Historic homes and treasured antiques lost after devastating Boddington bushfire engulfs family farm

The devastating Boddington bushfire has left local farmers Ray and Brenda Farmer dealing with widespread destruction after flames tore through their property on Christmas Day. The fire destroyed two houses, one of them heritage-listed, alongside a heritage-listed shed and about 14km of fencing. Both houses were filled with antique collectables the couple had accumulated over the years. Mr Farmer described the fire as a massive shock. “By four or five o’clock it jumped the river and went up the hill . . . and at about quarter to eight, we were fighting it on the other side of my land and then it got out of control,” he said. “All the canopy of the trees were alight and the houses were well alight. The loss of the properties has had a huge impact on the couple, with both houses holding sentimental value and strong family ties. “These properties are special because they are part of the family history,” Mr Farmer said. “One (house) dates back to 1872, and that year was the biggest flood on record and it survived that, but didn’t survive the fire. The wind was too strong. “We lived in one for 16 years. We restored it in the early 80s and moved in when I married my wife.” The Farmers have been collecting antiques for most of their lives, and the loss of their collection has been particularly devastating. “I’ve been collecting since I was a teenager,” Mr Farmer said. Among the items lost were furniture, lamps, and documents dating back more than a century. “A dressing table, a wardrobe and collection of lamps. A chest freezer full of early agricultural journals dating back to the 1890s, all gone,” he said. “There was an overmantel which was built at Marradong. My great-grandmother built it. It was about 20-foot long, all panelled with curly jarrah and a big mirror in the middle and shelves for their spirit bottles. It was all destroyed. “Only the walls are standing and it was full of collectables, including four or five original pieces of colonial furniture.” Mrs Farmer said the fire took them by surprise. “It was disastrous. It really was. I was in total shock,” she said. She said watching their collection burn was heartbreaking, with many pieces impossible to replace. “We’ve been collecting for many years and we’ve lost it all, and you’ll never be able to replace the pieces that we had,” Mrs Farmer said. “So that’s heartbreaking.” Mrs Farmer said the emotional impact would be felt for years to come. “It’s not a good memory you want to remember but you’re always going to think about it on Christmas Day,” she said. “It will be a long road to recovery, and we’ll never be able to recover everything that we’ve lost. There was just too much in there, but we’ll always remember the big pieces.” Despite the devastation, Mr Farmer said he would continue with his hobby. “I’ll still continue to collect. We’ve booked a hotel room for March for the northern swap meet,” he said. “I can’t kick the habit. That’s my life — collecting and farming.”