| Historical notes: | STATEMENT OF COUNTRY
MV Beardmore is associated with Yaegl Country and Biirinba/Clarence River, also known as the Big River. The Yaegl have close connections to the Bundjalung to the north and Gumbainggirr to the south (AIATSIS 1996). The Yaegl initially co-existed with the early settlers, but their numbers decreased markedly after land was taken for maize and later cane growing. The riverine landscape has associations with the Dirrangun dreaming, which formed the basis of the successful claim under the Native Title Act 1993 in 2015 and 2017 when the Yaegl gained rights over the land and waters of the Clarence estuary.
MV Beardmore and its association with Ulgundahi Island may have a strong and special continuing association with the Yaegl people and other Aboriginal people of the Clarence region. The island became a focal point for all the communities in the area, where people were born, married and died and are remembered by today's Aboriginal communities. MV Beardmore, Harwood Sugar Mill and Ulgundahi Island hold a special place as a symbol for Aboriginal peoples' sense of history in the area. It is a testament to their ability to not only survive injustices they suffered, but also to reclaim autonomy.
The Yaegl and Harwood communities continue to see the Beardmore as a symbol of their shared histories and community pride.
HISTORY
Pre-contact
The Clarence River, also called Booriyimba or Breimba, flows approximately 400 kilometres from its source to the heads near Yamba. The lower Clarence is Yaegl country. The Yaegl had close relationships with Bundjalung to the north of the river and Gumbaynggirr to the south and south west. The Yaegl utilised the river, ocean and rich alluvial country alongside the river for food, transport, health and cultural resources. Sites of significance to the Yaegl include at the mouth of the river, in coastal areas adjacent to Lake Wooloweyah, near the lookout at Maclean, at Ashby, at Tyndale and on Woodford Island. A site at Iluka and a midden near Lake Wooloweyah have been dated to 6,000 years. The Dirrangun woman is an important Yaegl creation story. Dirrangun's resting place is at the mouth of the Clarence River (Clarence Valley Council 2024).
Colonial settlement and displacement
Matthew Flinders was the first European to visit the Clarence estuary in 1799 with an Aboriginal interpreter named Boongaree. They sighted Aboriginal people living in houses built of natural materials at the mouth of the Clarence. The later discovery of cedar brought colonial settlers and the timber industry. This was followed by wool and gold, mostly relying on the waterway for transport. Increasing European settlement meant dispossession for the Yaegl and populations declined. Yaegl people came to live in camps around small settlements such as Maclean and Yamba. There is some evidence of massacres occurring in the upper Clarence and at Tyndale (McSwan and Switzer 2006).
As the 19th century progressed, communities along the river relied on boats to carry out business and for social contact. A variety of sailing ships, steam powered ferries, cargo boats, dairy boats, known as cream boats, and barges connected communities, until bridges took the place of ferries. The river has always been prone to flooding and boats were vital to rescue people, stock, produce and possessions during times of flood (Lee, 2003).
After the Aborigines Protection Board was established in 1883, a number of reserves were created. In 1904 a reserve was established on Ulgundahi Island (SHR 01721), just west of Harwood. Vegetables, crops and sugar cane growing were begun on a small scale. Families had their own plots of land to farm, which was reported to be successful. After a number of floods, in 1963 it was decided to relocate the residents to settlements at Hillcrest and Yamba (McSwan and Switzer 2006).
Sugar industry in northern NSW
Cane growing began on the lower Clarence in the 1860s. Although the sugar industry in Queensland relied heavily on South Sea Islander indentured workers, it was not as widespread in northern NSW.
The Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) is one of Australia's largest and longest running companies. It was founded in Sydney in 1855, when it began refining imported raw sugar at its refineries in Canterbury (SHR 00290) then Chippendale. The company moved to Pyrmont in 1875, attracted by available land and deep water access. It operated from Pyrmont until the 1980s. In July 1887 the company was incorporated in NSW as a public company and expanded its activities, operating mills and refineries in NSW, Queensland and Fiji, and acted as agents for the Queensland government. It also controlled the export marketing of all refined sugar from Australia (Dictionary of Sydney 2021).
