It has become a tradition for the Allora Historical Society members to demonstrate their threshing machine at the Warwick Veteran and Vintage Vehicle Club Heritage Weekend held at the Allora Showgrounds.
Although the grain was a little damp at the weekend several bags of corn were put through the machine.
Again this year the members of the Allora Historical Society mounted a display of historical items held in their museum. The theme this year was the history of the horse in relation to settlement and farming in the Allora district.
On display were the yokes, harness, shoes, blinkers and swagle bars used to harness a team of draught horses.
A pictorial history of draught horse teams showed land being ploughed, planted and the crop being harvested and threshed. The properties, ‘Melrose’, Glengallan, ‘The Aloes’, ‘Richmond’ and ‘Glen Helen’ were featured.
Also featured were a buggy and a sulky. With the buggy and sulky lamps on display, viewers could imagine the vehicles making their way along the dirt roads at night.
The museum’s resident mannequins, Col and Kathy, were dressed in costumes of a lady and gentleman travellers.
Pictures of W. W. Anderson driving his cab, which was used to carry passengers from the Hendon railway station, were on display.
Items that were used at his Livery Stables and donated to the museum by George Anderson were of great interest.
Many residents of Allora and district would remember George riding his piebald horse to work at Deacon & Co.
The Allora Historical Society paid tribute to George and had a photograph of him with the Allora Pony Club, which he helped form. His saddle was lent by Ross Neale for the display.
Another well known Allora identity featured in the pictorial display. Tom Muir became a great horseman at a young age. He drove a team of horses carting grain to the railway station in Allora.
The display showed several photographs of teams arriving and unloading at the depot.
Other photographs showed a young lady riding side saddle and fine stallions that won prizes at the local shows.
Pony horse shoes, stirrups, whips, plaited ropes, unusual ‘elastised’ metal yokes, which were used in place of leather yokes to prevent chaffing of horses’ shoulders were on display.
Local horse identity Mick Bradford viewed the display with interest and offered to donate draught horse harness chains to the museum.
With the exception of the sulky and buggy most of the display will remain for the Allora Show.
Main meat markets improved
Weather played a factor on the import of numbers for the weekly sales. It was great for the area to receive the falls but...
