Nullagine Police Station

Statement of Significance

The Nullagine Lock Up has some historic and social significance, although it is not the original building which was burnt down in the late 1950s. Maintaining law and order is an important function in the remote Pilbara town of Nullagine.
There are plans to rebuild the Nullagine Police Station, and the buildings are being assessed by CAMS, the Police Department and their consultant architects.

Physical Description

The lock up is one of a few buildings in the police complex. It is a painted corrugated iron building with a hipped roof and concrete footings. A verandah area is fenced and enclosed. A section of the building was constructed around a tree which grows up through part of the structure. The walls of one of the cells are timber lined. The new cells are lined with hardiflex.
Nearby is the police station, a timber framed building, lined inside and out with fibreboard, with a corrugated iron roof supported on structural timber. There are no court facilities. Court is held in the Officer-in-Charge's office, and any court remands are heard at Marble Bar.
The Officer-in-Charge's quarters is a timber framed building, lined both inside and out with fibreboard.
The floor is tongue and groove boards, all supported on stumps. It is neatly painted.

History

The Nullagine Police Station as it stands today is not the original building. This site was reserved for the purposes of 'wardens court and police' in August 1901. Wood and iron police buildings were erected in 1901, and additional buildings, including a forage and harness room for the stables, were added within a few years. Additions and improvements were carried out in 1906 and 1909 and renovations were completed in 1912. A fire in 1951 destroyed the police station and quarters, and departmental business was then carried out from a hut which doubled up as the living quarters of the police officer and his family. The present buildings were constructed in 1954-55 and completed 1955-56. Additions to the lock up were completed in 1983.
Undoubtedly one of the most famous characters connected to the Nullagine Police Station was Ian Blair.
Blair was one of a number of children brought up on Meentheena Station. He became a policeman and during the 1950s became police sergeant of Marble Bar which also included the Nullagine beat. His 'beat' was once written up in People magazine as the largest police patrol area in Australia. Ian Blair was well suited to his position, owing to his local upbringing. He spoke the Aboriginal languages of the area and had well developed bush skills.
In the 1920s (1922-23) the Nullagine gaol house was the scene of incarceration for a man named Roslin Matama who was arrested for murder. After an escape attempt Matama was transferred from the Nullagine lock up to Fremantle Gaol in Perth where he was condemned to death and hanged.
Today three policemen and one aide do the job where previously only one policeman was appointed. This increase has occurred during the 1990s owing to a population change in Nullagine.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

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.