Factory re-opens, remembering dairy land of yesteryear

Among the Roma locals preparing for the Butter Factor open day is Peg Riley, who once had a dairy farm at Bungeworgorai.

Peg Riley once owned a dairy farm at Bungeworgorai. Picture: Ellen Ransley

AN OLD cream can sits in the lounge room of Peg Riley's home, a relic of Roma's rich dairy history.

Once upon a time, it was used to transport dairy products from her and her late husband's farm, and now it will be housed at the restored Roma Butter Factory.

When Peg and husband Bill Riley returned to Roma as newlyweds in 1956, the young couple settled at the Old State Farm at Bungeworgorai and named it Kalang, 'a place of beautiful trees'.

"It was only 600 acres, which was not a great deal of land so we decided to dairy,” Ms Riley said.

"Bill was also on the board at the butter factory. We probably had that farm for about five years before we moved to the other side of Roma and set up a poultry farm.” Since 1961, the Riley family have lived on Hawthorne Street, where Peg has lived ever since. She can still remember when what is now Roma's golf course was used for dairy.

"This whole area was all dairy land once upon a time,” she said.

"I can still remember when the butter factory closed in the 60s. Nowadays people can't believe we used to have dairies out here but we did.”

Tomorrow, the hard work of a six-man strong team and the Roma Historical Precinct will pay off when the old Roma Co-operative Dairy Association Limited building re-opens to the public.

Ken Beitz has been fascinated by the former factory since he was a boy, and now 59 years later he is proud to have been part of the team to bring it back to life. "I have always loved doing up old buildings,” he said. "When I did up one old house years ago, somebody said to me 'you have made that sad old house smile' and that is what we have to do to the factory.”

Come along to the Roma Butter Factory open day tomorrow on Station St from 11am, with tours and information sessions.

Originally published as Factory re-opens, remembering dairy land of yesteryear