Vintage

Remembering The Past

Donation of Harrow

Allan Duncan of Kentlyn has donated section of a harrow that was used by his father on the family orchard at East Campbelltown. The Duncan family lived in a stone cottage. The entrance to their orchard was off Georges River Road near Deans Road.

Allan's father was Charles Stanislaus Duncan who was one of the first gangers employed by Campbelltown Municipal Council and worked under Charlie Asher.

The harrow was horse-drawn and Allan recalls seeing it used by his father in about 1929 or 1930, when he was 5 or 6 years old. (Charles died when Allan was 7 years old.)

The Duncan orchard grew mainly peaches but also produced pears, oranges, figs and apples. One variety of apple was the Trivet. Lucerne and oats were also cultivated.

Allan attended St John's Primary School. He used to walk through Paddy Barrett's poultry farm on the Soldiers' Settlement (where Campbelltown East Public School is today), up Valley Road, up Allen's Hill (Mr Allen owned St Elmo at the time), across paddocks to school. Along the way they passed Routley's orchard near St Elmo. Routleys had a tennis court and Allen became a keen tennis player.