Frank Rough

For those of us who have been around Maleny for some time remembers Frank Rough as the janitor-groundsman who kept the Maleny State School grounds looking like a prize winning garden.

More recently we may know him as one of the many who voluntarily works for Maleny Meals on Wheels, Maleny Show Society, Maleny Historical Museum, Maleny Senior Citizens along with other community organisations.

The Rough family first came to Maleny in 1906 and settled at "Strathbrock", North Maleny.   Frank's father, Arthur worked at one of Maleny's first general store, Myers and Hurst where he drove a horse wagons to Landsborough carrying goods between the railhead and his employers stores.

Photo Above:  Timber sled used for transport around the farm

Arthur Rough married in 1921 and with his new bride moved to Skyrings Creek Road, Pomona where he leased a farm.   It was during this time that Frank was born.    In 1931 the Rough family returned to Maleny and they bought a dairy farm at North Maleny Road and it was here that Frank and his sister were brought up.

Frank and his sister attended the North Maleny State School.   In those days North Maleny State School was just one of a number of smaller area schools in the Maleny District.

Getting to school in those days was not as easy as today.   School busses were not waiting at the front door to pick up students and deliver them to school.   Frank had two ways to get to school, walking or riding his horse. Most country schools in this period had horse paddocks attached.

School life was pretty simple when compared with what it is like today.    Lessons basically were reading - writing and arithmetic.    Things were learnt by heart.   No assistance from computers, calculators or even biros.

The days before and after school were filled with chores around the farm.    Unlike today there was no complaining about having to do them - they just had to be done and the whole family pitched in to make sure they were all finished.

Lunch times at school were filled with physical games and sport - no computer games and the like.

The first school at North Maleny was a slab hut built by locals on the Hooper property.   This came about around the end of World War 1.   It happened as there were a number of families with children approaching school age but there was no school for them to attend.

Maleny was a bit far for children in North Maleny and Baroon Pocket to go to school so the parents put up a slab school in 1922.   It was called a Provisional School and the Department provided a teacher.    That slab hut school was in use for three years or more and then a State School was built by the Education Department.

Among the pupils at North Maleny School were the next generation of the Roughs, Wells, Egans, Taylors, the two youngest Burgums, Francis Heaths, also Thynnes. 

Even the “new” school had problems as there was no suitable level land for sporting facilities but a tennis court was built by local people.

The North Maleny State School was subsequently closed down and the building was shifted to the Maleny State School to where students from North Maleny travelled by bus.

In the 1930's education wasn't seen as important as it is today and at the age of 14, January 1938 Frank left school and started work at Tytherleighs Store, today known as Maleny IGA in Maple Street, Maleny.   To get to work Frank again turned to his faithful horse.

Unlike today groceries were not pre-packed but arrived at the store in bulk.   Goods were sold in brown paper bags by weight so his duties as a general store hand included weighing up groceries, attending to customers who came into the shop.   Other times were spent riding a push bike around the Maleny area collecting peoples orders which he was then required to pack and then deliver to their home.   At the end of the day he would return to his home, again by faithful horse.

On arriving home the day was still not finished.   There were still chores to do around the farm.   Frank said, "Farming chores were much more labour intensive in those days as we did not have the machinery to take the hard work out of them."

Frank said, "Maleny in the 1930's was a small farming district, completely filled with dairy farms.   A butter factory operated in Coral Street on the banks of Obi Creek."   Cream was sent to that factory firstly by pack-horse and later by motor vehicle.   As late as 1938 there were still two horse drawn wagons delivering cream to the butter factory.   The cream was carried in steel churns and on the return journey they carried bread, groceries and mail back to the farms.   He continued, "You had to be careful to check the churns before you filled them with cream because it was easy to leave things in them and send the cream and the "foreign" items back to the butter factory."

The timber industry was another important industry in the Maleny area.    Frank said, “Small mills cut flooded gum trees to make wooden crates.   Everything was transported in wooden crates.”    He continued, “Often a small mill was shifted onto a property and would cut until the trees on that property were used up.    This might be a year or two of work.  The mill was packed up and moved to another property.”
Photo Above:  Tesch's Sawmill, Kenilworth Road, Witta
Photo Right:  Pitsawing on R.J. Patemores Farm The Tesch mill at Witta, Maleny continued in production until the 1980’s when it was bought by one of Christopher Skases companies and closed down.    The timber permits to remove timber from local forestry areas were transferred to a new timber mill at Cooroy.

Today the Maleny Show is a well presented country agricultural show but in the 1930’s was a small event featuring local farmers, exhibiting mainly dairy exhibits.   People did not travel from far away places as they do today.

Photo Left:  Original Show Pavilion One of the popular events of the show in those times was an “Exhibit of Farm Produce” which consisted of a display of local agricultural produce.   This exhibit was set up by Fred Fleiter and his family.   The Fleiter family is still one of the best known and community active families in the Conondale area.

Weekends were filled with sports such as cricket, tennis, football, and swimming in the creeks.   Cars were still a luxury and as a result families tended to stay around their own area.  "Most people went into Maleny from their farms only once or twice a month to pay their accounts or do any other business they needed to do." Said Frank.

On some Saturday nights cream trucks would pick up people from around the district and take them to the pictures or dances that were on.    Most community organisations had their own ball each year and local dances were very popular.

Pictures were shown in the original community hall which stood on the site of the present community hall.   That hall burnt down in the early 1950’s.   Dances were also held in this hall on a regular basis.   Music for dances was provided by local voluntary musicials.   The music was played on accordions, pianos and violins.

It was here that Frank remained until 1942 when he was called up for service with the Australian Army.   In 1946 Frank was discharged from the Australian army and returned to the family farm in Baroon Pocket, Maleny. Photo Right:  Maleny Street Parade in 1945 celebrating the WW11 cease fire.

Frank was married in 1949 to his wife, Kathleen Dwyer from Sydney.    Frank and Kath had three offspring, Desmond, Kenneth and Jan.    Unfortunately, Kath passed away in 1990.

Following his discharge from the army in 1946 Frank worked for his parents until 1970 when he bought the farm in his own right.   He worked it himself until 1978 when he sold it and started work at the Maleny State School as the janitor - groundsman.   He retired from this position in 1988.

Electricity came to Maleny in the late 1940’s.   Until this farms had their own generators, used especially for running their milking plants and some lighting.   Reticulated water didn’t come until the 1960’s.   Sewerage in the town area didn’t come until mid 1980’s.

"Maleny is one of the most beautiful areas in Australia to live," said Frank, "I would not really want to leave here but Maleny has changed dramatically over the last 10 to 15 years.   If I could change anything I would like to see the community spirit that was here 30 to 40 years ago when people knew everyone else and they helped out when anyone was in trouble."