WA author Keith Devenish launches book celebrating Pingrup’s centenary

A new book detailing the history of the farming town of Pingrup has been released a year after the small Great Southern community celebrated its centenary. Penned by former resident Keith Devenish, it explores the first 100 years of the town famous for its horse races, painted grain silos and wheat and cereal crops. Mr Devenish said he was inspired by his family ties to the community about 200km north-east of Albany. After moving to Pingrup in 1966, he initially worked on his father’s farm, before setting up a fuel agency and other local businesses. “We actually come from Cunderdin. My grandfather started a farm there in 1925 after he came home from the first World War. So, I do have farming in my blood,” Mr Devenish said. Mr Devenish married local girl Judith Reid, whose grandfather Lance Reid was Pingrup’s first mailman, delivering the paper by horse and cart from Katanning in 1921. The 330-page book — titled Centenary Of Pingrup 1923-2023 — is a collection of the town’s early history including its first schools, shops, sports clubs and district hall. When the first settlers arrived in 1912 there was nothing in the area but bush tracks and pink lakes, until a railway line was built in 1923, 100km east of Katanning. A town soon followed which is now home to about 230 people. “Perhaps the most fascinating part of this book is the way the early pioneer stories frequently link together with names that I heard about while living there for over 20 years,” Mr Devenish said. “Pingrup had three main settlement periods and about 50 pioneer family stories, with some dating back more than 100 years, are included in the book.” Centenary of Pingrup was published by the Pingrup Community Resource Centre, which is selling copies for $80, after launch events in Albany and Pingrup at the weekend. About 600 people attended Pingrup’s centenary celebrations last October.