The Berwick Road District was established on September 29, 1862, and the Road Board formed at a meeting held the same year on November 14. The Board met at the Border Hotel/Berwick Inn at Berwick. (1) In 1865 purpose built offices were erected at the top of the hill, near Bain Street, in High Street, Berwick, on land donated by Robert Bain, the owner of the Hotel and a member of the Road Board. (2) They were designed by architect, J.F. Higgins. (3)
Tender for the Shire Offices
The Argus, December 31, 1864 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5734665
The original Shires Offices in High Street, Berwick.
Image: Early days of Berwick and its surrounding districts - Beaconsfield, Upper Beaconsfield, Harkaway, Narre Warren and Narre Warren North complied by Norman Beaumont, James Curran and R.H Hughes (1979 edition).
In November 1901 the council moved the motion that the office of this council be moved to Pakenham, and that the council meetings be held at Pakenham for the future. (6) The Council population had increased substantially in the eastern part of the Shire with the drainage of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp and the creation of the Iona Riding in May 1901 and thus Pakenham was a more central location. The Council initially met at the Pakenham Mechanics' Institute until a new building, which was on the corner of Main Street and John Street was opened on Thursday, June 6, 1912, by the Minister of Public Works, Mr W. Edgar. In 1912 the Berwick Shire Council embraced an area of 600 square miles, with a population of about 7000 and revenue £7000. (7)
The Shire Offices, 1912 - either at the opening or soon after
Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society https://bphs.com.au/articles.
Berwick Shire Hall. New Building at Pakenham.
Four months back competitive designs were invited from two city architects for new shire offices to he erected at Pakenham. The designs of Mr. W. H. Webb (8), of 331 Collins Street, Melbourne, were selected, and that gentleman received instructions to prepare the working drawings and call for tenders for the work. The tender of Mr. James Craigen, of Hawthorn, was accepted at a price of £765, and the work is now approaching completion.
As the Crown Law Department has arranged to use the building as a courthouse the necessary additional accommodation had to be arranged to provide facilities for that being done. The design provides for a centrally placed council chamber, 39 foot long by 20 feet wide, which will also serve the purpose of a courthouse. Access to this will be on each side, that from the front being by means of an 8-ft. lobby and inner vestibule; with a clerk of courts room on one side and the President's room on the other, this room having also direct access to the council chamber for the use of the President and the presiding magistrate. These two rooms with the lobby, which is is distinctive feature, projecting eight feet forward, fort the front elevation, additional character being given to the building by open porches on either side of the lobby to protect the entrances, these being so arranged at the sides of the lobby as to enable either to be used according to weather conditions. By means also of the porches, lobby, and inner vestibule ample provision is made for the convenience of persons waiting the arrangements, of court procedure.
On the near side of the council chamber are situated the shire secretary's office, with a public office on one side and a records room on the other, a special locker being arranged in this room for the safe keeping of the old records. At the entrance to the public office a porch corresponding to front entrances is arranged. The external treatment of the building is being carried out with jarrah weatherboarding for the lower portion, having also at foot a base running continuously around the building; above the weatherboarding a string mould is arranged, and above same is finished in fibrous cement panelling, relieved with red pine facings. Additional effect is given to the elevations by massive gables to the ends of the council chamber and the lobby, the gables being well projected and finished with red pine facings and rough cast plasterwork between. The whole will have a very pleasing effect, as the rich-colored jarrah timber, when varnished, will show a very pleasing contrast to the light grey of the fibrous cement.
The internal treatment of the building will also be of a distinctive character, special attention being given to the council chamber. This will have a panelled red pine dado 7 ft. high, finished in a dull gloss; above this will be panelled fibrous cement relieved with red pine facings, and a similar frieze along below the ceiling. The ceiling, which is covered, is being lined with Tasmanian blue gum (which, when finished in a dull gloss, has a very similar appearance to English oak) and is to be panelled out with red pine mouldings, the whole providing a very rich interior. The fibrous cement is being tinted in harmony with the colors of the timber. All the other rooms are to be treated with Tasmanian blue gum dadoes, five feet high, and finished above with fibrous cement panelling, with the ceilings in close beaded stained lining, the cement being tinted in light harmonious colors. The free use of jarrah and Tasmanian blue gum has been adopted to avoid the destruction of the softer timbers by white ants, and the larger use of the fibrous cement will afford greater protection from fire, as well as the lessened effect of the summer heat, and affording an opportunity for very effective general treatment of the building. The floors throughout are of Tasmanian blue gum, which will be stained to light oak color.
