Rocks Laneway: A Brief Snapshot in Time

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O Y A H W S E N P A L A S K N C O S R #

Historical community places allow us to feel connected to the past. Explore this connection as you wander through interpretive signage incorporating joyous photographs, amusing articles and beautiful hand drawn plans.

For more information or to share your story contact the Local Studies team at Geraldton Regional Library on (08) 9956 6659 or library@cgg.wa.gov.au.

C1947 COURTESY OF BOB & EILEEN SCAMP

L L A H S R E N O I T A T S S ’ K C RO

d l u o w l l a H s r e n o i t a t S s ’ k c o R o t t i s i v A f o m i a l c s ’ m r i f e h t t a h t e t a c i d n i o t m e e s s i ’ s t f i G d n a s u o h T a f o e s u o H e h T ‘ g bein r o f , s t n e m e t a t s r e d n u f o t s e d o m t s o m the y t i t n a u q e h t , s s e l d n e s m e e s y t e i r a v e th e v o b a y t i l a u q e h t d n a t i m i l t u o h t i w h t i w s u o m y n o n y s s m e e s s ’ k c o R . h c a o r rep e b l l i w o h w e n o n d n a g n i y u b s a m t s i r Ch e h t h t i w y a d t a e r g e h t f o e v e e h t n o d e g r a h c e l b a r e n e v e h t f o n o i t a c i f i n o s r e p m i e v i el u s d e r r u l b s i n i g i r o e s o h w , r o t i s i v n g i n e b d an s s i m e r o s e b l l i w , y t i u q i t n a f o s t s i m e h t in s i h t t a s k c o t s e h t g n i t c e p s n i t c e l g e n o t s a s a h n o i t a r e n e g a r o f h c i h w t n e m h s i l b a est l a n o s a e s e h t r o f y a w l a i c e p s a n i d e r e t ca d a h e v a h e w n o i t c e l e s t s e b e h t s i t I . e d a tr o t g n i s a e l p s i t i d n a s r a e y y n a m y r e v r o f .’ n i a g a k c o t s d e i r a v a h c u s g n i l d n a h be .” k e e w e h t g n i r u d k c o R .

J . r M d e t n e m m co 8 4 9 1 c e D 9 0 n a i d r a u G n o t - Gerald

ROCK’S

In the 1900’s a shop front was established in a prominent location on Marine Terrace by Mr E. Snell who was keen to provide a highly sought after service to the community in the form of a newsagent. In 1936 Mr Arthur Paskin Rock printer and publisher of the Geraldton Express, bought Snell’s Newsagency leading to the renaming of the business to Rock’s Stationers Hall. Later the family business was taken over by Arthur’s son John Rock until its closure in August 2017.

C1990’S COURTESY OF JEAN YEATES

C1928? COURTESY OF D. CORAL SHAW

C1980

C1901 COURTESY OF A. C. BURNS

MARINE TERRACE

Since the proclamation of the town of Geraldton in 1850, Marine Terrace has become the home of many iconic buildings including the Geraldton Yacht Club, the Mercantile Club, Bennetts Elite, Shepheards Hotel, the Courthouse, the Geraldton Club, Stokes’ Coffee Palace, Westralian Bank, Victoria Hotel, Great Northern Hotel, Freemasons Hotel, the old Railway Station and of course the Post Office and Rocks Newsagency.

C1930’S COURTESY OF J. THOMAS

C1964 COURTESY OF P. HEWISON

C1990’S COURTESY OF JEAN YEATES

PARADES & FESTIVITIES Businesses and services drew many people into the town centre and as such Marine Terrace has always been an obvious route choice for float parades and other festivities.

C1941 PHOTOGRAPH BY MELVILLE JARVIS COURTESY OF STAN GRATTE

GERALDTON TOWN HALL

The first movement for the erection of a town hall was made in 1896 when the Council invited competitive designs, but did not proceed further at that stage. In 1906 the proposal to erect a town hall was revived leading to the foundation stone being laid on the 28 January 1907. The original building which was designed by Oldham and Cox still stands today with only the additional minor renovations required in 1984 to convert the Town Hall into an Art Gallery.

ABOVE & ADJACENT: C1896 COMPETITIVE DESIGN PLAN BY SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECT JOHN GRAINGER INSET: INQUIRER AND COMMERCIAL NEWS (PERTH, WA : 1855 - 1901), FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 1896

MUNICIPAL OFFICE UP IN SMOKE

CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS C1950 COURTESY OF BETTY BUNN

C1897 COURTESY OF ANTHONY HORN

In 1950 the Town Hall was draped in fine fabric as a key feature for Geraldton’s Centenary Celebrations. The image details the Municipal Office next door to the Town Hall.

