History and Heritage

During the glacial period (40,000-10,000 years ago) Strathfield local government area (LGA) was far inland and probably less hospitable than it is today. As the climate warmed, around 7,000 years ago, and the rising seas flooded the nearby valley, now called the Parramatta river, the landscape changed. Over the next few thousand years, sea levels largely stabilised, although the areas around Botany Bay would have seen some changes. The formation of mudflats, sandy beaches, and waterways would have changed the food resources available, and shaped the Aboriginal people’s lifestyle and subsistence habits. Aboriginal people adapted to these changes, and were well established in their fishing, hunting and gathering practices by the time the first English ships arrived in Sydney. In the 1700s the Wangal clan lived and were custodians of the area now known as Strathfield.

When Lieutenant James Cook first encountered the Aboriginal people of Sydney, he noted that they were using canoes, and engaged in a fishing based lifestyle. He saw very few Aboriginal people in his eight day stay at Botany Bay (approximately 21km from Strathfield), and had few encounters with them, as they seemed largely unwilling to go near the British explorers. The few encounters he did have, were somewhat hostile, being met with “darts and wooden swords” (most likely spears and boomerangs). Lieutenant Cook reacted to this clear indication that they were unwanted with warning shots at first, and the shooting an Aboriginal man in the leg.

Governor Phillip who led the First Fleet had similar initial encounters upon arrival to Australia. Initially treating the settlers with distrust, the Aboriginal people largely avoided the British, although some friendly encounters did take place alongside the few skirmishes. At Breakfast Point, (6.6km from Strathfield), on the 5th of February, 1788, Captain John Hunter and a party of British marines had their first interaction with the Aboriginal people from the Wangal clan. Lieutenant William Bradley RN noted the encounter in his diary:

‘At daylight having a guard of marines proceeded to the upper part of the harbour again, passed several natives in the caves as we went up and on the shore near the place we left beads and some other things, who followed us along the rocks calling to us. We landed to cook our breakfast on the opposite shore to them. We made signs for them to come over and waved green boughs. Soon after seven of them came over in two canoes and landed near our boats. They left their spears in the canoes and came to us. We tied beads etc. about them and left them our fire to dress mussels which they went about as soon as we put off’.

Governor Phillip decreed that no harm was to come to the Aboriginal people of Sydney, and instead, tried to learn about their way of life. One way he tried to connect with the Sydney Aboriginal people was to, perhaps misguidedly, capture some of them. Three men became the would be intermediaries of Governor Phillip. One of them was a man named Bennelong. Bennelong adjusted somewhat into the British lifestyle, had a civil relationship with Governor Phillip, learned English, and adopted some British habits, even travelling to England in 1792. Bennelong became a sort of emissary between the British and the Aboriginal people. Eventually however, Bennelong returned to his people, becoming a clan leader in his later years, and well respected by his people. Bennelong now has street names, and a Federal Electorate named after him, as well as the site of the Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point.

Bennelong was a member of the Wangal clan whose area includes Strathfield Council. This clan is commonly attributed to the Dharug (or Darug) tribe, although this name was more likely given in later years, almost a century after European settlement. R. H. Mathews, a surveyor and anthropologist, first described the Dharug/Dharuk or Darug/Daruk dialect in 1897. The first settlers who studied the Aboriginal languages, such as William Dawes (1790-1791) and David Collins (1798), did not record names for the different dialects of the Sydney region. Furthermore, little evidence suggests that pre-settlement Aboriginal people identified themselves primarily by language groups. Watkin Tench also notes that after three years of settlement, the Europeans still did not fully understand the languages around them.

The neighbouring clans to the Wangal were the Cadigal and Gameygal clans, and there is evidence of occupation in the land around Cooks River dating back to approximately 10,000 years[1]. The languages of Aboriginal people have been reconstructed from the notes of early European settlers, and contributed to words that we still use today, such as dingo, wallaby, and waratah. Wangal country was known as ‘Wanne’ and extended in the north from Darling Harbour to the Balmain Peninsula, however, it is uncertain how far south their Country extended. The Parramatta river, marked the northern boundary of the Wangal clan.

