western australia

edward pergande

Not much left of what was once a happy home

@JudyEv (382542)

Rockingham, Australia

July 9, 2025 7:45pm CST

I wrote about the sheep yards at Pergande’s farm at Mt Marshall. The Pergandes were very community-minded. Once Ted Pergande got the farm established, he and his wife created a swimming pool at the base of the rock. They then created a nine-hole golf course and a tennis court nearby. The surface of the tennis court was made from ant-beds. These would have been smashed then dampened and rolled out flat to create a hard, flat surface. Neighbours would flock there at weekends to enjoy swimming, or to have a hit of golf or tennis. The photo shows the ruins of the homestead. The blob to the right of the fireplace is an old fridge. It has double doors and would have been an expensive item in its day.

16 people like this

16 responses

@DaddyEvil (174708)

• United States

10 Jul

In the US, that fridge would not be allowed to sit there. It's illegal for an abandoned fridge to still have the doors on it. The property would be penalized until the fridge was removed.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

I think mostly they take the doors off them here too. Maybe someone will alert the authorities and they can track down the owner.

1 person likes this

@DaddyEvil (174708)

• United States

10 Jul

@JudyEv Whoever pays the taxes on that property would be penalized...

1 person likes this

@rsa101 (41028)

• Philippines

10 Jul

Whoa, it makes me sad to see it. It appears to be a story that has come to an end and is gradually dying down. Time is gradually consuming what remains of it, despite the fact that it may appear to be having difficulty telling its story.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

There is a newer house a mile or two away so once they built that perhaps this was abandoned. It is sad to see these ruins and to think about what it was like in previous times.

1 person likes this

@rsa101 (41028)

• Philippines

10 Jul

@JudyEv Whenever I witness an old house being demolished, I am saddened because so much of its history is also being destroyed.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

@rsa101 This is one of the few that has panels telling a little of the history of the place. There are many other places where the history has more or less disappeared.

1 person likes this

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@LadyDuck (502812)

• Italy

10 Jul

It is sad to see an old home, that was surely pretty, went to complete ruin.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

The family would have had a lot of fun times there during their lifetime.

1 person likes this

@LadyDuck (502812)

• Italy

10 Jul

@JudyEv I am sure it was the case in the past.

1 person likes this

@Deepizzaguy (122305)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

11 Jul

Sorry to learn that a former farm is now in ruins.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

The new owners have built a new house on the other side of the hill.

1 person likes this

@Deepizzaguy (122305)

• Lake Charles, Louisiana

11 Jul

@JudyEv That is good to know.

1 person likes this

Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (18202)

• Raurkela, India

10 Jul

That's really sad. I don't remember reading the earlier post of yours. No one of the entire family might be alive.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

The farm was sold a long time ago and has probably been sold several times since.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

12 Jul

@aninditasen The house was probably abandoned when the new one was built and maybe by then the fridge wasn't working. I don't really know.

Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (18202)

• Raurkela, India

12 Jul

@JudyEv Those who bought it, didn't they do anything with the old fridge?

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@porwest (112929)

• United States

10 Jul

I imagine the owner standing before the rubble scratching his head saying, "Well, it's paid for." lol

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

The owner would have been long gone by the time it became rubble.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

@porwest True. I think I need to lighten up.

1 person likes this

@porwest (112929)

• United States

10 Jul

@JudyEv I know. But then the joke wouldn't have worked.

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@GardenGerty (169585)

• United States

10 Jul

It sounds as if it was fun in its day.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

They were very community-minded people judging by the information boards.

@snowy22315 (209167)

• United States

10 Jul

You are right, not much left.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

The chimneys always seem to be the last to fall down. We often see a standing chimney with rubble all around.

luisadannointed

@luisadannointed (11886)

• Philippines

10 Jul

That's sad to know. How was the community there right now?

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

It's in the middle of a paddock and the town is about ten miles away. The town is small and appears to be slowly dying. Small farms have been amalgamated into bigger stations which means less people in the area.

@cherigucchi (15932)

• Philippines

10 Jul

So sad looking at this site

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

Yes, it was someone's dream home once.

1 person likes this

@wolfgirl569 (135988)

• Marion, Ohio

10 Jul

It would have been a beautiful place at one time

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jul

Yes, I think so. They obviously entertained quite a bit or at least had people coming out to use the pool, etc.

1 person likes this

@LindaOHio (222806)

• United States

10 Jul

What year was the house built do you know?

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

His wife arrived in 1913 but they might have lived in a tent for year or two while the house was being built.

1 person likes this

@LindaOHio (222806)

• United States

11 Jul

@JudyEv OK. Thanks for the information.

1 person likes this

@Mshafeeq (2746)

• Kuwait, Kuwait

10 Jul

It's really sad to see this, nothing left.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

It was once a happy home with lots of visitors coming and going.

1 person likes this

@Mshafeeq (2746)

• Kuwait, Kuwait

11 Jul

@JudyEv Is it ... Very sad once a lovely living home dispersed.

1 person likes this

@Beestring (15372)

• Hong Kong

10 Jul

It is sad to see that the site looks like this now.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

It is sad but there are many abandoned houses throughout this area. People come and go and build better residences when they are able.

@FourWalls (86875)

• United States

10 Jul

It’s sad to see things like that gone to ruin. I realize that it’s in the middle of nowhere and modern conveniences have made things like this practically worthless, but still…

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

You're right. It is sad but really, that's the way of the world.

1 person likes this

@Juliaacv (56378)

• Canada

10 Jul

It is so sad to see an area such as this, once loved and enjoyed, to be left covered with the rubble from itself. It would be only fitting for them to restore this section of their property up, to repurpose it or to have a quiet place to remember the good times they lived there.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382542)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jul

The present owners probably have no investment in this actual site. It wasn't their ancestors who lived there. As nice as it might be for them to do something with the site, I think they'd have too many calls on their available money.

1 person likes this