Bankstown

This article is about the suburb. For the local government area, see City of Bankstown. For the state electoral district, see Electoral district of Bankstown.

Bankstown Sydney, New South Wales
Flats in Bankstown
Population	26,000 (2006)
Established	1795
Postcode(s)	2200
Location	20 km (12 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Bankstown
State electorate(s)	Bankstown
Federal division(s)	Banks, Blaxland
Suburbs around Bankstown: Yagoona Chullora Greenacre Condell Park Bankstown Mount Lewis Punchbowl Revesby Padstow Riverwood

Location map of Bankstown based on NASA satellite images

Bankstown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.

History

Prior to European settlement, Cumberland Plains Woodland occupied much of the area. Turpentine ironbark forest covered much of what is now Bankstown. The land was occupied by an Aboriginal tribe called Eora. Their land bordered the Dharawal and the Darung people. The Aboriginal inhabitants strongly opposed the European settlers. The resistance ceased after a number of their leaders were killed or imprisoned in 1816. In that year an epidemic broke out amongst the native people which reduced the Aboriginal populations, this also contributed to the end of their resistance.

In 1795 Matthew Flinders and George Bass explored up the George's River for about 20 miles beyond what had been previously surveyed, and reported favourably to Governor Hunter of the land on its banks. Hunter examined the country himself, and established one of the pioneer colonies there, called Bank's Town, today written as one word Bankstown.

Hunter named it in honour of botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who travelled to Australia with Captain James Cook in 1770. The area of first European settlement along the river has been partially preserved as part of the Mirambeena Regional Park. The Bankstown City area includes large areas of the Georges River National Park.

One hundred years after its naming, Bankstown was proclaimed a municipal district on 9 September 1895. At this time there was a feeling of impending growth which was further strengthened by the promise of increased railway extensions. Municipalities already constituted became ambitious and in 1894, both Enfield and Auburn Councils announced their intention to absorb Bankstown as part of their own municipalities. However, a petition was organised and signed by 300 residents resulting in Bankstown retaining its individual status. And on 9 September 1895 it was proclaimed a municipal district. The first election was held on 2 November 1895. With 884 electors on the roll, 112 people voted to cast a total of 213 votes. Each ratepayer was entitled to 1.4 votes according to the assessed value of his property. Woman were not allowed to vote at this stage.

Bankstown’s first town hall and Council Chambers were built in 1898 on the northern side of the Hume Highway (Liverpool Road), near Rookwood Road (site of the Three Swallows Hotel). The council chambers were relocated to a new building in South Terrace (now Old Town Centre Plaza) in June 1918. The building still stands and now has a shopping arcade running through it.

Bankstown Council relocated to its third premises in 1963 when the Civic Centre that is located on the corner of Chapel Road and The Mall was constructed. It included the Council Chambers or ‘Roundhouse’, as it’s called and is still in use today as an administration building. The current town hall was built in 1973. The administration building was destroyed by fire on 1 July 1997. Council offices relocated to Bankstown Civic Tower (the blue tower) in 1999 and on 13 June 2000 Bankstown’s now popular Central Park, where the former administration building once stood, was officially declared Paul Keating Park.

On 27 May 1980, during a visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Bankstown was accorded city status.

World War II

Bankstown Plaza 1946.

In 1939 the residents of Bankstown were informed of World War II. Men and women from the district who had been drafted, were required to report for duty at a drill hall located on Canterbury Road Belmore. Camps were set up in and around Canterbury Racecourse and local parks in the area.

Residents with foreign names were sent to internment camps. There was growing suspicion about residents with foreign names. Some of the people who were sent to the camps were Australian citizens who served with the Australian armed forces during World War I.

