Community & Business
20 April, 2022
The end of an era
After 114 years of being owned by the same family, the property Glendon, at Brookstead, has changed hands, bringing to an end an association that began with Harry Henry Hamblin in 1908 and is finishing with his grandson Dave Longhurst.
At the age of 81, Mr Longhurst simply could not keep up with the physical demands of running a working farm anymore.
“I’m not feeling so well,” he said.
“I’m thinking I should have sold it a couple of years earlier.”
Mr Longhurst said he first started running the farm back in the mid 1950s at the age of 14 and has been doing so continuously since then.
Since his mother died 25 years ago, Mr Longhurst has lived alone at Glendon.
Glendon is close to 250 hectares in size (615 acres), with 250 acres currently cultivated and a further 300 acres that could potentially be cultivated.
The property is around five and a half kilometres east of the Brookstead township.
Modern conveniences were not a necessity for Mr Longhurst.
His home at Glendon was not connected to the power grid, rather relying on a 32V wind generator and a diesel generator.
He also used a kerosene fridge until moving out.
Mr Longhurst took over Glendon from his father, Lionel, who took over from his wife’s brother Harry Hamblin, who took over from his father, Harry Henry Hamblin.
Mr Longhurst now resides in Gatton with his niece Evelyn and her husband, Graham Ellem.
Mr Longhurst said he will miss being at Glendon and the wider Brookstead community he has spent so much time with.
His fondest memories include harvest time, riding horses to school with his sister and riding push bikes as a child.
Although the horse of course is well gone, he still has the push bikes, as well as other items from that era.
Over many decades at Glendon, Mr Longhurst recalled seeing some of the wettest and some of the driest years in history, which has never been more the case than in the last few years.
In addition to goods, Mr Longhurst also recently sold his livestock, 69 cows and six calves, at auction in Toowoomba.
He said he was happy with the prices he received for them.
Earlier this month, Glendon sold for $2.7 million before auction.
A clearing sale for Glendon will be held at 10am on Saturday, 7 May, conducted by Ray White Rural Pittsworth.
Some of the items up for sale will include furniture made by the Hamblin family.
From Glendon, Mr Longhurst has kept his mother’s bed and a piano.
The clearing sale will also include many old vehicles and farm machinery that has been accumulating at Glendon over the last 114 years and has been well maintained.
This includes a 1937 Oldsmobile, a 1942 Ford Tipper, a 1961 Willeys Jeep and a C Class Case Tractor.
Graham Ellem said there is a piano made by the Hamblin family, at Kyneton in Victoria, located at Buckingham Palace of all places.
Other items up for grabs at the clearing sale include a John Deere 4040 tractor, pulley drive cement mixer, Semco hammermill, Massey Sunshine grain grinder, antique hay rake, horse drawn scuffler, wool press, Rex stove, Crown stove, slow combustion wood stove, thunderbox, butter churn, hand plunger clothes washer, wooden laundry trolley, enamel jugs, wooden ladders, tins and old wooden boxes, ground fuel tank and a windmill fan.
Mr Longhurst said he is interested to see what the new owners do with Glendon.
“I wish them all the best and profitable years ahead,” he said.
He will be returning the Glendon for the clearing sale.
Mr Longhurst said he would like to thank his neighbours, who have been very helpful over the years.
This includes Jim and Laurie Black and their son Peter.
He also wished to thank his church friends and local businesses.
