Strathfield Municipality

When former Mayor, Alderman John Robert Firth wrote in 1945 ‘I earnestly submit that Strathfield should not be asked or compelled to risk the lowering of the high standards it has set and maintained’[1] he was referring to threats that Strathfield would be forcibly amalgamated or taken over by another Council in the NSW Government’s Greater Sydney Plan. Similar sentiments have been repeated many times in the last six decades by Strathfield residents and elected representatives in the fight to maintain the independence of Strathfield Council. In 2003, bordering Councils Auburn and Bankstown have submitted plans to the State Government to claim areas of Strathfield Municipality, which is being strongly resisted by the Council and local community. In the fight to keep Strathfield independent, many requests for information and support from the Strathfield District Historical Society have been received, therefore this article is dedicated to providing information relevant to this issue.

The NSW 1867 Municipalities Act permitted the formation of local government. In September 1884, a group of mainly Redmyre residents lodged a petition to establish a Municipality with the NSW Government, including the suburbs of Redmyre, Homebush and Druitt Town [Strathfield South]. The petition contained 77 signatures, many very prominent merchants with considerable political connections in State Government[2]. Counter petitions were lodged mainly by residents in Homebush and Druitt Town fearing the dominance of the well connected Redmyre residents, however the incorporation proceeded and the new Municipality of Strathfield was proclaimed by the Governor of NSW, Sir Augustus Loftus on 2nd June 1885[3]. The name Strathfield was selected for the new Municipality, presumably to forge a new Municipal identity given the previous opposition of residents in Homebush and Druitt Town. Strathfield was named after local resident and jeweller John Hardy’s home ‘Strathfield’.

Strathfield Council, established by resolve of locals residents, has maintained high standards in a Municipality well known for its’ educational facilities, heritage, environment and transport over the last 120 years. Residential development primarily commenced in the late 19^th century, by wealthy professional men, who saw Strathfield as desirable and healthy place to live away from overcrowded city conditions. Sir Phillip Sydney Jones, an eminent physician, knighted for his work in tuberculosis settled in Strathfield c.1878 at ‘Llandilo’ [now Trinity Grammar]. Jones’ eminence as a physician and Vice-Chancellor of University of Sydney, conferred the emerging suburb with considerable status and soon, other high profile professional men established residences in Strathfield such as Washington H Soul, Sir Samuel Hordern, NSW Railway Commissioners Donald Vernon, David Kirkcaldie and William Fehon, tobacco merchants George Todman and Wilheim von der Heyde, biscuit manufacturer William Arnott & family, brewer James Toohey, ‘Billy Tea’ merchant James Inglis and many more. Strathfield has also been home to many politicians including Prime Ministers William Morris Hughes, Sir George Reid and Frank Forde, NSW Premier James McGirr, High Court Judge Edward McTiernan and many Members of the Federal and State Parliaments. There are many other prominent past and current residents, which space does not permit listing, however Strathfield’s reputation as a desirable place to live has been enhanced by its’ many prominent residents, many of whom have had active involvements in local council, schools, churches, charities and a wide range of community and recreational activities.

There is a tendency to characterise Strathfield simply as ‘wealthy suburb’ with ‘big houses’ and property terms like the famous ‘Golden Mile’ tend to obscure the fact that Strathfield Municipality is sum of many parts. Many suburbs of Strathfield Municipality developed as working class areas, usually around places of employment such as the Enfield Marshalling Yards, Homebush Stockyards, Arnott’s Biscuit factory at Homebush and so on. In the post-war period, a substantial amount of War Service Homes and Department of Housing homes were built in Strathfield Municipality, particularly in Greenacre, Belfield and Strathfield South, many still in existence today. In fact, a precinct of Strathfield South surrounding Edwards Park [High St Library] was a post-war project initiated by the NSW Government to alleviate the housing shortage.