The Parramatta and Cooks Rivers were undoubtedly used by the Wangal people, providing them with some of the resources they needed to survive. Use of the Parramatta River dates back at least around 30,000 years ago, from a site west of Breakfast Point, near Parramatta[2]. The Parramatta river would have been used for camping, fishing, hunting, and as a provision for edible plants. The rivers would also have provided a means of travel, and a method of communication and trade between neighbouring clans. Just as the Parramatta River provided good fishing grounds for the Wangal clan, so would Cooks River have been an important focus for various activities, and there remains to this day, a connection between Cooks River and local Aboriginal communities. From historical records, we know that both men and women used bark canoes to catch fish and gather shellfish. They would have camped along the river’s edge, using overhangs or building bark huts for shelter, or simply sleeping out in the open. Where fishing did not take place, inland populations were known to hunt kangaroos, wallabies, possums, and other animals, including a variety of birds and reptiles.

Evidence of habitation along the river comes in the form of burials, midden sites, and rock shelters along the banks of Cooks River, although none of these sites survive in the Strathfield LGA. However, indicative of the tools used by the Aboriginal people, three recorded stone artefact sites are present within the Strathfield LGA and unrecorded sites are likely to be present. The materials of these artefacts are quartzite, banded chert, and yellow mudstone, and represent a few different methods of tool production. Open camp sites are the main site type in the Cumberland Plain to the west but fewer have been found in the more built up areas. Therefore, these sites are important in understanding the physical presence of people on the land, and the technology they used within their daily lives. They are particularly important, as they are more likely to survive the same environmental processes that destroy the wooden or bone implements that we know Aboriginal people were using.

As food gathering was generally not an all-day task, this left plenty of time for relaxing and social activities. Aboriginal people had elaborate and complex social lives, and strong religious beliefs. Initiation rites, marriage laws and detailed kinship systems were all aspects of Aboriginal people’s lives, and ancestors were both feared and revered. Religious beliefs are told through stories and songs from the Dreaming. Knowledge of the Dreaming was passed down by knowledge-holders, but a large part could not be passed on during the period following European settlement. Important ceremonies, such as initiation rites were performed, and may have included tooth extraction for the men, and finger removal for the women. Marriage laws indicated who people could marry, and what family group they were a part of. Cremation and burial were both a part of death practices, and the deceased were looked after to ensure their spirit could not wander after death. Aboriginal people feared the dead, and took care not to disturb any graves.

Although little physical evidence of Aboriginal life remains within the Strathfield LGA itself, the historical accounts of Bennelong and Breakfast Point tell us about the Wangal people living around Parramatta and Cooks Rivers when the British first arrived. By the mid-1800s, the Strathfield region was largely developed with houses, roads and railways. This would have forced the Wangal people from their land, and destroyed most of the Indigenous inhabitants’ campsites, scarred trees and other means of livelihood and cultural practices. There are some reports that traditional ceremonies were still taking place, and some Aboriginal people still journeyed across the land to maintain family connections. Slowly though, whether by necessity, enforcement or choice, Aboriginal people began to adapt to and mingle with the European settlers.

References

Aboriginal Heritage Office 2015 Filling a Void: a review of the historical context for the use of the word ‘Guringai’. Unpublished Report.

Attenbrow, V. 2010. Sydney’s Aboriginal Past. Investigation the archaeological and historical records, 2nd Edition, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.

City of Canada Bay Heritage Society, Aborigines – Original Occupants of the Area

Cook, J. 2014 Captain Cook’s Journal during his First Voyage round the World, made in H.M. Bark Endeavour, 1768–71: A Literal Transcription of the Original MSS. Cambridge Library Collection – Maritime Exploration (W. Wharton, Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dawes, W. 1790-1791, Notebooks on the Aboriginal Language of Sydney, A facsimile version of the notebooks from 1790-1791 on the Language written by William Dawes and others. Hans Rausing Endangered Language Project and Library Special Collections, Library of the school of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Ford, G. 2010 The Aborigines of New South Wales, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales for 1882 (1883) 16:193-233.

