In conversation
- Recorded
- 2012
- Length
- 44:15
“The dole came in. I could not gather one picker.”
About this conversation
Orchardist, Gordon Frazier, remembers the year he watched his cherry crop rot on the ground.
Gordon Frazier talks about his memories of his property, 'Rock Abbey', how his father and uncle had previously bought land in the Uralla area, and about the various crops they grew. He talks of the close relationship his father and his uncle had and how he, Gordon, along with brothers and cousin, went off to agricultural college. Upon returning to the region, Gordon and his cousin, Ken, helped clear more land and establish an apple orchard with stone fruit and cherries. Gordon speaks of the success of this business, about getting fruit to market, and the importance of the seasonal workforce that he called upon during harvest time. He attributes the demise of the local cherry industry to the introduction of the dole, whereupon seasonal workers were concerned about losing their payments. 'Rock Abbey' is still in the hands of his family today but is a grazing property. A few of the original fruit trees remain.