For the children who grew up in the historic Donnelly River mill town, deep in South West WA, life was a constant adventure.
Key points:
- Donnelly River mill workers lived by the sound of a steam-powered whistle
- It blew at the start, middle and end of the work day
- The whistle also helped families keep track of the time
They had endless space to play in the surrounding karri forest, bush tracks to roam and rivers to cross.
Despite the remote and untamed nature of their hometown, the children were never late for dinner.
At select intervals throughout the day, a steam-powered whistle could be heard far across the valley, signalling the start and end of the work day, the time for lunch and the time to return to the family home for dinner.
No alarm clocks, just a whistle
The Donnelly River mill was in operation from 1950 through until 1978 and was considered to be one of the most efficient timber mills in Australia.
Sally Paulin, chair of the Friends of Donnelly River group, said the whistle acted as an alarm clock for workers living in the surrounding houses.
"Everyone could hear it," she said.
"Apparently it was so loud, it could be heard up to eight kilometres away.
"So it meant that people who didn't actually live in town but actually worked at the mill would still hear it and be up and ready to go."
The whistle would sound for different intervals depending on the reason. As well as reminding people of mealtimes and work schedules, it also rang out to warn of fire or other emergencies.
In the late `70s, a lost child managed to find his way back to the village by following the sound.
A replica of that whistle has been unveiled this month, in front of a handful of former residents who took the opportunity to share stories from their unique childhoods.
'The most impressionable years of my life'
Kathleen Larsen migrated from England with her family and lived in the mill town from the age of 10 to 14.
The West Australian bush proved to be quite different from the seaside lifestyle in Bournemouth.
"It was a total culture shock to my parents but to us children, it was just heaven," she said.
"When the five o'clock whistle went, we had half an hour to get home.
"And if we weren't home half an hour after the whistle, we were grounded the next day, because Mum figured we shouldn't be more than half an hour away."
Finding love in the bush
Donnelly River continued to have an impact on Mrs Larsen's life, long after she moved away.
She met a young boy named Tim at the school and almost 30 years later, they were reunited and decided to marry.
"We were in love, we used to hold hands at the pictures and things like that," Mrs Larsen said.
"We left when I was 14 and went to Perth ... and we didn't see each other for ages.
"Then they organised the reunion and we got back together."
The Larsens currently live just 20 minutes away and bring visitors to the village whenever they can.
"We just love it. You know, it's very important to us because this is where it all started again.
"It's a special place. I've never thought about where I'd put my ashes but this this could be it."