Tragically, this building was severely damaged in 1913 when fire spreading from the Murchison Inn engulfed the Municipal Council buildings in flames.

NEW MOON PLAY C1966 COURTESY OF DELMA ATTRILL

FIRST DEBUTANTE BALL C1937 COURTESY OF RONDA WILLIAMSON

RSL DEBUTANTE BALL C1948 COURTESYY OF B. BUNN

SOUTH PACIFIC PLAY C1969 COURTESY OF DELMA ATTRILL

SPECIAL EVENTS

From the moment the Town Hall was officially opened on the 12 July 1907, it was a place that bought the community together playing host to many performers and special events including the RSL Band, debutante balls, ANZAC Day Memorial events and Doreen Dawson’s Band.

COMMUNITY SAVE OLD TOWN HALL

In the early 1980s, what was once the Old Town Hall was under threat of demolition. The community (in particular Friends of Town Hall) mobilised to save this historic building resulting in its restoration and adopted Art Gallery function. The Protected Memories sculpture designed by April Pine was erected in 2019 to acknowledge the individuals who rallied together to preserve and protect this building which has played such a valued part in the community.

COURTESY GERALDTON GUARDIAN

On 17 November 1893, Geraldton’s second Post Office was officially opened, the building contract having been awarded to Mr Stephen Smith in June 1892 at £2,947 9s 1d.

A clock tower was included in the design and construction of the Post Office, but at the time of opening, the clock was yet to be installed. Following the opening, there were mixed opinions in the newspapers about the physical appearance of the building, including the design of the clock tower. One journalist recorded: “Mr Brown made some amusing remarks in an allusion to the apex of the clock tower and the imitation of a clock dial, which he said bore striking resemblance to a water melon and a tambourine. This created a round of merriment which, no doubt, had he been present, would have been very gratifying to the architect who, somebody suggested, must have been a member of the Salvation Army” - “Opening of the New Post Office.” - Victorian Express, 17 November 1893.

RIGHT: GERALDTON POST OFFICE PROPOSED ALTERATIONS C1928 COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA. NAA: K1201, WA146

GERALDTON’S P.O. “FIBBER” A public clock for Geraldton was imported from England by the Under Secretary for Works in 1896. From the time of its installation, the clock was the subject of controversy. Given that it had two faces, rather the four as requested it was not able to be installed as per the architect’s original plans. Instead, a decorative bracket was created and the clock was installed on the street frontage of the building adjacent to the balcony on the second storey. The clock soon became notorious across the district for its inaccuracy, with poems even written about the topic.

C1897 PHOTOGRAPH BY P. STONE COURTESY OF ANTHONY HORN.

The large photograph by P. Stone c1897 courtesy of Anthony Horn features the recently installed Post Office clock otherwise known as “Our own post-office ”Fibber” - Geraldton Express 23 Dec 1908. The pointed spire ensured the Post Office was recognisable from around the Geraldton area.

FAR LEFT: C1940’S COURTESY OF L & G. WILLCOCK LEFT: C1910’S COURTESY OF MARGARET FLOYD INSET: VICTORIAN EXPRESS (GERALDTON, WA : 1878 - 1894), FRIDAY 1 APRIL 1892

C1980’S

GHOST OFFICE TURNS BACK TIME On 12 July 1929, after extensive fundraising efforts, the Gaiety Comedy Company presented to the Council a Benson Ltd (London) clock (cost ÂŁ140) to be installed on the Town Hall, in the hope that better timekeeping could be kept in the town.

Following the construction of the new Post Office on Chapman Road in 1975, and after being unsuccessfully offered to various public organisations in Geraldton, the old Geraldton Post Office was demolished in September 1979, again associated with controversy.

Stone piers and spandrels (the decorative capitals from the original Post Office arcade used as pier tops) were saved and incorporated into a stone wall, built by stonemason Sam Sciuto, which also utilised White Peak stone recycled from the demolition site. The old clock was incorporated into a brick structure adjacent to the footpath, with a plaque installed in 1980 commemorating the site on behalf of the Rotary Club of Geraldton.

Later in 1994, the Geraldton Building Company was contracted to build a Marine Terrace clock tower. The original clock faces from the demolished Post Office is now a prominent feature on the newly constructed Ghost Office.

C1988 COURTESY OF JEAN YEATES

C1994