Eric Barwick, at the top of the range on "Ashcroft".
George Barwick leased “Cedarvale” in 1940; Ivan died in 1941 and as he was a bachelor, George inherited the Farm 35.
Sons Eric and Victor Barwick helped
keep the Farm going while brothers Jack and Cyril were away for over 5 years fighting in the World War 2.
Eric did a lot of work also with Max Saunders cutting wood and carting livestock.
During a very dry period in the mid 40’s, George took a large mob of bullocks from “Cedarvale” to Ernest Barwick & Sons’ property “Yarran” at Big Jacks Creek on agistment.
“Yarran” had been purchased by the family in the 1935 Warrah subdivision sale. These bullocks were subsequently fattened and then sold to Tom McCluand who owned a butchers shop at Old Warrah village.
In 1952, Eric and Cyril Barwick bought Farms 3, 4 and 5 from Mrs Reid. A few years earlier, Mr Reid had been killed by a low flying aeroplane while working on another farm owned by the family. Mrs Reid tried to carry on farming without success.
At time of purchase the Farms were very rundown, virtually no fences remaining but the soil was rich and fertile. After considerable negotiation with Mrs Reid over the price, Eric and Cyril agreed to buy the Farms when she included a near new Field Marshall
40 HP tractor in the deal. This tractor is still going, having been purchased and restored by Robert Clark.
The brothers farmed the 1200 acres with mainly fodder crops being grown to fatten stock,
and small areas of grain crops produced.
The partnership was dissolved in 1964 with Eric retaining Farm 5 called “Braeburn” and part of Farm 4. In 1998 Eric and wife Marjorie sold
the Farms and retired to Quirindi.
Eric has a copy of a map produced in the late 1800’s showing a proposed route deviation of the northern railway line from Willow Tree to Murrurundi.
It would turn west after crossing Chilcotts Creek and go up the Borambil Creek valley. This deviation would have taken the new line through some of the south-eastern lands owned by the Australian Agricultural Company, including Eric’s Farms.
When the English based A.A. Company directors heard of and saw the proposed new route, they were immediately enraged and insisted the then state government not change the route and leave it to where it is today! This was done so the Directors obviously
had a great deal of influence then over the bureaucrats! Compared to the proposed new deviation route, the present rail line is much steeper in grade, has much sharper bends and the tunnel is higher up in elevation.