Kimberley Maurice Chance
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PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Transcript of an interview with Kimberley Maurice Chance b 1946 - STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA - ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION DATE OF INTERVIEW: 2010 -2011 INTERVIEWER: John Ferrell TRANSCRIBER: HANSARDS DURATION: 10 hours REFERENCE NUMBER: OH3995 COPYRIGHT: WA Parliament and State Library of Western Australia NOTE TO READER Readers of this oral history memoir should bear in mind that it is a verbatim transcript of the spoken word and reflects the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Parliament and the State Library are not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein; these are for the reader to judge. Bold type face indicates a difference between transcript and recording, as a result of corrections made to the transcript only, usually at the request of the person interviewed. FULL CAPITALS in the text indicate a word or words emphasised by the person interviewed. Square brackets [ ] are used for insertions not in the original tape. CONTENTS LIST Interview One Page No [Track 1] Earliest memory floods of 1953. Tall crops a foot taller than his sister and 1, 15 him. Farm north of Doodlakine. Original farm 2,000 acres. Later expanded to 11,000 acres. Machinery scarce after 2 Second World War. Spoke of tractor varieties. Difference between a header and a harvester. 3 In the late 50s father designed the first bulk wheat bin for trucks. Made by Electweld 4 Steel. Farm had wheat, sheep and cattle. 5 Sibling one sister. Childhood comfortable. Lived in large house built by his 6 grandfather in 1926. Italian migrant camp nearby. Maternal grandfather a gold miner from NSW. Spoke of land fertility and rainfall. Grandfather with the help of 1,200 people cleared 17,000 acres in ten years using 7 only axes. Reminisces about grandfather s family farming in Snowy Mountains and of him being in police force. Grandfather’s brother, Jack Prowse, was federal MP who suggested Doodlakine as capital instead of Canberra. [Track 2] Mentions probate laws that cost family £300,000 on grandparent’s estates. 8 It caused estate to be broken up and parts sold off. Streets in Perth named after Jack Prowse. Edgar Prowse another MP Spoke of reasons why he joined the ALP. Compares wheat growers to station 9 pastoralists. Spoke about Geoffrey Bolton’s book A Fine Country to Starve In. [Track 3] Spoke 10 about his paternal grandparents British background. Explains about family’s immigration to WA and his parent’s early beginnings on the 11, 12 farm. Spoke about father buying a new American car each year. [Track 4] Kellerberrin then 13 the main centre. Report by Julian Grill shows population decline of 33% in the 1970s. Mollerin, Cleary and Wialki were towns that have since disappeared. Previously 14 Kellerberrin was on eastern railway so supplies were easy to get. Mentions the size and significance of Tammin, Merredin and Northam. Explains 15 about flood mentioned on page one. Talks about the type of crops grown on his father’s farm. 16 Tells of avoiding snake bites at harvest time. Spoke about his father and the 17 relationship they had. Talks of father’s links with Dubai meat trading in 1970s and the characteristics that 18, 192 he inherited from him. Talks more about his own independent thinking and what personality he inherited 19 from his mother. [Track 5] Discusses importance of religion to him and his family. 20 Talks about the faith he now has. [Track 6] Politics was always discussed at home 21 and even with his football mates. Four of which were MPs or candidates. Names mentioned were Peter Walsh, Jim Scott, Mick Fitzpatrick and himself. Spoke about music [Track 7] and other pastimes while on the farm. 22 Spoke about family holidays while still living at home. 23, 24 Interview Two [Track 8] Spoke about electricity supply in house where he grew up; the SEC 25, 26 Contributory Extension Scheme and mains power. Talks about water supply from the Goldfields; the basic structure of the house and 27 CONTENTS LIST the importance of books. Talks about the garden surrounding house. 28 Talks about his relationship with his sister. 29 Talks about other people in his life while he lived at home and again about his sister 30, 31 and early school days. The school bus and [Track 9] the Doodlakine Primary School. 32 First day at school and teachers Miss Whitfield and Miss Mcbeth 33 Talks the teacher’s accommodation and the fact that he bought the house and lived 34 in it. First headmaster was Colin Lee, father of Malcolm Lee. QC. 35 Further teachers Mr Murray and Boyd Anderson [Track 10] 36 Anderson best teacher. Students had to catch up on four years of missed learning. 