THE RAYNER QUARRIES
Charles Rayner, born 3rd December 1855, was my grandfather. My great-grandfather and my great-great-grandfather worked a selection at Natte Yallock (between Avoca and Bealba), Victoria.
My grandmother was from a Natte Yallock family. My grandparents were 22 and 20 when married at Maryborough in 1877. The union produced eight children – four boys and four girls.
In January, 1885, Charles and Amelia Rayner came to Melbourne and it became factual that two brothers married two sisters, providing a double association for both families.
The mode of transport from Maryborough to Footscray was, of course, by horse and dray – the dray holding all their worldly goods, including basic food for the journey taking many days. The dray, with a rough canvas canopy, provided sleeping quarters, while their horse was suitably tethered in good grass.
My grandfather secured some casual work, en-route to Melbourne and obtained work in a small bluestone quarry in Maidstone. Studying scant Mines Department data, Charles Rayner purchased a 20 acre tract of land between Gordon and Eleanor Streets, Footscray and this the first of the Rayner quarries was opened up, the year 1886.
In the early years strong men, with picks and shovels progressively stripped the black basaltic overburden, carting it in tip-drays to establish, in part, municipal parks over swamps and to establish private gardens.
By 1887, the first of thousands of tons of acceptable bluestone was taken from what was known as the Swan Street quarry – this street providing the principal ingress and egress to the workings, which, by 1910, had reached a depth of some 150 feet, from which depth the quarry floor was extended.
All quarried stone had its use. Rayner’s Quarries were not exclusive to the Footscray outer area. Others were established in Sunshine, Braybrook, Footscray and Brooklyn.
Bluestone pitchers were hand cut and fashioned to regular sizes as specified, usually by Victorian Railways, Country Roads Board and most Councils, supply being by tender. Often Rayner’s pitchers resulted in a preferred tender, owing to reliable delivery and quality.
Spalls, some unsuitable for pitchers and the flake-spalls, (usually waste stone) was loaded onto horse-drawn lorries and dumped at the working sites of the nappers for a nominal supply and delivery rate.
Today, most people would say, “Nappers! I’m too busy to have a nap!” These days, nap relates to short light sleep, or, to describe the texture of certain materials. However, off Dynon Road (to north of Melbourne) and New Footscray Road, to the west of Melbourne, Nappers were men living in humpies who made their living napping. That is, by converting spalls into 2″ road metal. The tools used – napping hammers, both ends being rounded.
Apart from conversion to napped metal, certain sized and shaped spalls were in demand for ‘Telford Pitching’. One may well ask, “Precisely what is Telford Pitching?” Consider stone of reasonable conformation (say like a mini-pyramid). When enough was available to road making authorities, Telford Pitching became a series of tri-shaped bluestone. It was used and laid 50% peak up and 50% peak down to form a solid base for early roads. The Telfords, thus placed would be ‘blinded’ with smaller aggregate to provide a solid foundation for many colonial roads.
The Rayner quarries, with associated cartage contracts, meant that prior to the great depression up to 160 draught horses were stabled and worked six days of every week. Single-horse tip-drays and up to eight horse teams carted bluestone pitchers as far as Dandenong, Port Melbourne and other nearer and outer areas of Melbourne.
Quarry men, carters and drivers were ecstatic when their first wages-log-of-claims was granted. Seventy-two hours per week – Monday to Saturday. Included were the responsibilities associated with their jobs – making quarry faces safe, grooming and harnessing horses etc.
When the great Depression started, oddly enough sustenance works were not (largely) directed towards public works and breadwinners were laid off in thousands.
Many business people cancelled their phone services, put their cars on blocks and struggled while their kids didn’t ask for anything. It was out of the question. My family was assisted by owning land, sufficient to provide basic needs. We had poultry, fruit trees, a vegetable garden and even our own cow.
This story will be concluded in the next edition of CMPA News
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