Hunter, J. [Bach, J. (ed.)], 1793 [1968]. An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island. (London: J. Stockdale, Australian Facsimile Editions No. 148, Adelaide, Libraries Board of South Australia).

[1]Irish, P. 2017 Aboriginal History: Along the Cooks River, Cooks River Alliance.

[2]Jo McDonald Cultural Heritage Management Pty Ltd, 2005. Archaeological Testing and Salvage Excavation at Discovery Point, Site # 45-6-2737 in the former grounds of Tempe House, NSW (Report to Australand Holdings Pty Ltd).

Jones, C., Aboriginal History of Strathfield district

Mathews, R. H. 1897, The Burbung of the Darkinung Tribes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 10(New Series)(1):1-12.

Tench, W. 1789, 1793 [1979] Sydney’s First Four Years, being a reprint of A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay, and A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson. Fitzhardinge, LF (ed.). Library of Australian History in association with the Royal Australian Historical Society, Sydney.

White, C. 1094 The Story of the Blacks. Windsor and Richmond Gazette, N.S.W.

Further Information

Strathfield Council Aboriginal Recognition and Protocol Policy (See below)

Cadigal and Wangal Website

AnTAR website

Aboriginal Indigineous Services at State Library of NSW

Australian Museum – Aboriginal people of Coastal Sydney

Guide to NSW State Records relating  to Aboriginal people 

Introduction

European settlement of the Strathfield district commenced in 1793 in the area which is the current day Homebush. Land grants were made to English farmers Thomas Rose, Thomas Webb, Edward Powell and Frederick Meredith by the NSW Governor Phillip to establish food supplies for Sydney. These were the first land grants made to free settlers [non-convict] and the area of the land grants was known as Liberty Plains. These farms failed as the soil conditions did not allow crops to be grown and most of these early farms were abandoned.

Other land grants were made in the early 1800’s including grants to D’Arcy Wentworth (Homebush), William Roberts (Strathfield South and Greenacre) and John Alford (Belfield). A large grant was made to James Wilshire in 1808, located from current day Redmyre Rd Strathfield to the Cooks River. Most of Strathfield is built on this land. This land was later known as the Redmire Estate, when owned by Samuel Terry. In 1847, Catholic Priest Father John Joseph Therry was granted land in Strathfield South, which is known as the Village of St Ann’s. The original St Ann’s Church was built from money raised by selling the surrounding land for houses to be built. Large lots of land were sold to Joseph Newton and Joseph Hyde Potts in 1841 to the west of the Redmire Estate.

Liberty Plains Settlers

The first land grants to free settlers in NSW. were made in the Strathfield Municipality in 1793 in response to Governor Philip’s request for the introduction of ‘practical farmers’ to the settlement. These settlers (who arrived on the ship Bellona in January, 1793) were described in the Secretary of State’s Despatch of July 14th, 1792, as ‘Thomas Rose, aged 40, farmer from Blandford, his wife, Mrs. Jane Rose, and their children, Thomas, Mary, Joshua and Richard, also Elizabeth Fish, aged 18, related to the family.’

Other members of the group were ‘Edward Powell, aged 30, farmer and fisherman from Lancaster, Thomas Webb (and his wife) gardener, Joseph Webb, aged 18, nephew of Thomas Webb, Frederick Meredith, baker, and Walter Brodie, blacksmith’. Meredith, Thomas Webb and Powell had already visited Sydney as ordinary seamen.

An area ‘at the upper end of the harbour above the flats and to the South Side’ having been selected by the settlers, their different allotments were surveyed and marked out and early in the month they took possession of their land, giving the name ‘Liberty Plains’ to the district in which their farms were situated.’

