f humphris & son's

The largest employer of labour in Jamestown's history has been Humphris' Emu Factory, which in the early part of the twentieth century employed over forty people. The founder of the firm was Edrnund Humphris, who came to South Australia at the age of six with his parents from Gloucestershire. After marrying Frederina Gotte in 1864 he farmed in the Strathalbyn district and commenced raising some of his ten children. In November 1872 he purchased allotments 11-14 in the north east part of Jamestown. He built one of the first houses in Jamestown on Ayr Street allotment 25. In March 1873, the 'Adelaide Observer' reported that after a violent thunderstorm, this house was the only one left in Jamestown still habitable. In 1878 he built a new house on Dunure Terrace (this house was recently lived in by the Tomkins family, having since been demolished to make way for the Homes for the Aged).

 

Humphris became the town's first butcher and took an active part in the early community life of the town, being a foundation Councillor in the Corporation, a position he also held at his premature death, at the age of 38, in 1882.

 

Meanwhile Humphris had purchased, in 1880, from Stephen and Company the first aerated waters factory built on allotment 15, before 1878. He brought a brewer from Macclesfield by the name Bryan, who extended Humphris' range of drinks into alcoholic XX and XXX Emu Beers, these being produced at the ‘Emu Brewery' in Leamington. These beers did much to quench the north's thirst. Bryan died in 1881, and the brewing of beer ceased, however Frederina, after her husband's death, carried on the aerated waters factory in order to support her family of ten children.

 

Frederina extended the business into the manufacture of tomato sauce in 1887. In that year five tons being manufactured in a household copper over an open fire. In 1895 the firm expanded into the manufacture of butter, whole milk being purchased from farmers at 3d a gallon, the cream being skimmed off for the butter factory, and the skimmed milk fed to 150 pigs on a large piggery situated near the holding paddocks of the combined sale yards.

 

The Humphris firm reached its zenith in the early l900s, becoming a limited company in 1902, operating under the name of F. Humphris and Sons Ltd, with two of the sons, Ralph E. and Frederick W., managing the firm. In 1908, J. Edward Robertson reported in depth on the activities of the firm in his publication 'Progressive Jamestown', and in part said:

 

'The importance of Jamestown as a commercial centre is to great extent due to the large and flourishing firm, who have undeniably the largest factories of the king in South Australia, outside Adelaide. The first department visited was the Butter Factory, where some 8 000 pounds of 'Emu', butter is turned out daily, and the total this year amounted to nearly a million pounds. Cream is received from all parts of the Northern district, as far as Hawker, Hookina, Snowtown and Brinkworth (by means of Railway Cool Vans)'.

 

The firm had 750 suppliers of cream in 1908 and by 1912 it had increased to over 1000. Robertson continues:

 

'The factory is underground—the more important work, such as churning, working up is done in the base of the factory, and even in the hottest weather the temperature is low. There are several up-to-date churns, each capable of turning out 3 000 Ibs per day, and a fine butter-worker with a capacity of 6 cwt per working. The cold-storage capacity roughly amounts to 8000 feet, one room being for cream, and the other two for the storage of butter. There is already sale for 'Emu’ butter in Broken Hill, the South Australian markets, and a big quantity is shipped to Great Britain. Connected with the butter factory is a six ton refrigerator, and large quantities of ice are manufactured in the summer time. Messrs Humphris and Sons also buy large quantities of eggs. A 40hp gas-producer and engine of the latest pattern is employed at this factory. From the butter factory the writer explored the iceworks, and thence to the Aerated Water factory, where a large number of hands were busily employed turning out thousands of bottles of soda-water, lemonade, ginger ale, etc. These command the bulk of the trade in the northern districts. The Pickle and Sauce factory where Humphris & Sons' noted tomato sauce is manufactured, was a veritable hive of activity, and cases upon cases of pickles, sauces and chutney were being rapidly cased for despatch to near and distant towns. The firm provides its own chemical laboratory and same is well stocked with thousands of bottles each containing the various chemicals needed in the cordial trade. Three travellers are employed, and they "work" the whole portion of Northern South Australia .

 

Robertson lists the products produced at the factory and these include four sauces and chutneys, five pickles, five 'non-intoxicating ales', seven 'sparkling champagnes', nine cordials, eleven bitters and liqueurs and ten aerated waters, as well as butter.

 

In 1899 the firm opened a factory in Adelaide in Carrington Street, and most of the manufacturing of the sauces and pickles was transferred to this factory from Jamestown, due to the greater availability of raw materials. In 1909, thirty people were employed in this Adelaide factory.

 

The depression of the 1930s took its toll and in 1932 the Emu Factory closed its doors at Jamestown, the Butter Factory and Aerated Waters Factory being taken over by the Jamestown Butter and Trading Company, a subsidiary of R. J. Finlayson & Co although Ralph Humphris continued to manage the butter manufacturing plant until his death in 1946. Aerated waters were still manufactured in the factory until 1965, when this function ceased, and until the early sixties the factory was used as a cream depot by R. J. Finlayson who manufactured butter at Balaklava. One of the last employees to leave the factory was Mrs Tom Penna (nee Souter), who was employed for 45 years on the clerical side.

 

In the mid sixties, Southern Farmers took over R. J. Finlayson, and the factory became a derelict ruin by the time it was demolished in 1975 to make way for the Homes for the Aged.

 

From 1950 until 1973 the Tomkins family of brothers John and Bill and sister Ellen, all not married, lived in the old Humphris home. … Bill (William Weymouth) [being the last to die] on 17 December 1973…, having no surviving relatives, left the house to the Presbyterian Church for use as an elderly citizens' home.

 

The home itself was unsuitable, however it was realised that the land was in an ideal position for a new elderly citizens' home if the area of land could be increased. Adjacent to the house was a vacant block … and the derelict factory, …[Following acquisition … work commenced [mid 1977] on an 18 unit, $300000 [complex]. …The Home was named 'Belalie Lodge’ and opened on 30 April 1978.

 

Cooper, Leith (1978)  Jamestown: A Photographic Study: A History of Jamestown The Corporation of Jamestown, pp 94-96