"Riverview" is a property that has been continuously habited for a very long time. There are a number of sites where original settlers decided this was the place for a home. The original outlines of these daub and wattle huts can still be seen on the ground and a few stones show where the original chimneys once stood. Colonial huts hewn out of the natural bush stood proudly as the first attempts by colonial settlers to shelter in the District as they attempted to tame the bush and turn it into productive farming land. These sites have not continued as a place for a house but have not been reclaimed by Mother Nature either. The bare silent grounds bear testimony to the fickleness and sometimes futility of those not in sympathy with their surroundings. Above all else, the land continues.
One original house site boasts a story different to the others. This is the site of "Riverview". When the property was firstly made available for farmers to purchase after the breaking up of the control of the squatters it was bought firstly by Mr. William Cooke. He set about wrestling a farm out of the native bush and erected a home. In 1912 the Clements family bought the property from Mr Cooke. Mr and Mrs Benjamin and Henrietta Clements together with their large family moved into the Hut near Stoney Creek but did not live in the house erected by Mr Cooke. In approximately 1914 the property was sold by Benjamin and Henrietta Clements to their son Mr Patrick Stanley Clements. Upon his marriage to Miss Julia Carroll they decided that they would move to the site first settled by Mr Cooke. The dwelling was a reasonably substantial weatherboard cottage consisting of four rooms, two bedrooms, front parlour and lounge room. A detached kitchen nearby was joined by an enclosed verandah.
The original cottage was extensively renovated at that time. The original front parlour and bedroom were retained whilst the second bedroom and lounge room were demolished and replaced by much larger two bedrooms and a large spacious lounge room. The original kitchen was retained and a wash house, pantry, bathroom and internal toilet were built. A very substantial renovation in 1914.
In 1990 further renovations took place at "Riverview". The house was substantially extended with a much larger lounge room and a further two bedrooms added. The original front parlour and bed room are still in existence but are now in the middle of the house, not the front of it. A wide verandah completely encases the Homestead today. Many of the furniture and fitments are original and were bought by the Clements Family almost one hundred years ago. Whilst the original house built all those years ago by Mr Cooke has been twice extensively renovated and enlarged it is still possible to visualise his home amongst the English trees which he and his family planted. A massive elm tree growing near the house was reportedly planted by Mr Cooke's daughter.
St. Patrick's Church, Rothesay at Riverview
Stroll around the Riverview gardens and be pleasantly surprised. There in the garden you will find a most beautiful Gothic styled Church. What a magnificent yet simple building. The Church was built in 1872 at Violet Town and was the original Roman Catholic Church in that District. Run your hands over the weatherboards. Imagine the hard working men that toiled to cut the weatherboards to clad the Church from the giant logs that would have been hauled there by tired and weary bullocks or horses. The marks made by the saws are still visible today. What a jewel in simplicity. What frenetic activity of the workers as they built something to be suitably impressive to have Mass celebrated in but also something to showcase their civic pride in the growing civility of their town. St. Patrick's Church is a marvel in architecture. The beautiful Gothic arched doors and windows illustrate the true craftsmanship of the builders. The pine lined ceilings and walls are amazingly practical and painted in soft reflective colours. All the fitments and Church furniture in St. Patrick's are original creating an historic timelessness and ambience.
Dairy
Riverview was farmed as a dairy farm from its earliest beginnings. In the early days when the Clements arrived they milked Shorthorn, Jersey and Fresian cows. In the 1920s and 1930s one hundred and twenty dairy cows were being milked, by hand, twice daily. The sheer amount of work was enormous. Cows had to be milked, calves fed, pigs fed, horses worked and the normal farming duties were done, every day, without fail. What an unchanging but also unceasing lifestyle. Due to this workload it was decided to build a brand new dairy. The dairy was built in 1937 and was the most modern dairy in the District. It consisted of six aside cow bails with a wide air flow passage with a modern wash room, separator room, engine room, utility room and feed room. A large concreted yard ensued the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness were maintained. The dairying at Riverview continued until the early 1950s.
What an important and historic building. The original dairy has never been renovated. All the original features are still in tact. The beautiful workmanship of the wooden cow bails, worn smooth by countless bovine necks rubbing the wood as they munched contentedly on chaff whilst giving their milk. The weatherboards aging under the summer glare and winter chill. The original engines standing like sentries waiting to be woken out of their reverie. Here is a dairy where time has stood still. No longer the example of leading contemporary cutting edge dairy technology it now graciously shows forth its history. It shows us and teaches us and gives a little insight into what life was like all those years ago. Its peacefulness and tranquillity belie a scene of frenetic bovine activity last century in its hey day. It is proposed to showcase this beautiful dairy with a herd of Ayrshire milk maidens and to show how milking was done, last century.