TED & PEG AHWAN
Written by Peg Ahwan.
In November 1954 we were given a chance of a lifetime by being chosen to work our way to become farmers. The Lands Department of the South Australian Government gave us a low interest loan to make a new life.
We arrived on Kangaroo Island by plane, as there was a strike at Port Adelaide so all our possessions were held up at the wharf. Geoff and Francis Low met us and took us to the camp at Parndana. Ted was moved into the single men’s quarters to start working for the Lands Department. I went to the hospital and enrolled as a night nurse to have somewhere to live and work.
Two weeks later our goods were brought from Kingscote and we were allocated living quarters in the campsite on the front road. I continued to work at the hospital five days a week and Ted was camping out as a dozer driver.
We joined the Tennis Club, the Progress Association and RSL. In 1956 we became members of the first Show Society and joined Meadow Lea Golf Club.
In 1958 we were allocated a block. No 62 Hundred of Duncan “Double Five”
In December 1955 Trevor was born and in July 1957 Margaret was born.
We started with 2 cows and 50 sheep and Ted continued working 5 days a week with the Lands Department and we worked on the block on weekends. Our main work was fencing and stump picking. We had plenty of water as Tin Hut and Bullock Creek and Cygnet River ran through our farm and there were many waterholes along their beds.
Our sheep numbers gradually increased as our pastures improved. We also built up our cattle numbers until we were selling cream to SA Farmers Union. We started a piggery to used up the extra milk. We also trapped a lot of wild pigs for sale. We had turkeys and fowls and were fairly self-sufficient. We over sowed with rye grass to try to combat Yarloop. We then started growing oats and barley. When we had cleaned up our 800 acres we logged another 100 acres. We then obtained some Aberdeen Angus cattle and had a large herd.
We sold our block in 1988 due to ill health and retired to Parndana, and became foundation members of the Parndana Bowling Club.