Gnowangerup History

George Henry Hams was born in Yongala, South Australia.
He took up land in Western Australia and returned to South Australia to bring back his wife. He got married on the 4th May 1904 and came to Western Australia the same year..
Their house was built of wattle and daub until 1912 when a mud brick house was built, and this is still standing today. (Tom Hams was born in this house).

George Hams developed the property known as "Glenco" and farmed it until his death in 1941.
Tom took over, married in 1943 and carried it on until in his turn he handed it over to his son, Malcolm in 1972.
Malcolm ran the property for six years when during a boom his sold "Glencoe" to "Glenroy" then farmed by Neil Garnett.
Malcolm moved with his wife, Christine and their children to Ongerup in 1978. Tom retained 19 acres of the original property on which he built a house to retire to.
Lily Jane Wood, youngest daughter in a family of eight boys and two girls, married George Henry Hams in Gumbowie, South Australia in 1904.
Soon afterwards they left by train from Tambellup, Western Australia, then on to Toolbrunup to spend a few days with Mr. & Mrs. Hams Senior.
The bridegroom had prepared a house of wattle and daud structure which consisted of two rooms; a bedroom and a kitchen/living room.
As no brush was available to whitewash the walls one was made from a bran bag.
The bride and groom were very proud of their little house. When the first rains came however, the beautifully whitewashed house took on a green tinge, which developed into a lush crop of wheat.
The prospective bridegroom, in his haste to have everything ready for his bride had run short of the customary cocky-chaff and had used good wheaten hay to pack the walls. This necessitated the laborious job of cutting the crop from the walls. Needless to say, pulling it out would have literally "brought the house down."

In a very short time "Glencoe" as the property was named, began to flourish as a farm.
Mrs. Arthur Aylmore was the only other woman in Gnowangerup when Mrs. Hams first arrived. 
Other families soon began to arrive in Gnowangerup and word as to Mrs. Hams' skill as a needlewoman soon got around.
She became the district dressmaker. 
Mrs. Aylmore had some beautiful bolts of cloth sent to her regularly from Albany and, as there were several children in the Aylmore family, Mrs. Hams was kept busy making things for them.
Mrs. Hams' first confinement took place in Albany as there was no midwife in Gnowangerup at the time. 
A little later a Mrs. Bell came to the district and acted as midwife with babies then being born at home. Mrs. Bell was a thorough housewife-nurse and would insist on working into the night polishing up the stove and white-washing the water marks off the walls and preparing for visitors who always arrived to see the new baby.
Every four or five months, a long journey to Broomehill became necessary to replenish supplies. 
Earlier the journey was made by horse and cart, later by horse and buggy. Mr. Hams made a special cart with floats to make crossing the creeks a bit easier. 
 

The trip to Broomehill usually began around 2 a.m. with the children being bedded down on mattresses.
On arrival at Broomehill the family would take the train to Katanning, arriving back at Broomehill in the evening to begin the long journey home again.
Mr. & Mrs. Hams reared a family of five boys and three girls. In the latter half of their married life Mr. Hams suffered from bad health and much of the responsibility for the farm fell on Mrs. Hams' shoulders.Mrs. Hams was noted for her hard work on the farm and in the home.
Visitors were always welcomed and a well-laden table was evidence of Mrs.Hams' skill as a cook.
Fortunately, the children suffered no serious sickness and the farm continued to grow and prosper.