Not much left of what was once a happy home
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (357978)
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.
15 people like this
15 responses
@DaddyEvil (152829)
• United States
15h
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
@DaddyEvil (152829)
• United States
15h
@JudyEv Whoever pays the taxes on that property would be penalized...
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (194036)
• United States
11h
What year was the house built do you know?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (357978)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
His wife arrived in 1913 but they might have lived in a tent for year or two while the house was being built.
@luisadannointed (7797)
• Philippines
13h
That's sad to know. How was the community there right now?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (357978)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
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.
@FourWalls (76487)
• United States
15h
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
@Juliaacv (54137)
• Canada
15h
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 (357978)
• Rockingham, Australia
4h
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.
@aninditasen (17229)
• Raurkela, India
3h
That's really sad. I don't remember reading the earlier post of yours. No one of the entire family might be alive.
@JudyEv (357978)
• Rockingham, Australia
15h
It was once a happy home with lots of visitors coming and going.
@Beestring (15599)
• Hong Kong
12h
It is sad to see that the site looks like this now.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (357978)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
It is sad but there are many abandoned houses throughout this area. People come and go and build better residences when they are able.