From March 1942 thousands of American servicemen arrived in Sydney. A large portion of these troops were stationed in Bankstown earning the suburb the nickname ‘Yankstown’. During WWII Bankstown Airport was established as a key strategic air base to support the war effort. After the arrival of Douglas MacArthur in Australia, Bankstown Airport was taken over by the Americans and became home to the US 35th Fighter Squadron and the 41st Pursuit Group of the United States Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces who occupied the airport from 1942 to 1944. In 1945 operations became the responsibility of the British Fleet Air Arm, known as HMS Nabberley, until 1946, when it was handed back to the RAAF. Bankstown Airport was home to several fighter units. Several "dummy houses" also existed in and around Bankstown Airport. These houses were built to make Bankstown Airport and its surrounds appear as a farm. There were gun pits in and around the airport to protect it from air raids and an anti-aircraft battery on the Corner of Bexley Road and Homer Street, Kingsgrove to help protect the approaches to the airport. Searchlight units of 62 Anti Aircraft Search Light Station personnel were based in Stacey Street as well as the Australian Military Forces who rented houses in the street to provide accommodation for troops. One of the houses used to provide accommodation was located on the corner of Stacey Street and Gartmore Avenue.

During this period an RAAF unit known as No. 1 Fighter Sector RAAF took control of the Capital Hall in Bankstown. This unit was formed in Bankstown, on the 25th of February 1942. Their living quarters were located next door and down the road from the hall & the staff were housed in galvanised iron barracks. Operations were handed over to the United States Army Air Corps on 10 April 1942 before they were transferred to a disused railway tunnel at St James railway station in Sydney. The unit was renamed, Air Defence Headquarters Sydney (ADHQ) on 21 January 1945 and moved into a three storey semi-underground purpose built operations and plotting facility at Bankstown, known as the Bankstown Bunker.

Bankstown Town Hall

The area around Chapel Road Bankstown, were Paul Keating Park and the council chambers are now located, was the living quarters for the various military personnel that worked in Bankstown as well as training facilities for the various plotting rooms around Sydney. The site of today's court house was used to house British servicemen, whilst hundreds of army huts were constructed on the site of today's Bankstown Civic Centre. WWII began Bankstowns industrial revolution. Few factories or industry of any consequence were located in Bankstown prior to 1945, this was changed dramatically between 1942 and 1954, especially when the Department of Aircraft Production gave approval for aircraft manufacturer Hawker De Havilland, to operate a factory at the airport for the production and manufacture of de Havilland Mosquito bombers. There are now over seven-thousand businesses operating within the Bankstown district. Bankstown's population increased dramatically after WWII by people relocating from the inner-city areas and incoming migrants, mainly from Europe and towards the end of the 20th century from Asia and the rest of the world.

Bankstown Bunker

Bankstown bunker in 1945

Main article: Bankstown Bunker

The Bankstown Bunker is a disused RAAF operations bunker that was located on the Corner of Marion and Edgar Street Condell Park. The Bunker has remained one of the RAAF’S best kept secrets since it was built early in 1942, a time when Australia seemed certain to be invaded by the Japanese. The RAAF has recently admitted that this bunker was Australia's main air defence headquarters during WWII. It was the heart of our defence network, where, in co-operation with the highest officers of Navy and Army, our bombers and fighters were controlled in defence and attack against the enemy.

The Bankstown Bunker still exists. It is currently buried under a public park on the Corner of Marion and Edgar Streets Condell Park in the City of Bankstown.

Commercial Area

Bankstown's commercial area with Civic Centre in view

Bankstown's central business district is clustered around Bankstown Railway Station. The commercial area beside the railway station is known as Bankstown Plaza, while the ethnic diversity of the area has created a host of great restaurants, eateries and cafes.

Centro Bankstown (previously known as Bankstown Square), is a large shopping centre (mall), immediately to the northeast of the railway Station. It was first opened in 1966 and has been expanded a number of times. The latest project was completed on 22 June 2006 and includes a new Big W and Woolworths supermarket, a "Fresh Life food district", as well as various specialty shops and 1000+ new parking spaces.

The Bankstown Central Library [1]has been serving Bankstown on its present site in The Mall since 1954. Eight years earlier in 1946, Bankstown became the first municipality to adopt the Library Act of 1939 by opening a Children’s Library, located at Restwell Street. The Bankstown Central Library was demolished in 1981 to make way for a current facility which opened in 1983.

Transport

Bankstown Railway Station is on the Bankstown line of the CityRail network. The rail line was built to Belmore in 1895 and then extended to Bankstown in 1909. The line was electrified in 1926. In 1928, the line was extended westwards from Bankstown to join the main suburban railway at Lidcombe. Bankstown is a major bus interchange for a number of bus services.

