TARDUN

HEMA Map reference 76/F4

28° 47' 39" S 115° 44' 27" E

Statistics

Caravan Parks

None

Services

See Mullewa

Attractions

Architecture.

Buildings of note

St. Mary's.

Calendar of events

Unknown.

Description

Tardun isn't actually a town. It started life as a farm school with the purpose of teaching disadvantaged (mostly orphaned) Catholic boys about farming and then helping to get them established as farmers in their own right.

Tardun was started by a Catholic organisation called the Knights of the Southern Cross and during its formation years quickly became associated and controlled by the Christian Brothers and the orphanage at Clontarf.

Boys aged 14 or over were sent to Tardun to learn farming for a period not supposed to be more than 2 years. In practise some often stayed longer.

The grand vision of Tardun was often somewhat tarnished by fights for control of the land and of Tardun itself.

Tardun dates back to 1926 when the project was first initiated. 20,000 acres of crown land was granted for the formation of an agricultural college but disagreements between the Perth and Geraldton Catholic communities meant that 3,000 acres was allocated for use by the Geraldton community and 17,000 acres was for use by Tardun and the controlling body in Perth.

Fights of over who controlled the land were not the only problems to assail Tardun in its early years. A farm Manager by the name of Charles J. Murphy was appointed and it wasn't long before it was discovered that Murphy was selling off fertiliser and seed to line his own pockets. When he was finally dismissed he even tried to take much of the farm's machinery with him but he was caught and stopped just in time. Murphy was to plague Tardun for some time after his sacking.

The Clontarf Brothers took over the running of Tardun in 1928 and 7 boys were sent up to work on the harvest before returning to Clontarf for Christmas.

The initial site had only tents and rough shelters with the only major structure being the machinery shed. The Brothers had no farming experience and the learning curve was a very steep one. A site for the homestead was selected up on a hill on land that was not owned by the Brothers at the time. There was also no water source near the homestead site, it was on the other side of the property furthest away from the railway and the timing of the start-up of the establishment couldn't have been worse. To top things off a willy-willy picked up ashes from a kitchen fire and burned down the original huts.

In 1929 the Great Depression struck and wheat and sheep prices plummeted. In 1930 a 10,000 pound loan from the bank of Ireland saved Tardun from closure but by 1932 Tardun was viewed as a failure and there were calls for its closure.

By 1933 just about everyone except Br. P.A. Conlon agreed that Tardun should be closed. Br. Conlon fought hard to keep the place open and an extension was granted for a 'trial period'.

Tardun was in debt to the tune of $58,000 and even though the situation had not improved after a further 6 years, another trial period was granted. M. John Hawes designed the first brick building at Tardun; the east wing in 1935.

Tardun (St. Mary's) was the Christian Brothers first agricultural school and it was also the first secondary school in W.A. for wards of the state.

There were not enough children available in W.A. to fill the available places at Tardun so child migrants were sought from Britain and in 1938 35 boys arrived. At this point there were 8 Brothers, 3 Sisters and 67 residents at the site. When the source of boys from Britain began to dry up boys from Malta were brought in but language problems and cultural differences made this a much more difficult undertaking.

By 1939 debts had soared to $74,000 but just 2 years later (through some rather devious accounting methods) this amount had been halved.

In 1942 there was the threat of attack on coastal towns from Japanese planes so children were evacuated from coastal areas to safer inland locations. Tardun received a contingent of 46 boys from Geraldton and quite apart from the difficulty of accommodating and feeding the extra arrivals there was an immediate animosity between the two groups of boys that continued until 1945 when the group from Geraldton went home again.

In 1946 some better sources of water were located and as a result a swimming pool was constructed. The additional use of water soon dried up the new sources and the search for more good quality water continued. (There were just 12 wells on the property in 1940 but 4 years later there were 29 - well digging was a most unpopular though vital chore.)

Farm income increased during the 1940s and 50s but a capital works program quickly soaked up the extra funds. By 1950 Tardun's debts reached $76,600 and were to rise to $82,000 before things began to improve.

The farm gradually became more mechanised and as a result profits increased. By 1968 Tardun was no longer a child welfare institution and the agricultural training had all but ceased.

At its height Tardun's lands amounted to 70,000 acres but this was gradually reduced to around 28,000.

By 1970 the scheme was again under threat of closure but it was again decided to keep the school going on a 'trial basis'. The trial once again managed to exceed the planned period, but during the mid to late 1970s there were a succession of very dry seasons. It was not until 1980 the good rains finally fell and broke the drought.

The role of the Brothers in the day to day operations of Tardun gradually diminished and more and more lay staff were employed. The emphasis was now on Tardun being operated as a boarding school. Even though the school was academically successful the number of enrolments during the 80s and early 90s fluctuated and again there was agitation to close the school.

A number of different proposals were discussed but finally the decision was made to close Tardun at the end of 1993. There was immediate public outcry and Tardun was saved yet again. A school board was formed in 1993 and a series of television adverts were aired to try and get enrolments up to 65 which was regarded as a minimum operating level.

In 1998 enrolments did finally reach this figure but fell away again in the following years.

Despite all the odds Tardun survived into the new millennium and the establishment is a credit to the hard work of all those who have been involved in it since its inception in 1926.

Building program at Tardun:

1937 East wing

1938-9 Convent

1942 Central section

1962 Chapel

1966 West wing

1972 New swimming pool