Living in the sticks

@JudyEv (358105)
Rockingham, Australia
July 10, 2025 8:39pm CST
Ted, Annie Pergande and their only child, Teresa, lived in what many Australians would call ‘the sticks’, meaning well out of town in an isolated area. Ted went to an area out of Mt Marshall, Western Australia, in 1910 and his wife joined him a few years later. They would travel to Trayning periodically to attend mass. To get there, they would sleep under the horse-drawn cart on the way there and back. In later years, mass was held in the house. In 1935, Ted was instrumental in having a church built in Bencubbin. He held a number of prominent positions in the town before retiring to Perth. He quickly became bored and took up a position teaching farming at Bindoon Boys’ School. His wife, Annie, taught English to boys for whom English was not their native language. The collage shows one of the beautiful rock formations in the vicinity of the house.
8 people like this
8 responses
@DaddyEvil (152912)
• United States
12h
And to think, I grew up on a farm 5 miles outside of the small city/town where Pretty and I live now and we were said to live out in the sticks back then... Our closest neighbors were half a mile away on any side of us.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
9h
And is it mostly built up now? Where we are now was once wetlands but it's houses for miles around now. It's good that it at least has pockets of natural bush.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
@DaddyEvil That's the opposite mostly to what happens here. Small blocks of a few acres are subdivided and dozens of houses built on them.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (152912)
• United States
2h
@JudyEv The guy had bought another rancher here out and was just adding more acres to his new ranch. It doesn't normally happen like that here, either.
@LadyDuck (478665)
• Italy
5h
That is a very unusual rock formation, interesting. They lived in a very isolated area. They had an interesting life.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (478665)
• Italy
3h
@JudyEv Beautiful colours and landscape.
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
4h
The area is interesting. You can be driving along and suddenly there are these magnificent rocky outcrops.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76545)
• United States
15h
That’s a beautiful rock formation, indeed! And we call the sticks “the sticks” here, too.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
12h
It's very pretty country for all its isolation. Glad to know I don't need to explain the sticks.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (119015)
• Marion, Ohio
5h
We are considered as living in the sticks now.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (119015)
• Marion, Ohio
4h
@JudyEv I am sure the house sitting helps.
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
4h
I would love to live in the sticks again.
1 person likes this
@Beestring (15604)
• Hong Kong
12h
Nice picture. The rock is beautiful.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
9h
The colours are amazing sometimes.
• United States
5h
My aunt used to "live in the sticks" out a long gravel country road
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
5h
Gravel roads are a dime a dozen in the country, especially where they are entrance roads to properties.
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@snowy22315 (192527)
• United States
15h
Lovely oic
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
12h
The colours are really impressive. I know a lady who paints these sorts of landscapes. i'll buy a painting off her one day.
@Mshafeeq (2163)
• Kuwait, Kuwait
16h
I thought the pic is of Africa, it's the outskirts of Australia right?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (358105)
• Rockingham, Australia
12h
Yes, it's in the south-east of Western Australia. Some say Australia broke off from Africa at some stage. We share some plants that aren't found anywhere else.