Powell and Thomas Webb first received 80 acres each, Meredith and J. Webb, 60 acres each and Rose and his family, 120 acres. All settlers had their passages paid and received on landing an assortment of tools and implements from public stores, 2 years provisions, 1 year of clothing, and the services of convicts assigned to them. Joseph Webb named his grant ‘Lutner Farm’, Rose ‘Hunter’s Hut’, Meredith ‘Charlotte Farm’, Thomas Webb ‘Webb’s Endeavour’ and Powell ‘Dorset Green’.

The settlement at Liberty Plains for agricultural purposes was immediately followed by a progressive settlement of the surrounding area – it had been Grose’s wish to have a settlement midway between Sydney and Parramatta for the ‘convenience and safety of the traveling public’.

Hence, much of the land immediately to the North (Concord) and North West (Abbatoirs and its environs) was allotted to the non-commissioned officers and privates of the NSW. Corps (many of whom disposed of their 25 acre lots as soon as granted).

With the assistance of convict labour the ‘Liberty Plains’ settlers cleared and cultivated the land, but the productive capacity of the land becoming soon exhausted under cropping, continuous clearing of the land was found necessary and this costly process appeared to have reduced the farmers to a state of poverty. Such was their plight that a Committee of Enquiry under Samuel Marsden and Surgeon Arndell was set up to report and as a result it was decided to increase the holdings of the settlers in 1798 — hence an additional 70 acres was granted to Rose and his sons, and 60 acres fronting Parramatta Road and Homebush Bay to Meredith.

So unproductive was the land that most settlers, whilst retaining an interest in their farms, obtained employment elsewhere such as Edward Powell who entered the Public Service as a constable at the Hawkesbury River. Mrs. Thomas Webb, whose husband had died in 1795, abandoned her right to her husband’s land and this, together with Powell’s grant ultimately became the property of Simeon Lord whose name appears on the official maps as grantee of the combined areas of 160 acres.

Meanwhile, Captain Thomas Rowley, having been granted an area of 260 acres in 1799, adjoining the other grants, increased his Liberty Plains property in 1803 by adding the grant of Joseph Webb and the end of Rose’s 120 acres. Following the first unsuccessful farming attempts, the area remained almost in a state of neglect until the return of Powell in 1807 to his original grants, which he again took up, in addition to the adjoining 80 acres formerly held by Thomas Webb.

Shortly afterwards, Powell was granted an additional 19 acres with frontage to the Parramatta Road on the North and (the now) Coventry Road on the West. Anticipating the patronage of the traveling public, Powell erected a building on the Parramatta Road which he called the ‘Halfway House’ and having obtained a liquor licence, established a hotel and store. By his death in 1814, Powell had acquired 500 acres — that is all of the land granted to the free settlers on the left bank of Powell’s Creek. The entire property having been left to his son, Edward Powell, and daughter, Mary, it was first rented out and then purchased in 1823 by James Underwood (the original grantee’s son-in-law).

The Wentworth Estate

Meanwhile, further grants had been made to the north west and south of the original grants: 920 acres to Darcy Wentworth in an area north of Parramatta Road and running from Powell’s Creek to Haslam’s Creek and to the Parramatta River upon which Wentworth chose to erect his homestead named ‘The Homebush Estate’.

The Redmire Estate

570 acres was granted in 1808 to James Wilshire (bounded on the south by the Cooks River, The Boulevarde and Coronation Parade to the east), which he called ‘Wilshire’s Farm’. This land was later acquired by Samuel Terry in 1824 and named the ‘Redmire Estate’ after Terry’s birthplace in Yorkshire. After the death of his widow, Rosetta, in 1858, the land was sold to W. W. Billyard. The Estate was further subdivided in 1867 into blocks from 3-13 acres each with frontages from 4-8 chains to Station Road, Railway Road, Homebush Road, Liverpool Road, Water and Dean Streets and Redmire Boulevarde (former name of The Boulevarde).

