Meander, Tasmania
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Meander is a rural locality and town in the local government area of
Meander Valley Meander Valley Council is a Local government in Australia, local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River, Tasmania, Meander River. ...
in the Launceston region of
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
. The locality is about south-west of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 328 for the state suburb of Meander. In 2011 it had a population of 415, forty percent of whom worked directly in agriculture, many in the dominant industries of
grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...
of sheep and cattle, and the dairy industry. The surrounding land has been modified by the original Indigenous inhabitants, who turned forest into grassland, and the later settlers, who have created extensive channels for
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
and drainage. The town is south of the town of
Deloraine, Tasmania Deloraine is a town on the Meander River (Tasmania), Meander River, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It is 50 km west of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston and 52 km south of Devonport, Tasmania, Devonport along the Bass High ...
and is bisected by the Meander River. It sits between Quamby Bluff and Mother Cummings Peak of the Great Western Tiers mountain range. Meander's surrounds had been inhabited for thousands of years by the Pallittorre, part of the Northern Tribe of
Aboriginal Tasmanian The Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Tasmanians were divided into a numb ...
s. European immigrants began moving into the area in the 1820s and they came into often violent conflict with the Pallittorre. The Pallittorre were removed from the land by a combination of deliberate government policy, disease and the conflicts with the new settlers. Land grants were first made to the European settlers from 1828, firstly of large areas but later for areas of under . The town of Meander was first gazetted in 1901, though never built as intended, then finally gazetted in another location in 1907. Industry in the town has included
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
ing, dairy, a cheese factory, and an
abattoir In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...
. Meander Primary school, built c.1910–11, contains buildings relocated from closed schools formerly in surrounding areas. It, and the adjacent St Saviour's
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church, have been classed a "historic precinct" by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
. The town has had a Methodist church—later part of the
Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...
—and a
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
church, but only the Anglican church remains in use. The town has a single store, with a post office agency, and a community hall. Timberworld, a timber and
prefabricated home Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes or simply prefabs, are specialist dwelling types of prefabricated building, which are manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled. ...
supplier, was formerly run by Kim Booth, leader of the
Tasmanian Greens The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia which developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania, including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the Franklin Dam campaign. They form a part of the Australian Greens. Followi ...
political party. The town has had cricket, basketball, badminton, sheep dog and
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
clubs. Two of the football club's players went on to play in the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
, a cricket chairman was awarded an
Order of Australia medal The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
for his services to the area, and the town featured in the early life of noted Australian country music singer
Jean Stafford Jean Stafford (July 1, 1915 – March 26, 1979) was an American short story writer and novelist who shared the same name with country music singer Jean Stafford. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for '' The Collected Stories of Jean Staffo ...
.


