Great Southern Roller Flour Mill

Statement of Significance

Social "social significance
*demonstration of a way of life, custom, process or function.
The evolution of the site demonstrates the way of life for the successive workers in the mill.
The social conditions after the second world war are demonstrated in the negotiations
necessary prior to building the new offices in 1948.
Historical* historical significance of development of cultural phases; association with
important figures.
Demonstrates importance for the associations with the pioneers of Narrogin and the
agricultural associations. Associations with Fiour Mill enterprises as early as 1903.
Associations with O'Connor and his endevour which establish the mil! in Fremanttle.
Associations with the history of agriculture and manufacturing in Western Australia.
Significant in the development of milling operations in Western Australia.
Aesthetic ^environmental importance; townscape or Sand scale value; high degree
of unity of setting.
*architectural/technica! accomplishment
The landmark position is significant, as is the Australian image of a dingo which is also a
landmark. The archttectural significance of the place in that it is one of the later works of William
Bennett, a prolific and renowned architect of the 1930s. The aesthetic of an evolving process
of mill operations is significant in the streetscape of the North Fremantle area.
Scientific * Scientific/archaeological importance
Associations with mass production and automation.
Rarity and Representativeness *scarcity value; a particularly fine (or unique) example.
The mill is a rare example of a continually operating mill in the metropolitan area of Perth. The
aesthetics are such that they illustrate the evolution of the place.

Physical Description

The mill is a complex assortment of buildings which have developed and evolved throughout the history of the place. The 1948 office building is distinctive within the complex both in its architectural style but also in breaking tradition with the company architects and introducing another architect onto the site. The domestic scale one storey office building is distinctive of the style of William Bennett and particularly his infant health centres throughout the regional areas of Western Australia. The domestic hip tiled roof is only concealed by the parapet entry centred on the frontage of the building. The structure is smooth concrete rendered and painted a light colour. The entry is prominent. The edges of the protruding parapeted porch curve back to the building front on both sides. The curved sections have horizontal bands incised into the concrete. The entry is divided into three bays by slender concrete columns and the red concrete floor leads to two sets of glazed doubie doors. The top of the parapet has a recessed band of vertical fluting. Central on the parapet is a square finial with an embossed image of the "dingo".

History

Assessment 1995
Construction 1922
Mill Architect, 1922 : J F Allen of Allen & Nicholas, Fremantle
Office Architect, 1948: William Gainsworthy Bennett
Builder (1922) Mr Coombe of Guildford
In 1903 several prominent Narrogin citizens formed the Narrogin Co-operative Flour Milling Company and established a flour mill in the town. On the 26th October 1912 a number of Narrogin identities, a number of whom were on the board of the Co-operative Company.applied to purchase the mill which was producing 600 pounds of flour per hour at the time. A new company was formed to take-over the former company, in the name of the Great Southern Flour Mills Ltd. Michael Brown1 was the Chairman of Directors and S O'Connor was the manager. As soon as 1914, the company expanded its operations to supply electricity to
the town of Narrogin., In 1916, the idea was first mooted for establishing a mill in Fremantle. The product was referred to as "Dingo" flour in 1916. Production was falling behind that of other mills and the flour quality needed improvement, but no move would be effected until after the war. In 1919 the Board voted not to increase the mill capacity. Mr S O'Connor voted against that decision and thereby commenced his ambition to build a mill in Fremantle.
In 1920 a new Company was formed; The Great Southern Roller Flour Mills Limited. It purchased the assets of the previous company, purchased several lots of land in North Fremantle, and set about costing the new factory. In February 1921 stage one of the Fremantle mill; the Mill, wheat cleaning, bins and substation were undertaken, followed by stage 2 in September the same year; packer room, half the flour store and an awning over the railway siding. An existing semi detached cottage on the site was used as the office. The official opening took place on the 28th March 1922. By January 1925, the office conditions were such that the partition between the two semidetached was removed to make one large space. In the same year the Narrogin Mill was closed and a new one constructed. The Narrogin mill continued to have problems with the quality of the produce.
The depression was a difficult time for both mills, with Narrogin closing for a period in 1933. In 1936 a 75,000 bushel capacity Jarrah silo faced with corrugated iron was built at the Fremantle mill. Further update of the mill took place in the early 1940s. In 1948 at age 75, Mr s O'Connor retired. The Narrogin mill ceased making the "henco" brand of flour and set about re-educating clients to accept an improved Narrogin flour.
In the same year, the new manager applied to the board to have new image offices on Stirling Highway, they passed the motion, and work commenced soon after. Due to the acute shortages of materials after the war, special permission had to be granted to build. Permission was granted because the materials from the previous office cottage was used to build two home units somewhere else. When the new building was plate high, the walls on the highway had three foot high words graffitied on saying "Homes not profits". The company architects were disposed of, not amicably as there was a discontent with previous projects. William Bennett, returned from the war in 1946, was commissioned as the Architect to undertake the new offices.
In 1952 the loading doors were covered with steel trusses and corrugated iron over an area of almost 5000 square feet, and another building for bag printing was added in the south east corner of the mill. From 1952 to 1954 the was a huge demand for flour and the mills ran at full capacity. In 1955 four concrete bins were constructed, each with a capacity of 70 tons of flour, and in 1956 the Boronia Mill in East Perth was purchased. In 1957 an underground grid hopper was installed, and the Laboratory in head office expanded, followed by a new workshop the following year. In 1961 the workshop was extended and more toilet facilities were required due to health and Factories inspections. Three rooms were added to the south side of the office buildings when the Executive staff complained of the heat in their small glassed offices. In 1963 all the mill windows and frames facing west were replaced, and the badly salt eroded brick wall was applied with an asbestos and resin waterproofing called "Kenitex"2 In 1968 the company purchased six blocks of land in Leslie Street with the view to closing the street in the future. In 1975 the company was acquired by Allied Mills Limited who subsequently became Goodman Fielder Wattie Ltd following a merger. The "dingo" has been claimed as the work of a number of signwriters, including the business entrepreneur, Alan Bond. Mrs Panton claims that her friend Horace watts painted it before World War One, and it was blocked out during both world wars and repainted many times. Other claims include; repainted by Edward Soam Pulham in the late 1920s and again in the 1940s by Les Nash.

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