Meatian

My memories of life in Ultima are generally good; I would say totally fulfilled, being involved in every sport and other activities that came along.

In 1911 Mr & Mrs Leary arrived in Melbourne from Ireland. They had married in London on the way. Ater a short stay in Melbourne during which time Mr Leary worked on the cable trams, they came to Ultima at the invitation of Mr Herbert Cuttle Snr. Ater working for a period with Cuttle's Mallee Stores the Learys "Selected" a government block of land at Boinka (pronounced bow-in-ka), a locality between Ouyen and the South Australian border.

In the spring of 1923, Joe Battersby bought two blocks of land with crop on in the Chillingollah East district. They drove up from Tatura, with two horses in a double-seater buggy, and Ossie, the eldest son, driving a horse in a spring cart. They called at our farm at Waitchie South on the way up as they were old neighbours of ours at Tatura and stayed the night, then went on the last 20-miles the next day.