Caldwell Family.
OLIVER ANDREW CALDWELL
Farmer – Gidgelbarrup Farm – Badgebup
2 September 1874 – 20 October 1956
Oliver Caldwell was the son of Robert Caldwell who was a member of the South Australian parliament for twenty one years. He was educated at the Woodside State School and, at 16 years of age, he proceeded to Mount Gambier where he gained employment on Hon. George Riddochs pastoral estate and continued there for several years.
In 1898 Oliver came to Western Australia in company with John Warren of “Dyliabing”, whom he had assisted in the early development of his property, and two years later launched out on his own. His selection of 2,000 acres of land in the Badgebup district was, in the first instance, a joint venture with his brother who some years later sold his interest in the property.
Oliver retained 1,180 acres applied chiefly to agricultural purposes with 600 acres under cultivation of cereals and 300 merino sheep. He bred Clydesdale horses and had twenty horses working in the fields. At the time he also had a small apiary and sold the honey.
Oliver Caldwell was a member of the Farmer’s and Producer’s Political Union which exerted a marked influence on the neighbourhood. He was also elected to a seat on the committee to erect an agricultural hall at Rockwell.
In 1907 he married Florence, daughter of Otto Klem of Corney Point, South Australia, and had five children; Angus, Lawrie, Alan, Esther and Isabel. He died 20 October, 1956 aged 82 and was laid to rest in the Katanning Cemetery.
JOHN NORMAN CALDWELL
John Norman Caldwell (19 December 1934 – 2 August 2000) was an Australian farmer and politician who served as a National Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1986 to 1993.
John Norman Caldwell
Caldwell was born in Katanning, in Western Australia’s Great Southern region, to John Lawrie Caldwell, primary producer, and Melville Clara Flugge. He was educated at Badgebup and Katanning Primary Schools and boarded at Scotch College, Perth.
On leaving school he went into farming on the family farm at Badgebup, which they had been farming since 1898. He married Francine May Bignell (born circa December 1938), daughter of Eric Daniel Smith and Winifred May Hillman on 27 February 1960 at St Andrews Church (Church of England), Katanning. The couple had two sons and one daughter.
Caldwell became prominent in agricultural circles, and also represented Western Australia in rifle shooting on five occasions. He entered parliament at the 1986 state election, defeating Thomas Knight (the sitting Liberal member) in South Province. At the 1989 state election, following electoral reform, Caldwell was elected to the new five-member Agricultural Region. He served as deputy chairman of committees in the Legislative Council from 1988 to 1993 and as a National Party shadow minister from 1989 to 1992, eventually retiring from parliament at the 1993 election.
After leaving politics he returned to work with sons on farms at Katanning and Gnowangerup. Caldwell died in Perth in August 2000, aged 65.
From the Western Australian State Parliament Archives
Personal Information
Birth date: 19 December 1934
Place of birth: Katanning, Western Australia
Death date: 2 August 2000
Place of death: Mount Hospital, Perth
Cemetery: Cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery but ashes placed in Katanning Cemetery
Parents: Son of John Lawrie Caldwell, primary producer, and Melville Clara Flugge
Marriage and Family: Married 27 February 1960, St Andrews Church (Church of England), Katanning to Francine May Bignell (born circa December 1938), daughter of Eric Daniel Smith and Winifred May Hillman
Children: Two sons and one daughter
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: Educated Badgebup and Katanning Primary Schools; and Scotch College
Occupation: Farmer
Employment History : Went into farming with family direct from School – family in farming since 1898. After father’s retirement became sole operator of farm in Badgebup and associated merino and cattle studs. After leaving politics returned to work with sons on farms at Katanning and Gnowangerup
Background/Membership: Member Merino Breeders’ Association and WA Farmers’ Federation, Patron of Katanning Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Society and Nyabing Agricultural Society, Member WA State Committee for Centenary of Federation and Chairman Fisheries WA Purse Seine Management Committee, Member Kan-Work Options Centre, Katanning, President Friends of Bethshan Nursing Home, Katanning 1999–2000, Captain of WA rifle shooting team 1979 which defeated Great Britain – represented WA five times, three as captain, Won Duke of Edinburgh Award 1975, 1980, Grand Aggregate Award 1980, President Great Southern Rifle Association, Albany 1972 – 1974, 1977 – 1984, President, Wurgabup Rifle Club 1996 – 1998, life member, club champion 17 times, Coach WA Veterans Rifle Team, Canberra 1997, For 40 years played in dance bands, Sponsor Katanning Art Prize for most popular painting 1989, 1991
JEANNE CALDWELL
Jeanne Caldwell was born on 23rd February 1911, to Stewart and Grace Longmire of Badgebup and she lived all of her life in the Katanning district. She was a very lively and vivacious girl and loved outings and parties.