The Sydney Metropolitan Airport, more commonly known as Bankstown Airport, was established in 1940 and is constructed on 313 hectares. It has three runways, an extensive taxiway and includes a large business park containing over 170 businesses.

Education

File:First bankstown school.jpg

First Public School in Bankstown

Main article: McLeod Reserve

Bankstown's first public school was built in 1880. In 1882, 49 boys and 36 girls were enrolled, and upkeep expenses totalled 219 pounds, eight shillings and 11 pence. The school's first Headmaster was Dugald McLeod, who taught at the school until 1912. The school was demolished in 1924 due to the development of North Bankstown School in the same year. Schools in Bankstown today include:

• Al Amanah College
• Bankstown Public School
• Bankstown South Infants School
• Bankstown Boys (Bankstown Senior College)
• Bankstown Girls High School
• Bankstown Grammar School
• Bankstown North Public School
• LaSalle Catholic College, Bankstown
• St Euphemia College
• Bankstown Community College
• TAFE Bankstown
• UWS Bankstown Campus

Parks and recreation

Paul Keating Park

Major parks within Bankstown include McLeod Reserve, Bankstown Oval, Paul Keating Park and Bankstown City Gardens. 'Bankstown City Gardens' were opened to the public in 1973. The park is on of the citys most picturesque sites. These gardens bring together many unusual types of flora found in Bankstown and beyond. The park is set on carefully landscaped grounds with walkways taking visitors through flowerbeds. The park consist of different areas, native, tropical, rose garden and Perennial. The park has also proven popular for wedding photographs. 'Paul Keating Park' was built on the site of Bankstown Council's former administration building, after it was destroyed by fire on 1 July 1997.

Geology

Bankstown is situated in the Cumberland Plains region and is dominated by Bringelly Shale in the north and Ashfield shale in the south. The area south of Bankstown by Georges River is dominated by Hawkesbury sandstone where the soil tends to be shallow, sandy and infertile.

Population

Demographics

Vince Sorrenti artwork in Bankstown

Bankstown has one of the most ethnically diverse communities in Australia. Home to a large Lebanese community, Bankstown also boasts large populations of Chinese, Vietnamese, Greek, Croatian and Serbian migrants. In all, over 60 different languages are spoken by the people of this suburb. Bankstown is considered as one of the most multicultural areas in the country.

According to the 2006 Census, Bankstown had a population of 26,446. Just over half of Bankstown residents stated they had been born overseas, with Vietnam at 11.8 per cent the most common place of birth followed Lebanon at 8.2 per cent, and China at 5.0 per cent.

Census data reveals that after English, Arabic is the most common 'language spoken at home' in Bankstown, used by 23.1 per cent, Vietnamese is spoken by 16.2 per cent, Chinese languages by 7.8 per cent (Mandarin 4.1% and Cantonese 3.7%) and Greek by 3.8 per cent.

According to the census, Islam was the most followed faith in the suburb with 22.9 per cent of residents, just ahead of Catholics at 22.8 per cent. Buddhism with 11.9 per cent and Eastern Orthodox with 9.7 per cent had the next largest followings.

Notable residents

The following people are residents or former residents of Bankstown:

• Paul Keating, former Prime Minister of Australia
• Brett Holman, current Socceroo also played for Dutch Eredivise club NEC Nijmegen and Blackburn Rovers
• Casey Donovan, winner of the second Australian Idol
• Paulini Curuenavuli, finalist from the first Australian Idol
• Melanie Roche, Olympic Medalist
• Sharon L Bailey, Award Winning Actress and Vocalist.

Gallery

• 
  Shops and apartments near Stacey Street
• 
  The Bankstown Central Library
• 
  Bankstown Council Chambers
• 
  Paul Keating Park
• 
  Bankstown Centro Shopping Centre
• 
  Bankstown Plaza
• 
  Marion Street Bankstown
• 
  Appian Way artwork

References

• Sue Rosen 1996, Bankstown, a Sense of Identity

External links

• Bankstown City Council Website
• Community Profile
• 2001 Census Information
• State Electoral Districts of NSW
• Bankstown Health Service
• Travelmate - Bankstown, New South Wales
• Bankstown Restaurants
• University of Western Sydney, Bankstown Campus
• Bankstown Airport
• TAFE NSW Bankstown College
• Local Government Areas, Bankstown