Story
Sowing a legacy
words Melissa Siri
PHOTOGRAPHY Sam Kroepsch
The late afternoon sun bathes the land in a soft golden glow as the road veers west beyond the town of Freeling, a long grey bitumen snake stretching as far as the eye can see, dividing the historic ‘Barns’ property on one side and the street sign for Schuster Road on the other.
In country towns like this one west of the Sturt Highway, which divides fertile soil into grape and grain, it’s common to see roads named after settlers, a nod to simpler but tougher times, which literally ‘separated the wheat from the chaff.’
Gavin and Sherinne Schuster are custodians of a family legacy built on broadacre farming, residing in the homestead on the original ‘Section 391’ of the property, which has been in the family for 151 years.
Seven generations of Schusters have been “on the ground,” as Gavin puts it, since their Lutheran forefathers fled religious persecution in Prussia.
Questions about heritage are met with an overview and flourish of German names, before Sherinne searches for a booklet titled ‘Schuster 1847-1988’. The humble 60-page account has a pale-yellow cardboard cover and is bound by staples but the stories contained are a testament of strength – that of body, faith and conviction.
Gavin says, “It must have been an unbelievable time to pack up everything and then come out here where there’s zero, nothing.”
Settling in the Barossa by a creek at Rosedale, the family moved to Freeling after a well had been dug for water.
The straightforward and modest account of the Schuster forefathers is reminiscent of Gavin and Sherinne themselves; resilient and enterprising country people, lateral thinkers who make plans and importantly, take action.
“Encouraging people to invest in their community would be what we would like to portray...”
- Gavin Schuster
While their community work isn’t always related to farming, with about 2700 hectares currently being sown and sons Corbin, Leighton and Harrison all working the land, this is more a way of life than a job title.
Beyond the land, Gavin and Sherinne have evolved into leaders across other areas of Freeling life, often unsolicited roles they both view as a privilege. Perhaps the humblest of these is simply ‘being there’ when people need it.
It’s something readily evidenced throughout the afternoon. Essential phone calls are answered, text messages continuously ping and call backs are arranged as the kettle boils for a late afternoon cuppa.
Those outside the town may know of the Schusters for different enterprises, the first an annual sunflower fundraiser, which has netted close to $40,000 in total for their chosen causes.
Travellers come to take photos among the seasonal field of yellow, donating a gold coin per flower picked. Maybe they’ve had to Google, ‘where is Freeling?’ for directions, as its fame as the fictional ‘Gungellan’ from TV’s McLeod’s Daughters is fading.
Equally ‘viral’ media wise have been the giant artworks tilled into farm soil by youngest son, Harrison. Recent endeavours like a giant Aussie map have been plotted by tractor GPS – just one sign of technical evolution on farm.
There’s also the Barns of Freeling, a historic renovation plus custom silo accommodation, befitting the stunning farm views. From hosting weddings to accommodating travellers, what started as a family event space is now successfully shared with others.
Sharing is something the Schusters do well, with many examples of generosity beyond commercial enterprises.
Sherinne is on the board of Wheatfields aged care facility, and when issues surrounding fire safety impacted a building upgrade, she and Gavin attended Country Cabinet to help tackle the problem head on.
With Gavin talking to Premier Peter Malinauskas, Sherinne recalls greeting SA’s state leader with a handshake then adding, “… ‘I’m not letting go of your hand until you promise to help me’.’’ Fortunately, a solution was forthcoming.
Another example of “making sure things happen,” is their advocacy for the Freeling Agriculture Recreation and Multi-Use (FARM) Centre, an initial concept for a basketball stadium which evolved full throttle into a wider community facility, following the 2015 Pinery fire.
It was a disaster which deeply impacted the town.
Sherinne turns to Gavin and says: “After the fire, you said, we need something to unite the community.” Gavin adds: “The fire came through and I said, ‘now’s the time’.”
Working with Light Regional Council, along with other committee members, the construction of a modern centre to accommodate the area’s growth provided a sense of purpose.
While the Pinery fire saw the Schusters lose that year’s crop and some machinery, Gavin and Sherinne remain thankful their homestead was saved from the flames, largely because of their middle son.
“Leighton put fires out around here, around the house, we would have lost it if he wasn’t here,” Sherinne says candidly.
Loading a video on his laptop titled ‘Harvest Cut Short’, Gavin’s eyes glaze as he watches the short clip, shaking his head in recollection. Over 10 years later there is still a profound impact.
Pointing at the screen Sherinne explains, “It was like being in a washing machine and instead of water you had dust…there were just things on fire everywhere and smoke everywhere.”
Gavin adds: “There’s 400 acres across the drive here, it came across in 20 seconds. This is three o’clock in the afternoon,” he added of the eerie darkness.
“After that each town was wondering what they should do and we thought, ‘do we put up a memorial plaque round by the goods shed or do we a build a playground…? And I said, ‘why don’t we do something where the whole community can use (it)?’’’
Securing funding from the federal government, the task for in-kind support led to approaching businesses for help. Approximately $4.85 million later, the sizeable FARM centre opened in 2018.
While the Schusters worked with others on the project, Sherinne says of Gavin’s tenacity: “I wouldn’t say I put the brakes on but he’s the ideas man, like ‘The Castle’ – ‘if you’re going to do it you’ve got to do it properly’.”
Sherinne adds: “When you go past and you see how many people are using it, we’re so thankful.”
While a few steps remain before the centre can be classified “a place of safe refuge” in a catastrophic event, it is a building which continues to evolve.
On June 19, a new large screen will be used to play the film ‘Kick Off Ya Boots’, with the community invited.
Mental health and particularly men’s mental health are of great importance to the Schusters, having seen firsthand the suffering it can cause.
“Freeling had about three suicides I think in a really short space of time, within six months or so,” Gavin explains. “And then I was part of this entrepreneur’s organisation in Adelaide, one of the guys in this group was Anthony Hart…”
Moved by Anthony’s own health story, Gavin saw potential to work with him on the joint project ‘Save Our Mates’, which launched at Freeling “with 120 people that first night.” Further regional men’s catch ups followed under the title ‘Chew the Fat’, while the ongoing ‘Shed Men’ organised by the Lutheran community, sees locals host a monthly barbecue.
Gavin and Sherinne haven’t sought funding for these projects, preferring to keep them small gatherings with a chance of real, ongoing connection. The hope is that this will have more impact for those in need and help others recognise signs a mate may need help.
“We felt strongly about it for the community and thought it was going to be very beneficial,” Gavin explained.
Despite the dryer conditions over the past few years and the present price squeeze over diesel and fertiliser, this progressive farming family continues to face challenges head on.
And with Gavin’s parents, Valray and Merv (who turns 93 in June) still living in the town, plus seven grandchildren in the area, the family is committed to preserving its sizeable food production farmland.
Happy to see an influx of new arrivals into town, the couple hopes Freeling will thrive yet retain its country foundations and community spirit.
Gavin says, “Encouraging people to invest in their community would be what we would like to portray, not because of what you get out of it, it’s because of what you can see – the change in the community that happens.”
For their part, they’ll keep moving forward, while offering a listening ear as needed.
Sherinne says, “It’s a privilege really isn’t it, when people contact you.”
“It’s a form of trust,” Gavin adds, “a bond, respect – we’re certainly blessed to live here and it’s our duty to help.”
