|
Dr Wilson
being the original holder of
the Pastoral Squatter Lease
for "Nararie" in 1840, the
lease area was approximately
13,000 acres. By 1850 the
lease was transferred to W.D.
Tarlinton and the spelling
of the name "Nararie"
changed to "Narira".
Henry
Freeman Sawtell, third son
of Joshua and Harriett (nee
Whiffen) Sawtell selected
land at Narira on 15
February 1883 under the
Crown Lands Alientation Act
of 1861. The land was
described as grassed, open
forest to steep, very
heavily timbered country.
Later the area was increased
to 470 acres.
The
Sawtell family moved to
Cobargo from Jellat Jellat
on 9 January 1873. Joshua
(Senior) had selected 307
acres of land at Wandellow.
Joshua built a slab house at
Wandellow for his family of
four sons and three
daughters. Another daughter
was born at Wandellow
shortly after the family
arrived.
Harry was
22 years of age and was
about to be married when he
selected the land at "Narira".
He then built a cosy slab
cottage. The corner posts
were squared above ground
level with a broad axe, the
walls were eight feet high
timber slabs, corrugated
iron roof, sawn timber floor
covered with lino, an open
fire place of brick which
was used for cooking and
heating and the ceiling was
lined with flat pattern tin.
The interior of the slab
walls were lined with
newspaper to keep out the
weather. Rainwater from the
roof was stored in a square
iron tank. There was an
earth-dug well a short
distance from the home for
additional water. In 1917 a
3,500 gallon underground
hand made double brick water
tank was built for household
water. The water was pumped
out with a hand operated
water pump. The water being
stored underground was
always cooler. The tank is
still in use today for house
water.
In 1885,
the official value of the
improvements on the Sawtell
property at Narira (being
the slab cottage) was valued
at sixty pounds.
Harry
married Mary Jane Payne,
second daughter of John and
Mary Ann (nee Salway) Payne
of Dignam’s Creek, at
Dignam’s Creek on 18 June
1883. They had six children
who were all born in the
home at Narira. The first
child was Mary Eliza, born
on 4 February 1886. Then it
was another five and a half
years before their second
daughter, Henrietta May, was
born on 16 October 1891.
Then followed Irene
Harriett, born on 29 May
1894, Myra Dorris on 7 March
1899 and twins Beatrice
Louise and Henry Matthew on
10 May 1901. Sadly, Beatrice
died at Narira on 9 January
1902, aged eight months.
Mary Eliza attended the
Cobargo Public School,
living with her grandmother,
Harriett Wilson, in Cobargo.
The other children attended
Sam’s Creek Public School
where they were able to walk
to and from daily, being a
distance of two kilometres
each way.
Once a
month the Church of England
services were held in the
Sawtell home for the benefit
of the people living in the
area. Harry was the senior
warden when the present
Anglican Church was built at
Cobargo.
Fruit and
vegetables were grown on the
Sawtell farm. Beef, lamb and
pigs were raised on the
farm, which were also killed
on the farm to supply meat.
The hams and bacon were
smoked in the home. Most of
the meat was salted and kept
in a wooden cask. Harry was
assisted by his
father-in-law, John Payne,
being a butcher at Moruya
before taking up farming at
Dignam’s Creek.
Pigs were
taken to Bermagui by horse
and dray through a bush
track from the top of
Dignam’s Creek hill and then
crossing the Narira Creek,
bringing them out onto the
Bermagui Road for shipment
on the steamer to Sydney.
Cattle were driven by
horseman along the highway
to the Cobargo sale yards.
In the
"early days" farmers in the
area of Narira found that
mobs of wild cattle roamed
the area, which were there
for the taking.
Harry and
Jane established a dairy
farm, milking by hand a herd
of shorthorn cattle. They
turned to jersey cattle in
the early 1900’s. Harry was
one of the original
shareholders and suppliers
to the Cobargo District
Co-Operative Creamery Butter
Company Limited in June
1902.
The
telephone service was
connected by the PMG into
the Sawtell homestead in
1925 and was the only
telephone along the Main
Road from Cobargo to Tilba
until after the Second World
War. The telephone number
was 40. In 1981 the Cobargo
Telephone Exchange changed
from manual to automatic and
the Sawtells were advised
that they were the longest
family residence operating a
continuous service at the
Cobargo manual exchange.
Service of
a free mailbag operated to
and from Cobargo Post Office
to the Sawtell homestead.
This free mailbag operated
five days per week and the
mail deliveryman would also
deliver the Sydney Morning
Herald, Cobargo and Bega
newspapers along with the
mailbag. Surrounding
families were then able to
manage the distance to the
Sawtell homestead to collect
their mail and papers.
Harry and
Jane bought a motorcar in
1917, which was driven by
their son, Matt, who had
been taught to drive by the
Rev. Harry Hyde, the Rector
at Cobargo.
Harry died
at is home on 2 November
1936 and Jane died at home
on 19 November 1943.
The cosy
slab homestead was pulled
down in 1949 and the best
timber slabs were selected
and used in building a hay
shed. The hay shed walls
being the selected slabs of
timber from the homestead
and sawn timber from the
property was used to make
boards for the floor along
with an iron roof. |
