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Graham Tucker Interview Transcript

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Graham Tucker Interview Transcript Transcript of a discussion with Graham Tucker on 7th March 2017. Interviewed by Maureen McKenzie Maureen: How long have you lived in Gawler? Graham: I came to Gawler in 1990 so that would make this the 27th year. Maureen: and in that time what have you seen as far as the changes in Gawler? Graham: Changes have been fairly dramatic, particularly the population. The population has increased considerably in those years. A lot of new areas have been opened up to housing .. one very close to where I am here with the new housing settlement out at the end of Carlton Road. So that is one of the most dramatic things. Since I came here I've retired and I joined the Gawler Visitor Centre as a volunteer. Later on I joined the National Trust as a volunteer in their museum. Maureen: And you personally...When you first came here you said you retired. What was your occupation? Graham: I was a Salesman in the Merchandise department of Elder Smith & Co. and I was with them for something like 37 years I think. Maureen: And where were they situated? Graham: I didn't work in Gawler. My last branch was the store at Cavan but in between I'd been to Penola, Mt Gambier, Gladstone, … then I shifted from Gladstone … went back to live in Modbury where I stayed for 28 years. And I had various positions with Elders over the next 30 odd years. I was in the Machinery Department. 07 Mar 2017_GOHP-Graham Tucker/MMK Page 1 Maureen: What did that entail? Graham: We had quite a range of reasonably heavy farm machinery in those days. Eventually for some reason or other we got out of it but we had quite a good range. We had scrub rakes, .. of course scrub rakes became illegal eventually for the clearing of scrub was banned … but we sold one that was made in Western Australia. Pedrick Scrub Rake. We sold hay baling equipment but one of the major products we had was a wide line cultivator and it was one of the first wide line cultivators to come on the market. To look at them they weren’t much different to a harrow bar but they were designed for relatively light cultivating … and very efficient at it and, quite amazingly, the size and width of cultivating ranged from 27 feet to 45 feet wide. I think we sold one 45 footer and that was over at Kimba on the west coast. Maureen: Okay, Graham: From that I went into.... Elders hardware division. Elders started up two hardware divisions. One was the inner city and suburbs. That was called Elders Building Supplies, and the one I went into was called Elders Industrial Merchandise, and we went into country areas and we actually opened up the hardware stores at Mildura, Murray Bridge, Naracoorte, Mt Gambier and Pt Lincoln. This was quite a new venture for Elders and it came about because Elders got a new General Manager in John Elliot and he came here with some bright ideas. Maureen: What else did you get involved in, in the Gawler area? Graham: In the Gawler area since I've been here and involved with both Visitors Centre and the Museum, one of the things I started off at the Visitors Centre was doing Town walking Tours. When we had a group of people that wanted to have a good look around the town I would take them for a wander around .. about a three or four kilometre walk around the Town. And then we started to get a number of bus services looking for a guide to go on the buses and so I started doing that. I've done some for the museum also .. but they were quite interesting…the walks. Had to give that up in the end because of a funny thing called sciatica. Came upon me. Maureen: That'll stop you (laughing) Graham: Stopped me in my tracks … but I still do the odd one … particularly for the museum. Maureen: When you think back say back to the 1990’s what would you say was a dramatic change in this neighbourhood? Graham: I’ve got to stop and think about that … in the neighbourhood or ..... Maureen: Well just in Gawler I suppose? Graham: In Gawler itself there’s never been any dramatic changes. In Gawler there always been steady slow something going to happen … and eventually it happens … we don’t seem to be in a situation where all of a sudden something totally dramatic comes upon us … life changes something we hadn’t expected. It has been steady change. I suppose one of the dramatic changes was the work that was done on Murray Street widening the footpaths, narrowing of the roads, cutting out any 07 Mar 2017_GOHP-Graham Tucker/MMK Page 2 heavy traffic in the main street, and shoving it around the back streets. That’s probably one of the significant things that I can think that has happened here … and I won’t say always with my full blessing … but people with more brains than I do think of these things I’m afraid. Maureen: Have you ever sat on Council? Graham: No the previous Mayor, Brian Sambell, tried to talk me into once but he didn’t get very far with that I’m afraid. I did contemplate it for a little short while but, no, I’ve never sat on Council. I won’t say I’m sorry I didn’t. Maureen: Have you any stories that you could tell us of your time in Gawler that stick in your mind? Graham: I could tell you a lot about Brian Sambell. Maureen: (Lots of laughter) we have to be careful. Graham: I went to England with him eighteen months ago and we had a really good trip. Isn’t that nice Brian. I said something nice about him. Maureen: Can you think of any historical things you have been part of as far as Gawler goes? Graham: Many of the historical things have been when I’ve got involved with and had to learn about to be able to do the tours of the town. I’ve also done several historical features during what they call the History Month of May where I’ve either done bus tours, historical bus tours, or some walking tours and so forth. Last year for example we did five cemeteries and that included the two little German Cemeteries out on the Two Wells road … Loos and Buchfelde … and to do those I had to research all the people that were buried out there. And their story … those particular people were known as either the 48ers or the 49ers. 48 was the year they got involved in a revolution back home in Germany.. Maureen: This was 1948? Graham: No, 1848. They got into trouble with the authorities there .. and they were going to be in all sorts of trouble .. and a fellow by the name of Leopald Buch helped them to escape … and quite a number of them .. and they got on a ship and came to Australia. Hence the name of Buchfelde. So it was named after him … Mr Busch’s field. Loos is only about a kilometre away from it … and that was another group that came a little later. And in each case one of the first to arrive became, at that stage, the Lutheran Pastor for that area … and so Otto Schomburgk at Buchsfelde … and later on was Mr Roediger. I’ve forgotten his Christian name but it doesn’t matter. He was the Pastor at Loos. So those sorts of things tend to make a reasonably good story when you have got a group of people who want to know about a place. The other cemeteries we did here were the Anglican cemetery, the Willaston cemetery, and also a visit to Pioneer Park which was the first cemetery in Gawler. Mainly that is how I got involved with the History of Gawler .. from having to swat up on things when I did tours. We’ve done tours on big John McKinlay. And again that was another one of interest as much as for me as the people I’m taking around. Maureen: So you could tell me a bit about Oakden House? 07 Mar 2017_GOHP-Graham Tucker/MMK Page 3 Graham: A little Maureen: Oakden estate which we live in front of it Graham: Oaklands Maureen: Oh, Its called Oaklands is it up on Dawes Road? Graham: That’s right up on Dawes Road Maureen: Well we are on McKinlay and we’ve got a photograph of John McKinlay in front of the house Graham: With some other people and the wooden tree stump there which is shaped like a dog? Yes that place was built somewhere around about 1869 for, not for John McKinlay, but for James Pile. McKinlay and Pile had become acquainted across the border in New South Wales. Pile was looking for some land over there and McKinlay was able to find the land that he wanted. And I guess about that stage probably old James had his daughter with him and they must have nodded each other and eventually …. after McKinlay had been involved with the Burke and Wills relief party….. he came back here to Gawler and married Jane and he then lived in Oaklands. In later years Oaklands changed hands and there were two brothers in there that, apparently, the story goes they didn’t get on with each other and they actually divided the house down the centre.
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