Ellen G. White: The Australian Years: 1891-1900 (vol. 4)

Sunnyside in Early Summer

Ellen White enjoyed her Sunnyside home, situated on what had now become a tract of sixty acres (she bought more land to help furnish money to the school). “The climate of New South Wales,” she wrote, “is as good as any I have knowledge of, and you know, I have traveled nearly round the inhabited world. We came here to get the benefit of this climate.” She commented, “My health has improved very much lately. During the last two years I have done more writing than I have ever done before in the same period of time. I am now writing largely.”—Letter 128, 1896. She pointed out, no time clock was kept, and when not under the pressure of a crisis, the workers were free to find relaxation and diversions. 4BIO 270.6

On the Sunnyside farm she had four horses and three cows. Three of her women helpers, Sara McEnterfer, May Israel, and Minnie Hawkins, each had a saddle horse. In a letter to Edson she wrote of her workers and their recreation: 4BIO 271.1

The garden is the exercise ground for my workers. Early and late the girls are at work in the garden when they are off duty. It is better for them, and more satisfactory than any exercise they can have. 4BIO 271.2

I could not persuade Marian to ride, could not get her [free] from her writings; but now she has her interest awakened and I have no fears but that she will get out of her chair and work in the garden. This garden of flowers is a great blessing to my girls, and they are working with the tomato raising, planting and caring for the tomatoes.—Letter 162, 1896. 4BIO 271.3

As to the food served in her Sunnyside home, she wrote: 4BIO 271.4

My table is furnished with fruit in its season.... Vegetables, fruit, and bread form our table fare. As we are educating colonials in health principles, we do not under any circumstances place meat on the table. Some of our present company are as pupils in a school, and therefore, precept and example must be harmonious. Each year we put up not less than six or eight hundred quarts of canned fruit. We have peaches, apricots, nectarines, grapes, plums, and tomatoes canned.—Letter 128, 1896.

On Friday morning, December 4, 1896, she discovered a ripe peach in her orchard. She wrote in her diary: 4BIO 271.5

Today I picked the first ripe peach, deep red in color, from my orchard. These peach trees were planted one year ago the last September. We have several nectarine trees, bearing red-cheeked, fine-looking fruit, some of which is nearly ripe. Next year we will have quite an abundance of fruit if the blessing of the Lord rests upon our trees.—Manuscript 44, 1896. 4BIO 271.6

The demonstration at Sunnyside was working well. 4BIO 271.7