Kerry Pietsch discovered his love of restoring machinery at the age of 17, and more than six decades later his hard work is on full display.
When he came across his first tractor wreck, which was submerged in a dam, he pulled it out and restored it with his father.
Now at the age of 77, Mr Pietsch spends his days restoring old headers and harvesters at his home in Pleasant Hills, north of Albury, in southern NSW.
“I just love fixing old stuff up and getting it going,” Mr Pietsch said.
“[They’ve] all got different characters. I’ve got to think how to start machines that I haven’t been on for a long time because every one’s different.”
Crowds watched on as Mr Pietsch’s 26 vintage machines harvested wheat. (ABC Riverina: Emily Doak )
Over the decades Mr Pietsch has restored and kept 30 pieces of machinery as part of his collection.
Twenty-six of his tractor-drawn vintage headers were on display, harvesting 15 hectares of heritage wheat at the Warrangong Harvest Day in Pleasant Hills on Saturday.
Mr Pietsch said the reason behind the event was to show the younger generation what the agriculture industry was like decades ago.
“It’s good for young people to see where the big headers today started 100 years ago,” he said.
“It shows people where harvesting started.”
A restored machine built by Melbourne’s Sunshine Harvester Works. (ABC Riverina: Emily Doak)
The transformation of harvest technology
Andrew Finlay is an Albury farmer and wanted to see the vintage machines in action.
“In today’s practices, we moved on and we’ve got more modern machinery; I think probably we have moved forward a long way in a fairly short time,” Mr Finlay said.
“It is very interesting to see this historical machinery.”
Mr Finlay was in the crowd at the Warrangong Vintage Harvest Day. (ABC Riverina: Emily Doak )
Catherine Cherry attended the event with her husband, who restores machinery at their property in Jindera.
She said the old harvesters and headers reminded her of her grandparents.
“The oncoming generation is not going to have the opportunities that we had and that we see and the history,” Ms Cherry said.
Mr Pietsch and his team began planning the event 12 months ago, with more than 1,000 tickets sold.
Mr Pietsch held a similar event 10 years ago, but this one will be his last.
Making his own parts
The 26 machines on display date from 1902 to 1987.
Lloyd Slocum and Bryson Terlick helped Mr Pietsch (R) organise the vintage harvest event. (ABC Riverina: Emily Doak )
The retired farmer said one header took him 12 months to restore, and was a “heap of rubbish” when he bought it.
“To get an old machine, bring it home, fix it all up and give it a run and see how it all works, it’s just fantastic,” he said.
Most of his old headers were originally horse drawn and have been converted to tractor pull.
Due to the age of the machines, Mr Pietsch makes his own parts.
“My Dad used to be a terrific blacksmith, so it’s rubbed on to me a bit,” he said.
One of the vintage machines on display at the Warrangong Harvest Day. (Supplied: Tim Malone)
