 |
 |
After the death of Wilfred Russell, the ownership of the property passed to his family who carried on business under the firm name of W.A. Russell Partnership and, subsequently, Russell Pastoral Company.Wilfred and Millcent's son, Charles Wilfred Russell ,became managing partner. Several years after Wilfred's death, Millicent left Jimbour for Sydney, where she lived until her death in 1961.
Under Charles Russell's management the further development of the property continued. At that time the true agricultural value of the rich soil of the Dalby Plains was becoming recognised and rapid development was taking place.
In spite of the great economic depression that hit Australia in 1929 and was at its height in 1932, Dalby and district continued to develop agriculturally. This progress was unique in Queensland, and, possibly, in Australia. It was not long before agriculture in the form of wheat-growing and livestock fattening became an important factor of the activities of the property.
Gradually the land became too valuable for ordinary grazing purposes. The grasslands thus progressively gave way to the plough. In like manner, the older methods of deep soil cultivation had given way to the shallower, dry-farming methods and fuel tractors had taken the place of horse and bullock teams.
Close contact with Jimbour House and the history of his predecessors there no doubt influenced Charles Russell to take up public life. In 1936 he was elected a Councillor of the Wambo Shire.
In 1938 he entered the political arena to contest, unsuccessfully, the strongly held Labour State electorate of Warrego, in opposition to Randolph Bedford.
In 1944, having spent four years in the R.A.A.F., he contested the State Parliamentary electorate of Dalby against Robert Slessar, but was defeated by a narrow margin.
In 1945, Charles Russell married Hilary Newton, daughter of Lt.Col. F. G. Newton, C.B.E., D.S.O., and Mrs. Newton, and, having been absent from Jimbour for some years due to war service, re-established residence at Jimbour.
In 1947, he again stood for the State electorate of Dalby, and was successful.He served as a member of the Queensland Parliament until 1949. In that year he resigned his seat to successfully enter the Federal seat of Maranoa in the Menzies-Fadden Government. In 1950, however, after experiencing disagreement with the Government's financial policy, he resigned from the Country Party. At the next Election, he contested the Maranoa electorate as an independent candidate, but was defeated.
He remained an active commentator on public affairs but, despite several efforts, was never again elected a member of Parliament. He has told the story of his public life in his autobiography,"Country Crisis", but the principal focus of his energies thereafter was his family's rural interests.
In 1977, Charles Russell died at the age of 70 years.
Hilary Russell
Hilary Russell continued to live at, and care for, Jimbour for a further 20 years with the help of her son Alec.
During that time, she continued to play a leading role in local community organizations, and the regular Arts Council concerts at Jimbour provided to many people the opportunity to share in the area's cultural heritage.
New houses were constructed at the western end of the former station village for the station manager ("Leichhardt") and at Newtown.
Charles Russell had, in 1955, written a book on the history of Jimbour and during this period Hilary completed two further editions (in 1982 and 1989).
Charles and Hilary's son,David,speaking at the function on 9 December 2000 which both commemorated the 75th anniversary of the re-opening of Jimbour by his grandparents and launched the property's new ventures in wine and tourism , said:
" If there could be anything which could detract from this evening, it is the absence of the one other person whose labours over the years have made Jimbour what it is today. In the whole of the history of Jimbour, no one - not Lady Bell, not my grandparents, or even my father (who runs a close second at 45 years) - exceeds my mother's period of residence here of 53 years.
As many of you will know, recent years have been far less kind to Mother than her service to Jimbour, family and community warranted, and she did not feel well enough to make the journey to join us this evening."
In her absence, a message from her was read to the gathering.
Hilary Russell left Jimbour to live in Brisbane in 1997, where she died in 2001. She concluded the epilogue to the second edition of Charles' and her book with words that applied with particular force to herself:-
"One can only hope that there will always be loving dwellers in this place, prepared to exert themselves and see that the House and garden are given the time, attention and loving care that they merit and so richly repay."
Today their sons Alec and David, together with David's wife Deborah, carry forward that family tradition. |
|
|
|
|
| JAPANESE 
| KOREAN 
