Historical Orchard Destruction, Hadspen, Tasmania
THE DESTRUCTION OF AUSTRALIA'S OLDEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT ORCHARD HAS SEEN AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF TASMANIA'S LIVING HISTORY VANISH FOREVER.
AS THE RESULT OF A MEANDER VALLEY COUNCIL DECISION A SIGNIFICANT 150 YEAR OLD FEATURE OF THE HISTORIC 19TH CENTURY VILLAGE OF HADSPEN WAS DESTROYED.
THE STAND OF TREES, ONE OF WHICH IS LISTED WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST REGISTER OF SIGNIFICANT TREES, LINKING SIGNIFICANT SETTLEMENT FAMILIES COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN RETAINED AS OPEN SPACE PARKLANDS.
APART FROM HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE THE ORCHARD COULD BE OF HORTICULTURAL AND SCIENTIFIC VALUE AS A SOURCE OF GENETIC BIODIVERSITY.
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS HAS BEEN SPENT BY CONCERNED LOCAL CITIZENS AIMING TO SAVE THE ORCHARD, EXHAUSTING EVERY LEGAL APPEAL AVENUE AVAILABLE.
THE PEAR ORCHARD FORMS PART OF A LAND SALE IN 1868 BETWEEN CAPTAIN EDWARD DUMERESQ AND FORMER CONVICT WILLIAM HADFIELD WHEN HADFIELD WAS ENLARGING HIS EXISTING HOLDINGS IN THE HADSPEN VILLAGE.
HADFIELD, WHOSE MENTOR WAS SIR THOMAS REIBEY, ALREADY OWNED A SHOP, HOUSE AND LAND BORDERING MAIN STREET, HADSPEN.
OTHER REMINDERS OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HADFIELD'S ROLE IN VILLAGE LIFE CURRENTLY EXIST,
NAMELY TWO HERITAGE LISTED PROPERTIES IN MAIN STREET, HADFIELD STREET IN HIS MEMORY AND HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE, THE BLUESTONE CRYPT IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
THE ORCHARD IS EVIDENCE OF HADFIELD'S HORTICULTURAL SKILLS AND COULD BE THE BASIS OF DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER QUALITY, MORE DROUGHT, DISEASE AND PEST TOLLERANT FRUIT FOR MODERN-DAY ORCHARDISTS.
HAVING STOOD FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS, 30 YEARS WITHOUT TENDING, THE SEEDS AND GENETICS IN THE TREES COULD HOLD PROPERTIES SUITABLE FOR FRUIT INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.
THE 140 YEAR HADFIELD FAMILY LINK WITH HADSPEN BEGAN WHEN WILLIAM HADFIELD WAS ASSIGNED AS A TRUSTEE TO ENTALLY IN 1844.
ORIGINALLY COMING TO VAN DIEMANS LAND IN 1835, WILLIAM HADFIELD, A BAKER WAS CONVICTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER AND TRANSPORTED FOR LIFE.
HIS LONG CONVICT RECORD IS IMPRESSIVE, INITIALLY SERVING HIS SENTENCE THE HARD WAY ON THE TREADMILL, CHAIN GANG, IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL FLOGGINGS.
A CHANGE IN HIS BEHAVIOUR SAW HIM BEING ASSIGNED TO ENTALLY AS A 33 YEAR OLD TRUSTEE, WORKING AS A GUTTERMAN.
ON BEING GRANTED HIS PARDON, SIR THOMAS REIBEY, TOGETHER WITH REV. CHARLES REIBEY ARTHUR BECAME HADFIELD'S MENTOR AS THE BATTLER PROVED HIMSELF TO BECOME A STABLE AND FORWARD PLANNING LANDLORD OF THE GROWING DISTRICT.
AFTER HIS MARRIAGE TO PASTRYCOOK ELIZA WILLIAMS FROM LAUNCESTON,
HE FIRST BECAME A LANDLORD IN 1857 BUYING A HOUSE, SHOP AND TWO ACRES OF LAND.
THIS PROPERTY DIAGONALLY OPPOSITE THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD IN MAIN STREET, HADSPEN, TOGETHER WITH AN ADJOINING COTTAGE IS NATIONAL TRUST LISTED.
FAMILY RECORDS SHOW HE MADE TWO ADDITONAL PURCHASES IN 1868 OF ADJOINING LAND FROM CAPTAIN EDWARD DUMERESQ, INCLUDING 30 ACRES , AN ADJOINING TWO ACRES , COTTAGE AND ORCHARD.
THE HADFIELDS LIVED IN THE ORIGINAL HOUSE, LEASING THE SHOPS AND COTTAGES WHILE DEVELOPING THE SURROUNDING LAND.
AT THE TIME HADSPEN WAS A THRIVING COUNTRY HAMLET, A VILLAGE LINKING OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE AND SERVING ENTALLY AND SURROUNDING FARMING PROPERTIES.
A WILL DRAWN AND PREPARED BY REIBEY AND ARTHUR IN 1876 DETAILS
CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONAL ASSETS, ENTAILING THE PROPERTY ON MALE FIRST BORN HEIRS.
THE HADFIELD PROPERTY PASSED TO SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS FOR MORE THAN 130 YEARS,
BEING SOLD IN 1981 WHEN ALL HADFIELD DESCENDANTS WERE FEMALE.