Traditional custodians

The original inhabitants of the Meander area were the Pallittorre, who were part of the Northern Tribe of
Aboriginal Tasmanian The Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Tasmanians were divided into a numb ...
s. There are caves south of Meander, in the Great Western Tiers, with deposits showing Aboriginal habitation, though these have not been dated. The deposits were either left by the Pallittorre, or their neighbours the Luggermairrernerpairre who were part of the Big River tribe. The Pallittorre probably inhabited the area for thousands of years; aborigines are believed to have lived in Tasmania for more than 30,000 years.Breen p.1 The Northern Tribe had three other bands, based near Emu Bay, Hampshire Hills and
Port Sorell Port Sorell is a town on the north-central coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is on the waterway of the same name, just off Bass Strait, 20 km east of Devonport, Tasmania, Devonport and close to Shearwater, Tasmania, Shearwater and Hawley Be ...
.Breen, p.2 The Pallittorre's numbers have been estimated from as low as 50–60 to as high as 600. They maintained cleared grassy plains by regular careful burning, and used this method also to control
undergrowth In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above ...
in the forests. This land management technique enabled easier hunting and food gathering.Breen, p.3 European colonists noted, after the Pallittorre had been eliminated from the area, how the forests rapidly reclaimed the formerly cleared land. They ranged across the land on a seasonal basis, at least as far as
Mole Creek Mole Creek is a town in the upper Mersey Valley, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. Mole Creek is well known for its honey and accounts for about 35 percent of Tasmania's honey production. The locality is in the Meander Valley Counc ...
, and lived in villages of bark
hut A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, clay, hid ...
s at times.Breen, p.4 They mined
ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...
in the Gog Range, trading this with other aborigines, across Tasmania.Breen, p.5 The Pallitorre congregated in areas in the Meander area, such as Jackeys Marsh - the name 'jackey' being a colloquial term for Aboriginal people. From c.1824 the movement of European colonists and their farming practices onto Pallittorre lands brought the two groups into often violent conflict. The conflict increased over time. In retaliation for acts by Europeans, killings of settlers by aborigines in 1827 appear to have been part of a coordinated effort to drive the settlers away. The conflict and violence was from both Europeans and aborigines, though more the former than latter. European disease, deliberate killings, forced exile to the islands of
Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...
, and the driving of the natives from their land and food sources reduced their population. This reduction was such that during an 1834 visit
George Augustus Robinson George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was an English born builder and self-trained preacher who was employed by the British colonial authorities to conciliate the Indigenous Australians of Van Diemen's Land and the Po ...
, Protector of Aborigines, could find only one woman in the area. There are only records of two colonists killed by the Pallittorre. The number of Pallittorre killed is not recorded; Shayne Breen—Lecturer in Aboriginal Studies at the University of Tasmania—has estimated more than one hundred.Breen, pp.8–18 The removal of the Pallittorre from their land, a pattern echoed across Tasmania, was largely intentional. Deliberate policy, promulgated by Governor Arthur, was to remove the native population from the land and grant it to European settlers.Berne, p.20


European settlement

The Meander area was first settled by Europeans in 1822, prior to
land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
s being made. The first land grant in the Meander area was to Robert Garrett, Assistant Colonial Surgeon, in 1828, of near Quamby Bluff. From the 1830s grants were made over much land in the valley, primarily for grazing. Most grants were large (thousands of acres). Government acts enabled and encouraged smaller landholdings, particularly the Waste Lands Act of 1858. This enabled
crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...
areas of less than to be sold; by 1878 there were 16 holdings of less than .Berne, p.27 The smaller grants led to a growing population. In 1900 a township near the present town was surveyed and reserved for its construction. This first town was
gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
d in 1901 but never developed, remaining only a plan. The town was first called Cheshunt Town after the nearby Cheshunt Estate, but the area had been known informally as Meander from c.1888. The present town was planned and laid out a short distance away, then gazetted in 1907.Berne, p.28 Meander was gazetted as a locality in 1968.


Geography

The Meander River flows through from west to east via Lake Huntsman, forms part of the eastern boundary, flows through from north-east to north-west, and then forms part of the western boundary.


Road infrastructure

Highland Lakes Road (Route A5) briefly touches the northern boundary. Route C167 (Meander Road / Main Road / Huntsman Road) enters from the north and runs through to Huntsman Lake in the south-east, where it ends, with the road continuing with no route number to Meander Falls. Route C166 (Cheshunt Road) starts at an intersection with C167 and runs west, including a small section on the boundary, until it exits.


Current town

The area around the town is primarily used for agriculture, mostly
grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...
of sheep, cattle and the associated dairy industry.
Opium poppies ''Papaver somniferum'', commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable orname ...
have been grown, for
pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
production, since the 1970s. Early land modification is evident in an
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
system, consisting of of land with artificial irrigation and drainage channels. These were made in the late 1840s, diverting water from the Meander River and returning excess further downstream, and are still used. Meander sits astride the Meander River, near the Great Western Tiers, between the mountains Quamby Bluff and Mother Cummings Peak. St Saviour's
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church was built in 1898 and is an actively used church in the parish of Deloraine.Berne, p.113 Next to the church is the Meander Primary School. The school contains a number of buildings that have been relocated from surrounding settlements to Meander including: The old school building from Montana; Jacky's Marsh school building which is used as a library and kitchen; A building that was part of the school at Golden Valley. The school and St Saviour's Church were classified as a "historic precinct" by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
in 1988.Woods & Pennicott, p.70 Cheshunt is a historic home, owned by the Bowman family, whose former estate covered much of the Meander area. The home is a two-story
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
building that was designed and completed, in 1852, by noted architect William Archer. The southern wing of the house was completed in 1886. Meander is in the
Meander Valley Council Meander Valley Council is a Local government in Australia, local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River, Tasmania, Meander River. ...
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
, the Division of Lyons—for the state house of assembly and the federal house of representatives and the state legislative council electoral division of Western Tiers.


