Aus Tour 2021

Day 16 - Old Cogla Homestead.

Today is the day I have been looking forward to. Visiting the place where my father spent his teenage years. The old homestead is approximately 55k from Cue WA. Karen and I left Cue early and stopped just past Nallan homestead to play with the drone waiting for the rest to catch up. A Toyota Ute drive slowly past, stopped, backed up and pulled in. Out popped my cousin Desmond Beaton who I haven’t seen since mid 70s. The rest of the crew arrived and Desmond led a convoy to the old Homestead 40k down the dirt track (actually smoother than some of the highways I have been on). Glad Desmond was leading as we may have overshot it. It definitely wasn’t as it was 6 years ago when Jill (my cousin ) visited, no timber or corrugated iron anywhere. Des worked out that someone (maybe council) had dug a big scrape and bulldozed all the corrugated iron, timber and bricks from the chimney into the put and filled it in. Don’t know why. Found the front steps under a big bush that was not there 6 years ago. The back steps are facing the same way as the front, but we guessed that the excavator or dozer moved the back steps.

One of the other reasons to visit was to revisit the bent Mulga Tree. To recap ( and I will add the old photos), the first photo taken was in 1926 with my father (Ron), his sister Jean and Uncle Peter. The next photo (same people) in 1937 (or there abouts). My brother Reg, my sister Lyn and I recreated the photo on the tree in 1974. My other sister Chris with the tree circa 2006 and my cousin Jill (daughter of Jean) in 2015. The tree has not changed.
Unfortunately another task was to spread my cousins ashes (David Thomas, brother of Jill and son of Jean). Dave passed away Jan 21 aged 84. He loved the Bush and Cogla. He was born in Meekatharra hospital so it was decided that Cogla (the tree) was the most appropriate place to spread his ashes. Prior to the ceremony there no wind at all, it was very still, as soon as I put the urn down next to the tree the wind picked up. It was commented that maybe it was Dave saying good spot snd get in with it ( he was. Not one for ceremony) We had the ceremony at the tree and spread his ashes recording it so we can share with his partner Christine, brother and sister (Peter and Jill), cousins and nieces and nephews who could not make the trip. Ceremony completed we wandered the site (very disappointed they buried the remnants). I put the drone up and we identified the outline of the house, house yard and tennis courts. I will put some old photos of the house from 1937 and photos from 2015 for context. My Cousin Desmond was the last owner of Cogla Downs ( he sold it in 1979), to give you an idea is size, Cogla was about 700,000 acres. From the old homestead to the new is about 80k (still on the same property). While my family went back to Cue, Karen and I went on with Desmond to visit the second shearing shed of Cogla. This shed is 40k from the old and 40k from the new homestead. This was built in the late 50s/early 60s using pipe, steel and corrugated iron from the abandoned town of Big Bell, nearly 100k away. It should be note that this area has been sheep properties sine the turn of the century. They are all now either cattle stations or a mixture of working cattle station and tourist stays. Apparently the wild dog (dingo mixed breed ) is out of control. Des was raised on Cogla, the son of Uncle Alec and the last Beaton owner of Cogla selling it in 1979. He was telling us stories of bush life that wound probably never happier today. The two room tin shack on the photos we lived in by Bert Price and his wife Mavis. Bert was a Tobruk Vet from WWII. Today we would call it PTSD but back then these bloke just went bush. He was a loyal hard worker but occasionally he would go on a weeks bender with his Irish mate from the neighbouring station Thundelarra. During these times it is believed sometimes Mavus would go into the bush to escape Bert (only a guess). Once she didn’t come back. Her body was found two weeks later. Apparently when she went bush a huge rainstorm came through and she may have got disorientated.
It was fantastic catching up with Des and listening to the stories (Des you should write them down before they get lost forever).

We farewelled Des, he headed back to Meekatharra via Yarrabubba while we headed back to Cue. From Cue we drove out to the old Big Bell Ghost town. The only thing left standing ( not pilfered but the station owners) is the shell of the pub and the church. Putting the drone up provided a good view of how the town was laid out.

It was a full on day and I am glad I hog back k out to Cogla and the old tree. Pleased that we got to spread Dave’s ashes at a place he lovedLæs mere