The Redmire locality became incorporated under the name of ‘Strathfield’ (the residence of John Hardy, a City jeweler) on June 2, 1885, when local government was formed. The original areas of the new Strathfield Municipality included Redmire, Druitt Town [now Strathfield South] and Homebush.

The Underwood Estate

Sections of the Underwood property to the south of the railway (opened in 1855) were subdivided for sale in 1878. The Sydney Morning Herald of November 2, 1878, described the subdivision thus:

‘. . . a portion of the estate close to the railway station has been laid out as the ‘Village of Homebush’. The ground was allotted into 15 sections, intersected by streets, with names almost identical with those in use to-day.

On June 30, 1823, 450 acres to the west of the free settlers’ land and extending from Parramatta Road southerly to the Liverpool Road had been granted as a ‘glebe’ to the Chaplain of St. James’ Church, Sydney. After 1826, this reverted to the Crown, and in 1841 was divided into 2 portions of 256 and 283 acres and sold. The northern 256 acres was purchased by Joseph Hyde Potts, and the southern 283 acres, purchased by Joseph Newton. (Barker Road now separates these two areas.)

In 1858 the Newton Estate was acquired by Judge Joshua Josephson and marginal portions of the area were afterwards subdivided and sold. Most were sold under the title ‘Josephson’s Estate’ from 1916 onwards.

St Ann’s Village

Father John Joseph Therry was granted 47 acres in an area called ‘Bark Huts’ in March 1837. To finance the building of the original St. Anne’s Church (foundation stone laid July 1841) Father Therry offered 4 acre blocks for £25, but insufficient money being available, a further 134 allotments were offered for sale in 1854 and the streets of the subdivision named after Saints or dignitaries of the Church.

So it was that during the latter part of the 19th century many of the old semi-rural grants within the ‘Liberty Plains’ District, especially along the principal lines of traffic, were subdivided into homestead areas and later into residential allotments, to meet the requirements of professional men, merchants and government officials.

References

Fox and Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study Vol. 1 and 2, Strathfield Municipal Council, 1986.

Jones, Cathy, ‘A short history of Strathfield’, Strathfield District Historical Society Newsletter, January 2005.

Jones, MA, Oasis in the West: Strathfield’s First One Hundred Years, Allen and Unwin, 1985.

Kohen, James., The Darug and their Neighbours: the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Sydney Region, Darug Link in association with Blacktown and District Historical Association, 1993.

Strathfield Municipal Council, Strathfield Information Sheet: some notes on the Municipality of Strathfield, 1974.

Turbet, Peter, The Aborigines of the Sydney District before 1788, Kangaroo Press, 2001.

The Redmire Estate was subdivided in 1867 and smaller lots of land were offered for sale. The first property built was Thomas Henderson’s ‘Seven Oaks Farm’, a dairy farm located around Victoria Street Strathfield.

The oldest houses still standing in Strathfield are ‘Fairholm’ (now Strathfield Gardens Retirement Village in Cotswold Rd) and ‘Llandilo’ (now Trinity Grammar Preparatory School on The Boulevarde), both built in the late 1870’s.

Many other land grants began subdivision and gradually Strathfield and Homebush began to develop as a residential district. Strathfield and Homebush were considered desirable places to live as the railway, which was first established in Homebush in 1855, enabled businessmen to travel to work in the City each day. As land was plentiful, many wealthy businessmen built lavish mansions on large blocks of land. Many of these homes still exist today such as ‘Mount Royal’ (Australian Catholic University) and ‘Brunyarra’ and ‘Lauriston’ (Santa Maria Del Monte).

Strathfield contains a wide variety of housing types and many were built in Victorian and Federation styles. These homes are an important part of the built heritage of Strathfield.

References

Fox and Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study Vol. 1 and 2, Strathfield Municipal Council, 1986.

