West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Thursday 24 January 1935, page 9


WHEATBELT PIONEER.

Proposed Memorial to Mrs. J. Adams.

Referring on Tuesday to the death in November last of the late Mrs. Jane Adams, of Mangowine, in the Nungarin district the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir

James Mitchell) said he was pleased to learn that residents had decided to erect a memorial to Mrs. Adams at Nungarin and he proceeded to recall his own early acquaintance with the Adams family. Mrs. Adams, who with her husband, the late Mr. C. Adams, had settled first at Yarragin in 1863 and at Mangowine some eight years later, had, he said, been a grand old type of pioneer. They had for many years been the farthest east settlers in what was then the outback country of Western - Australia, and the late Lord Forrest had camped at Mangowine when exploring and searching for Leichhardt. He (Sir James) first met Mrs. Adams in 1892, when he rode from Northam in company with Mr. Leeder, who drove a spring cart carrying horse feed and supplies, and the journey of about 120 miles by a rough sandalwood-getters' track occupied several days. He made the return journey on horseback alone in less than 1½ days. Valuable Water Supplies. That trip enabled him to get a good idea of the possibilities of the country, which then, of course, was quite under developed beyond Goomalling. The railhead was at Northam. At Dandanning he found a small plot of wheat, standing as high as the fence. The Adamses and other very early settlers had developed good water supplies at Mangowine, Dandanning, Talgomine, Goomerin, Noongerin rin (now Nungarin) and Barbalin, the latter probably the best natural source of supply in the whole of the wheatbelt today. The water supplies, consisting generally of stoned or timbered wells, were equipped with whips for raising the water, and were adjacent to huge granite outcrops which are well-known landmarks in that country. It was pioneering work of that kind, together with rainfall records kept over a long period of years, which made possible the subsequent closer settlement policy for wheat growing. During the dry years of 1911-14 settlers in that area depended almost entirely for their water supplies upon the wells and waterholes developed by the Adamses and others in the early days. At the time of his trip in 1892 there was very little bird life to be seen except in the vicinity of the water supplies, and he did not remember seeing any parrots at all. Now the little ring-necks of twenty eights were a serious pest. In those days kangaroos were numerous, but there could not have been many dingoes, because the Adamses had flocks of sheep running free in the virgin bush, and they were always in good condition. Horses were literally running wild, many of them of very good blood. The young Adamses were very fine horsemen. In the earliest years of their pioneering the Adamses carted their produce, which was mostly sandalwood, to Guildford where they obtained supplies of stores about twice a year. When the gold discoveries were made, hundreds of travellers and all sorts of vehicles passed the Mangowine homestead, which for a time was an hotel. Many of these travellers

were succoured by the Adamses, but for whom they would have perished of thirst. "The late Mrs. Adams," Sir James concluded "led a hard pioneering life and I am pleased to have the opportunity of lending my Influence and support to a movement which aims at placing on permanent record our appreciation of such a brave and hardy pioneer."