The barns were built in 1921 by Heinrich Bros. builders. They were built for Mr John E Neldner who farmed the land and also operated a Chaff mill in the town of Freeling. Limestone used in the walls was all sourced locally, having been dug by hand from nearby paddocks. The bluestone was sourced from the Greenock hills and transported back by horse and wagon.
The Jarrah room was used for the cutting and storage of bulk chaff. The bulk chaff was then loaded out, using large (18 inch wide) wooden shovels.
The majority of the Gallery room was used to store machinery; there was a German wagon and other horse drawn machines like hay binders and a harvester.
Far end of the building was where grain would be cleaned using a winnower.
Outside at the western end, beyond the jarrah room is the original horse water trough. The working horses were housed closer to Freeling but the teams would be brought to this trough during the day for a drink.
The Schuster family (Edgar & Alma, Merv & Valray and Gavin) purchased the land where the barns are situated in 1980. Farm machinery was small enough to be able to be stored in the barns back then. Some seed was stored in the jarrah room.
Farming practises have since changed, machinery has grown in size and the barns basically became obsolete- they were too small to store most machinery in-and just stood there, slowly deteriorating over time.
It was always a dream of Gavin and his wife Sherinne, to one day “do up” the barns. It had just never happened.
In 2007 we had a builder look to see if it was worthwhile actually spending money on them as we were very aware of their deterioration. His answer was a definite yes. He recommended we replace the roof and put on gutters to keep the water away from the walls. In addition to that, he said to clear away the soil that had built up next to the outside wall. Nothing was done! We had a young and teenage family and the priorities were their education and farming.
In 2013 we had JBG architects come and look at the barn. They drew up some plans. Once again, it went no further.
It was on a Sunday drive up the river in 2017, where the decision was made to actually get off our backsides and get things happening! We had celebrated a friends 40th birthday in a little old cottage that had been lovingly restored and it inspired us! Why not do the barn up, while we are young enough to really use and enjoy it. We discussed it with our (by then, older) children who were by this stage involved in the family business and they were happy for us to do so but not overly interested in the project at that point.
Our plans to purchase a nice caravan were happily cancelled! Money was diverted to the renovation and restoration of the barn- a terrific place we could use with our growing family. We planned to use it for gatherings with friends and family so as such, we needed a toilet, a place to wash your hands and a place to do dishes.
So we once again contacted JBG, honed the plans and took them to council.
Incredibly blessed to have Bishop Building come on board to do the restoration, their suggestions and those of our family-who were by then very interested and involved in the build and outcome- were all considered, many were implemented and we ended up with a finished product that we see today. We love the place and don’t regret a thing we have done. Not even cancelling plans for the caravan!!
The push was on to complete the renovation in time for the 60th wedding anniversary celebration of Gavin’s parents, Valray and Merv in 2019. Gavin and Sherinne’s whole family helped LeVant Outdoor Solutions with landscaping right up to the day before the party with planting, mulching and laying lawn as well as finishing off the red brick paving.
In the past 12 months since, we have had the wonderful pleasure of using the barns for family gatherings and celebrations with plenty of room for children’s games on the lawn. After many requests from others to access the space council approval was sought and now granted for the space to take on a new lift as a function centre not only for the family but for the local community.
