A windmill named Bruce
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (341786)
Rockingham, Australia
August 9, 2018 4:51am CST
My last discussion was about a windmill museum at Penong in South Australia. Pride of place among the windmills is given to ‘Bruce’, a 35-foot windmill which was built in 1932 and first owned by the Commonwealth Railways. Then, in 1977, while installed at Coondambo Station, the fan was destroyed by high winds.
Only fifteen of these 35’ (tower height) windmills were ever made. It has a span in excess of 35 feet and was capable of drawing water from 500 feet (152 metres) and pumping up to 250,000 gallons (over a million litres) of water a day. It has been fully restored by ‘windmill warriors’ and takes pride of place in their museum. It is on loan from the owner, Bruce Nutt, so it has been given the name of Bruce in the donor’s honour.
11 people like this
12 responses
@snowy22315 (181999)
• United States
9 Aug 18
That is one big windmill. Here we have some of the giant windmills that are part of an alternative energy grid. You see them in clusters in certain places. I don't think any of them have interesting stories though.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (181999)
• United States
10 Aug 18
@JudyEv That is what they look like here.
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@Aquitaine24 (11813)
• San Jose, California
9 Aug 18
I love windmills.The modern ones used for wind power arent as interesting.I think those mightbe called turbines.
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@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
Yes, the turbines are quite different. Our windmill had a particular sound when it was turning. I used to have to go and turn it off when the tank was filled.
@andriaperry (117133)
• Anniston, Alabama
10 Aug 18
I have never thought about naming a windmill.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
I don't think they are normally but I guess they're thrilled to have this one and have Bruce to thank for it.
@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
Bruce Nutt owned the windmill and donated it to the museum.
@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
Pippin would be good or, if you want to live on in perpetuity or something close, what about Fiacre? I think Pippin might already be a variety of apple.
@jillybean1222 (6407)
•
9 Aug 18
Very interesting! It's cool they could restore it.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
The 'windmill warriors' would be mostly old farmers and would relish bringing these beasts back to working order.
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
9 Aug 18
That is huge. Why so big? In the US they aren't that large.
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@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
I guess maybe it needed a big pump to draw water up from 150 metres underground so it would have needed plenty of power to run the pump. Or, if they found good water (as opposed to brackish) and plenty of it, they could run more stock as long as they could get the water to the troughs.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341786)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Aug 18
It's nice to see it looking so good as opposed to rusting on its side in a paddock.