Altogether the building will form a distinct architectural addition to the district, and will be complete in all respects for the varied uses required (9).
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The Shire Offices in Pakenham, maybe 1950s.
Image: Uncertain where this originated from
In 1962 the original building was kept intact and a brick facade added and a new extension built along John Street, so the Council complex extended from Main Street to where the Opportunity Shop used to be on the corner of John and James Street. (10) The building was designed by Architect, Robert Canterbury and the builder was Eugene Drossaert. The new offices were opened by the Minister for Local Government, Mr Murray Porter, on Saturday September 15, 1962 as part of a gala weekend celebrating 100 of local government in the area - the Berwick Road Board and Shire. (11)
The Shire Offices in the 1960s. The original building is behind the brick facade.
Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society https://bphs.com.au/articles.
You can see the top of the roof and the three chimneys of the 1912 building peeking out over the brick facade.
This is the Yakkerboo Festival Parade, taken in the 1980s.
Inage: Shire of Pakenham photographer
In 1973 the City of Berwick and the Shire of Pakenham were formed on October 1, when the Shire of Berwick split. The Pakenham Shire used this building until their new offices opened on July 28, 1983 in Henty Way. (11) The building was then used by the Pakenham Gazette and later Duffy and Simon Solicitors (or maybe it was the other way round). In 2004 the building was relocated to the triangle of land created by Main Street, McGregor and the Highway and is the headquarters of the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society. (12) We are fortunate that the building was maintained all through the years and wasn't demolished in 1962 when it was hidden behind the facade.
The building, and the Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, are well worth a visit - this is their website https://bphs.com.au/ One of the attractions of the collection is the magnificent U-shaped Council table.
In November 1957 the Council Chamber was re-decorated and carpeted and a glorious U-shaped table introduced for the use of councillors. At Council meetings, the President, Secretary, Engineer and official guests were seated on the dais and with the new table the councillors could all now face the President without any craning of necks which was necessary with the old oblong table. The table was made by Messrs. F.J. Matthews and Son, of Pakenham for £680. It was made of blackwood, topped with vynex and each councillor has an individual drawer for his papers. The councillors were very pleased with the table and planned to invite Mr Matthews and his son Keith to afternoon tea at the next meeting. (14)
The Council table
Photo taken in 2010 for a Council re-enactment.
Image: Berwick Pakenham Historical Society https://bphs.com.au/articles.
Footnotes
(1) Victoria Government Gazette, No. 126, October 24, 1862, p.2062;
From Bullock Tracks to Bitumen: a brief history of the Shire of Berwick (Historical Society of Berwick Shire, 1962), p.1.
(2) From Bullock Tracks to Bitumen: a brief history of the Shire of Berwick, op.cit., p. 2. The land for the Shire Offices was allotment 6, Block 13 on the Berwick Township plan, which you can see here at the State Library of Victoria https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/160014
(3) Joseph Fielding Higgins was also a Civil Engineer. He designed the wooden bridge over the Cardinia Creek in 1964 (see tender advert below) and was the contractor for the South Yarra to Oakleigh Railway line in 1879 - see The Argus, January 9, 1879, here; The Herald, December 3, 1880, here; Death notice - The Argus, August 24, 1916, here.
The Argus, October 18, 1864 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5739230
(4) From Bullock Tracks to Bitumen: a brief history of the Shire of Berwick, op.cit., p. 2.
(5) From Bullock Tracks to Bitumen: a brief history of the Shire of Berwick, op.cit., p. 3.
(6) From Bullock Tracks to Bitumen: a brief history of the Shire of Berwick, op.cit., p. 11.
(7) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, June 13, 1912, see here.
(8) William Henry Webb - Death notice - The Argus, April 23, 1921, see here.
(9) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, March 21, 1912, see here.
(10) In the image below, from the 1980s, I have circled the Shire Offices complex, on the corner of Main Street and John Street. The building in the far fight of the circle is the Opportunity shop. There is also an image of the Opportunity shop and part of the Council buildings in Pakenham Then & Now: a pictorial history by Audrey Dodson (Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, 2022), p.53.
Image: Shire of Pakenham photographer
(11) Pakenham Gazette, September 21, 1962.The report of the opening of the building was on page 2, and reports on the Centenary weekend were published throughout the edition.
(13) Pakenham Then & Now: a pictorial history by Audrey Dodson (Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, 2022), p.4
(14) Pakenham Gazette, November 22, 1957, p.1.
