Members of Donald History Society Inc. mustered in the car park behind the mall at 1.30 p.m. on September 11, and then proceeded in five cars to the outskirts of Lake Batyo Catyo to visit “The Argyles”. 

No, the Argyles are not a family.  They are two dwellings.  The larger one is called “Big Argyle” and was the former home of Peter and Norma Campbell and their five children, who lived there in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. 

The smaller one is close to and directly behind “Big Argyle” and is a small accommodation unit.  It is, of course, known as “Little Argyle”. 

Big Argyle and Little Argyle operate under the “Air B & B” umbrella and are managed by the eldest daughter of the Campbell family, Carol Lamb, and her family. Some years back, Carol returned to her family home, which had been left empty for 16 years, and set about restoring both dwellings to a standard where they could be used for short stay accommodation. 

The History Society visitors drove into the entrance road to Lake Batyo Catyo, where the water glistened through the trees and looked very much as it did in its glory days of being a summer oasis, where countless families from the local area camped, boated, and fished throughout the warmer months. 

The turn off to the Argyles came first, however, and they were cheated of a nostalgic look at the paradise of yesteryear.

The surrounds and gardens at “Argyle” were positively lush, and some serious work has been done to keep everything looking under control. Parking was in the back yard amongst several other outbuildings and then there was a short walk through the archway and into the beautiful garden.  

Here, yet another restored house was in immediate view and this was “Grassy Vale”, the rammed earth house, 28ft x 16ft, built by Alfred Hockley, an original selector.  Hockley and his family left the area in 1893 and Silas Pickford, a Clunes storekeeper, took over the house and property.  Pickford’s daughter, Mary, married another Avon Plains original selector, Colin Campbell, and they made “Grassy Vale” their home. There are several weatherboard extensions and one mudbrick extension attached to and surrounding original “Grassy Vale”, but the old building is not at all spoiled by the extensions and, since its restoration, it is occupied by Carol and her family, so as to leave “The Argyles” for short stay accommodation.

Colin and Mary (nee Pickford) Campbell had eleven daughters and four sons, but only eight daughters and three sons survived. The eight surviving daughters were Sarah Hudson, Amy Coates, May Cunningham, Mary Hodgson, Ethel Cossens, Myrtle Walker, Ivy Thomas and Edith Watkins, and many of their married names show that they were responsible for producing a number of the next generation of Avons Plains, St Arnaud and Donald residents.  

The surviving sons were John, Charles and Lachlan. Carol displayed two beautiful large framed photographs, one showing the whole grown up Campbell family and the other taken at the 50th wedding anniversary of Colin and Mary, in 1928, where Ann Dunstan’s mother, Jean (nee Thomas), was shown on her mother’s knee as a newborn baby.

Lachlan Campbell, the youngest son of Colin and Mary, inherited “Grassy Vale” and raised his family there. Lachlan married May Summerhayes, a sister of John, Christina Young, Ivy, Charles, Perce, Amy Stebbins, Elsie Falconer, and Norman, which connects even more local families in the area to “Grassy Vale”. 

Lachlan’s son Peter married Norma in the 1950s and they moved the larger house, now “Big Argyle”, on to the property from a neighbouring property, leaving “Grassy Vale” for the use of Peter’s parents and unmarried siblings. 

History members made themselves comfortable in folding chairs and soaked up the beautiful afternoon sunshine, whilst a brief meeting was held in the garden. Daryl Lamb then took over as guest speaker and explained the whole concept of Air B & B and how Carol had worked very hard to restore the houses to become part of it. Carol has been operating for two years and has had many people stay.  There is a minimum three-night stay at “Little Argyle”, which can be googled on the Air B & B website. The usual guests are couples, from Melbourne or overseas, who wish to stay in the country for a long weekend and use the self-contained unit as a base to visit the Grampians and other attractions in the area.  

Alice Lamb, daughter of Carol and Daryl, had provided a list of things to be avoided when running a B & B, which Daryl read out to the amusement of the listeners.  Number one was “Look out for scammers”; i.e., the people who stay and don’t pay. 

There were many questions for Carol, and then Harold Flett made a brief speech of thanks and a small presentation to Daryl.  Carol presented each member with a souvenir postcard of “Grassy Vale” and a brochure for “Little Argyle”. Members were then free to explore the surrounds.  All agreed that it was a thoroughly enjoyable outing. 

The October meeting will again be an excursion to see the memorial stones at “Ilfracombe”, at the Coats farm, and another at the Pearse farm, both at Jeffcott.  Members are to assemble at the car park behind the mall at 1 p.m. sharp. 

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 29 September 2023.