Demographics and people

The town of Meander, and the surrounding area, had a population 293 at the 2006 census. The statistical measurement area was enlarged to at the 2011 census and the population recorded as 415. The 2011 census reported agriculture as a significant source of employment; almost 40 percent of those working are employed in the livestock,
dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...
, grain farming and
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
ing industries. As is the case for Tasmania as a whole, Meander's residents are primarily Australian born—84.6% compared to 83.6% for Tasmania and 69.8% for Australia—and have both parents born in Australia (75.5%, the same percentage as Tasmania). With few exceptions English is the only language spoken, and more than 80% of residents reported ancestry from Australia or
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
. The population has a similar median age to the rest of Tasmania—41 years compared to 40—but older than the 37 years for the rest of Australia. 47% of residents reported some religious affiliation, 65% of these Anglican and the remainder other Christian churches. All occupied homes are separate buildings, 81.3% of which are owned outright or mortgaged, higher than the 67% for all of Australia. Household income is lower than the state or county; $770 per week for Meander compared to $948 for Tasmania and $1234 for Australia. One of the town's more famous residents was
Jean Stafford Jean Stafford (July 1, 1915 – March 26, 1979) was an American short story writer and novelist who shared the same name with country music singer Jean Stafford. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for '' The Collected Stories of Jean Staffo ...
. She is a successful country music singer who spent some of her childhood living in a Meander farm house, attending the Meander school, and was married at the Meander Methodist Church. She has won Golden Guitar awards, as Australia's best female country singer, and was given the Keys to the City of
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in 1991.


Education

Schooling started in Meander in 1891, when the Government rented a building from the Meander
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, a building now called the
Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
. They agree to rent it for two years as a school was intended to be built.Woods & Pennicott, p.72 The first teacher at the "West Meander School", Miss Mary Johnson, taught at the school for 21 years from the 1891 opening till 1917, when she moved onto a teaching position in Deloraine. When opened the school, which taught only primary school age children, had 19 students. In 1901 the Department of Education (Tasmania), education department purchased next to the church, and a new school was built c.1910–11.Woods & Pennicott, p.73 Meander's student population grew to a maximum of 80–90 in 1926, though this may have been a temporary increase due to students from Montana while the school there, which was damaged by fire, was being rebuilt. School ran at various times at localities near Meander including: Montana; Golden Valley; Western Creek; and Jacky's Marsh. A school opened on a property known as Cheshunt in 1907, as the Springdale School. In 1919 it was moved to Montana, and renamed Montana School in 1923. The building burned down December 1926. During rebuilding some students were educated at the Montana
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
church, others at the school at Meander. The school closed in 1944, by which time there were only seven students. The Montana school building was moved to be part of the Meander School in 1947–48.Woods & Pennicott, p.79 A school was run at Golden Valley from 1870 to 1945, initially as a 1/2-day school. During most of its life it had around 30 students. After closing the school building was relocated to Meander School. Western Creek had a school from 1893 to 1938. After it closed some students attended Meander's school, but others moved to schools at Mole Creek and Deloraine. Unlike other schools in the area the building was not moved to Meander but instead to Mole Creek's school.Woods & Pennicott, pp.96–98 Children from Jacky's Marsh travelled to Meander for schooling until 1900 when the Jacky's Marsh school opened. The school was closed 1910–22 and finally closed in 1937. The school building was moved to Meander c1940. From the 1940s
school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
es brought children from Jacky's Marsh, Montana, Huntsman, Western creek and other nearby areas. From 1949 to 1968 Meander's school was a state school rather than a primary school.Woods & Pennicott, p.74 The curriculum included secondary schooling and the school taught students from Grade 1 to Grade 9. From 1968 the school became a primary only school known as "Meander Primary school". Secondary students were transported by bus to Deloraine's high school. This change was made as it was uneconomic to separately educate what was then a small number of secondary students; by the end of 1967 there were only 16 secondary students. In 1991, the school had 60 students, in three class groups, taught by five full-time staff.Woods & Pennicott, p.69 In 2009 it had 62 students, primary school students from grades one through six, and seven teaching staff. At the end of 2014 enrollments had declined and, with expected student numbers below twenty in 2015, the primary school began the process of closing. Students were expected to continue their education either at Deloraine or
Mole Creek Mole Creek is a town in the upper Mersey Valley, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. Mole Creek is well known for its honey and accounts for about 35 percent of Tasmania's honey production. The locality is in the Meander Valley Counc ...
.


