Talking about the ‘bug’

It’s instantly identified by the penchant for looking for buried treasure, usually old bottles discarded at camps set up by railway workers and scraps of iron, like nails, fasteners or, if you hit the big time, part of a horse’s bridle.

For Chester Smith, it was foraging for household goods, bottles and tools in old rubbish tips around the district at Badgebup.

“Yeah, we used to do that as kids and I guess that’s where it started for me,” he said.

We’re talking about the Smith family museum at Katanning, comprising three sheds which house a plethora of items that instantly provide recalls of ownership.

For example, a Kodak Box Brownie camera (the first camera Torque owned) or a can of treacle – a ‘treat’ poured over a bowl of Weeties at breakfast and hurriedly eaten before running down the farm driveway to catch the school bus.

But the main purpose of Torque’s visit was to look over the range of stationary engines and tractors faithfully restored to working order by Chester and in later days by his son Jordan, who declared the ‘bug’ at an early age with a desire to restore tractors.

Today it’s a family affair with Chester, his wife Fiona, Jordan and youngest son Xavia (he likes V8s).

For Chester, the museum is a work in progress, having started by moving his father’s (Harry) museum from the farm to the Katanning site, near the roundabout at the town’s entrance.

“Dad had an extensive collection of stuff and he helped us move it all to set up in the current museum, with a few stationary engines, motor bikes and cars,” Chester said.

“Since then the museum has grown as we added more machinery and accepted a lot of donations from people wanting to provide their keepsakes with a good home.”

For Chester, who has a full-time job at the local Edwards Holden car dealership as service manager, his passion is restoring stationary engines along with tractors and motor cycles. 

His current project is restoring a 1922 Hart Parr tractor which will be the biggest project since he completed the McCormick W12 with Jordan.

Which leads to another story.

“When he was 12, Jordan came to us and said he wanted to buy a tractor,” Chester said.

“So Fiona told him to go and get a job and save up.

“Well he got a job at the local hardware store and started saving. 

“Between the money Jordan saved and some that I loaned, he purchased his first tractor, a Farmall A. 

“A few years later I got hold of a wrecked, McCormick W12, which I got from a guy who liked to collect Case items.

“I had a big Case sign and I swapped him that for the wreck, which I hid.

“On Jordan’s 18th birthday, Fiona tied a bow around it and we gave it to him as his present.

“He was speechless and that was the start of our biggest project so far.

“It was a total re-build but we stripped the engine, cleaned it up with no new parts and 18 months later, Jordan had it going.”

Another ‘yarn’ relates to Chester’s love of International McCormick tractors.

“One of my granddads, Len Ramm, started the International Harvester dealership in Dumbleyung, which is now Farmer’s Centre,” Chester said.

“Those old Inters were good tractors which is probably why I have a leaning towards them.

“Incidentally, Len’s grandson Allan Ramm works at Farmer’s Centre in sales and Allan’s son Shane works in parts.”

It has been nine years since the first shed was built and now the Smith Family Collection is a regular focus for tour groups and ‘grey nomads’, with prior appointment.

“We can’t keep it open everyday so the weekend can get pretty busy with people calling in,” Chester said.