Miss Constance Theodosia Heppingstone farmed at the Lower Blackwood and then moved to Harvey where she was an innovative and successful farmer. Her obituary gives a brief outline of her life and names many of the people who were important to her.
Following an illness of about six months, a well-known and highly respected Harvey identity in Miss Constance Theodosia Heppingstone passed away at the Harvey Hospital on Friday. The late Miss Heppingstone was the second daughter of the late Arthur and Francis Heppingstone [nee Hester], of “Cundenup,” Lower Blackwood, and was one of the fourth generation of a pioneering family of the early days. Following several years of managing her late father’s property at Lower Blackwood, Miss Heppingstone came to Harvey about 30 years ago and took over the property at Fifth Street on the Avenue where she lived until her death.
Of an energetic nature, she was well known for her love of animals and flowers. As a member of the Harvey Agricultural Society, Miss Heppingstone exhibited flowers in that section at the shows with great success for a number of years. With a large circulation of friends and relatives, the late Miss Heppingstone was well known in the district and South-West. The funeral took place on Monday at 4 p.m., in the Anglican portion of the Harvey cemetery and Rev. B. P. Wrightson officiated at the graveside.
A large and representative crowd followed her remains to lasting resting [sic] place and this, along with the many floral tributes was evidence of the high esteem in which she was held. Chief mourners at the graveside were Mrs. I. K. Lethbridge (sister), Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Heppingstone (sister and brother-in-law), Mrs. A. R. Bunbury (sister of Marybrook), Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lethbridge, Mr. and Mrs. Chris Lethbridge, John Lethbridge, Mr. and Mrs. Von Cadols Burg, Mrs. G. D Elliott (Perth), Messrs. George and Charlie Heppingstone and Harry Carey (Perth) (all nieces and nephews) and Miss E. Hall (cousin), Messrs. A. E. Ball, A. W. Stanton, D. P. Eckersley, G. Neilsen, A. H. Smith, and E. G. Davis.[1]
Although an engagement was announced, the marriage did not occur. Angus Egerton Warburton returned from war and married another in 1925.
The engagement is announced of Miss Constance T. Heppingstone, second daughter of the late A. Heppingstone of Cundenup, Lower Blackwood, and Mr. Angus Egerton Warburton of Kojonup, who is on active service.[2]
There are several newspaper articles referring to the prize property owned by Miss Heppingstone in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A segment in the article ‘The Harvey District, Big Dairying Centre’ in 1929 describes her property:
Uduc. A successful dairy in the irrigation area is owned by Miss C. Heppingstone. Thirty acres of pasture support 26 cows, which are in show condition and yielding heavily. Three acres of the property are under orchard, the trees of several varieties showing lusty growth, though the oldest is barely four years old. This farm won the first prize in the recent dairy farm competition.[3]
In the article ‘Productive Harvey, Dairying Industry Growth’ in February 1930 Miss Heppingstone is given special mention.
One of Harvey’s show properties is Rannoch, a 30-acre irrigated dairy farm owned by Miss C. T. Heppingstone. Worked on economic and scientific lines Miss C. T. Heppingstone well nigh maximum results are obtained, the management of the property and its returns providing a fine example of the efficacy of sound farming methods. Scoring 191 points out of the available 200, Miss Heppingstone won the dairy farm competition conducted by the Harvey Agricultural Society in 1928.
