The Big Shed

The Story of the small Hannaford Grader

Words written by the late Bruce Hood from Queensland, originally from Wynarka who donated the grader.

The grader must have been purchased about 1930 by my grandfather Andrew HOOD. I think this became necessary because of a disease in wheat called Take-all.

This disease was transmitted by seed wheat when planted. The results were a round patch of wheat that never matured to produce a head.

The grader cleaned out straw and old heads to make a very clean sample and at the same time put a coating of copper sulphate (Blue stone to us), this prevented the spread of Take-all.

I can remember Grandpa and the three sons working this machine before I turned six, I was born in 1930. They used an old Mogul engine from the shearing shed to drive it.

Before long Hannaford’s made bigger machines and put them on trucks so they could visit all properties to grade and pickle wheat at over 100 bags per hour so the little grader was put away in the shed.

I came to Queensland about 1956 and the only seed wheat had to come from Dalby or N.S.W. I wanted to keep our own seed wheat for expansion and share farmers so I asked for and was allowed to bring the little grader to Queensland.

We only had 32 volt power with engine and batteries in those days so I managed to find a 32 volt motor so we graded at night and the engine and batteries powered the grader.
This lasted for quite a few years until we were able to buy seed from the wheat board so the little grader became redundant and was put in the shed for cover, but violent storms could blow in from the sides so there is some weather damage.

This grader was loaded onto my utility and with a friend we took it down through N.S.W. then over the river at TOOLEYBUC then on to KAROONDA for the museum.

Federel Fertiliser Spreader

Originally horse drawn, this federel fertiliser spreader has damage to the lid due to hungry horses during drought. The shafts of the spreader have been cut off and a drawbar has now been fitted.

Tip Dray

A handy pioneer farm vehicle. The shafts have been removed and a drawbar fitted when horse teams were replaced by tractors. Kindly donated by K Yelland.

Karoonda Manual Telephone Exchange

Closed in 1988 when the manual telephone exchange went automatic. It was then moved to Pioneer Park.
Mrs Fay Barr (pictured) was one of the early telephonists.

Other items on display include:

• McCormick Deering 4 cylinder petrol/kero
  Fordson Major 4 cylinder petrol/kero
  Lanz Bulldog KL DT single cylinder diesel 55 HP. Donated by Ron & Ronda Drescher.
  
• A Pullman chair used by the Commissioner of Railways in his living quarters in the railcar used to visit the outlying regions. Donated by Steve and Trish Binney.
  
• Rail Displays - A push-pull trike and a section car were used by fettlers travelling along the line to work.
  
• Howard Bagshaw Chaffcutter. Donated by the Hoff family.
  
• An early firefighting unit.
  
• An engine transporter.
  
• A vintage workbench. Donated by A Growden. Various items including an Aladdin 5 burner kerosene range donated by Ros Jazepczyk, cream separator, butter making equipment, cool safe and mangle.
  
• Karoonda's original telephone box.
  
• Wool & Sheep Display. Tables donated by N Foale and Darryl and Daphne Porker. Collections of wool samples and shears kindly donated by Ian Murdoch.
  
• Cooper Shearing Plant 1950 model. Donated by the Kerr family. Motor and timber from Brian Hood’s property at Wynarka. Antique wool press from the Boughen family of Sandalwood.