Jones, Cathy, ‘A short history of Strathfield’, Strathfield District Historical Society Newsletter, January 2005.

Jones, MA, Oasis in the West: Strathfield’s First One Hundred Years, Allen and Unwin, 1985.

Kohen, James., The Darug and their Neighbours: the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Sydney Region, Darug Link in association with Blacktown and District Historical Association, 1993.

Strathfield Municipal Council, Strathfield Information Sheet: some notes on the Municipality of Strathfield, 1974.

Turbet, Peter, The Aborigines of the Sydney District before 1788, Kangaroo Press, 2001.

As the population of the Strathfield district (then known as Redmire) grew, local people wished to form their own council so they could have a say in how their district developed and was managed.

After many petitions were tabled with the State Government, approval was granted to form local government. The Municipality (or local government area) of Strathfield was incorporated on 2 June 1885 covering the localities of Redmire, Druitt Town and Homebush. The locality of Redmire was renamed Strathfield in 1885 and Druitt Town was renamed Strathfield South in the 1890’s.

At the time of incorporation the population of the Strathfield Council area was estimated at 600 and the net revenue was £1,210. The area at that time was only about 1/3 of the size of today’s Council area with boundaries at Homebush Crescent and the railway in the north, the Boulevarde in the east, Liverpool Road and the Cooks River in the south and undeveloped land in the west.

The name ‘Strathfield’ was derived from the house of jeweller John Hardy, which was originally built c.1868 for Walter Renny, a Mayor of Sydney. The house has since been demolished but a plaque is located on the footpath indicating the approximate location of the former house. This house was originally named ‘Stratfieldsaye’, which was also the name of a ship which brought many migrants from England to Australia including future NSW Premier Henry Parkes. Stratfieldsaye is also the name of the Duke of Wellington’s Estate in England.

The first Mayor of Strathfield was George Hardie, an auctioneer and mining agent, who lived in a house called ‘Torrington’. The first Strathfield Council Chambers were located in a private home called ‘Steephurst’ 22-24 Albyn Road Strathfield. The Strathfield Council Chambers were built in 1887 and designed by the architectural firm of John Sulman and C E Blackmann. The Council Chambers have had many additions including a first floor and Town Hall, built in 1923.

Addition of other areas to the Council area have expanded the size of the Council over time. In 1947, the Municipality of Homebush was abolished and added to Strathfield Council. The former Homebush Council was located north of the Railway line and included areas such as Mason and Bressington Parks. In 1949, the west ward of the former Enfield Council was added to Strathfield Council. This area was bounded by Liverpool Rd, Coronation Parade, Roberts Rd and Punchbowl Rd. The addition of these areas included large amounts of parks and commercial and industrial sites such as Parramatta Road where the Stockyards were located. This site is now Sydney Markets. In 1992, a section of the northern part of the Municipality was transferred to the Auburn Council area. In return, the area of and between Boundary Creek and the railway line, occupied by the former Ford factory building, was transferred from Auburn to Strathfield Council.

Following the introduction of the Local Government Act in 1919, Strathfield Council was one of the first to proclaim the major part of its area a residential district by proclamation in 1920. The proclamation excluded any trade, industry, shop, place of amusement, advertisements or residential flats and largely stayed in place until 1969 when the proclamation was suspended by the Strathfield Planning Scheme Ordinance.

While Strathfield is known for its parklands, the first public park, Strathfield Park, was not dedicated until 1914. Many parks were acquired in the 1920s and 1930s to provide open space for increasing populations. Strathfield now has a wide variety of parks and reserves ranging from large areas such as Hudson Park and Airey Park to smaller local parks such Boden Reserve and Pilgrim Reserve.

