The “Petty“ Disc Orchard Stripping Plough hasn’t been used in decades but local growers were lucky enough to witness a restored plough in action at Fankhauser Apples in Drouin, thanks to the restoration work of Drouin resident Ray White. It was the orchards first day of winter and the weather was cold and dreary but nothing could dull the anticipation in the air, as JAMIE SALTER reports.
Orchardists and growers gathered at Drouin’s Fankhauser Apples to witness an almost 100 year old plough restored back to working order.
The “Petty“ Disc Orchard Stripping Plough was invented by Frank and Herbert Petty in the 1930s; Herbert was the grandfather of Pakenham resident Ian Wake.
It was a time and labour saving invention allowing easy access to plough the strips around each tree trunk, meaning growers no longer had to plough an entire orchard crosswise.
The frame is mounted on four disc wheels which can be steered in unison or separately using levers at the operator’s feet, supplemented by a pair of hand levers.
First produced in the early 1930s, the plough can be moved by horses and tractors alike in a straight line down the orchard row, clear of any branches.
Mr Wake was 15 years old when he first drove the plough and said it was great to see so many people come out and witness the history of the machine.
“They were sold to just about every orchard in Australia and were exported to New Zealand and we think a few sent to South Africa,“ Mr Wake said.
Local fruit growers braved the rainy weather to see the demonstration of the plough.
A barbecue of sausages and burgers ensured no one went hungry, washed down with apple cider while old footage of the plough played on a projector.
The spread was put on thanks to a Fruit Growers Victoria grant designed to help bring orchardists together.
Fankhauser Apples owner Brad Fankhauser has been based on the property for about 44 years and said his orchard was well suited for the event.
“We’re one of the only orchards with a bit of old orchard left that’s suitable because there’s a bit of distance between the trees,“ Brad said.
“They’re not planted like that anymore because there’s more efficient ways to do it.“
Brad gathered the crowd through word of mouth and said he was surprised by the turn out.
“My generation has never seen a Petty plough at work so it’s good to see a heap of people who are passionate about the old plough,“ Brad said.
Brad’s father Glynn Fankhauser said it was an occasion that brought old friends back together.
“A lot of the fruit growers haven’t seen each other for a long, long time and it’s good to have the older generation come along,“ Mr Fankhauser said.
“We all knew each other many years ago but you sort of lose contact so it’s a good excuse to have everyone to come and have a talk.“
The plough was used in orchards across Doncaster, Templestowe, Warrandyte and even Ferntree Gully and was eventually phased out when weed spraying took over.
But Brad said he believed the machine or something similar might make a comeback.
“It’s starting to get popular again almost 100 years after it’s been invented,“ he said.
“We’ll end up going down the path of mechanical weeding again because it’s consumer driven.“
After waiting for the rain to pass over the orchard, Brad jumped on the tractor and showed the crowd how to use the plough along with the man who restored it – Ray White.
“It’s a bit awkward at first to drive, the first few trees got a bit of skin of them,“ Brad said.
Mr White hadn’t driven the plough for about 45 years and said it he had to get the gist of it once again.
“They’re a bit of a skill to operate and we’re the last generation that knows anything about them,“ Mr White said.
“It still looks old and rusty but it’s in perfectly working order after I replaced old parts.
“The four wheel steering means you can plough right up to the tree and then we’d go over it with a hoe the strips.“
Cameras were pulled out of pockets as visitors followed Brad and Ray down the orchard row to get a shot of the plough in action.
Brad’s brother in law and orchardist Garry Byrne used the plough on his Wantirna and Vermont properties in the past and said it was a fantastic sight to see it working once again.
“Weeds make competition for bugs to climb up into the tree so you have to keep it clean and this brings back memories of how sod cultivation used to be,“ Mr Byrne said.
The presentation of the old fashioned plough was followed by a demonstration of the orchard’s latest technology – a robotic harvester.
The autonomous vehicles signify how technology has developed over the years, and leads to questions on what the future of fruit growing will look like in another 100 years.
