The Nepean Times photo of the opening in 1933.

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc.

SINCE the incorporation of the municipality in 1893, the St Marys council had been a tenant and never possessed a home of its own until December 1933 when it officially entered into possession the fine premises erected on Mamre Road. It was a great day in the town and the important ceremony that was performed by Mr J Jackson (M.L.A) was largely attended by local folk and visitors. Present and past St Marys’ Councillors were well represented in the splendid gathering with the elements been most considerate, unsettled conditions giving way to ideal weather. The current (1933) St Marys Council was represented by the Mayor H P Christie who was accompanied by Mrs Christie the Mayoress and Alderman W A Kennelly (ex-Mayor), J Irwin (ex-Mayor), R Beacroft (“father of the council” who has been an Alderman for 23 years), L T Roberts, L A Muscio, P Thompson and J Oag. Other ex-Mayors present were Messrs: R Dent, T W Brooker, W Morris and F Brell. Mrs Garner the first Mayoress of St Marys was among the gathering, and neighbouring municipalities and shires were represented by Aldermen A H Hand (Mayor of Penrith), Councillor J C Page (President of Blacktown shire council), G N Stuart (shire clerk Blacktown), Councillor  Scott (Nepean shire) and D Leitch (Castlereagh council clerk). The Water Board was represented by Messers Cheetham and Maunders. The new building was the design of Mr Carfrae one of Sydney’s best-known architects, (who also designed the WW1 War Memorial in Victoria Park, St Marys). The Council building was erected by C and R Ellis, builders from Rhodes. It has a vestibule entrance, a public office, Town Clerk’s room, Inspector’s room and a spacious council room. It was built of Roughtex brickwork with semi-glazed mottled tiled roof and is on reinforced concrete foundations. It was designed on the semi-colonial style. The joinery is of polished maple and the floors of polished tallow wood. For the work the building relief committee advanced £1,000 at 3% interest with the amount being repayable over 15 years. Speeches at the opening ceremony were delivered from the verandah of the building and the large crowd congregated on the footpath and roadway. Mr Jackson was accompanied by his wife and by his brother J N Lawson the member of Macquarie. In introducing Mr Jackson the Mayor said “I would like you to know how much assistance Mr Jackson has been to us in getting the money for us for this council chambers and also in extending the terms. Five years is the usual term for a loan from the loan council but Mr Jackson has managed to have it extended to 15 years. You quite understand that it will be quite a light load with interest being only 3%. Our thanks are also due to him for his interest in the town and also for his help in obtaining a grant for relief work. It is the hope of every council to have its own home and in St Marys we are the proud possessors of a beautiful building the cost of which is very little more than the rent we have been paying for inadequate quarters. Last year we moved to a one-roomed building and it was not very adequate and we were always paying rent. In 15 years’ time we won’t have to pay anything and we will have a building of our own. We thank the architect for the splendid design and for the builders in the way in which they have faithfully followed out his plan and also to our local men. The work of polishing the floor and tables, attending to seating and renovating the depot alongside the council chambers was only carried out by a local man (Mr Stanton). I would like to thank all the people who have helped in the past, more especially those who have helped in the functions we have held for charity in the district. They have been a great source of help to me. They came along every time and things went on very successfully (Applause). By request of the Mayor, Mr and Mrs Jackson each planted a young jacaranda tree in the front of the Chambers, each supplementing the act with an appropriate little speech. Mr Jackson was presented with a beautiful bouquet from Winsome Thompson and Mrs Jackson was presented with a similar gift from the Mayoress, expressing the hope that Mrs Christie would live to have many happy memories of this day. Mr Jackson said that he had been asked to perform the simple ceremony of opening the council chambers. It was a small act turning the key in that door to walk in and declare the building open. But this incident had considerable significance to him and he regarded it as a great day because he wanted to see most earnestly the developing of country towns, and if Australian towns were to be developed they can only be developed by the public spiritedness of the citizens who dwell within their borders. He said “When I came here today and looked over this Council Chambers it is plain to me that it has been well conceived, well architected, well built and that with such a start this community can look to the future with complete confidence. It is a great privilege with any Alderman to lead the people in his district to better days, better service and better organisation and it is a great privilege for him to be allowed to serve the people among whom he dwells. It is a great opportunity for those who live in a township like St Marys. It is their privilege under our system of local Government to give self-expression through their municipal authority and when the Aldermen that you have selected sees to it there is a central point from which its Government shall radiate all the qualities of this structure. It indicates quite clearly that they had a mind in keeping with the traditions of their jobs. It is a great thing to be an Alderman of St Marys. I know of no sweeter word in the English tongue than ‘St Marys’. Any man entering this village from the hilltop gazing across the panorama, if he dwells here he can feel nothing but pride in the fact that in this township is his residence. It is a township that has a very wonderful history. It has traditions in everything that matter and is second to none in this great island continent of ours, for it was here in the early days that some of the great standard of St Marys was recognized. Here was the manufacture of means of transport of such a quality that its reputation spread to the borders of NSW and no matter what modern means of transport exist today, there is no man possessing the latest that is procurable in aeroplanes and motor cars or any other means of transport who regard their possessions with greater pride than did the men who owned the wagons in days gone by that were built in the little village by the South Creek stream. I repeat that a very higher standard was set here and those of us who have had any association with it will be proud of it. Turning the key in the front door Mr Jackson added “I declare this building open for business”. (Applause). The building is now the headquarters of the Historical Society. 

Source: Nepean Times 9th December 1933.