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150 YEARS OF PENRITH CITY COUNCIL
150 YEARS OF COUNCIL
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PENRITH
In 1871, Penrith was declared a municipality and a Council of local elected representatives formed; 2021 marks 150 years since this historic beginning. As we look ahead to the next 150 years – in which Penrith will become a global City in its own right, with world-class parks, well-connected employment hubs and a quality of life second to none – we acknowledge the achievements of our past and of the people whose shoulders we stand on.
The lands we call home have seen agricultural pastures for animals, a penal colony, a vast factory producing ammunition for farflung wars; these lands have been sacred country for the Dharug people for thousands of years. Our City has been home to convicts, who were deported from England and incarcerated at Emu Plains, then made to work in iron-gangs to build the treacherous Zig Zag Road, now known as Old Bathurst Road. Even female convicts were incarcerated at Emu Plains, and no doubt also worked to the bone.
Our location in this pivotal position on the Western Road ensured that Penrith City became instrumental in the history of NSW. It was the construction of the mighty Victoria Bridge (the fascinating history of which featured in the Winter 2020 edition of Our Place) that allowed for the gold fields west of the
Great Dividing Range to open. As the gold rush unfolded, the amount of traffic into and through Penrith increased exponentially, with hoards of hopeful miners travelling west to try their luck, and many inns, hotels, shops and services springing up to cater to them.
The coming of the railway and Penrith station in the late 1860s were inextricably linked with our district’s development. As the area grew in economic importance, the desire for local government began to stir. It took many petitions from local landowners and residents expressing their desire for a voice in matters affecting them – along with many counter petitions arguing against it – until, on 12 May 1871, the district of Penrith was proclaimed a municipality, announced in the NSW Government Gazette the following day. The population of the Penrith township at that time was 836.
Only men could be elected to Council, and once elected they were called aldermen. The first Mayor was J.J. Riley, a prominent man who lived on a 2,000 acre property at Mulgoa where he bred fine sheep and thoroughbred horses, who served as a local magistrate for over 30 years. Among the other eight aldermen were a local butcher, two publicans – one of whom built the Red Cow Inn – a storekeeper, an Irish farmer and a bootmaker. The local undertaker was appointed clerk.
Council’s first Mayor, J.J. Riley
They set about building the framework of a local government, passing bylaws and introducing improvements to increase public safety, health and wellbeing. At the time there were very few well-formed roads in our district, so installing kerbs and guttering was one of Council’s first tasks. They negotiated to receive half the funds from the toll over the Victoria Bridge. And more bridges, drains and culverts were put in place to deal with the drainage problems that plagued the district, which often led to life-or-death situations.
AFTER RENTING PREMISES, COUNCIL BUILT ITS FIRST CHAMBERS WHICH OPENED IN 1881
Students from Penrith Public school photographed in 1898 in front of the girls’ classroom
Council was an early champion of education in our district. When female students had their classroom moved into a tent outside Penrith Public School, local representatives fought for funding to build them a proper classroom. The tent was in a freezing hollow, and downstream from the sewage and effluent run-off coming from Penrith town and the local hospital – this stream was known as ‘Diphtheria Creek’. The Mayor and local member argued the case and accommodated the girls in Council Chambers until their classroom was built.
“Cleanliness combined with good drainage is one of the best preventatives,” as written by The Nepean Times in 1884. Outbreaks of diseases like typhoid, diphtheria and scarlet fever were often deadly, particularly in the lower lying areas, and more so when residents would leave rubbish in holes and gutters. Sanitary conditions would rapidly improve once Council enacted a series of bylaws to address these problems. There is a long lineage of innovation in our City: in 1890, Penrith became the first town in the Sydney region to connect to electricity. With much fanfare, Penrith switched on street lights and made electricity available in private homes, only the third town in NSW to do so after Tamworth and Young.
A SECOND BRIDGE
Victoria Bridge changed the fate of Penrith, but by the early 20th Century it was having some problems. Horses were getting spooked by the loud, rattling steam trains, and it was too narrow for one vehicle to pass another. And so, a second bridge was built specifically for trains, and was tested with six of the heaviest locomotives, each weighing 107 tonnes. The Rail Bridge and Victoria Bridge were both incredible feats of engineering, and we still use both of them today.
