The 1889 Ford and Son Shepparton Flour Mills, corner of Welsford and Fryers St.
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William Frederick Ford Senior was a miller at heart and in 1867 he purchased the Eltham Flour Mill. He had the business for 16 years.
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However, with the extension of new wheat country in northern Victoria and the decline in wheat growing in the Eltham district, it was clear that flour milling there was at an end. He decided to follow the wheat farmers, so he closed the mill, sold his properties and turned towards the Goulburn Valley, then known as the ‘Granary of Victoria’.
Wheat growing was flourishing in the Goulburn Valley and each township provided opportunity for the man with vision and capacity to set up a flour mill.
W. F. Ford Snr with his son, also William Frederick Ford, who was 19 years of age, leased the Mooroopna Flour Mill and worked it successfully for three years, when in 1884 they were able to buy Swallow & Sons’ Roller Flour Mill at Shepparton.
They had purchased only the mill section at the corner of Fryers St and Welsford St — the block that had been No. 1 on the first land sale in Shepparton.
And when telephones came to Shepparton, the mill phone was No. 1. W. F. Ford’s many years of experience as a miller and an engineer were soon reflected in the progress of the industry.
Trade extended, equipment was updated and products were in great demand. In worldwide competition, Ford & Son was awarded the gold medal for flour at the Greater Britain Exhibition in 1899.
From time to time, reports of country towns and leading people were published, and the Weekly Times produced a special supplement on June 12, 1897, under the heading, “Shepparton Flour Mill”.
“In the thriving town of Shepparton the flour mills owned by Messrs Ford & Son are well-known. The premises are large and commodious, being especially built for a large and expanding business.
“They form one of the landmarks of the town, facing the Goulburn, being directly opposite the river bridge, which connects Mooroopna and Shepparton. Mr W. F. Ford Snr, J.P. who carries on the business with his son, is one of the early pioneers of the colony.”
In 1903, the Dookie and Katamatite Recorder stated that “Ford & Son of Shepparton were re-opening the Dookie Roller Flour Mill.”
An excerpt from “Prosperous and Progressive Shepparton, July 1910” is quoted:
“Today Messrs Ford & Son successfully control two of the finest equipped mills in Victoria — at Shepparton and Dookie.
“The active management of the mills is in Mr Ford Jnr’s hands, although his father still takes a keen interest in the business.
“The two mills are handsome two-storied structures. The most modern machinery has been installed, and is working by steam power.”
The mills of Ford & Son served the Shepparton and Dookie districts with the help of several employees who spent most of their working years with the firm.
The Shepparton mill was managed by W. F. Ford Jnr, with Mr Charles Don as head miller. Living directly across Welsford St, he was so loyal to the mill that it was said that Charles Don could be a miller, engineer or lorry-man for he could turn his hand to any mill job that arose.
His good friend Ted Treseder was another of the reliable workers who stayed at the mill for several years after it changed hands.
Ford and Son’s Flour Mills postcard. Source: Shepparton Heritage Centre.
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Various situations brought about the change of ownership.
Mr W. F. Ford Snr died in May 1912.
The new irrigation settlements were opening up, and W. F. Ford Jr. had purchased a large acreage at Grahamvale where he was establishing dairying until the orchard would come into production.
So the mill of Ford & Son was sold in November 1912 to Mr J. Bryant who operated it for just a few years before it was bought by Mr W. MacDermott, a Shepparton grocer and General Hardware Store-keeper who employed a manager and staff at the mill for more than 20 years.
Mr Alfred Stamp, who had come from England, hoped, as manager, to re-enliven the activities of the mill, but without success.
Ultimately, the building was demolished in 1938. (Excerpts from Flour Mills and Millers of the Goulburn Valley (1858-1980) by Myrtle L. Ford, descendant of W. F. Ford.)
Geoff Allemand is an amateur photographer and Lost Shepparton Facebook page admin. Please share your Pics from the Past at pastpics@mmg.com.au
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