YVON Smythe has fond memories of jumping in the car with her late partner, Neil O’Callaghan, and heading off to a clearing sale in the hope of snagging a bargain.
“No matter what the weather was like, the routine of clearing-sale days was the same,” Ms Smythe said.
“We would get up early to check on stock, and then head off.”
Equipped with a bag of goodies, notebook, pen, chalk, tools, ropes, blocks of wood, spare tyres and “all the other stuff we rarely ever looked at, let alone had to use, piled in the back”, the couple visited clearing sales throughout Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
The sales provided an outing and a shared experience while Mr O’Callaghan was undergoing cancer treatment following his diagnosis in 2002.
“Times were busy with farming and running back and forth to Adelaide for treatment,” Ms Smythe said.
At the time, things on the farm were also tough – they were faced with ongoing drought – and while they had considered giving up on the land altogether, they stuck with it.
In 2006, Mr O’Callaghan began cleaning up his barn at their Ouyen property, discovering a hobby and a new appreciation of the various items he stumbled across, particularly those relating to shearing.
It didn’t take long for the collection to multiply, with Mr O’Callaghan bidding on various items he came across at each clearing sale.
“I’m not exactly sure what his hobby was, whether it was shearing or farming implements, as we seemed to be collecting bits of everything,” Ms Smythe said.
“At times, we both wondered why we couldn’t have gone for teaspoons or keyrings as the wool presses and shearing plants were so big and heavy.”
While the Millennium Drought continued to worsen, Mr O’Callaghan’s collection grew until he lost his battle with cancer in 2009.
“I think the last few years were some of his best as he was doing what he loved, seeing different parts of the country and talking to anyone and everyone,” Ms Smythe said.
Following his death, Mr O’Callaghan’s collection remained in storage for many years, collecting dust but protected by tarps.
After selling their Ouyen property, Ms Smythe decided she wanted to honour Mr O’Callaghan and ensure his legacy.
This decision marked the beginning of what has grown to become Mallee Country Pickings, a unique museum dedicated to the region’s rich farming history.
With the help of her brother, Len Gibson, Ms Smythe transported the collection to her family farm at Manangatang in 2016.
An area of land was cleared and a shed was built at the property to house the beloved treasures.
“We had a huge job ahead to sort and take stock of what was really there,” Ms Smythe said.
“The things I had forgotten about brought back many great memories.”
Long days and late nights followed as Ms Smythe and Mr Gibson began to fill the shed.
Adding a second shed and a shipping container to the site, Ms Smythe officially opened Mallee Country Pickings in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The museum features more than 30 wool presses, shearing plants, tools, farming implements, branding irons and a vast collection of other household items from yesteryear.
There are bank ledgers from the Chinkapook Commercial Bank of Australia, dating back to 1917, harvest photos from the early 1920s, sewing machines, washing machines, and almost everything in between.
Ms Smythe says she is proud of what she has been able to achieve and would have Neil’s tick of approval.
“He would have loved it,” she said.
“We need to preserve the history and keep it in safe keeping for generations to come.”
Ms Smythe is keen to again share the unique collection with the public.
Mallee Country Pickings, on the Mallee Highway 12km east of Manangatang, will open its doors to the public again this Sunday and Monday (the first of the month) between 9am and 3pm.
