Mitchell Mower

Two horses would have pulled this mower and the farmer, from his seat on the mower, would have controlled the horses and the height of the cutting arm. The cutting mechanism, powered from the wheels of the mower, was a sickle bar mower which had serrated triangular knives which cut the stalks against stationary fingers and cut a 3 foot 6 inch swathe. The metal guard attached to the end of the mowing shaft forced the cut crop into windrows ready for pickup by people or a binder.

In 1829 Elijah Dawson sailed on the Warrior, with the Molloys, to Australia and accompanied the Molloys when they decided to settle in Augusta. In 1834 Dawson left Augusta with the Bussells when they travelled to The Vasse. In 1846, after being The Vasse Police Constable for many years, Dawson purchased land, near what is now called Vasse, which he called Westbrook. He built the Westbrook Homestead between 1863 and 1866 and the Dawson family farmed there until 1906 when Westbrook passed to William Taylor, the grandson of Elijah Dawson Snr. Dawson mainly grew potatoes and white English oats, raised horses and kept a herd of up to 60 cattle that were used for meat and dairy.