Harvey War Memorial Library & District Honour Rolls

Parent Place or Precinct

12029 Harvey Precinct No 4

Values

• The place is a good representative example of the type of utilitarian war memorials constructed throughout Australia following World War I.
• The place is a rare example of a War Memorial Library.
• The place has social value for its role in providing a continued and valuable library service to the community since 1921, predating the State Library service.
• The place has aesthetic value as a local landmark and for its articulation of the Inter-War Stripped Classical style.

Physical Description

The place is a well maintained, rendered and painted brick building in the Inter-War Stripped Classical style. The original tiled hipped roof has been replaced with a shallow pitched gable roof clad in pre-painted corrugated iron. The front elevation has a central portico with a hipped pre-painted corrugated iron roof. The portico which was originally open is enclosed with aluminium framed windows and a door. It is flanked by two sash aluminium framed windows set into the main building. Classical ogee mouldings form an entablature and pediment bearing the words “WAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY” in raised letters. The mouldings and words are painted in a contrasting colour to the main building.

Wooden Honour Rolls inscribed with names of those from the area who enlisted in World War I and II are located inside the library.

The place is adjacent to P1185 Harvey Shire Council Chambers and Hall (parent of P1181 Shire Council Chambers) forming a small civic precinct spread along the north east corner of Uduc Road and Young Street, Harvey. The Council Chambers face Uduc Road and the Town Hall and the Library face Young Street. The place is opposite the Harvey War Memorial which was dedicated in 2015.

History

The region now known as the Shire of Harvey is located on the lands of the Pindjarup (Binjareb) Noongar people who lived on the land long before European exploration of the area in 1829. The area’s flat swamplands and water systems were essential to people’s survival, providing freshwater and food. The Pindjarup Noongar people followed a year of six seasons, that determined their movements and eating patterns. This way of life was significantly affected by Colonial settlement of the area in 1830 when Captain James Stirling led a group of settlers to the district who recognised the rich resources and agricultural potential of what would become the Harvey region.

In the 1840s, British settlement of the area commenced when the first settlers arrived at Australind. The development of the area around the future townsite of Harvey began with the purchase of the Harvey Estate from James Stirling’s estate in 1883/84 by partners Dr Henry Harvey, John Young and brothers Herbert and George Gibbs. Growth of the region was initially slow primarily because of poor transportation and unfamiliar agricultural conditions. The 1890s brought significant changes and development mainly due to the establishment of a timber industry that brought new people and skills to the region and the opening of the Perth to Bunbury railway line in 1893.

The first recorded libraries in the Harvey district were at Ferguson’s Mill and Yarloop in the 1890s. Unlike Mechanics’ Institutes which provided dedicated premises for their literary facilities the Korijekup Literary Institute was housed in the Drill Hall until 1922 when it relocated to the new Harvey War Memorial Library. The building, comprising three rooms including a library, reading room and a meeting chamber, was opened on Empire Day, May 24 1922 and housed Harvey’s already established and successful library which had been located in the Drill Hall since 1906.

The Harvey War Memorial Library was built as a result of the community’s decision that ‘something of a tangible character should be provided to commemorate the sacrifices their boys had made and were making at the front’, in particular those who would not return home. Providing a dual purpose, this utilitarian building was realised following a concerted campaign by Mr Roy Hayward to raise money for a memorial by local subscription only. The foundation stone was laid by the Governor at a ceremony on 21 October 1921, at which time Mr W J George, the Minister for Works noted that the library would provide a fitting memorial to those who died serving and would ensure they would never be forgotten.

Evidence suggests that the Harvey Library has been a much valued and well supported institution operating independently of government funding until it became a part of the State’s public library system following the establishment of the Western Australian Library Board in 1952. The library has undergone minor modifications over time including the enclosing of the front portico and cement rendering of the building in 1970. Today this library and other libraries in the Shire offer a variety of free modern and intereconnected services as part of the State’s public library system comprising 233 libraries.

In 2015 a new war memorial was built in Harvey, located across the road from the War Memorial Library. Brass rolls originally located in the War Memorial Library were relocated to this new memorial. Wooden boards of honour inscribed with those who enlisted in World War One and World War Two are still located inside the library.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.