Decisions, policies and actions of Strathfield Council are guided by the values and views of the local community. These values are strongly articulated in policies governing building and development objectives, parks and recreation, community services, environmental and health services, tree preservation and heritage protection. Building and planning codes vary considerably between Councils, as they are developed taking into account the view and characteristics of the local area and its’ population. Initiatives such as introduction of rainwater tanks and the use of renewable energy in common areas in multi-unit housing have made Strathfield a leading Council in environmental planning. Strathfield Council also has policies to supporting heritage such as the provision of a heritage fund to assist property owners in maintaining important historical properties since Strathfield Municipality has a large number of heritage listed properties.

In 1920, Strathfield Council declared the majority of Strathfield a residential area, severely limiting shops, factories and flats. The original Strathfield Council did not permit the building of cinemas and hotels also and locals had to go to bordering Municipalities such as Homebush and Enfield for a drink and a movie, until the 1940’s when these Councils amalgamated with Strathfield. After the 1920 residential proclamation, Strathfield Council introduced building codes designed to improve the standard and consistency of housing in Strathfield. Some of the codes included subdivision patterns of five blocks per acre and minimum fifty foot frontages, which has resulted in properties in Strathfield having comparatively large residential blocks. Council imposed prescriptive building setbacks, minimum nine feet ceiling heights, rooms requiring minimum 100 feet of space and also resolved that all buildings must be built with brick, stone or concrete and eliminated timber based homes due to fire risks and difficulties in maintaining a painted appearance. It should be noted that properties located in the former Homebush and Enfield Council areas can vary as these areas did not come under control of Strathfield Council until the late 1940’s.

Homebush West [Flemington], added to Strathfield in 1892, was characterised by timber cottages, but most were built prior to the 1920 residential proclamation. Another result of the 1920 residential proclamation was the absence of corner shops in Strathfield. The only corner shop in Strathfield was built in High St prior to 1920. The Cave Road shopping centre was built in 1960 with the redevelopment of the former Northcote Private Golf Club. The former Enfield and Homebush Council’s permitted corner shops and some still exist today in Birriwa St Belfield, Pomeroy St Homebush and Dean St Strathfield South.

Strathfield Council has always been concerned with controlling infectious disease and the promotion of healthy practices particularly demonstrated in their building controls. The inspector of nuisances [health inspector] was appointed in 1886, the first member of staff appointed by Strathfield Council after the Town Clerk. It is difficult to envisage today, the dangerous threat to the residential population of infectious disease as it is many decades since Sydney was inflicted with killer illnesses such as scarlet fever, tuberculosis or influenza. Many Strathfield residents have died from infectious disease such as the influenza outbreak in 1918-19. However, Strathfield Council regularly reported that the Council’s statistics were lower than the Metropolitan average due to their insistence on ‘healthy’ building standards promoting air circulation, ventilation, access to sunlight and outdoor space. Traditionally building was governed by the Health Inspector at Council. Other areas in which Strathfield Council was a forerunner in promoting health was the establishment of a Baby Health Clinic in the 1940’s. The Council has since established a range child care and family care facilities in Strathfield.

Strathfield was one of only eight Councils in Sydney to establish public library services by 1947[4]. Not only as Strathfield is home to eighteen schools, but education and information services are highly valued by our community shown by the large patronage rates at our Libraries. Strathfield Council was one of the first Council’s to adopt the Public Libraries Act and convened a conference with other adjoining Councils to establish a Free Public Library as a joint venture. As no other Council would co-operate, Strathfield Council established a free library Service in 1947 on Parramatta Rd and over time, built Libraries at High St [1956] and Rochester St [1976]. This process continues in 2003, with the impending opening of the new ‘state-of-the-art’ Library building at Homebush incorporating the newest technology.

For a Municipality known for its’ extensive open spaces, it is difficult to imagine that prior to 1914 and the dedication of Strathfield Park, Strathfield Municipality did not have any public parks. However, Strathfield currently has sixty parks and reserves and more currently under development. The acquisition of public land for open space and recreation has been a continuing policy of Strathfield Council for nearly a century. During the rapid subdivision of Strathfield during the 1920’s and 1930’s and the reduction of private open space as large estates were subdivided, Council either purchased land or demanded subdividers dedicate parks on sites considered unsuitable for building. Many of the latter became neighbourhood parks such as Wallis Reserve, Thew Reserve and Boden Reserve. Unlike many suburbs, most of these neighbourhood parks are relatively large and permit a range of recreational activities. Strathfield was one of the first Councils in NSW to establish a Gardener’s Department, later the Parks Department. William Freshwater, the head gardener, served Strathfield Council from 1887 to 1929 and is remembered in the naming of Freshwater Park.

