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Municipality of Darlington

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Municipality of Darlington
New South Wales
Established16 August 1864
Abolished31 December 1948
LGAs around Municipality of Darlington:
Sydney
Camperdown Municipality of Darlington Redfern
Newtown Redfern

The Municipality of Darlington was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed in 1864 and, with an area of 0.2 square kilometres, was the smallest municipal council in Sydney. It included the entire suburb of Darlington, excepting a small block between Golden Grove and Forbes streets, which was administered by the Municipality of Redfern in Golden Grove Ward.

Council history

In 1842 Cleveland Street, Sydney was gazetted as the boundary road for the Sydney Municipality and by 1864 residents south of the street had petitioned to become part of the Sydney Council area.[1] When their request was rejected, 104 residents of the Darlington area submitted a further petition to the Governor, Sir John Young, which asked for the establishment of a new municipality south of Cleveland Street. The Governor declared the establishment of the Municipality on 16 August 1864, which was published in the NSW Government Gazette.[2][3] The first meeting of the electors occurred on 16 September 1864, with Charles Muzio Deane elected as the first Chairman and A. Loveridge, T. Shepherd, Robert Maze, John Williams and Frederick Williams as Aldermen. George Pile became the first Town Clerk.[4] Under the enactment of The Municipalities Act of 1867, the title of 'Chairman' for the council was changed to be 'Mayor'.

The municipality was characterised by stable councils, which was often in direct contrast to its neighbours: Redfern was often divided, especially over choosing a mayor, and Camperdown Council had declared insolvency and was absorbed into Sydney council in 1908. Darlington had many long-serving mayors and aldermen, such as Alderman William Graham, who served on the council from 1887 to 1933, a record total of 46 years service which included four terms as mayor.[5][6][1] The boundaries of Darlington Council were expanded due to a transfer with Camperdown in 1906, bringing the boundary of the council up to Newtown Road. Further minor boundary transfers were made with Redfern in 1920 and Sydney in 1931.[2]

By the end of the Second World War, the NSW Government had realised that its ideas of infrastructure expansion could not be realised by the present system of the mostly-poor inner-city municipal councils and the Minister for Local Government, Joseph Cahill, pushed through a bill in 1948 that abolished a significant number of those councils. Darlington was abolished and amalgamated with the City of Sydney following the enactment of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, which came into effect from 1 January 1949. The former council area subsequently became part of the South Sydney Municipality from 1968 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992.

Mayors

Years Chairman
1864–1867 Charles Muzio Deane[7]
Years Mayors
1868–1869 Charles Muzio Deane
1869–1876 Robert Maze
1876–1879 Henry Hargreaves
1879–1881 William Elvy
1881–1884 Nicholas Hawken
1884–1885 T. Warren
1885–1886 Freeman Pepper
1886–1887 William Crispin[8]
1887–1888 James Henry Beale[9]
1888–1890 William Crispin
1890–1901 James Spring[10][11]
1901–1903 Samuel Partridge Hudson Cover[12]
1903–1904 William Best[13]
1904–1908 James Spring[14]
1908–1910 Henry Neatby Vaughan
1910–1911 William Graham
1911–1912 Arthur Selwyn Elvy[15]
1912–1913 William Deputron[16]
1913–1915 William Graham
1915–1916 William Best
1916–1920 Arthur Selwyn Elvy[17]
1920–1921 James Pope Melville[18]
1921–1922 Michael Madigan[19]
1922–1925 Arthur Selwyn Elvy[20]
1925–1926 William Graham
1926–1929 James Pope Melville[21]
1929–1930 Arthur Selwyn Elvy[22]
1930–1931 James Pope Melville
1931–1943 Arthur Selwyn Elvy[23]
1943–1944 Albert Edward Elvy[24]
1944–1946 ????
1946–1948 Morris Perkins[25]

Town Hall

Darlington Town Hall, 16 July 1931.