The judge (Mr. G. K. Baron-Hay) said that the pasture on Rannoch was the finest of a permanent nature he had seen, while Miss Heppingstone had gone to considerable trouble to ensure proper shelter for her stock. Rannoch is divided into nine paddocks and about 20 acres are devoted to pasture subterranean clover, paspalum, white Dutch clover and kikuyu grass, the latter a native of South Africa and resembling couch grass. Two hundredweight of super is applied in early autumn followed in September with one cwt. of potato manure, and the pastures, normally, are irrigated monthly. The farm is carrying 30 cows, a pure bred Shorthorn bull, two horses and a few sheep, and the 24 cows in milk are producing 50 gallons daily. Eight of the cows are pure bred Friesians. Miss Heppingstone purchased Rannoch eight years ago, and has effected considerable improvements. The farm house, its attractive garden and orchard and imposing avenue of Camphor Laurel trees should surely engage the attention of an artist. [4]
In 1932 Miss Heppingstone was still being singled out for her successes:
A Harvey Record. Miss Heppingstone’s Property. Those who took part in the Field Day of the Harvey Agricultural Society last Wednesday were loud in their praises of Miss C. Heppingstone’s property. Some wonderful pasture was seen and the condition of the animals using it was indicative of its feed value. This appreciation was heightened when Mr. G. K. Baron-Hay announced that in the better dairying competition conducted by the Department of Agriculture Miss Heppingstone’s properly had produced 148.9 lbs. of butter fat per acre compared with the highest return in unirrigated areas of 71.6 lbs. of butter fat.[5]
In order to encourage increased butter production and better dairying methods throughout the State a ‘Better Dairying Competition was inaugurated in 1932:
The possibility of reducing costs by pasture management was brought put [sic]in the butter-fat returns secured by farms in Zone 1 [dairying]. While on one irrigated farm—that owned by Miss C. T. Heppingstone and managed by Mr. R. Stanton, the butter-fat return per acre was 148.9 lbs., another irrigated farm within a mile of the latter produced only 46.4 lbs. of butter fat per acre.[6]
In 1945 Miss Heppingstone retired from dairying but remained on her property:
GOLDSBROUGH. MORT AND COMPANY LIMITED have received instructions from MISS C. T. HEPPINGSTONE, who is retiring from dairying, to offer the whole of her well-known Herd and Plant, situated in the Avenue.[7]
Throughout Miss Heppingstone’s time domiciled in Harvey, she was regularly mentioned in the social pages as the hostess for visitors to her property in Harvey. She also hosted one off social gatherings at her home:
Miss C. T. Heppingstone’s spacious lawns were well lit up for the occasion on Saturday night when Miss Heppingstone and Mrs. F. A. K. Lethbridge were joint hostesses at a cocktail party given in honour of Mrs. Von Cadolsburg (née Miss Flora Lethbridge), who in several weeks’ time is leaving for Batavia to rejoin her husband. About 100 guests were received by Miss Heppingstone and Mrs. Lethbridge, who were dressed in blue floral silk and marina blue sequinned cloque respectively, while Mrs. Von Cadolsburg wore a black skirt with black and white floral blouse. On the verandahs, which were prettily bedecked with ferns, the younger set of the party enjoyed darts, table tennis, etc. Noticed amongst those present were the following: Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Heppingstone (Dardanup), Mrs. Rosa Hester, Mr. and Mrs. Reg. Hester, Mrs. P. Brill, Mrs. Fazano, Mr. and Mrs. E. Pulfer, Mr. and Mrs. E. Draper, Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Morris, Miss M. Morris, Mr. and Mrs. J. Kerr, Rev. and Mrs. Somner, Mr. D. Waller, Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Squire, Mr. and Mrs. L. Hayward, Mr. and Mrs. John Hayward, Mr. G. Durack, Mr. W. Stanton, Mr. and Mrs. G. Horrocks, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Spurge, Mrs. I. K. Lethbridge, Miss R. Lethbridge, Dr. and Mrs. Stimson, the Misses Marie Louise, Nanette and Berta Johnston, and Messrs. P., C. and J. Lethbridge.[8]
[1] Harvey Murray Times, 8 September 1950.
[2] South-Western News, 16 February 1917.
[3] Western Mail, 14 March 1929.
[4] Western Mail, 13 February 1930.
[5] Harvey Murray Times, 4 March 1932.
[6] Harvey Murray Times, 18 March 1932.
[7] South Western Times, 8 February 1945.
[8] Harvey Murray Times, 2 April 1948.