The Esler Family - by Geoff Esler

Part 2 - The Eslers settle in Gippsland

Hugh and Helen farmed at Tooborac until 1895 when they moved to Upper Flynn where they farmed 808 acres of land registered in the name of Helen Esler. This would of course have been virgin scrub and no doubt much hard work faced the family if they were to make a success of their venture. 
(Hugh - pictured left, Helen, below, right.)

Their son Robert Craig obviously helped  on the farm, because in 1898 he married a widow, Annie Tallent, eldest daughter of Jesse and Annie Morley of Gormandale. The couple lived in a small bark hut at Upper Flynn where their first two children, John Wilson and Helen (Nellie) were born.

Hugh and Helen left Upper Flynn to move to Lang Lang, where Hugh passed away on 26/4/1907, aged 69 years. Helen remarried in 1912 to James Smethurst whose daughter Minnie Smethurst had married Helen’s son Samuel. Helen died in 1917 and was buried in the Esler vault at the Melbourne General Cemetery.

Robert Craig, the second son of Hugh and Helen, moved onto a timbered block at Callignee South in 1901. Robert had done some clearing on the block with the help of his wife’s brother. The house was built from timber from one tree split on site. Long poles were driven into the ground and the house built around these. A huge fireplace opened onto a chimney of wooden frame lined with galvanized iron, and how this did not catch fire with some of the huge fires in winter, is a mystery. This home was built right on top of a hill and exposed to the westerly gales, and cypress trees were planted along the western side as a shelter. When their son Jesse took over the farm in 1930, the wall struts which had been driven into the ground, had rotted off at ground level and the house was merely sitting on the ground. Thank goodness for the pines, but Jesse had to do some rebuilding to make the place livable. It was eventually destroyed in the 1944 bushfires.

One cannot imagine the huge task facing Robert and Annie to turn virgin hill country, covered in huge bluegum trees and secondary undergrowth into productive farmland. There were no formed roads as such, mere tracks that followed the tops of the ridges and creeks that had to be forded at the shallowest crossing points.

 Robert and Annie were of course my grandparents, and grandfather had a bullock team and wagon with which he was able to supplement his income, carting goods for the other settlers into Traralgon (about 30 kilometres) and their supplies back out. During the summer trips were made about once a month, but in winter the tracks became impassable and so the settlers had to purchase their supplies in bulk to see them through the cold weather. Sugar was bought in 70lb. bags, flour in 140lb bags, and so on. It was not unusual for weevils to get into the flour, and many different ways were tried to keep weevils, ants, and the many other insect pests away from the food.

There were plenty of other hardships facing those pioneers of Callignee South. Native cats were plentiful in the scrub and very adept at taking young pigs (up to half grown) from the pig sties. There were also dingoes to trouble the sheep, while snakes were everywhere. Grandmother’s house had a floor made of thick split slabs of timber, smoothed rather crudely by an adze, and not perfectly straight along the edges. This meant cracks in the floor that let in the drafts during winter, and snakes during the summer. Grandmother always had a tin of water boiling on the stove or above the open fire, and if a snake poked its head through a crack in the floor it was doused with scalding water.

Lighting was provided by kerosene lamps or lanterns, the kero coming in square tins, that proved to be one of the most practical and universal aids available to the farmer. Thoroughly cleaned these cans were used as water containers, for carting skim milk to feed the pigs, for boiling the bath water or the clothes on washing day. For the latter purpose Grandmother’s laundry was a huge hollow stump near the house, with a roof of split timber, and a bar across on which she could hang the kerosene tins above a roaring fire. These were then transferred into a tub to complete the wash. Water mostly came from a tank which had to provide all the family needs, and so bath time (in the same washing tub) meant that the last in had the dirtiest water. Grandmother still insisted on a bath once a week though, water permitting, whether the kids needed it or not. During the winter the bath was placed in front of the fire.

Naturally there was no shortage of firewood and with the huge fireplaces that were built, there was little need for anyone to be cold. The older boys were always responsible for filling the wood box.

At first, Grandmother would have cooked in a camp oven, a huge iron urn with fitting lid, that hung on a bar suspended above the open fire. This oven was universally used to cook all sorts of meals, and the women of those times were, of necessity, wonderful cooks. In addition, an iron kettle was always suspended from the iron bar, and a “cuppa” was never far away for the men when they came in from the paddocks, or any visitors.

When grandfather and grandmother first bought the land at Callignee South it was covered in scrub, and a home had to be built before they could move from Upper Flynn. This meant clearing an area of scrub in the most accessible site, probably after cutting a track in through the scrub. After moving to the block an area had to be cleared and grassed for the farm animals (a house cow for milk, poultry for eggs and Grandfather’s bullocks) before the work of forming a farm out of the wilderness was possible.

The only tools available for this work were axes and crosscut saws, and the huge task confronting them must have daunted the stoutest hearts. A method was devised of cutting the smaller timber on the hillsides halfway through on the lower side, and then felling a forest giant on the hilltop so that it crashed into the smaller growth below, and brought the lot crashing to the ground. This was then left until conditions were suitable for a burn, when the lot was fired. A good burn saved years of work, getting rid of the smaller scrub that littered the forest floor, as well as most of the bigger timber. After the burn it was time to pick up the branches to keep them from burning, and also to roll the logs into heaps. This was where Grandfather’s bullocks were invaluable.

