Wilkatana History

Wilkatana was transferred to my Grandfathers mothers brother William George Pryor (My great great Uncle) a Mundallio sheepfarmer, on the 16th day of November 1901 at 11.45am.

It is not clear when William George Pryor’s nephew, my Grandfather took over as manager and what the arrangements were with regards eventual ownership. It is speculated that there must have been some strong and clear understanding between them as Wilkatana did not transfer to my Grandfather until the 17th of May 1938 and then to my father Chip Sawers on the 6th of January 1950. Following my fathers death in Jan 1998 and a period of time where the property was held jointly between myself and my sister Prue, it was eventually transferred into my name in December 2005.

For the record my Grandfather Kenneth Pryor Primrose Sawers b 1877 and d 1968, so he must have been 24 years old when his uncle purchased Wilkatana. He managed “Sheoak Hills”, near Jamestown after she purchased it in 1908and which he bought for himself in 1913. He purchased the homestead block of adjacent Canowie in 1913 and registered the name “Canowie”. He sold all these properties in 1939 and took all the Canowie stock to Wilkatana and Oraparinna in 1939 and later acquired a property at Kulpara which he called “Canowie”.

Tony Sawers.

(For interest my father Kenneth Muirhead Sawers - b1923 d1998)