The Gaynor family recalled the early days of wheat production at Gabo farm near Gunnedah.
The farm, which last week celebrated the 80th anniversary of the naming of the Gabo wheat variety, was operated by the Gaynor family from 1951-73.
Ray Gaynor, who grew up helping his family and siblings on property, remembered how the farm started as a relatively modest, 623-acre operation which doubled in size by the time it was sold two decades later.
The family paid a return visit to the farm last week as part of the site visit for the Gabo wheat anniversary. Family members also attended the Gunnedah launch of the new book ‘The Story of Gabo: The variety that transformed the Australian Wheat Industry’.
The Gabo wheat variety was released in 1945 by the University of Sydney.
This high-yielding, rust-resistant variety enabled substantially increased production on the black soil Liverpool Plains.
It also paved the way for many modern wheat varieties which have a genetic background from Gabo.
Ray reminisced about many life experiences at Gabo alongside his father, Jim.
“I learnt to drive out there,” he said.
Sibling Pat said the return to Gabo had been a long time in the making for the entire family.
“None of us had been out for there for 52 years,” he said.
Also at the book launch in Gunnedah was local resident and former farmer, Harold Hills.
“Gabo was the first wheat I planted,” Harold recalled.
He reminisced about working on the same property for 43 years and remarked about the record wheat crop of 1958.
Mr Hills also took part in the Gabo farm site visit last week which he found of great interest.
“I was very interested to go and see the history,” he said.
