UNDERNEATH the cool shade near the entrance of a historic Eurobin farm a crowd of around 110 had gathered – all related by blood, by family, or even by hops.
Members of the Panlook, Ah Ling and Monshing families reunited at the Rostrevor Hop Gardens last Friday to celebrate family, remember holidays at Rostrevor and recognise the legacy of Australian hops pioneer William Panlook, who established the Rostrevor Farm in the 1890s with his brother Ernest Panlook.
Gerald Charlton, grandson of William Panlook, spoke at the event, recalling memories of holidays at the farm and paying tribute to the Monshing family, who continue to work at Rostrevor.
"We all have fond memories of holidays at Rostrevor where there was always an abundance of kids running through the house, sliding down the corridors and sleeping top to tail in the numerous varieties of grandmas featherbeds," he said.
"It is with pride that we're able to return here and show our children and grandchildren their heritage and history."
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After his speech, Mr Charlton played William Panlook's 1956 address to the hop pickers, recorded by the ABC.
According to Panlook family records, the Panlook and Ah Ling family lines are both descended from William Panlook's mother Helena Currie, who had five children with Cantonese immigrant Pan Look in the 1870s and 1880s.
After Pan Look's death in 1889, Helena Currie married Ah Ling, and they also had two daughters.
Of the eight children fathered by William Panlook, Margaret Garland and Lesley Graham are alive today, and both attended the reunion.
Ms Garland said she left the hop gardens aged 10 to attend boarding school.
"I remember the day I went to boarding school, I sat on Dad's knee and he told me to be a good a girl and he told me to make the family proud," she said.
Tony Naughton, another grandson of William Panlook, said his grandfather endured hardship and racism when he was young, but built a thriving business that was purchased by Elders in the 1970s, and is now owned by Hop Products Australia.
"To have a large family, care for that family and bring hops to this region – it's an enormous legacy," he said.
Allan Monshing, whose grandfather was William Panlook's blacksmith, is the current farm manager of Rostrevor Hop Gardens and HPA's Buffalo River estate.
Mr Monshing said the Rostrevor farm used to be around 80 acres, but operations in the Ovens Valley had expanded to around 1500 acres, with a massive increase in productivity.
"When they were picking those 80–odd acres of hops up to 1000–odd people used to go through the books," he said.
He said this March they only have 260 people to harvest.
"It's a fair difference in labour force," he said.
Partway through proceedings, Mr Charlton read his poem, 'Back to Old Rostrevor', a recounting of the joyful times had during hop harvests when the farm would fill with pickers.
"Alas the time has to come go, as I walk up through the vines; I smile as I remember, the good old hop picking times," he recited to the crowd.
The swing bridge and the huts may be gone, as his poem said, but the memories of Rostrevor and its legacy are still strong.
