In 1910,
Scheyville, the Government Agricultural Training Farm was set up on the
outskirts of Windsor on part of the Pitt Town Common which had been a Government Labour Settlement during the 1890s. The farm (2,500 acres)
was established by Francis William Schey (1857-1913), politician, union leader
and public servant. It was originally a Government Labour Settlement during the
1890s depression, to provide basic upkeep in return for labour before closing
in the 1900s.
During the 1900s
the Australian Government established a subscription to raise money to purchase
a Dreadnought battleship for Britain. When Australia set up the Navy the
money was not required and instead was used to sponsor British boys to come to
Australia and learn basic agricultural skills and was known as the Dreadnought Scheme.
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| Horsedrawn plough at Scheyville Training Farm circa 1926 Courtesy State Records |
Various crops and vegetables were grown at Scheyville and students also
learnt shearing, dairying, sawmilling, blacksmithing, saddlery and
wheelwrighting and then to find employment on rural properties. Unfortunately
the work was hard and the boys were often unsuited to rural life. Many of the
boys were young, homesick whilst some were taken advantage of. When the scheme folded in the 1930s, over
5,500 boys had migrated to the farm.
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| Group photograph of immigrant boys and farm workers at Scheyville Training Farms Courtesy State Records |
During World War
2, Scheyville was used for training and then afterwards was occupied by
migrants, mainly from Europe, who arrived in Australia in large numbers after
the war. The migrant hostel provided lodgings until they could become
established with employment and housing. On the whole, migrants had good
memories of their time at Scheyville. The Migrant Hostel closed in 1964. You can read about the memories of migrants and their experiences at Scheyville on the Migration Heritage website Field of Memories.
The locality
where the hostel was located, now bears the name Scheyville. Several buildings
still remain and the farm now forms part of the Scheyville National Park.