Religion

The first church in Meander was a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
chapel, built on the corner of Main Road and East Meander Road on land donated by a local family. It opened in 1886; construction was most likely funded by local Methodists. Until subsequent churches were built it was used by all Christian denominations. Meander's Methodist church became part of the
Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most Wiktionary:congregation, congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church o ...
in 1976, along with many other Methodist churches. The church continued after this to be used by other denominations. It hosted its last service 20 May 1984 and the building was subsequently sold. A Baptist church was built, also on the main road, and opened in 1923. It was a timber-framed
weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...
building, built on land donated by the first Baptist minister's son, the local butcher. The last service at the church was held 28 April 1985. Prior to this, as attendance declined, the congregations of the Baptist and Uniting Churches had often combined, and roles such as the
organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
were shared. A Sunday School building, originally known as the Mission Church, was built in the late 19th century. The Anglican Church of England was holding services in this building from at least 1891. On 22 September 1897 the foundation stone of a new church, St Saviour's, was laid, next to the Sunday School building. St Saviour's opened 3 February 1898 when it was dedicated by Bishop Montagu Stone-Wigg. Sunday School continued in the old building from 1898 to c.1980.Berne, p.112 The nearby cemetery had its first burial in 1891. St Saviour's was consecrated in November 1902. The church, as of 2009, holds monthly services attended by 6–7 local parishioners.


Services

The first store opened in Meander in 1892 on the East Meander Road, and was open until 1902. Different stores in Meander have sold a wide variety of goods over the life of the town; some have operated as
petrol station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...
s, butchers and grocers. At least six stores have been open at different times in the town. The only store open in the 21st century opened c.1951 and has run under various owners. There was a post office in Meander by 1888, probably started the previous year. Prior to this there was an unofficial post office, a mail depot run by locals.Berne et al., p.105 The post office continued in a separate building until then
postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
, Harold Taylor, retired in 1977. After this post function was a service provided by the local store. There was a manual telephone exchange in the post office building. This was replaced with an automatic exchange in June 1975.Berne et al., p.106 The first
community hall A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...
at Meander was built in 1914.Greenhill, p.46 It was built by local resident Fred Bowman, who maintained it until 1945 when responsibility was taken over by a local committee. Locals decided, in 1952, to build a new hall. Funding from the hall came from, competitions, dances and the growing of peas for sale. The hall opened 3 December 1954 and was physically joined to the original c.1957. The Road from Deloraine to Meander was sealed in 1964, an event of some note that was celebrated with a
gymkhana Gymkhana () (, , , , ) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held. "Gymkhana" is an Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the ...
and fair.
Mains electricity Mains electricity, utility power, grid power, domestic power, wall power, household current, or, in some parts of Canada, hydro, is a general-purpose Alternating current, alternating-current (AC) electric power supply. It is the form of electri ...
reached Meander in 1952 when power, supplied by the
Hydro-Electric Commission Hydro Tasmania, formerly the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), is a Tasmanian Government Government-owned corporation, business enterprise which is the main electricity generator in Tasmania, Australia. Originally oriented towards hydro-electric ...
, was switched on in Meander's township area December 1952. Meander's
street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, streetlamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution b ...
s were first turned on 12 November 1971.Berne et al., p.109 The Meander volunteer fire brigade was formed in 1972, though a station was not built until some years after. They received their first
fire truck A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water t ...
in 1973, which had to be kept at member's houses for the first few years. In 1991 the brigade had approximately 15 members. This brigade was formed in consequence of the Rural Fires Act 1950; an act aimed at combating bushfires.


