A Century of Growing Apples

One hundred years since the founding of the Tilse family’s Roma Orchard, a large crowd of 300 people gathered on the bank of Omadale Brook to share the company of friends and family and host a dedication to the founder, Grandfather Albert Collison.

Generations of the Tilse family celebrated a century of life at ‘Roma Orchard’, the family farm, productive orchard, vineyard and picturesque slice of land that is situated on the junction of the Hunter River and Omadale Brook, ten kilometres from Moonan Flat in the Upper Hunter.

As the family celebrated a century of growing apples, they paid tribute to their pioneering ancestors and Tilse family descendants.

Bryan Tilse has worked the orchard for 70 years and wanted to record the history of this small property, so together with the help of his sister Joan Dunlop (nee Tilse) and his daughter-in-law Julie Anne Tilse, a book was compiled.

“The book was designed to be a tribute to the people who have trodden the soil at Roma Orchard and those who have toiled over the 100 years to ensure our family and many others continue to enjoy the fruits of this unique property,” said Joan.

Read more in Edition 80 of Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine.