was Tom King, Marcus King, Keith King and others. Dillon's property was over Bellbird way. Their land was called "Wyallah"."Orizaba" was Kelman's property was behind her dad’s. Ned O’Neill’s property was over towards Bellbird. Talk of her father’s vegetable garden. One of Ned’s son’s, Cyril O'Neill married Kath Wilson who is the sister of Jack Wilson the Chemist. Phonse O'Neill was Paddy O'Neill’s son, and Paddy and Ned were brothers.

28:41
The butter factory was there when she was living in the area. Marie helped her father deliver milk at West End, with her two cans and the path she took to deliver it. Davey Herd the saddler always tried to give his land away, he lost his wife in an accident. When Uncle Reg’s family grew up a bit Marie’s family shifted three doors along and Mr and Mrs Hert moved in next door when they got married. Mr Hert started his saddlery shop there. Talk of the Brown family, Marge Brown, Garney Brown, Mervyn Brown, Aub Brown, Winifred Brown. Marie Lennerson married Ray Lennerson, though divorced now, they had lived on the land that grandfather Brown had bought and handed it down to his son Harry, then he passed it on to George and now on to Marie, and she gave it to her son John. Talk of a family reunion out at Gosforth.

35:35
Marie’s father hand milked until 1940 when he got the machines. He also farmed himself, ploughing, until her uncle Reg came out and he did a lot of the ploughing, though when her father came home from work he would go out and help. He had four cow stand and would milk four at a time. He had fuel boilers, talk of keeping the dairy clean, Marie left school at 14 years old and worked for him until she was 23 years old and got married, she used to do the milking and help on the farm, but the dairy was her job keeping it clean. They didn’t have refrigeration then, but just before her dad retired they got a cooling room. In the early days they delivered it as soon as it was milked so they didn’t have to keep it. Talk of left over milk and how it was used. Marie made butter with some of the milk and sell it to family and friends, but then it was made so people could not sell the butter. Jim Andrews was a distant relative and made butter which he marker with images so he could look after particular customers. His daughter was Heather Andrews.

39:04
End (Tape 230/Side A) part 1 of 1 Last edited by: Dave Trimble

SubjectPokolbin (N.S.W)Dairy farming -- New South Wales -- PokolbinDairyingCessnock (N.S.W.)Rigby née Vile, Marie Myrtle Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PersonJack Delaney Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Depicts or Relates ToAub Brown Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Winifred Brown nee Rees & Beryl Guest Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Phonse O'Neill Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Harold Slade Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Pat O'Connor Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CreatorRigby née Vile, Marie MyrtleDelaney, Jack, 1919-2010 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PlaceCessnock, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Date Created1983-04-20Location^[1]Pokolbin Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[2]Cessnock Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Identifier230A Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Job Identifier230A

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