At long last, Little Darwin is convinced that it has struck gold , due to the discovery in a metal storage cupboard of a forgotten rare collection of ye olde pieces of tin used to stencil names on bales of wool and a variety of South Australian agricultural bagged produce.
Marrabel ,100kms north-west of Adelaide, situated beside the Light River , in the Mid North , in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council local government area , had a population of 101 in 2012.
Development of the area in the l840s involved the London based Secondary Towns Association , some early investors going broke. The fertile land saw the establishment of several farms.
A landholder, John E. Marrabel , laid out a town plan , named after him . By 1865 it comprised a hotel, several churches , a school , two general stores, blacksmiths , a post office and a steam flour mill .
Marrabel was along one of two routes to the Burra copper mines used by bullock teamsters carting ore to Kapunda .
The 10 pieces of stencil tin include ones for feed oats, cracked peas ,feed wheat, rolled oats , rolled barley , cracked lupins and cracked maize .
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| Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care ... |
Marrabel's history states the handling of horses and livestock featured in the township and district . In l935 it started an annual rodeo ,one of "the most notable " taking place in l953 when buckjumper Alan Woods successfully rode a notoriously difficult horse named Curio to a standstill .
For eight years no rider had been able to stay on for mor than three seconds.
The ride became so legendary that a life-size statue of horse and rider, by sculptor Ben van Zetten , was commissioned to commemorate the event, and installed in 1991 . It now stands in the main street.
