100 Years On, Orchard Still The Apple Of Family's Eye

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday March 22, 2006

By FRANCES THOMPSON Upper Hunter Reporter

THE fruit orchards of Omadale in the Upper Hunter are approaching their centenary.

It is a far cry from the days when the Tilse and Collison families trucked 600 cases of apples a week to Newcastle's old Steel Street produce markets and sent thousands of cases to Britain.

But Bryan Tilse is not complaining. He is just disappointed that the food we eat is not as fresh as it used to be, and it is imported from all over Australia.

"I have only missed one crop in 60 years," Mr Tilse said as he picked the 2006 harvest.

The orchards, which include peach trees and other stone fruit, were planted after Mr Tilse's father-in-law, Albert Collison, bought the land in 1915.

Flood irrigation and the altitude of the orchards, near Moonan Flat, suited everything except oranges. Apples started to dominate in the 1930s.

"The area grows terrific fruit," he said.

There used to be 3000 apple trees Jonathon, Granny Smith and delicious varieties and now there are about 1000.

"We supplied the agent in Newcastle for four months a year.

"In the 1940s, we supplied 5000 cases of apples to England."

Mr Tilse can remember 10 years straight of a production total of 10,000 apples a year.

"Markets and shopkeepers were good for customers," he said.

But this way of life changed forever in the 1980s with the increasing role of national supermarket chains.

The Tilse family have a big cold storage shed near Scone, where Bryan's wife, Judy, packs the fruit.

The apple operation is run by Mr and Mrs Tilse with help from their son and his family, who also earn other income away from the farm.

As a form of diversification, they have planted grapes and their wine is made in Muswellbrook. Travellers can also stay in the orchards.

The apple trees, now mostly Granny Smith and delicious varieties, still produce up to five cases each and Mr Tilse said most of the crop is sold by the end of May.

"My father-in-law always said someone else would benefit from his work. And that's me," he said.