Page 19 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - November 12
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DAVID EDER FARM – POSTSCRIPT
The following notes were compiled by Yehuda Erdman from an interview with Bill
Stewart, Farm Manager at the David Eder farm from 1958 to 1971… read on
Many of our chaverim were unaware of his life lived separately at the farm and had lessons
story. Bill was born in 1916 in a small mining given by teachers who also lived with them.
village, Kirk Merrington, in the Durham These youngsters lived in the original farmhouse
coalfields, where his family had lived for of Pot Hill, whereas the Hachshara lived in a
generations. His father was a miner and was large country house with many rooms. If there
determined that Bill would not follow him down was a surplus of people the farm couldn’t
the mines so, after leaving school at 14, he was employ at the Eder Farm, Bill used contacts he
sent away from home to work on a farm. After had in the local community to help them get paid
moving to various farms, he went to an work.
agricultural college run by the Cadbury family in Over the years Bill was in charge, he saw a great
Worcester. During the (Second World) War, Bill improvement in the quality of the farm, which
was in a "reserved occupation" and worked as was essential to give good training. For instance,
Manager’s Assistant in an Approved School for he started with just a few cows but there were 75
Boys in Redhill and this experience laid the at the end; and poultry went up from 200 hens to
foundation for being able to help youngsters 5,000. Later on, a mill was introduced with a silo
later on at the Eder Farm. to store the grain which was used to make “cattle
He became an Estate Manager in Devon and also cubes”, as part of the balanced rations including
taught youngsters at the Devon school of hay and the grass from the farm.
Agriculture at Newton Abbott. By now, Bill was When the Conference centre was built at the
married to Aileen, known as Anne, and with a Eder Farm, Anne was officially employed to run
boy and a girl, Roderick and Margaret he it and this provided an opportunity to teach
succeeded as Farm Manager at the David Eder people from the Hachshara and prepare them for
Farm near Dial Post in Sussex, in January 1958. the experience of the Kibbutz life. After the farm
One of his tasks was to help dispose of other closed down in 1971/72, Anne and Bill kept the
“Mishkei Hachsharah” owned by the Zionist Conference centre going as a dual concern for
Federation of Great Britain, which were no some years. The farm was sold “lock, stock and
longer in use. This included Harrietsham in barrel” including a fully-equipped new work-
Kent, Hurst Grange near Reading, and the very shop.
Orthodox training farm at Thaxted. As an aside, when Rikki Samuel and I visited
The David Eder Farm was previously named Pot Bill a few years after this interview, Rikki
Hill Farm, about 150 acres, and, when Bill took discovered that Bill had been a Freemason all his
over, the farm had “crops, a handful of cattle, adult life and had risen up the Masonic hierarchy
and a handful of poultry.” For general purposes, over the years. Bill was always delighted to hear
Bill thought the youngsters would have to earn from former chaverim at the Eder Farm and,
their own money and the farm business when he received visitors, he would always say
supported itself. However the capital investment “You’ve made my day!” It was my great
was not there at the start. Bill also commented privilege as a youngster to have had him as my
that there was a younger group on the Noar who mentor, and later in life a friend.
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