Getting electricity on the farm in 1956

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Another milestone recorded in my mother’s 1956 diary was the installation of an electric light plant on the farm. February 28, 1956, the diary entry reads ‘Had lights at night’. On 29th February, Did ironing with electric iron. The plant had to be started if Mum wanted to wash or iron and the battery would only run the lights for a short time. Sometime a bit further into the diary, I’m sure I’ll come across an entry where a friend from Perth brought Mum her first washing machine. This really would have changed her life like nothing else. No more scrubbing and hand wringing of heavy, wet clothes. Just found it – March 3, the entry reads ’Eunie and Bill brought washing machine’ and it’s underlined. Bill rang a radio repair shop and also sold a few white goods. They had to cram the machine into the back of Bill’s tiny van. It was one of those that had a wringer. A red-letter day for Mum for sure. The photo shows four generations - my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and twin siblings.