"Joe" Joseph BALMER
Born 17 September 1888 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [30: item 4393882]
Son of James McDougle BALMER and Mary Catherine WILDE [15]
Enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy on 26 January 1913 [30: item 4393882]
Upon enlistment he was described as being 5 feet 11¾ inches tall with dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion [30]
Stoker with the Royal Australian Navy in Australia and England during the First World War [30]
Following the end of hostilities was demobilised on 19 April 1919 [30]
Married Robina Theresa MARTIN in Perth on 5 February 1923 [P208]
In 1923 settled on the 851 acre Lot 3 of the Inering Estate in Carnamah through the Soldier Settlement Scheme [7: page 65]
Farmer of Forest Vale Farm on the Inering Estate in Carnamah from 1923 until 1936 [P57] [81: 21-Aug-1932]
His lot of the Inering Estate was located partly on the north side and partly on the south side of the Carnamah-Perenjori Road [62] [3]
In 1925 was said to have had some of the finest crops in the district, some of which were expected to average 30 bushels [9: 9-Oct-1925]
The Postmaster-General's Department had a telephone line built from Carnamah to the Inering Estate in mid 1924 [86: 24-May-1924]
He'd had the telephone connected to his farmhouse by 1925 - was telephone number Inering-5J and later number Inering-5 [60]
Nominated, but was unsuccessful, for a vacancy on the Carnamah District Road Board in 1926 [39: 7-Sep-1926]
Representing the Inering farmers he attended a dinner of visiting city pressmen in Three Springs in October 1926 [9: 22-Oct-1926]
A bushfire in February 1927 destroyed some of his crop stubble, leaving him without feed for his livestock [81: 20-Feb-1927]
He presided over a address giving by Charles C. Maley M.L.A. at the Carnamah Hall on 12 March 1927 [39: 22-Mar-1927]
In mid 1927 purchased a new Rumley tractor [4: 11-Jun-1927]
Attended an "interesting and educational lecture" on the advantages of silage at the Carnamah Hall on 18 November 1927 [4]
He remarked that at the end of the war he had toured through the United States and Canada, where he had observed silage [4]
He put forward a motion to form the Carnamah Silo Club, which was seconded and carried unanimously [4: 26-Nov-1927]
He had a Chevrolet truck registered with the Carnamah District Road Board with licence plate CA-166 in 1927-28 [325]
On 4 January 1928 a spark from his tractor started a fire which destroyed 150 acres of his crop and 100 bags of wheat [4: 14-Jan-1928]
He was in Carnamah town at the time however his employee who was on the tractor raised the alarm [4: 14-Jan-1928]
A great number of men helped extinguish the fire; his tractor and harvester were only just saved with great difficulty [4: 14-Jan-1928]
On Wednesday 1 February 1928 an inquiry was held in Carnamah by a Geraldton Magistrate into the causes of the fire [4]
Twenty four witnesses were examined; the finding was that the outbreak was caused by accidental circumstances [4: 4-Feb-1928]
Member of the Inering Progress Association - was Secretary in 1928 and 1929 [4: 21-Sep-1929] [276]
In May 1928 he arranged for the transport of furniture from Perenjori for the soon to be opened Inering State School [276]
Purchased a new International truck from local agent Charles ROBERTSON in October 1928 [4: 20-Oct-1928]
Spoke to the schoolchildren at the Centenary Celebrations held in Carnamah on Friday 13 September 1929 [4: 21-Sep-1929]
Member of the Committee that built the North Midlands District Hospital Building in Three Springs in 1929 [120: 26-Dec-1929]dn
Had an account with Carnamah blacksmith, wheelwright and motor mechanics Henry Parkin & Son in the 1920s and 1930s [53]
Won 2nd prize for "Brood Mare with Foal" in the Horse section of the Carnamah Agricultural Show in 1930 [4: 27-Sep-1930]
Had the telephone disconnected in 1931, probably owing to the depression [60]
Member of the Inering Tennis Club in 1932 [5: 29-Jul-1932]
In September 1932 purchased a pen of very well bred Black Orpington fowls from Perth [5: 9-Sep-1932]
Financial Member of the Carnamah District Agricultural Society in 1932 [13]
Attended the meeting of wheatgrowers on the Wheat Hold-up issue at the Carnamah Hall on Sunday 4 December 1932 [5: 9-Dec-1932]
Member of Carnamah's branch of the Wheatgrowers Union in 1933 [5: 1-Dec-1933]
In November 1933 purchased a new Sunshine A. L. 10 foot harvester from local dealer Oswald S. SOWERBY [5: 10-Nov-1933]
He was among those from Carnamah who attended the R.S.L. Reunion Dinner held in Morawa on 28 October 1933 [5: 3-Nov-1933]
In January 1934 sold through Westralian Farmers Ltd three bales of wool at 21¾d. per pound and one bale at 20¾d. [5: 19-Jan-1934]
Sold four bales of wool at 15¾d. per pound through Westralian Farmers Ltd on Monday 25 November 1935 [5: 29-Nov-1935]
Signed a guarantee on 8 December 1935 that his son would regularly attend the Inering State School [276]
His signing was conditional that his son continue doing correspondence lessons, but under the supervision of the teacher [276]
As a result of his guarantee and that of six other families the closed Inering State School was re-opened on 3 February 1936 [276]
Sold 54 hoggets at 16/8 per head and 14 rams at 9/10 per head through Westralian Farmers Ltd on 27 May 1936 [5: 29-May-1936]
Member of the Carnamah Ratepayers & Citizens Association in 1936 [5: 12-Jun-1936]
Sold 40 ewes at 8/10 per head and 13 head of cattle through Westralian Farmers Ltd at the Midland Market on 11 November 1936 [5]
The 13 head of cattle comprised 2 cows (1 at £8/17/6, 1 at £8/2/6), 5 heifers (3 at £3/12/6, 1 at £3/2/6, 1 at £2/12/6), [5: 13-Nov-1936]
and 6 calves (1 at £1/7/6, 3 at £1/2/6, 1 at £1, 1 at 12/6 per head); and the next week sold wethers at 10/9 per head [5: 20-Nov-1936]
Sold three bales of wool at 16¼d. and one bale at 15½d. per pound through Westralian Farmers Ltd in November 1936 [5: 27-Nov-1936]
Left Carnamah and shifted to Perth in 1937, however retained ownership of his farm in Carnamah [3] [P57]
Resided of late in the Perth suburb of Midland Junction [2]
Father of Bob [P208]
Died 1 October 1939; buried at Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth in Western Australia (Church of Christ, CA, 227) [2]
Following his death his farm in Carnamah was inherited by his wife, who sold it to Frank LUCAS on 22 April 1941 [3]
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Joseph Balmer' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 16 April 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/joseph-balmer [reference list] |
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