Comadyne

Values

The place is rare as a Federation Queen Anne homestead in Western Australia.

The place is associated with Italian Prisoner of war placements as three prisoners were sent to Comandyne to carry out works and maintenance on the buildings.

The place is rare as it is believed to be the oldest established farm in Wickepin.

The place demonstrates the early use of concrete in rural Western Australia for residential construction.

The place is associated with Interred Italians during World War II as three Italians were sent to work on the farm.

Physical Description

‘The farm consists of several buildings and structures which constitute a historically significant farm: the barn (1895), the homestead (1912), various wells, a concrete silo and a 1920s cottage and shearers quarters.’

‘The Homestead is constructed of local stone quarried on site. The concrete verandahs which were constructed a year after the main house, at the same time as the back part of the house, were made from cement specially imported from England. The verandahs cost as much as the house. The verandah surrounds the house except for the front room, which aligns with the verandah, and features a gable roof. The verandah roof is separate from the main roof, which is a hipped roof with gable features. The verandah has turned posts with curved spanning beams. Part of the north west verandah was enclosed in 1962, and a store room and bathroom were added.’

‘Most of the original glass light shades are in the house, the ornate ceiling roses, panel doors with finger plates and door knobs still have their original keys. Every room has a fireplace.’

‘The barn is constructed of stone. It was originally the horse stables, then a hay store area, until the east side was rebuilt and it served as a shearing shed until the 1950s when a new shearing shed was built. The barn is now the farm workshop.’

‘Teddy Bugg’s cottage is a one roomed cottage with pressed tin walls and ceilings. A fireplace and a central door with a paned window each side, and a back door.’

‘The shearers quarters was originally a two room shepard’s hut which was dismantled and re-erected with the addition of two rooms and a bathroom.’

History

‘Australian born in 1863, Frederick William Rose grew up in Queensland and Victoria’s Goulbourn Valley, and married in 1888. After the Victoria Bank crash in the 1890s Fred and his wife Robine decided to move west. In 1892, the Kalgoorlie gold rush began. Narrogin became a local authority, and land surveyed by Lefroy in the east, was opened for selection. Rose selected land and traveled east to collect his family. Potts and Fairheads settled in the vicinity very soon after the Roses. The three families worked together for the benefit of all. In 1893, an application by Rose, to purchase more land to complete his 1000-acre block was approved. Under the 1893 Homestead Act, a permanent dwelling had to be erected within seven years. The barn was the first permanent building on the property. The farmhouse water supply is drawn from a freshwater spring below the rock in the northeast paddock from the house.’

‘In 1970, the original timber lining to Comandyne was removed and replaced with concrete. Several stoned wells are in evidence along the creek. Rose served on the Narrogin Roads Board, including seven years as Chairman, and the same for the Cuballing Roads Board. He was one of the founders of the Narrogin Agricultural Society, a founder of the Race Club. Mrs Rose tended the farm when her husband was often away. She planted crops of lupin and canola and nurtured native trees, the sugar gums are still in evidence. After World War One. The War Service Land Settlement acquired several paddocks, while the Roses purchased other land. In 1916 and 1921 the weddings of the Roses two daughters took place at the homestead. It is currently a property of 4000 acres. The shepards hut was used as the shearers sleeping quarters and during the Second World War, three Italian Prisoners who were assigned to work on the farm lived in the hut. Domenic Cecchetti was assigned to a few different farms in the district for the entire duration of the war. He had originally been in the building trade, he did the stonework for the bridge across the creek in front of the house. Alkfredo Campoli also worked on the farm for a few years. In 1992, a re-union of the Rose family was held at the homestead to celebrate 100 years since the land was selected.’

Integrity/Authenticity

Unknown

Condition

Unknown

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.