The council first met in Harris' School in Rose Street, Darlington, before moving to other premises on the same street, which were occupied until 1 August 1878, when it was decided to build a Town Hall on a site on Darlington Road. This site, with the Darlington Public School situated next door, was first used from 2 January 1879.[4][1] With the sacrifice of many Darlington residents in the First World War, the council commissioned a Roll of Honour for the Town Hall, which was unveiled by Mayor A. S. Elvy on 16 March 1918.[26]

A Memorial Tablet commemorating the former Darlington resident and Victoria Cross recipient, Captain Alfred Shout, was made by Anthony Hordern and unveiled on 20 November 1915 by the Governor General Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson at the Town Hall.[27][28] With the completion of a new facade for the Town Hall, the tablet was inset into the front of the building completed in 1925. It is now displayed at Victoria Barracks Museum, Paddington.[29] The Town Hall was expanded in 1925 and included the erection of a social hall.

The Town Hall was acquired by the University of Sydney in 1961 as part of its significant expansion to the south, which included a large part of Darlington.[1] The Hall continued to operate as a social hall and venue until its closure in 1972 and was demolished in 1975 along with 650 houses and other Darlington buildings in controversial expansions undertaken by the university that reduced the population of the suburb by 2,000.[30][31]

See also

  • Nicholas Hawken, Darlington Alderman for 15 years, Mayor (1881-1883), Member of Parliament for Newtown (1887–1891), MLC (1899–1908).[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fitzgerald, Shirley (2008). "Darlington". Dictionary of Sydney. City of Sydney. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Darlington Municipality". State Records Archives Investigator. NSW State Records. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ^ "THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 17 August 1864. p. 5. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  4. ^ a b "THE CITY'S GROWTH". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  5. ^ "VETERAN ALDERMAN". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 12 February 1927. p. 16. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  6. ^ "VETERAN ALDERMAN". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 22 May 1933. p. 13. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  7. ^ "LATE MR. C. M. DEANE". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 17 July 1915. p. 10. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Mr. W. Crispin". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. NSW: National Library of Australia. 27 July 1889. p. 193. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  9. ^ "MR. J. H. BEALE". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 29 October 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  10. ^ "DARLINGTON MUNICIPAL ELECTION". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 30 September 1901. p. 9. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  11. ^ "OBITUARY". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 December 1925. p. 11. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. ^ "MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 13 February 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  13. ^ "MR. W. BEST". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 21 February 1933. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  14. ^ "PERSONAL". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 11 February 1904. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  15. ^ "NEW MAYORS". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  16. ^ "MAYORS ELECTED". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 13 February 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  17. ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 10 February 1916. p. 12. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  18. ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 12 February 1920. p. 9. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  19. ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 22 December 1920. p. 13. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  20. ^ "DARLINGTON'S MAYOR". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 22 December 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  21. ^ "MAYORS ELECTED". Evening News. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 14 December 1927. p. 20. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  22. ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 9 December 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  23. ^ "MAYOR 15 TIMES". Truth. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 19 January 1936. p. 13. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  24. ^ "MAYORS ELECTED". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1943. p. 9. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  25. ^ "CIVIC HONOR FOR FINE COMMUNAL WORKER". The Hebrew Standard of Australasia. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 10 January 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  26. ^ "H17823". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  27. ^ "MEMORIAL TABLET". The Sunday Times. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 21 November 1915. p. 9. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  28. ^ "H17824". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  29. ^ Matthew Higgins, 'Shout, Alfred John (1881–1915)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/shout-alfred-john-8424/text14803, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 4 February 2016.
  30. ^ "31893 - Town Hall, Darlington (01/01/1925 to 31/12/1972)". NSW State Records. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  31. ^ Kerr, Rosemary. "3.10 University Extension into Darlington -" (PDF). University of Sydney Overview History. University of Sydney. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  32. ^ "Mr Nicholas Hawken (1836 - 1908)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. 2008.

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