At the tender age of four, with a parent on each side, she stood on the stage and recited in the Rockwell Hall so we could all hear. Mrs Parnell was heard to say, “What a precocious child”. Her education started at the Badgebup School and continued on to ‘Kobeelya’ Anglican Girls’ School in Katanning.
Later in life Jeanne became a good tennis player, mainly because they had a court at home. When her father came home in the evening, from a hot days harvesting, he would want a game of tennis. So daughter Jeanne, nearly exhausted with the heat of the day, would summon her energy and go out and play tennis until dark. Jeanne was the scorer for the Badgebup Cricket Club and the young men would hang around the scorer, with the pretense they wanted to know the score.
Jeanne married Angus Norman Caldwell in 1934 and the couple had two children; Anthony and Helen. They married in the middle of the depression years and, in common with many other farmer’s wives, turned her energy into raising day old chickens, mainly to produce eggs.
In later life, as we became more efficient, Jeanne turned to arts and crafts, cooking and baking for Agricultural Shows and also became involved in the arts and craft section of the Country Women’s Association, being a foundation member of the Badgebup Branch, formed in 1934.
A great achievement was to enter Harper’s “Bake a Cake and win a Car“. Jeanne won the preliminary contest in Katanning with a sponge cake, and went through to the final, to be held in the Boans Store in Perth. She decided to take a fruit cake and it was chosen as the winning entry. The new car was duly presented!! This achievement seemed to embark Jeanne on a round of judging at country agricultural shows. She was called upon to judge cooking, cake icing, needlework and various other handicrafts. I can remember she disqualified an iced tin when the schedule plainly stated, an iced cake. The stewards should have put the tin out.
Another interest that became most paramount in the lives of a number of ladies was china painting; they became so keen that they bought kilns to do their firing of their own work. Once a month they would go to Mrs Elsie Webb’s of Narrogin for lessons for the day. They took it in turn to take cars, on one occasion the road was flooded by the Wagin Lake, so Jeanne, who was driving that day, waded through the water to be sure it was safe to drive a car through.
The ladies who went to Narrogin were, Mrs Georgie Dwyer, Mrs Lila Wells, Mrs Edna Poett and Jeanne. They were so keen and good that occasionally Mrs Joy Donaldson would come from Perth to give lessons. You may erroneously think the ladies were so absorbed in their china painting, and other arts, that they had no time for home duties. But that is not so, they were all good homemakers. Jeanne, for instance, could milk cows, ride a horse, drive a tractor or truck, cook for a shearing team etc, etc.
Jeanne rode a horse to the Badgebup School 1919 to 1923. She was, at times, thrown off by the horse and lay unconscious on the road on one occasion until found by her father at midday. No wonder the horse gave trouble, its name was “Flash”. Needless to say that horse was moved on.
To finish her schooling, Jeanne made life-long friends, two of them being Ruth Simper and Marjorie Hurst. In addition to routine school work, the girls at “Kobeelya” were taught golf and tennis and, in later years, horse riding became popular and the girls could bring their own horses.
Jeanne was very versatile – both her mother and father were good examples – so she was a very good farmer’s wife. She was also generous in passing on the information needed to do something expertly, such as cooking, dressmaking etc.
She was not afraid of snakes and, for instance, our “Silverhaze” house seemed to be attractive to snakes as the house had a board floor and mice would live under the floor, hence the snakes. On several occasions snakes would try to go through the small holes in the vents. Jeanne would get hold of their tails and pull so hard that either the ventilator would come out of the wall or the head would come off the snake. Sometimes she has chopped the snake up with a mattock. Fox hunting with a spotlight was another exciting event. Jeanne was the driver of the vehicle, be it truck or car!
Mention should be made of yet another hobby – the growing of champion gladioli. Corms would be selected from Errey Brother’s catalogue of The Dandenongs in Victoria. So many gladioli were grown that the florist in Katanning, Biddy Gare, was supplied with plenty.
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