A Land Fit for Heroes?

James Woods applied for his advance of £500 on 6 February 1919. He wanted to use the advance for fencing, a house, water supply and a tank. The advance was approved on 8 February 1919 and he took up residence on 25 February 1919.[1]   The property of 449 acres was a part of the Soldiers Group Purchase Area at Toole’s Creek in the County of Wynyard, Parish of Gregado, Land District of Wagga Wagga. [2] The nearest town was Ladysmith approximately five to six miles from Wagga.  The block was a Settlement Purchase No. 1923/20 suitable for agriculture and grazing.

On 16 May 1920 Woods wrote to Inspector Plummer complaining about a delay of two months for the payment of galvanised iron.

‘During the present trying period’ he wrote, ‘we settlers cannot possibly carry on, if payments are not more prompt than in the present case, a fact which should be brought home to your Department by the number of settlers who are so anxious at the present time to sell their interests in their block’.[4]

On 23 September 1920, Woods applied for an extension of time to pay interest due on his advance ‘due to losses through recent drought and the heavy outlay necessary to develop (his) block’[5]  As Woods was judged to be an excellent settler it was recommended that an extension be granted.[6] By 29 October 1920 however, Woods was again unable to pay the interest due on his advance and an extension of time was granted.[7] He had repaid the full amount of his advance by 27 June 1925. [8]

The file ends with no record of what happened after that date.

Footnotes

[1]  SRNSW: Lands Department;  NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files, [12/6852 No. 1169], James Robert Glanville Woods, Application for Advance 6 February 1919.

[2] Ibid, NSW Government Gazette,  25 May 1923 (in file, no page number).

[3] Ibid, NSW Government Gazette, 20 April 1923, p.6591.

[4]  Ibid, J.R.G. Woods to Inspector Plummer, Lands Office 16 May 1920.

[5] Ibid, J.R.G. Woods to the Director of Soldier Settlements, 23 September 1920.

[6] Ibid, Memorandum to Acting Director of Soldier Settlers from RSS Branch 14 October 1920.

[7] Ibid, Memorandum RSS Branch 29 October 1920.

[8] Ibid, Under-secretary to J.R.G. Woods, 27 June 1925.

Sources used to compile this entry:

State Records of NSW: Lands Department; NRS 8058, Returned Soldiers loan files; [12/6852 No. 1169] James Robert Glanville Woods.

National Archives of Australia: B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers (James Robert Glanville Woods) online: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=1918189