After being in his family for four generations and 110 years, Yallum Park owner Andy Clifford had plenty of stories to share with members of the Millicent-based South East Family History Group at its February monthly meeting.

He was given 48 hours’ notice to prepare a talk after the scheduled guest speaker could not attend.

Mr Clifford dipped into the ample archives of the outstanding mansion which was built near Penola in 1881 by pioneering grazier, vigneron and MP John Riddoch.

“We Cliffords do not throw too much away,” Mr Clifford wryly observed.

The focus of his talk was a display of photographs, programs and other material relating to the Royal visit to Canberra in 1927 where the then Duke of York (later King George the Sixth) opened Parliament House.

His late Clifford grandparents were invited to this regal occasion and they captured key elements on film of their 4200km round trip via their near-new Minerva car.

They kept the road maps which took them across three states.

The display also featured postcards, stamps and coins relating to the event.

“Back in 2001, my father Glen Clifford lent these photographs to Parliament House and they made copies for their collection,” Mr Clifford said.

“My father was 10 when his parents went on that trip to Canberra.

“He boarded for a month in Millicent with his Uncle Fred Clifford and came here where the SEFHG is now based.”

He was happy to take questions from the floor about other aspects of Yallum Park.

It is still a working farm but Mr Clifford and his wife Annie are able to open it for inspection if adequate notice is given.

His late mother was a keen tour leader and would only charge 50 cents per head for a tour.

The Yallum Park archives were recently boosted by the donation by a descendant of various tally books belonging to former manager I.T. Williams.

At various times under Riddoch ownership, up to 84,000 sheep were shorn at Yallum Park each year while up to 110 imperial tons of wool was produced.

It is the opinion of the family that a former Yallum Park butler long ago “liked a drink” as a stash of old empty bottles was found under the floorboards of the billiard room.

The most significant carried the label of the first Coonawarra Cellars vintage and Mr Clifford intends to donate it to Wynns which nowadays owns the distinctive Riddoch-built, triple-gabled property.

Mr Clifford revealed that one of the treasured furnishings at Yallum Park may have been incorrectly attributed.

It had been long thought that some of the exquisite wallpapers were associated with famed English arts and crafts designer William Morris.

Mr Clifford said his mother had been told this but subsequent expert analysis had yet to prove this connection.

Nevertheless, Mr Clifford is still hopeful that some Yallum Park patterns may eventually be found to have come from the Morris designs.

The next gathering of the SEFHG will be its annual general meeting on March 23.