The Bexley area was first incorporated on 25 March 1887, when theNSW Government Gazette published the proclamation declaring the "Municipal District of Hurstville", with its wards being created on 29 December 1887, including the "Bexley Ward".[3] Although originally very much of a rural character, by the turn of the 20th century the population of the Bexley Ward area had reached 2850 and a group of local residents, including all three Bexley Ward aldermen, submitted a petition on 16 November 1899 to the NSW Governor,Earl Beauchamp, requesting the formation of a municipality with the name of the "Borough of Bexley", arguing that under the current arrangements in Hurstville, the Bexley Ward area was under-represented compared to its rate-paying contribution and was geographically distant from the rest of the council area[4][5][6] The petition was subsequently accepted and the Bexley Borough Council was incorporated on 28 June 1900.[7]
The first council was elected on 11 August 1900, with nine aldermen elected:[8][9]
Hurstville Bexley Ward Alderman 1894–1898. Public accountant, Gladstone Street, Bexley.
Charles Amey Howard
Landed proprietor, Stoney Creek Road, Kingsgrove.
Joseph Godwin
Warehouseman, Highgate Street, Bexley.
William Edward Paine
Contractor, Bayview Street, Bexley.
John Cooper
Saddle and harness manufacturer, Fleet Street, Carlton.
Richard Sanders
Salesman, Union Street, Kogarah.
The council first met in the Debating Society Hall inCarlton on 15 August 1900, with Alderman James William Larbalestier elected as the first mayor.[10][11] On 13 September, Alderman Charles Henry Austin was appointed Treasurer.[12] On 11 November 1901, the Council Chambers on corner of Queen Victoria and Northbrook Streets, Bexley, was officially opened with a hybrid design consisting of alderman Paine's floorplan and architect William Kenwood's facade.[13][14][15] From 28 December 1906, following the passing of theLocal Government Act, 1906, the council was renamed as the "Municipality of Bexley".
In December 1920, Bexley combined with the councils of Rockdale, Hurstville, and Kogarah to form theSt George County Council. The elected County Council was established to provide electricity to the Kogarah, Rockdale, Hurstville, and Bexley areas and ceased to exist when it was amalgamated with theSydney County Council from 1 January 1980.[16] Although for most of its history, Bexley council was elected at-large, on 18 March 1942 the municipality was divided into four wards: North, South, East and West wards.[17][18]
By the end of the Second World War, the NSW Government had realised that its ideas of infrastructure expansion could not be effected by the present system of the patchwork of small municipal councils across Sydney and the Minister for Local Government,Joseph Cahill, passed a bill in 1948 that abolished a significant number of those councils. Under theLocal Government (Areas) Act 1948, Bexley Municipal Council became the First Ward of the Municipality of Rockdale, which was located immediately to the east.[2]
^Spearritt, Peter (2000).Sydney's Century: A History. Sydney: UNSW Press. pp. 272–273.
^ab"3804 Municipality of Bexley".State Records Archives Investigator. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved7 October 2017.
^"2636 Hurstville City Council".State Records Archives Investigator. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved7 October 2017.
^"The Borough of Bexley—a Newly=created Municipality".Australian Town and Country Journal. Vol. LXI, no. 1607. New South Wales, Australia. 24 November 1900. p. 32. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Proclamation".New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 644. New South Wales, Australia. 29 June 1900. p. 5039. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Advertising".The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 19, 474. New South Wales, Australia. 11 August 1900. p. 14. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Borough of Bexley".The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 19, 475. New South Wales, Australia. 13 August 1900. p. 5. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ab"Borough of Bexley".New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 804. New South Wales, Australia. 21 August 1900. p. 6485. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Bexley Municipality".The Daily Telegraph. No. 6610. New South Wales, Australia. 17 August 1900. p. 7. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Municipal Matters".Evening News. No. 10, 740. New South Wales, Australia. 11 November 1901. p. 3. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"3489 St George County Council".State Records Archives Investigator. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved25 September 2017.
^"Local Government Act, 1919".Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 50. New South Wales, Australia. 27 March 1942. p. 1054. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Advertising".The St George Call. Vol. XXXX, no. 49. New South Wales, Australia. 8 December 1944. p. 2. Retrieved7 October 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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