 Seed was sown directly into the ash, and with the potash and other chemicals from centuries of debris fallen from the forest, those early plantings provided prolific growth. They also provided prolific growth of weeds, especially fire weed and stinging nettles, and so the work of turning the forest to farmland was continuous.

 As the grass grew the wallabies invaded it in plagues, and deprived the farm animals. Fences had not really been necessary to keep the cattle out of the forest where there was little for them to eat, but they soon became a necessity to keep the native animals out of the farmland. This became even more of a problem after the rabbit arrived and soon bred to plague proportions. Wire netting was needed to keep the rabbits out, but this was hardly an obstacle to the wombats, which burrowed underneath and allowed the rabbits to pour into the farmland. The rabbits dug burrows all over the hillsides which started waterwashes in the wet weather, and the rabbits caused untold damage, apart from the fact that 25 of the vermin ate as much grass as a cow. Grandfather and all the other farmers therefore had their work cut out clearing the land and making a farm, but their problems were made worse when the imported blackberries and ragwort were introduced.

The Gippsland hills were ideal for both these pests to flourish, the ragwort spreading by seeds blown in the wind, and blackberries by vines rooting into the ground, or seed spread by rabbit, foxes or birds.

Above, Callignee South State School 1913
L to R at rear - Ivy Flewin, Eileen Rigall.  On stump, Hugh Esler
On fence L to R - Clarrie Flewin, Bob Esler, Peter Rigall, Jack Rigall, Arthur Riggall, .... Clark, Horrie Welsh, Jack Esler on horse, in front, Dan Doherty.

Nevertheless, despite all these trials and tribulations, Grandfather and Grandmother Esler successfully established a farm at Callignee south around the turn of the 20th century, that is still being farmed nearly 100 years later. Grandmother and Grandfather had a family of ten children, and so they were active along with other residents, to have a school provided to educate their youngsters. Eventually a school was provided at a fairly central position at the junction of the Callignee South Rd, Gentle Annie and Marr’s Road. The first teacher was faced with the task of educating over 30 wild and shy hill children, most of whom had only the basic rudiments of learning.

Life had now begun to take on some semblance of order at Callignee South. Access was still a major problem, with poor roads, and it wasn’t until the Country Roads Board was formed just before World War 1 that anything of a permanent nature was done. Up to that time the shires had done what little they could do within their finances, and the settlers themselves had cleared and formed access as best they could. However, at best these tracks were suitable only for bullock wagon or horse drawn buggy.

With this lack of access dairy-farming as we know it today was out of the question, and initially the settlers ran sheep, fattened cattle, ran poultry, and had excellent gardens and orchards to provide for their needs. It was only after a butter factory was built at Callignee that pick-up of milk was carried out in horse-drawn wagons. The milk was separated initially at the factory, and it was a slow process before separators became commonplace at Callignee South -- well after Grandfather’s days on the farm.

It was in August 1912 that tragedy struck, and the young family lost their father. Grandfather and his friend Lochie Downey had travelled into Traralgon with buggy and a pair of horses to get some supplies. While they were away a heavy rainstorm swept across the hills, and Grandmother was anxious for their return. As darkness approached, she sent the eldest boy, Uncle Jack, then 13, to meet his father. When Grandfather and Lochie Downey had reached Burgess Creek which runs into Flynn’s Creek, they found it in heavy flood. Thinking it was safe to cross, they entered the ford but such was the force of water that they were swept away, and everything was lost -- horses and both men.

It was only with the help of their kind neighbors, and the older children that Grandmother was able to carry on the farm. This she did until 1916 when she too became ill, and was taken by jinker into Traralgon to see a doctor. From there she was taken by train to the Sale hospital, suffering from gallstones. It was June and very cold, and with all the travelling in this weather, she caught pneumonia, and so the family of ten ranging in age from 17 to four were left as orphans. Both parents were buried in unmarked graves in Traralgon Cemetery.

The elder members of the family were able to carry on the farm for a while and several were taken by relatives. My father went to Yannathan and lived with his Uncle Sam while going to school. Auntie Nellie the eldest girl, refused to give up the youngest, Uncle Wally, and I remember him saying later in life if he ever had a mother, it was his sister Nellie. Uncle Jesse went to live with his grandmother, Mrs. Jesse Morley at Gormandale. Some of the older children were able to go out to work.  

Contemporary photos of Esler Reunion



Esler Family Reunion circa 1965
Left to Right: Jack, Jim, Jesse, Hugh, George. Pat (Amy), Nellie (Sarah Helen), Annie
Robert Craig in wheelchair.

Esler Family Reunion circa 1965 - extended families.
Jack, Biddie,  Mollie, Ethel, Jesse, Dorothy, Jessie, Hugh, George, Margaret, Annie, Nellie, Pat (Amy) Harry, Jack (Smith) ???.   
Kneeling Jim.   Robert Craig in wheelchair.