37 Most vivid memories of school were sports days. Reminiscences of inter-school sports, creaming soda and vomiting. No swimming 38 pools. Many Italian migrant children at school. Evening English classes at school for migrant parents. Spoke about disparity 39 between migrants’ professions not being recognized in Australia so forced to work as manual labourers. Migrants lived in railway camps. Many ex POWs from WWII stayed in Australia. Gaetano was one who worked on 40 Chance’s family farm. He lived onsite not in camp. Recollection of a school prize of a large apple. Spoke of unavailability of high school scholarships. [Track 11]Described what town 41 looked like. Continued to describe business, churches but no motor garage or doctor. 42 Kellerberrin nearest doctor and hospital. Need to support local traders. Could smell 43 baker’s bread from school. Father involved in Local Government. 44 Mother involved in community activities including church, P&C and to lesser extent 45 CWA. [Track 13]. Spoke of royal visits 1953 and 1961 and of polio and diphtheria epidemics. World events; Sputnik and Suez crisis. Nassar. 46, 116 Insights into LBJ and JFK 47, 116 Interest in motor sports. Visit ti parliament in Canberra and heard Menzies speak. 48 Gave personal views on ALP. 49 Interview Three [Track 14] Wesley College as a boarder. Described buildings. Sister went to MLC. 50 Discussed facilities; getting used to being away from home; teaching staff and 51-55 success in Leaving Certificate. Further discussed difference in quality of teachers. 56, 58 Statistics, economics and mathematics. 57 [Track 15]Friends from Wesley College and passion for rowing and rugby 58-61 Aussie Rules and relationships between boarders and day boys.[Track 16] 62, 63 Building changes at Wesley College and religion 64, 65 Athletics at Wesley College 66 School Cadets at Wesley College including the shooting team [Track 17] 67-72 Terrible school food; Junior certificate and library committee 73, 74 CONTENTS LIST Interview Four [Track 18] Social interactions between Wesley College and Methodist Ladies College (MLC) 75, 76 and boarder’s weekends Not one of the “old boys” but associated with Mildred Manning Foundation through 77 scholarships After Year 12 and getting driver’s licence. 78, 79 Became a sharefarmer with father and then in partnership by 1965. 80 Wool classing, Fremantle Tech and the Australian Wool Testing Authority 81, 82 Working with sheep 83 Wheat quotas; oats and barley; AWB and payment process. [Track 19] 84-87 Grain quality, climate, soil quality and machinery 88-90 Salinity 91,92 Properties at Carrabin, Bodallin and Burracoppin 92 Family versus Corporate run businesses [Track 20] and dependence on farm 93,94 advisers Computers and GPS as they relate to farming. [Track 21]Selling the farm 95, 96 Interview Five [Track 22] [Track 23] Life back on the farm after school and before marriage. Football 97-99 Merredin and WA Sporting Car Club and racing 100-104 Marriage to Suzanne (Sue) and living in South Doodlakine. 105, 126 Population decline in the wheatbelt 106 1978/79 moved to headmaster’s old house in Doodlakine . Moved to Merredin as 107 family grew. [Track 24]. Daughter Ceridwen and son Tom. Drought in 1969 led to move to Dampier to work as builder’s labourer in Karratha. 108, 109 Roofer and crane driver, Workforce mainly Europeans and a few Kiwis 110 Dampier and cyclones. Roebourne and Whim Creek then back to the farm. 111, 112 Going to work for Mike Moylan and thought on computerisation of cars. 113 Joined Transport Worker’s Union 114 Truck driving throughout WA and move into politics. [Track 25] 115, 116 Member of ALP since 1971 117, 126 Preselection process and problems in eastern states 118 Member of state executive 1981. Spoke of Peter Walsh. Spoke of Rural Labor 119-122 Association and what it achieved. Interview Six [Track 26] [Track 27] More talk about football. Parents left farm in 1968 and he continued to manage it 123, 124 with his sister. Spoke of father’s involvement with Australian Wool Board and the International Wool Secretariat. Age of parents when they died. Rural Traders Cooperative (RTC) 125 Married in 1974. Relationships with the Middle East. [Track 28] 126 Being an ALP party member, Kevin Rudd [Track 29] and “Super Tonk” [Track 29] 127-129 Farmers Union and WA Farmers Federation. Political future. [Track 30] 130-133 Growth of political future. 1983 was first contest. 133-134 1984 took seat of O’Connor 135 Brian Burke. WA Development Commission. Exim 136-138 CONTENTS LIST Whitlam era, John Cowdell, Geoff Gallop, Keating and Malcolm Fraser 138-140 Hawke, Peacock, [Track 31] the Accord and how he got into parliament in 1992 141, 142 Interview Seven [Track 32] [Track 33] Parliamentary solidarity, signing pledge and left-wing faction of 143 ALP Emergence of right-wing and centre-left factions.