Rich history on land and with machines

After collecting Chamberlain tractors for decades, Melvin Mengel has been instrumental in the release of the Chamberlain Data Book.

Joshua and Melvin Mengel with one of their old Chamberlain tractor Type60DA.

IT’S fair to say Melvin Mengel is passionate about Chamberlain tractors.

The avid collector purchased his first Chamberlains in the 1970s and owns 15 today.

Chamberlains were the only mass-produced tractors in Australia before they were bought out by John Deere in the ‘80s.

The cattle and grain producer at Nobby, south of Toowoomba, Queensland, said the tractors were an Australian icon.

Through a project, 10 years in the making, Mr Mengel has helped produce a book to preserve the brand’s rich history.

With author Bruce Lindsay, (who previously released, Chamberlain Australian Innovator: The Life and Works of Alan Hawker Bob Chamberlain, in 2007) Mr Mengel and his friend Greg McNiece, first came up with the concept of putting together the Chamberlain Data Book in 2009.

The book lists Chamberlain tractors and implements from between 1949 and 1986.

Mr Mengel said despite having modern tractors to use in their cropping operation, the Chamberlains were still used on-farm for the odd job and cattle work.

“We’ve got two of our own Chamberlain tractors in the book,” Mr Mengel said.

“The 60DA and the Super 70, the first of the diesel tractors.”

The Mengels have assisted with the release of a Chamberlain tractor data book.

LOOKING BACK

THE Mengel’s 263ha property Kia-Ora has a rich history of its own, dating back to the 1880s.

When Mr Mengel’s great-grandfather, Heinrich Mengel, came over from Germany in 1880 and bought the property in 1889, it was run as a dairy.

All that’s left of their family’s dairying history is the Mengel’s house cow, who they milk for their personal use.

“It (the property) was close to Nobby for taking the cream on the rail motor,” Mr Mengel said.

“They reckoned six miles was as far as they could cart the cream on horse, (it’s) a fair way to take your cream in to meet the rail motor every day.

“Most dairies would have stopped in the early ‘50s, everyone went to grain. There used to be a cheese factory in Nobby but that was all closed down.”

Mr Mengel said his great grandfather, Heinrich, ended up with 15 children after marrying his wife Maria Naumann. Maria was a widow, after her previous husband died in a horse accident, and already had four or five young children of her own.

The pair adopted two children as well as having more children together.

Of his 225 descendants there are only three left in the area, including Mr Mengel, his son Joshua and second cousin, Alwin “Ally” Mengel nearby.

The Mengel’s property is also home to a historical site after Heinrich donated land to build a Luthern church in the early 1900s.

All that’s left of the church now is a wooden gate, and a stone with a plaque marking the spot.

The church was moved to Nobby in 1946.

“There was another church on another German family’s farm. They pulled them both down and built the church in Nobby. They used the timber from both churches,” Mr Mengel said.

The headstone marking the spot of the old Lutheran church that once stood on the Mengels' property.

CURRENT TIMES

THE Mengels usually grow barley and wheat in winter and corn and millet in summer, as well as sunflowers if it gets late in the season.

They maintain 40 breeders as part of their cattle operation, fattening the young cattle and selling them to the meatworks in Dinmore.

“I’ve given saleyards away, we make better money fattening them ourselves and sometimes giving them a bit of grain, and sending them down to the meatworks,” Mr Mengel said.

“It’s better for our way of doing it.”

Mr Mengel said they were going into their fifth season without planting a crop.

“We haven’t had a crop for two and a half years now, it’s been that long since we’ve had the two headers out of the shed,” he said.

“We’re just about out of feed, I’ve got enough silage for about the next 15 weeks.

“Hopefully it’ll rain before then.”

Mr Mengel and his son help bale hay at properties around the region.

“We just did a job outside of Nobby on irrigation and we baled about 600 round bales, and I took 100 bales of silage as part payment,” he said.

“I’ve been baling down at Grantham at my cousin's place and bringing it up from there and taking a percentage of it as payment.

“It’s dear, hay, but at least when you’re baling it yourself it makes it a bit cheaper.

“They were selling round bales down here for $150 a bale. That’s expensive hay. They’d be $75-$80 normally.”

When Rural Weekly caught up with Mr Mengel and his son, Joshua, last week, it was over 30 degrees and dust was blowing across the paddocks.

The Mengels said this was the worst drought on record at their property.

“Some of these trees around would be near 200 years old and they’re dying,” Josh said.

“That’s got to tell you something.”

Mr Mengel said he had tried watering some of the smaller trees along his driveway, but they were still dying.

“There’s just no subsoil moisture. You dig down into the soil and it’s just so dry right through, with big cracks in it,” he said.

“They had dry years back in the ‘30s and in the ‘20s in our records, but they only had a 12 month dry period and then it would rain.

“But here it’s been going over two years. There’s been storms around, but it’s so patchy.”

The Mengels said they received nine inches in March, but it fell short, sharp showers which did more harm than good.

“It just went all down the gullies and didn’t wet a thing,” Mr Mengel said.

“We worked all our land because we had stubble on it, but it’s just gutters everywhere. And now with the wind, every time it gets windy it (the soil) just blows away.

“We had the house closed but every hour or so we were sweeping the floor because it was thick with red dirt. The doors were closed but it just drifts through.

“When we get the big gusts we can’t see the road.”

Sixth generation Cameron Mengel driving his tractor on the farm.

NEXT GENERATION

MR MENGEL and his wife Dianne enjoy watching the fifth and sixth generation of their family take an interest in the property.

Their 11-year-old grandson Cameron Mengel, son of their daughter Renee, is already an avid farmer.

“Cameron has a vegetable garden and paddocks with forage sorghum. He has his own little Fergie tractor and he drives it now,” Mr Mengel said.

“He’s here every weekend. He’s really into mechanics and knows all his spanners.

“He always calls it ‘his’ farm. He says ‘what are we doing on our farm today?’.”

BOOK LAUNCH

THE Chamberlain Data Book – Tractors and Implements 1949-1986 will be launched on Saturday, November 16.

The launch will be held in Nobby at Billy Bag Gunya followed by dinner – a pig on the spit.

Mr Mengel will sell the book himself, with “20 or 30 orders already”.

It will also be sold and Clancy’s Ag and Vanderfield in Toowoomba. If you want more information about the book or to purchase a copy for $45 call Melvin on 0428 963 137 or Joshua on 0487 963 137.