Strathfield is also known for its’ many schools and churches. Strathfield has many primary and secondary schools, both private and public including Santa Sabina, Meriden, Trinity Grammar, St Patrick’s, Strathfield Girls High and Homebush Boys High. The Australian Catholic University also has a campus in Strathfield. The earliest Church built in Strathfield was St Ann’s Catholic Church at Strathfield South in 1859-64 but there are many historic churches including St Anne’s Anglican Church (Beresford Road), Homebush Uniting Church (Meredith Street Homebush) and Strathfield Uniting Church (Carrington Avenue).

Strathfield Today

Strathfield Council is made up of seven Councillors, who are elected every four years. The Mayor is periodically elected from and by the Councillors. Councillors decide on major decisions and policies, while Council staff implement these decisions and administer the activities of the Council.

Strathfield remains primarily a residential district. Since the 1960s the population of Sydney has continued to grow with increasing demand for housing. Since the 1960s, home units and town houses have been built in Strathfield, particularly around railway stations to provide more housing accommodation. Homes and streets in Strathfield, which are considered significant and valuable to current and future generations, have been heritage listed to assist their long-term preservation.

Since World War II, Strathfield has become highly multicultural. The last Australian Census indicated that over 50% of the population were born in countries other than Australia. Today the Strathfield Local Government Area includes the suburbs of Strathfield, Strathfield South, Homebush, Homebush West, part of Belfield and part of Greenacre.

References

Fox and Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study Vol. 1 and 2, Strathfield Municipal Council, 1986.

Jones, Cathy, ‘A short history of Strathfield’, Strathfield District Historical Society Newsletter, January 2005.

Jones, MA, Oasis in the West: Strathfield’s First One Hundred Years, Allen and Unwin, 1985.

Strathfield Municipal Council, Strathfield Information Sheet: some notes on the Municipality of Strathfield, 1974.

Related Information

Strathfield Heritage Website

Strathfield Local Studies Blog

Strathfield Council is symbolically and officially represented by the Strathfield Council Crest and Council’s Corporate Logo. The traditional Strathfield Council Crest is used on official, formal and legal documents. The Strathfield Council Corporate logo appears on stationary, website and signage.

Strathfield Council Crest

The Strathfield Council crest was adopted in 1954 and was designed by jewelers Angus & Coote, together with the Mayoral chain. The Council Crest is the ‘common seal’ of Strathfield Council and used on official and legal documents.

Prior to 1954, Strathfield Council did not have either a logo or Mayoral Chain. In the early 1950s, Council resolved to adopt an official Council crest and a Mayoral Chain, featuring the new Council crest. The Mayoral Chain is usually worn by the Mayor at official ceremonies of Strathfield Council.

The Mayoral Chain features the names of all Mayors since 1885, when Council was first established.

The design of the crest is a shield, which is quartered, each representing a characteristic of Strathfield Municipality; a tree signifying Strathfield’s street trees; a bird representing the birds which are attracted by the many trees in Strathfield; a cogged wheel indicating the manufacturing activities in the Municipality; and a house indicating that Strathfield is primarily residential. Beneath the shield is the word ‘Redmire’, the original name of the Strathfield in its original spelling (The spelling of Redmire was later changed to Redmyre). The foliage on either side of the shield is a reference to the gardens of the Municipality.

Strathfield Council Corporate Logo

The Strathfield Council Corporate Logo was adopted in September 2005. The logo appears on all corporate items including council stationery, website and signage.

The logo features a ‘ribbon’ which signifies the unity and celebration which cuts across all ages, languages and cultures. The logo with its forward moving motion represents future direction and a sense of dynamism. The design is a bold eye-catching corporate logo that reflects a stronger, more vibrant Council and community.

The Council Corporate logo was adopted after extensive consultation with community groups, residents, Councillors and Council staff.

Strathfield Council was incorporated in June 1885. In August 1886, the Council acquired land from James. R. Powell (owner of ‘Terry-Hi-Hi’ Homebush Rd and descendant of one of the original Liberty Plains land grantees Edward Powell) at the cost of £600 on the corner of Homebush and Redmyre Roads in order to build the Council Chambers.

