Lake Macquarie History

Read's dairy farm, Teralba

On the 9th November, 1931, World War 1 veteran Percy Read and his wife Florence purchased the house and dairy farm on Quarry Road Teralba.The property stretched from Quarry Road to Victoria Street.There were some forty cows in the herd at this time, which were milked twice daily, with deliveries being made to Teralba, Booragul and Marmong Point.

photo: read's dairy delivery cart

Additional grazing land was leased from the Stockton Borehole Colliery. A branding iron, still in possession of the family, was made by the colliery blacksmith.

Deliveries were made by horse and cart, and later on vans were purchased. Milking machines and a cold room were aquired over the years.

Percy and Florence had three sons Alan, Clive and Max who all worked for the dairy at varying stages, mainly delivering milk. Alan served with the airforce during World War 2, and later established the Westlakes Advertiser newspaper.

A few years after the end of the second world war Percy sold the dairy, though remained living at the house. Percy spent the rest of his working life delivering milk for the Dairy Farmers Cooperative Company.

In 2004 a new street was gazetted for Teralba. Read Place is named after Percy and Florence Read and their dairy.

Reference

Information supplied by Clive Read

Acknowledgement of Country

We remember and respect the Ancestors who cared for and nurtured this Country. It is in their footsteps that we travel these lands and waters. Lake Macquarie City Council acknowledges the Awabakal people and Elders past, present and future.

Council acknowledges traditional custodians throughout Australia. We commit to listening deeply to and collaborating with First Peoples in our work.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website and Council's cultural collections may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.

This website may contain place names, opinions and terms that reflect authors' views or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded. These may not be considered appropriate today.

If you experience any issues with the website or its content please contact us [email protected]