In the late 1880’s, Strathfield Council commenced street tree-planting programs, which still continue today. The street trees of Strathfield provide a unifying streetscape element, despite the changes in housing styles. The layout of Strathfield’s roads including wide nature strips and sealed kerbs are reasonably unique and many streets of Strathfield are typified by the ‘green belt’ combination of nature strips and street trees. As street trees often obscured overhead street lighting, Strathfield Council introduced street lamps which were installed on nature strips throughout Strathfield. Unfortunately, the Sydney County Council later refused to maintain the lamps as they were non-standard and they were removed to the sorrow of many long-term residents. Some residents rescued the lamps and installed them in their front yards for example, there are a few in Barker Rd. Strathfield Council has always dedicated substantial resources to its’ road programs, with most streets observing widths of least sixty-six feet. In 1911 Strathfield Council prohibited the building of ‘cul-de-sacs’ as there were concerns that as large estates were subdivided, Strathfield would have a network of roads that didn’t connect and access would be compromised. There are some later ‘cul-de-sacs’ such as Boyce Avenue, but Strathfield is largely built on a grid-style road plan.

The characteristics that make Strathfield unique did not occur by accident, they exist because plans were implemented by Strathfield Council to develop a high standard of living for the local community. Strathfield is a relatively small Municipality but unlike larger Councils, the residents of Strathfield can be part of the decision making process of the Council. In an increasingly impersonal world, where transactions are automated and phone calls are answered by machines, local government maintains a human face. As Alderman Frank Zions stated in 1973:

The social alienation Alderman Zions saw in 1973 has become a significant problem in modern Australian society and regularly addressed in social commentaries. Accessibility is critical to active community participation, which is more possible in a smaller Council. Community activity requires Council support as the Council is responsible for much of the infrastructure needed for community participation such as libraries, parks, sporting fields, community centres, bowling clubs, tennis centres, golf courses and child care facilities. Many community based organisations including Meals on Wheels, Senior Citizens, Rotary, Friends of Strathfield Library, Scouts and Guides, Church based activities, Salvation Army and the Strathfield Emergency Services [SES] work, often in voluntary capacity, supporting the people of Strathfield Municipality.

Any change to our current Council structure must be a change for the better and provide opportunities and services, which can not be delivered by the current Council, but residents fear that the community values of Strathfield would be lost in this process. Zions [1973] stated ‘What would be gained if Strathfield [an efficient and progressive Council] lost its’ identity? Most people would reply – absolutely nothing, and they would be right. On the contrary, Strathfield would stand to lose a great deal’. In 2003, it is not difficult to see what Strathfield can offer other areas, but it is impossible to think of any benefit for Strathfield in takeover bids by Bankstown and Auburn Councils, which is the stated view of most residents and the elected Council. As Alderman John Robert Firth, former Mayor of Strathfield wrote in 1945:

Boyce, W & Manwaring K, Special Submissions to the Committee of Inquiry into Local Government Areas and Administration, 1973

Firth, John Robert ‘Royal Commission of Inquiry into the question of Boundaries of the Local Government area in the County of Cumberland’, 1945.

Supplements to the NSW Government Gazettes 25 September 1884, 11 February 1885 & 2 June 1885

Zions, Frank ‘Oral Submission by Alderman Frank Zions, Deputy Mayor’ September 1973 in Special Submissions to the Committee of Inquiry into Local Government Areas and Administration, 1973

Footnotes

[1] John Robert Firth, ‘Statement to Royal Commission of Inquiry into the question of Boundaries of the Local Government area in the County of Cumberland’, 1945

[2] Jones, ‘Oasis in the West’ 1985

[3] Supplements to the NSW Government Gazettes 25 September 1884, 11 February 1885 & 2 June 1885

[4] Spearitt, ‘Sydney’s Century’, 2000

[5] Zions, 1973