Wow! The Fairview cow bails milking shed and yards are visible again!
For the last 12 years there has been no weed management at the site from the Maleny Community Precinct, and the historic building and yards have been slowly disappearing from view and deteriorating in condition. They looked unloved and uncared for.
However last year some Maleny locals, who had not forgotten this historic building, built in the early 1900’s by the Pattemore family, got together to do something about it. They recognised that the bails depict a former way of life in and around Maleny and represent the early history of the dairy industry.
This group formed the Fairview Cow Bails Restoration Committee, as a subcommittee of the Friends of Pattemore House. Its Chair, John te Kloot, said “every journey begins with the first step”.
And thanks to a Discretionary Funding grant from Councillor Winston Johnston that first step has been taken. The invasive vegetation was removed from the yards and around the milking shed on January 4 and it is again possible to view the cattle yards and get a better appreciation of this historical dairy working area. The cattle yards will be repaired in the coming weeks, thanks also to Cr Johnston’s grant.
The next stage will be much needed attention to the building, especially the roof, to give the community another distinct historical site visible along the Precinct Walking Trail, which is popular with locals and visitors alike.
“With the interest and co-operation between the Maleny community and the bails owners, Sunshine Coast Council, we want to ensure that the preservation project does not stall again, ” said Mr te Kloot.
“The building will not stand another 12 years of neglect. Its preservation needs to commence now.”
When being assessed for their cultural significance by Heritage Architect Ivan McDonald in 2012 for the Sunshine Coast Council, he concluded “The Pattemore’s Fairview cow bails and yards are significant for their evidence of share farming on the Blackall Range. They include a good representative example of a set of timber ‘walk-through’ milking bails. Share farming was a significant aspect of the dairying industry and both Fairview and the cow bails provides an opportunity for visitors to understand how it operated.”
Main image: John, Penny, Gail and Mandy inspect work to clear weeds from the Fairview cow bails milking shed