In the early 1920s, when residents were still burying or burning their household rubbish in the backyards, Council introduced a regular garbage collection service. Waste was taken to a former garbage tip within Penrith Park, and used to build up low-lying grounds. The inspiration for this came from Sydney’s Centennial Park, which also used rubbish to build up lower areas. This new garbage removal service improved air quality and the health of residents.
Electricity was switched on in St Marys in December 1931, which was a hopeful move in the depths of the Great Depression; electricity was crucial for establishing St Marys as the industrial heartland it would become. Mulgoa and Wallacia followed in 1937. However, many residents needed some convincing to take the step and get electricity connected in their homes. This advertisement, from Penrith Council’s Electricity Department, was printed in The Nepean Times in 1940.
COUNCIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG SUPPORTER OF SPORTS IN OUR DISTRICT, CHAMPIONING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEPEAN ROWING CLUB IN 1928.
Council’s donation of 15 pounds for the establishment of the club caused a stir at the time, leading one alderman to quit in protest, but Council argued that nothing could bring crowds to our River like rowing could.
By 1957, it was clear that local children needed a safer place to learn how to swim than the River. Mayor Bernie Fowler led the efforts to provide this for the community, and in 1962, Penrith Memorial Swimming Pool was officially opened. In 1966, Council opened its second pool in St Marys, with an Olympic-sized pool and a learners’ pool.
PENRITH POOL PHOTOGRAPHED IN 1962
After the Second World War ended, Penrith Council wanted to establish a free public library. Penrith Mayor Frank Allen visited Mosman Library and was impressed by the benefits and services it delivered to the community, especially to children. So, Council purchased books and shelving, and advertised the position of Librarian. Margaret Trask (nee Kinsella), a local woman who had attained a degree in Librarianship before going on to work at the State Library of NSW, was appointed to the role.
Over time, Penrith and our neighbours joined together: in 1949, St Marys, Castlereagh and part of the Nepean Shire amalgamated, joined in 1963 by Emu Plains and Emu Heights. As Penrith expanded, our sense of civic pride grew too – a perfect example of this was the centenary celebrations in 1971.
The 100th anniversary of the municipality of Penrith was honoured with Citywide fanfare. To kick things off, Mayor Ron Mulock AO fired a pistol into the air. A ball was held, and an aquatic carnival on the Nepean River featured canoe races and a demonstration by ‘kite-man’. The Nepean District Tennis Association set a new world record for endurance tennis, with a single game lasting for 50 hours. A picnic day at Penrith Showground featured amusement rides, novelty races and a parachute jumper; as the celebrations continued, crowds flocked to art exhibitions, concerts, a flower show, BBQs and fireworks displays. A banner commemorating 100 years was displayed on the front façade of the Council Chambers, which inspired the banner hanging above the entrance to the Civic Centre today.
We don’t have a photograph of Ivy Laurence, who made history in 1949 as the first woman to become an ‘alderman’ on Penrith Council. She had previously been elected to Castlereagh Council, which was amalgamated with Penrith. As Ivy told The Nepean Times, “I feel quite confident of holding my own with the twenty-three men in the Council.”
SNAPSHOT OF PENRITH CITY COUNCIL TODAY
» From our humble beginnings of 836, Council now represents over 200,000 residents » For the first time in our history, two women currently lead the Council –Mayor Karen
McKeown OAM and Deputy Mayor
Tricia Hitchen » Innovation is still part of our DNA – Penrith was the first Council in metropolitan
Sydney to introduce the
Food Organics &
Garden Organics (FOGO) waste system » Penrith is transforming into a worldclass City that will soon have a an international aerotropolis on its doorstep » Council is delivering numerous City- shaping projects, including City
Park, Soper Place, the upgraded
Regatta Park, and many more to enhance our lifestyle and increase access to employment hubs, transport and green spaces
The 150th anniversary is being celebrated with just as much joy and pride, but in unique circumstances as we continue to navigate a global pandemic. Penrith City Library will be displaying historical artefacts and hosting a series of talks, so if reading this local history has piqued your interest, register to attend an event and delve deeper into Penrith’s past. A Civic Reception will be held in July to honour the anniversary, among other achievements and local heroes. Later in the year, a commemorative booklet will be released in a limited print run and will also be available digitally.
