Legerwood (Tas)

Most months I accompany my lovely mother-in-law on the local Probus group bus trip and we found ourselves at Legerwood for lunch. This tiny little place has had knock after knock but still it's residents put on an optimistic face. Legerwood is better known now for it's Memorial Trees and the link will show you far better pictures than I could have captured plus the stories behind each man they have been carved for.

Lunch was provided by "the ladies" of Legerwood. They are a small group and always keen to raise funds for the upkeep of the carved trees. Once upon a time it was common for ladies groups to put on soup and sandwich days but councils and regulations have pretty much put paid to all that now. Our ladies served roast beef, chicken, lamb, ham, corned meat, potato and 10 different salads with home made relish and pickles. Dessert was a choice of 7 different old fashioned sweets all for $20 a head (and amazingly dear council regs no one got sick or died!)

The table was laid in white lace cloths adorned with glorious dahlias down the centre. Bright paper napkins and the most wonderful assortment of salt and pepper shakers. I felt too self conscious to take photos of it all but it was delightful and the mix and mash of old crockery made it all the more homey and inviting. They put on a little raffle with preserves as prizes and sold recipe books and post cards of their area. Their community spirit is a shining beacon. 

This area lost a lot of their young men in the wars but still it thrived as a timber town and a dairy based agriculture but they could not survive big business. Forestry and mills went to bigger concerns and even the local dairy processing plant that used to make the famous Ringarooma butter was bought out by UHT and used to make powdered milk and then later again bought out by an even bigger concern who promptly took the business out of the town. The dairy plant is now a water bottling factory for the "Love From Tassie" brand.