Strathfield Council contacted four architects residing in the local area requesting they submit tenders to design the new Council Chambers and Town Clerk’s residence. The architects included Harry C. Kent, John Sulman, William Gratus Coward and Ferdinand Reuss.

Sulman, of the firm Sulman and Blackmann, was the successful tenderer. Sulman had recently arrived from England and was residing in ‘Glencoe’ Torrington Rd Strathfield, when he submitted the tender.

The Council Chambers were completed and opened in 1887.

The Council Chambers building has undergone many additions including first floor additions in 1921/22 designed by Harry Chambers Kent. Kent was once an Alderman of Strathfield Council (1903-1905) and lived at ‘Kelmswood'(later ‘Woodstock’) in Redmyre Rd Strathfield. Kent also designed Mount Royal (1887) and the Catholic Institute of Sydney Building (1891) in Albert Rd Strathfield.

The Strathfield Town Hall and supper room was also designed by Harry Chambers Kent and built by Kell & Rigby in 1923. Further office extensions were undertaken in 1969 and 1984 by the architectural firm of D T Morrow & Gordon, who also designed many other Strathfield Council Municipal buildings including the former Baby Health Centre in Redmyre Road and former High St Branch Library.

The Strathfield War Memorials for the two World Wars are located in the front of the Council Chambers. The World War I war memorial was dedicated on 11th October 1925 by the Governor of NSW, His Excellency the Governor, Admiral Sir Dudley de Clair, KCB, MVO. The memorials for World War I consist of Honour Roll tablets erected on a wall of the Council Chambers and a globe of the world erected on a granite pillar. Countries forming the British Empire were originally signified on the globe in gold lettering, which has now faded.

The World War II memorial was dedicated on 26 September 1953 by the Governor of NSW, His Excellency the Governor, Sir John Northcott. The memorials for World War II consist of a trachyte seat and a bronze plaque containing the names of all those residents of the Strathfield Municipality who died in the Second World War.

The Council Administration Building facing Homebush Road is a former house called. ‘Ravenswood’, which was acquired by Strathfield Council in 1961. ‘Ravenswood’ was built c.1903 for Mr Edgar and Mrs Susan Boston, though Edgar Boston died soon after occupation of the home in 1906. The plan of the house design is dated 28 July 1902 and signed by G H Dale, contractor. George H Dale was local builder from Meryla Street Burwood.

Mrs Boston continued to reside at ‘Ravenswood’ until her death in 1948. ‘Ravenswood’ was then purchased by Ernest and Elsie Melheuish, leathergoods manufacturers, who owned the property until 1961. Council records note that this property was used as a boarding house.

In 1961, Strathfield Council sold the former Town Clerk’s residence ‘Halloween’ (69 Redmyre Road) and acquired ‘Ravenswood’ to accommodate the administrative offices of the Council. Though the expansive front gardens have been well maintained, the rear and side gardens have been reduced with further extensions to the Council Chambers and building of a new office block in the late 1990’s at the rear of ‘Ravenswood’. Though the grounds surrounding ‘Ravenswood’ have been reduced, the building has been well maintained and most internal original features of the house are in-tact.

Ravenswood was converted to accommodate the Engineering Office, Parks Supervisor’s Office and Mayor’s Room. The back of the building was used as a residence for the Council caretaker, a position that has since been abolished. Despite the Council using ‘Ravenswood’ for over forty years as office accommodation, most of the original features of the home have been retained including fireplaces, pressed metal ceilings, leadlight doors and internal archways. ‘Ravenswood’ also provides accommodation for the offices of the Mayor and General Manager of Strathfield Council.

The Strathfield Council Chambers, Town Hall and ‘Ravenswood’ are heritage listed items on the Strathfield Local Environmental Plan. The Council premises are also located within the Redmyre Road Heritage Conservation Area.

A list and biographical information of the former Mayors and Deputy Mayors of Strathfield and biographical information is available from the Strathfield Heritage website.