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Peter Traugott Zwar Jnr – a detailed life story28.11.1866 – 23.3.1955 Childhood Peter attended the Lutheran Day School at St. Kitts under teachers Rechner and Klar and was confirmed 14.3.1880 in the church at Stockwell by Pastor Maschmedt. ConfirmationText John 21 verse 7. Peter moved north to Appila three days after his confirmation.
In a brief life story Peter mentions "Came
to Appila March 17th 1880". Their father had bought three pieces of land in the mid north of
South Australia: [It is possible but unlikely the rest of the family only moved north in 1881 – cf. Magdalena's obituary. Peter had sold the St Kitts property in Feb 1880. (I think Jack mentioned in a note he went to Appila in 1878.) Work Caroline Welhalmine Wandke Caroline was the third of six children born to Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Wandke (born 30.1.1834 at Leitersdorf, Germany. Died 8th May 1902) and his wife, Maria Elisabeth Wandke nee Kaläue (born 13.3.1834 at Leutnitz, Germany. Died 18.1.1909). Caroline Welhalmine Wandke was born 9.2.1867 at Lobethal in South
Australia and baptized there by Pastor Krause (?) 24.2.1867, and
was confirmed 30.11.1879 by Pastor J.M.R. Ey. Text Romans 3.28. Caroline became known as “Minna”. Minna signed her name clearly as "Caroline Welhalmine Wandke" so I have used this spelling. Sometimes her name has been given in different spellings. Marriage
Kevin Peter Zwar, a grandson, now wears Peter's wedding ring. Wirrabara [Later this land was bought by Heaslips. The house is long gone – Ed Zwar. Gwenda Obst – “We called it Fogdens”.] Peter Zwar Snr and Magdalena lived in the same house for a time after 1905. I understand that Peter had built it years earlier. It had a thatched / straw roof. Agnes was born in this house. “Mum said I cried all the way to the church [for my baptism] and home again, and then I slept when I was put in the crib.” ... Agnes. Caltowie There was a bakeoven at Wirrabara but not at Caltowie. The postal address was always Laura, where they did their weekly shopping. Two copies of the full lease still exist, stating that Peter leased section 364 of Caltowie from Charles Kentish of Clarence Park (Adelaide) containing 569 acres on 1 March 1904 with the option to buy. ( £200 deposit 3 pounds per acre) plus £1507 balance, plus extra for the blacksmith's shop and 400 posts. It is most likely that Peter had already leased the property for five years. They would have moved there in about March 1899. When they moved to Caltowie they lived in the second house. It had two main rooms with a verandah. They built on two more rooms on the western end and on the eastern side a long room that ran right along the verandah as a lean-to for the kitchen. The cellar was there, but just covered with dirt (ie. nothing built over it.). They extended the cellar and a builder named Maywald made it deeper and built a small storage room over the top. On 14th September 1908 the land was transferred from Charles Kentish to Peter Zwar. The original house – or old hut – is where the working man now lived. It was a 2 roomed house. Peter built an extra room on the western end for the boys to sleep in. On the northern side Peter built on a buggy shed, and a blacksmith shop next to it. Just before Edgar married, the builder Shepherd, from Laura, renovated the main house and put a new gable roof on it and plastered the outer walls. When Minna needed help one of the Altmann girls (her nieces) would come, either Tillie or Lydia. The "blacksmith-farmer" “Peter was no farmer.” [Ed Z]. He was a blacksmith who lived on a farm. The girls had to work on the farm at harvest time too. “We worked stookiing hay, loading it, and carting the wheat.” .. Agnes and Mary. “Father sent me to help the neighbour too because he was loading on his own!” ...Mary. Albert Nayda (from Appila) worked for Peter for years as the farmhand until the children grew up. He loved to play cards. He lived in the 'hut' - the original house on the place- next to the blacksmith shop. “He looked after the horses so well he nearly slept in the stable with them. We all liked him.” [Ed Z.] He'd bring his accordion. Alf learned to play from him and played a lot for parties and functions. The annual church picnic was their big social day! In the early days it was held by the Pine Creek, down from the Church and near the crossing. Later it was held at Becker's scrub.
Peter share-farmed land for Davidson (1914), who was a bachelor. Then he share-farmed land for Kargers, and then for Westons. He also share-farmed for Traugott Pech for some years. The land hadn't been worked and the first year they got 8 – 10 bags an acre. Peter was the first person in the district to buy an eight foot Sun header. He bought for 220 pounds. Peter worked the Wirrabara land too. Alf and Ed would walk a plough and horses to Wirrabara and stay there for a week or so. Alf had a five furrow plough and seven or eight horses, and Ed a three furrow plough and five or six horses. The horses would get footsore from the stony ground. They had several good crops there as it was virgin soil and had a higher rainfall than Laura/Caltowie. Peter was the Yardmaster (Property Supervisor) at the Pine Creek Lutheran Church for 25 years, from 1909 until 1942. Quiet and reserved by nature, he was happiest when he was using his skilful hands to repair a piece of equipment for the Church or for his neighbours.
Minna did the shopping on Fridays in Laura. She took the buggy in to town. She took in butter and eggs to sell. She potted a lot of butter for the baker. She was a good cook and entered produce in the Laura show. Bread, butter, cake, poultry. "We were never short of anything to eat. We had lots of fowls, sheep and pigs." [Ed Z.] Tragedy Life for their children Edgar went to Stone Hut school for 9 months for the last of his schooling. Smith was the teacher. "He pulled our hair. We had ours cut short so he couldn't grip it. Others felt sorry for me as I knew little English, and they helped me a lot. I learnt more in the 9 months there than ever before. Saegenschnitters went there too." [Ed Zwar]
When Edgar finished school he went to confirmation classes. He said he'd like to be a pastor. His father Peter said, "That's only for Pastor's sons, not farmers. You'd be better off to go on the road and crack stones.” Peter and Minna always spoke German at home. The children did not learn to speak English until they went to the Stone Hut school during the first World War. All the children stayed home after their schooling finished. “We had lots of cows to milk (by hand) - about 8 to 12. The horses to feed.” [Ed Zwar]
Weddings
Of Peter's children, Alf was the first married (1924). In 1925
Agnes married and Maria in 1927. Edgar lived at home with his parents
for a while and then he batched for some weeks after his parents
moved to the Laura blocks on 14th August in 1930. Edgar married
in October 1930. When he retired to the Laura blocks Peter did odd jobs for people. He had his blacksmith there. Peter went to a lot of clearing sales and bought scrap metal to mend other people's broken down machinery. They also grew a lot of vegetables in the first years and lots of citrus fruit trees. There was a big mulberry tree near the kitchen. On the Laura blocks where Peter and Minna retired their daughter Maria lived several hundred metres nearby and helped them a lot. Maria and Herb Schultz had even lived with her parents for a while until they bought their own house close by. Welhalmina died 2nd May 1943, aged 76 years.
Peter lived on his own. His daughter Maria lived close by and she and her family looked after him a lot in his final years. The other children helped out too in various ways but it was not as convenient as they did not live close by. His neighbours would take him to the Pine Creek Lutheran Church on Sundays when he would meet with his friends and some of his family. Peter died on 23rd March 1955, aged 87 years.
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