To me, 'Homestead' conjures up the few memories I have of the sheep station called 'Para' on which I was born. My father worked there as a stockman for approximately 20 years, and my mother became station cook after their marriage.
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| Para Homestead |
My sister and I were both born during our parents last years at the station. Just before we reached school age, our family moved to the small town of Moama, where we lived for the rest of my childhood.
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| Woolshed, clean and ready for shearing |
I have only a few clear memories of our time at the station. I remember the homestead beside the Darling River, the creaking verandahs and gum trees all around. Trailing my father into the old woolshed, the smell of sheep and wool overpowering.
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| 1971 flood, from the back doors of the homestead |
My family was resident at the station during the 1971 flood, an event my mother has described to me, during which the road from the homestead to the highway was cut by floodwater for several weeks, isolating us all.
Both my parents were fond of telling stories about their time on the station, which both looked back on with fondness and nostalgia.
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