The clearing sale of Summervale Station
Dud Mills (holding bedpost); Ron ___ in blue at the other side of the bedhead.
Source: The Book of Australia, published in 1973 by Douglas Baglin and Barbara Mullins.
The photo (above) was taken from the perspective of the Summervale Shearing Shed. A lot of the buildings, fences and trees seen here were lost in the fire in the late 1970s.
Prior to being named 'Summervale' the property was known as the old Slapdash Station. A part of the old homestead was used as the Manager's office in the 1950s.
There were several houses around the main manager's house at Summervale as they had quarters for an overseer, one for the gardener and cook (usually husband and wife), plus another building for sleeping for the jackaroos, as well as other outbuildings. The main house was fronted by a very wide gauzed verandah, a lawn and then the tennis court facing Slapdash Creek. The shearing shed and shearers' quarters were on the other side of the creek closer to the Barney's Reef road.
Source: Barbara Gurney
V J Dowling owned Summervale in 1900. His executors sold it to a John Glasson of Blayney in 1908. It was then 22,158 acres of freehold.
In May 1928 the Mudgee Guardian published a Preliminary Notice of Subdivison into 13 mixed farming blocks on the direction of the executors of the late Mr Glasson.
Nagundie was part of the larger Summervale station. It was also owned by Mr Glasson. Leo Selwyn moved to Gulgong in the late 1960s and raised a family at Nagundie, through the 70s and early 80s. The property became well known due to Leo’s dedication and love of the Aboriginal culture surrounding the property. Nagundie has an Aboriginal cultural heritage site registered on Heritage NSW, Aboriginal Heritage Information System (AHIMS) (the database for protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage under the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act).
In 1950, Bob Ellis was the manager of Summervale. At the time it was owned by AML&F (Australian Mercantile Land & Finance Co) founded in England in 1863 as Australian Mortgage Land & Finance Co. The name changed in 1910.
Doug and Bill Ellis trading, as Ellis Bros, had Summervale from the early 1960s. The Ellis brothers later sold to Richard Bowman.
Buildings at Summervale, about 1965
Source: Helen Ellis
Aerial photo of Summervale, about 1965
Source: Helen Ellis
