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The following is copied directly from the "Merrett Family History" book by Lionel Merrett. ©
I have for a long time thought that the family history of William and Mary Ann Merrett should be written and put into a book form as a mark of respect, pride and love, before it is all lost and forgotten. Dear descendants, I feel that someone with a better education and understanding of the work involved would have been more suitably equipped to compile a history of the Merrett family. Nevertheless, I have done my best, and any mistakes or omissions have not been intentional. I do thank most heartily the willingness of members of families for supplying information and photographs; it is very much appreciated. It now remains for any members who wish to continue their side of the family tree, if they have the records to do so, to perhaps write up the life of their ancestors more fully.
I feel, dear descendants, at this point of time we should ponder on some of the hardships which faced the early pioneers. Imagine travelling by horse and dray, with a family of eight children, over virgin ground littered with stones and stumps, with only the bare needs for the family and fodder for horse and cow, and facing all kinds of weather - living in a tent at night, and sleeping on the ground! On arriving at their destination, with no furniture whatsoever, these grand people had to start a completely new life. They carved their needs out of the timber around them. Beds were made of two rails with wire netting stretched across them; then for mattressess two bags were sown together and filled with straw or cocky chaff when available (they would have to grow a crop first). All kitchen utensils were made of steel and required a great deal of polishing to keep them clean and presentable. The wash tub had many uses; for baking bread (which was done perhaps twice a week with a large family), for bathing the family, and for the weekly washing. The table and three legged stools were hewn from local timber, and the cupboards and wardrobes were made from kerosine cases. For extra blankets bags were sown together - these were very warm - and cooking was done on an open fire outside, Water would have been been a grave problem both for stock and family until dams were made and galvanised iron took the place of thatched roofs. There wasn't any choice as far as food went - no vegetables or eggs and very little meat for the start, until the family became settled and started growing their own vegetables. Most pioneers planted some fruit trees when they became available. Two of the regular diets of the early settlers were pie-melon for jam, and lard which took the place of butter on many a table for a long time. The first homes were built of wattle and daub, and mud bricks, with dirt floors and no ceilings. When it became unbearable, and too hard to sit around the table because of the dirt being worn away, the pioneers would work up the surface with a pick and make it into a pug mixed with skimmed milk, trowelled off and left to dry. Schooling was a problem. The children could not start until they were capable of finding their way across timbered country - some having to walk many miles - then leaving after a year or two. The needs at home on the farm had first call on these young people. Many of the early settlers had for their home a straw shed, with a chimney in one end for an open fire place. The sraw next to the chimney on the roof was protected with a few sheets of tin. |