The south-west New South Wales town of Wentworth is celebrating the ingenuity of a revolutionary tractor 70 years on from a flood that almost wiped it out.
The Ferguson TEA20 tractor, affectionately known as the “little grey”, reshaped farming in many Australian communities in the 1940s and 1950s.
Ferguson tractors played an integral role in saving the town of Wentworth from flooding in 1956. (ABC News: Sarah Buchecker)
Small and lightweight, the little grey Fergie had a three-point rear linkage system, allowing farmers to place a variety of implements on the back.
Among the accessories was an earth scoop which could be lifted, tilted and dumped using the tractor’s hydraulic system.
It was the system that would prove crucial in saving a town rapidly taking on water.
Sunraysia’s most severe flood
Wentworth was once considered a potential location for Australia’s capital.
It was where the Murray River peaked at 9.75 metres in 1956 during the second-largest flood in Australia’s history.
Farmers were encouraged by authorities to abandon the area, but they had an ace up their sleeve.
Ferguson TEA20 tractors had an innovative rear linkage system. (ABC News: Sarah Buchecker)
Wentworth became a town fortified by the resolve of residents who refused to let it be swallowed by the rising Murray and Darling rivers.
An army of little grey tractors sprung into action, quickly establishing clay levee banks to fight back against the unprecedented water levels.
Climbing, scooping and shifting the earth, the tractors were used around the clock to patch and strengthen the town-saving infrastructure.
Crowds marvel at the tractors that are still in working order. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)
Wentworth was ultimately saved from inundation, and the TEA20 Ferguson tractor earned its place in local folklore.
A memorial cairn stands proudly on the corner of the town’s Adelaide and Adams streets, in tribute to the rallying cry “by God and by Fergie, we beat the flood”.
Cause for celebration
Wentworth residents wanted to make history while marking 70 years since the victory.
During the town’s flood rally on the 2026 King’s Birthday weekend, it set a record for the largest gathering of little grey Fergies.
All things Ferguson tractor were celebrated at the Wentworth Flood Rally. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)
Owners brought 110 vintage tractors to town from across the district and beyond, with one model coming all the way from Hervey Bay in Queensland.
Australian Book of Records co-founder Helen Taylor said by setting the record, Wentworth continued to turn what could have been a negative into a positive.
“When they reflect on what could have been had the little Fergies not been able to be there to save the day, then it would have been a different story,” Ms Taylor said.
Helen Taylor (right) hands Peter Crisp and Hannah Gebert a certificate recognising the most Ferguson TEA20 tractors gathered in one place. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)
A beer, please
One of the enduring legacies from the 1956 flood efforts was when Coomealla farmer Ken Erskine rode his tractor to the front bar of Royal Hotel to collect a beer once the town was saved.
He refused to walk in and insisted on driving, and the licensee obliged and swung open the front doors.
Renmark resident Ron Kohler got to recreate the act on his 1950s tractor, which he had been restoring since February.
Leta Kohler and her husband, Ron, got to recreate driving a tractor into Wentworth’s Royal Hotel. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)
“It’s been an honour to have the little tractor included in this commemoration,” Mr Kohler said.
“I’ve never driven a tractor into a pub before.”
Mr Erskine’s daughter, Pat McDermott, said she thought about that story whenever she came into town, and seeing a gathering of 110 Fergies 70 years later gave her a rush of good memories.
Pat McDermott’s father famously drove a tractor into the Royal Hotel in Wentworth. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)
“It’s rewarding and I find it very emotional,” Ms McDermott said.
“It was a big part of my life and everyone in this district would be very proud of what those men on their little Fergies did.”
