As the Richmond River district grew, with the Big Scrub disappearing and the land cleared for farming, attention was drawn to new industries being brought to the colony. Sugar growing was one of these. Cane is grown from small sections of the stalk with 2-3 buds (sets) in a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The frequent floods and severe frosts of the Richmond were a detriment but the flat terrain and good soil made it a tempting prospect.
Growing sugar cane was constrained to available river transport, as there was no efficient distribution available via road or rail, so the C.S.R. (Colonial Sugar Refining Company) concentrated its efforts along the Hastings, Clarence and Tweed rivers with the first steam refinery on the Hastings.
Although Clark Irving had sugar cane growing in his garden at Tomki station as early as 1852, it was not until the 1860s that it was approached with a more serious business in mind. Mary Garrad and her son Sebastian experimented with growing and refining cane with a homemade crusher of wooden rollers. The juice was boiled in an open boiler and drained through a sugar bag. They produced about 60 pounds before the equipment broke down. The continued to grow cane but gave the sets away as interest in producing sugar from cane increased.
Favourable reports were flowing from the Sugar Growers Association on the Clarence River with sets being provided to determine the best variety for the growing conditions. Sets were obtained by William Clement at North Creek in Ballina with John Sharpe on the neighbouring property erected a small mill. Rev Thom introduced more varieties to the farmers around Coraki with John McKinnon being an early enthusiast. The Lismore Mayor, James Stocks, called a meeting of prospective sugar cane planters at Casino in 1868 and a visit from Rev. Holland to demonstrate and teach the mechanics of growing and crushing provided the industry with a solid foundation.
This demonstration marked the turning point for many farmers who had considerable acreage under cultivation and were anxious to take advantage of advancements. They were encouraged to bring samples of their mature cane to William Yabsley’s shipbuilding yard in Coraki for crushing and refining. Rev Holland engaged William Yabsley to rig up a sort of machine for the expression of the juice …and later wrote in his report that he sat up a whole night, in carrying out an idea I gave him, with regard to the construction of a Model Centrifugal Machine.
The report also lists the quality of the juice from the collective of farmers:
Alexander McPherson, Tahiti, 2 years old, 8 B., 8 miles from the sea.
Mr. Child, London Bridge, 11 miles from the sea, Tahiti, 14 months old, 8B.
Donald Livingston, London Bridge, 12 miles from the sea, ribbon, 14 months old, 9½ B.
Mr. McKinnon, Coraki, North Arm, 14 miles from the sea, violet, 8 B., 14 months old.
Robert Munro, Codrington, 17 miles from the sea, 2 years old, 8 B., ribbon.
William Yabsley Jnr noted that
“Mr Holland’s visit has been greatly appreciated by the settlers, and every farmer on the Richmond can now turn his cane into sugar in a state fit to be put on the market.“
Many of the early farmers incorporated small horse-powered mills into the growing strategy to maximise profits. Between 1866 and 1879 approx. 30 small private mills appeared all along the river’s edge. Unfortunately, this model was very labour intensive, largely inefficient, and produced a low quality product. Modernising from horse-powered to steam-powered was expensive but the capacity to amalgamate and process the crops from surrounding farms made it worthwhile. This also necessitated the transporting of the raw cane to the mill and droughers towing cane punts became a familiar sight on the river.
During the late 70s and early 80s, larger mills began to emerge and prosper: Sharpe’s at North Creek; Meston’s at Woodburn; Martin’s at Emigrant Creek and McPherson’s at Swan Bay, but none survived the advent of the C.S.R.’s mill at Broadwater – brought online in 1881. They simply could not produce a product to compete with the raw sugar from the large central mill or pay the growers a competitive price for their sugar.
With fluctuating sugar prices, labour costs of cutting gangs, transport costs to market and environmental issues of frosts and floods, many farmers pivoted their livelihoods towards dairy farming.
The Broadwater Mill was hugely successful for the next century and beyond – witnessing the transition from river to road; hand-cutting to mechanical harvesting; labour intensive to automated. A prosperity shared by the wider district.
Mr. Ray Hunt of Tuckurimba, worked at the Broadwater Sugar Mill.
“Sugar cane was grown from Ballina to Lismore in various places – late 1880’s taken by barge to Broadwater. The growing area was restricted from Cumbulum to Riley’s Hill because that was the extent of the water transport. There would have been 70 or 80 cane punts at different times. Now because of road transport the areas of cane growing have been greatly extended.
I started at Broadwater Mill in 1957 and my first job was as a “stringer” probably a “rotten” job, but I quite enjoyed it. Then I went on to measuring “extraneous matter” in the cane – for 2-3 years. After that I became a “Punt Gauger” – for 15 years I did this work. We worked night shifts, scrambling round the punts, walking slippery gunwhales – torch and book in hand – I remember the beautiful early mornings on the river offset by the occasional low depressions when it never stopped raining all night! We did fall in the river a few times and I wonder why some of us weren’t drowned.
The sugar boats would come in every so often, some of the men would go straight to the pub, then come home later on drunk. I thought it was a pretty good life as often, working on the stringer the smell of roast pork etc. coming from the galley on these boats was tempting when I had to have my sandwiches for lunch.
At night the mill was all lit up, machinery pounding away, perhaps a coal boat would be unloading, beside the sugar boat – very exciting and busy times.
I also met many people – the gang that came in on a Monday morning – Joe Campbell, Jackie Ryan, Bodley boys – to name a few. In the “slack” season the punt gaugers went out into the fields measuring cane – today it is done by helicopters and no labour is used. We knew all the farmers between Ballina and Woodburn, making lifetime friends – I worked with Graham Smith, Alf Leeson, Geoff Archer, John Day, Mick Dwyer.
Condong, Broadwater and Harwood were probably the last mills to have punts, the punts were becoming old and sometimes leaked and sank. Doc Everson and his gang had the job of raising these punts, a very messy job and time consuming.
Sometimes if there was a breakdown at the mill (and it wasn’t in your area) while we were waiting to start up again, we would do a little perch fishing in front of the mill – the water was so clear in those days.
Later on I went into the office, eventually becoming Paymaster – when I started the mill crushed about 5,000 tons for the week nowadays they crush 45,000 tons.
Farming & Industry