By 1885 there were 102 sugar mills in NSW. By 1890 there were only 33 and by 1912, only three large CSR mills remained - Harwood, Condong and Broadwater. The Harwood Mill was originally the Darkwater Mill on the Macleay. It was relocated on the Clarence in 1874 (Moloney 2024)
Local labourers were unionised by the time tugboats were introduced and labour practices were influenced by the introduction of the Immigration Restriction Act, 1901 which encouraged only white immigration to Australia. The 1911 rule book for the Sugar Workers Union of New South Wales stated that the union was open to 'all white wage earners involved in the sugar industry... Asiatics, South Sea Islanders, Kaffirs, Chinese or other coloured aliens shall not be admitted to membership'. (Sugar Workers Union,1911).
From the 1950s European migrants, primarily Italian men, joined the workforce. These workers often lived in camps set up by CSR as the mill owners. The Beardmore assisted with delivering camping equipment, tents and bunks to the cane cutters camps. (McSwan and Switzer 2006). Aboriginal men also worked in cane-cutting, usually on a casual basis.
MV Beardmore and Harwood Sugar Mill
The Harwood Mill on the Clarence River was built in 1874 by CSR and is Australia's oldest continuously operating sugar mill. Cane was brought to the mill from properties along the river using heavily laden barges towed by the company tugs from 1874 until 1976 when the harvest was mechanised and trucking replaced the river barges and tugs. A number of steam vessels undertook the task in the early decades, followed by the introduction of tugs with diesel engines, including MV Beardmore, MV Ajax and MV Marama. The Beardmore was built at the Harwood Mill in 1914 by JG Pashley & Sons. it was the first CSR tug with a diesel engine (Lee,2003).
The name of MV Beardmore is taken from the maker of the engine. The Beardmore engine was started by a blow lamp and was often left running for days because of the difficulty of starting it again, should it stop. When left on for extended periods, it would make a roaring sound giving it the nickname 'The Roarer' (Australian Register of Historic Vessels, nd).
At harvest time, cane was cut by gangs or teams with sharp machete like knives, loaded onto wagons and drawn by horses to the loading points. After World War 2, tractors replaced horses. Loading points were either wharves or riverbanks with deep channels alongside. A derrick was used to lift bundles of cane up to 3.7 metres high onto the punts. Up to seven punts were attached to a tug for the trip to the unloading dock at Harwood Mill. Skipper Kevin Shortt recalls the challenges of navigating through narrow and shallow channels in windy conditions. Tugboat crews often worked up to twelve hour shifts at harvest time (Lee 2003).
In 1975 CSR decided to reduce its involvement in the cane industry and sold the mill to a group of local growers who became the New South Wales Sugar Milling Cooperative Ltd. In 1988, the cooperative signed an agreement with the Manildra Group and began trading under the brand Sunshine Sugar.
Nungera Cooperative and MV Beardmore
The Nungera Society Cooperative Ltd was formed in 1975 to address housing, health, education and economic outcomes for the Yaegl community. The 1970s was an important period in the development of community led Aboriginal organisations which strove to develop economic and social opportunities for Aboriginal communities (Perheentupa 2020).
The Beardmore was purchased from CSR in 1975 and used for general transport, freight and commerce. The cooperative resumed farming on Ulgundahi, purchased Corolama island and land for a housing development. Filter mud from the sugar mill was utilised as fertiliser for successful farming on Ulgundahi. Ownership of the tugboat contributed to economic sustainability, social connection, provision of food and recreation for the Yaegl community for the following decade. After the introduction of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act in 1983, the Yaegl Local Aboriginal Land Council was formed. The former reserve at Ulgundahi Island was transferred to the Land Council (McSwan and Switzer 2006).
During this period, the Yaegl community worked alongside other Harwood community members who had previously worked on the tugboats to maintain and update safety equipment on the Beardmore (Clague 1985).
Ongoing celebration of the MV Beardmore
In 1987 the vessel was given to the Maclean District Historical Society by the Nungera Cooperative. The Harwood Mill management agreed to put the vessel on public display as a reminder of the role played by river transport in the cane industry.
The 150th anniversary of the Harwood Mill was celebrated in 2024, with the associated Cane Harvest Festival attracting more than 5,000 people (ABC 2024). The Beardmore had been restored and was displayed with extensive interpretive material and local guides who had worked at the mill and on the river. The event gained extensive media coverage and social media engagement across the state. Sunshine Sugar noted that the Welcome to Country was conducted by Yaegl matriarch Aunty Lenore and that the MV Beardmore was central to the historical displays celebrating the anniversary (Sunshine Sugar, 2024). |