Industry

Due to the heavy forestation in the area, sawmilling was an important and early industry, starting in the 1830s. In the early 20th century, there were around 20 sawmills in Meander and the surrounding localities. Due to a move towards closer settlement—smaller land plots and resulting greater population density—demand for timber in Meander increased and new sawmills were built in Meander in the 1910s and 1920s. Some of these mills continued into the late 20th century. Sawmilling later declined, partly due to lack of timber. Timberworld is the only remaining sawmill, though this is not its only business. It opened in 1985 as a sawmill supplying local Australian blackwood,
myrtle beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
and Blackheart Sassafras, originally operating from the former Baptist Church building. From 1990 it was owned and run by Kerin Booth and Kim Booth and it relocated to the former site of the Cummings Bros sawmill. Kim Booth, leader of the
Tasmanian Greens The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia which developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania, including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the Franklin Dam campaign. They form a part of the Australian Greens. Followi ...
, later passed management of the company to his son, Bronte. At one time Timberworld employed 30 people. The company now focuses on supply of
prefabricated home Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes or simply prefabs, are specialist dwelling types of prefabricated building, which are manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled. ...
s. On-farm factories in the Deloraine area made cheese, mostly
cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada and Kannada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar ...
, during the early 20th century. Cheese was made in the Meander area from at least 1908 when a factory opened on the Cheshunt estate. The last of the area's factories closed prior to World War II. Meander had a resident
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
from c.1876, though blacksmithing had been done on private properties before this. Blacksmithing as a separate industry continued into the early 20th century.Boxhall, pp.126–127 Prompted by new legislation in the 1980s, that enforced hygiene standards in animal slaughtering, a slaughter-house was opened in Meander. It was registered in 1986. Before this butchering was a more informal or back-yard industry.Boxhall, p.142


Sports

Meander's
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
club was formed in 1923, playing in the
Chudleigh Chudleigh () is an ancient wool town located within the Teignbridge District Council area of Devon, England; it is sited between Newton Abbot and Exeter. The electoral ward with the same name had a population of 5,919 at the 2021 United Kingdo ...
Association, and won the Association premiership in 1931. The club stopped playing during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war they moved to the Central Association, and later the Deloraine Association. From 1966 to 1976 they were part of the Esk Association before returning to Deloraine. The club closed in 1982 due to a lack of both players and support from locals. Some footballers from Meander were noted for their later success in the game. Carl Watson played in the Meander club, before moving to the Latrobe Seniors. He played for
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
1925–31 and
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...
for his final
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
season in 1932. Ron McGowan was at Meander School in the 1950s. He played in various clubs in Tasmania before starting with Footscray where he played 92 games from 1965 to 1972. He later played with South Adelaide, and spent time as Footscray's chairman of the selection committee. The Meander
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
club formed circa 1896. It closed from 1912 to 1921 and during 1927–1984 it was mostly involved in social games. The club was revived for competition in the 1980s; a new concrete pitch was built. In 1991 they played in the 'A' Grade of the Westmoreland Cricket Association. In 2012, Neil William Johnston, club chairman since 2009, was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
in the general division for service to the community of Meander. He was also a founding member of the fire brigade, local Councillor and involved with the football, badminton and basketball clubs. Meander badminton club began playing in 1951, joined the Deloraine Association in 1959, and by 1991 fielded four teams. A
sheep dog A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and ...
club opened late 1970s. Meander has hosted the Tasmanian Championships four times and the Australian Championships once, in 1990, when the champion was Meander club member Henry Homan. This event was the "Supreme Australian Championship" of the Australian Sheepdog Workers' Association. Meander had a basketball club from 1960 to c.1977. The club was primarily a Christian basketball club associated with the Baptist church.Boxhall et al., p.166


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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{authority control Localities of Meander Valley Council