Ross Collection
Danny Ross arrived in Western Australia and came to work at Welbungin and Bencubbin as a farmhand. He purchased Ninghan location 3151, the “Hill Farm” in the mid 1940’s.
Danny lived in a 3,000 gallon iron tank tipped on its side with his pigsty right alongside. These pigs were his lifeline.
He was the last farmer in Beacon to use horses to pull machinery.
Danny Ross was a musician who could play the violin and the button accordion. He played his music at dances for the people to enjoy. He never married.
The black and white photos in this collection show 1930’s style farming while the coloured photos were taken in the 1960’s. All photos are of Danny Ross’s farming enterprise at Beacon.
1930’s. Danny Ross stands upon his combine seeding machine powered by horses. Horses were used to pull machinery until tractors became available.
Horses belonging to Danny Ross. Many people began their farming enterprise with horses but they were high maintenance having to be fed and watered daily along with general care of their stables. The leather harness and equipment also took considerable time to keep in good order. In a land of water shortage, just to keep enough water for every day use for the horses was a challenge. But horses can be given great credit for the work they did until tractors came into use.
Danny Ross’s nephew, also named Danny, helping out at a busy time with his father Jim in the background. This photo was taken on the “Hill Farm” east of Beacon.
Harvest equipment of the 1960’s. There’s a Chamberlain tractor, an International Header, and a bulk bin. Some bags were also in use – perhaps to store seed wheat.
Danny Ross Junior standing upon the Chamberlain tractor hitched up to the plough.
The bags of wheat are stacked after being graded by the grading machine at the rear. Seed is graded after harvest and all the smaller grain is sorted out as “seconds”. The larger grain is used the following year for sewing the crop. The machine front right is a Shearer combine.
The main activity in this photo is the bag elevator carrying full bags of grain from the ground to the truck. In the background can be seen the homestead Danny Ross built for himself to live in at the “Hill Farm”. This house was a great luxury for him as he had started off living in a water tank.
It was hard physical labour to carry the bags of wheat once they arrived at the top of the bag loading elevator.
Two tractors and two International Headers to take off some good crops.
The International Header unloads from its auger into the Jetstream bulk bin. The MM521 number plate on the truck indicates registration in the Shire of Mt Marshall in Western Australia.