7 Mile Site ("Sevvy" to later settlers)

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Parent Place or Precinct

12125 Mandogalup Townsite

Statement of Significance

Historic Value: The place has historic value as the stopping place for the light rail travelling between Jandakot and Wellard, and was regularly used by local dairy farmers as a depot for bringing their milk and cream to be picked up by the train. The place is associated with the development of the region through the Peel Estate Agricultural Scheme. Level of Significance: Historic Site.

Physical Description

Documentary evidence indicates the former stopping place known as Seven Mile is located on the western side of Mandogalup Road, opposite the intersection with Anketell Road. This area is currently occupied by the Mandogalup Community Hall and Fire Station.

History

During the 1920s development of the Peel Estate, a light railway line was constructed from Jandakot, running southwards to the swampy area of Mandogalup, which was to be the first area drained. Mandogalup was first known as the Six Mile, then as the Seven Mile, the mileage being reckoned as the distance by rail from Jandakot. Later the line was extended across the Hope Valley Road, and the Seven Mile was named Mandogalup. The line followed the course of Johnson Road almost due south to the Nine Mile, where Johnson Road meets Thomas Road, then to the Eleven Mile, finishing at the Thirteen Mile, subsequently called Wellard. At the Nine Mile, a branch line ran parallel to Thomas Road as far as Berriga Brook, mainly for the benefit of firewood cutters. In April 1921, a number of Group Settlers and ex-servicemen had applied for land at the Six and Seven Mile, and were living in tents near the Mandogalup lakes. At this time, the Six Mile stop was used to transport water and supplies to those living in the settlers’ camps. Approximately half a mile past the settler’s camp at the Six Mile was the Mandogalup School and Teacher’s Quarters, being the first building erected on the Peel Estate, and the prototype of most of those constructed in the following years. By the end of 1921, most of the settlers had built their homes, comprising small unlined weatherboard cottages of four rooms. Once dairy farming was established in the area, many farmers brought their milk and cream to the Seven Mile, where it was picked up by the train.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low Authenticity: Low

Condition

Site Only

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6 Mile Site

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Historic Value: The place has historic value as the stopping place for the light rail travelling between Jandakot and Wellard, which was originally used to transport water and supplies to the Peel Estate settlers’ camps. The place is associated with the development of the region through the Peel Estate Agricultural Scheme. Level of significance: Heritage Site

Physical Description

According to documentary evidence the former stopping place known as Six Mile is located on the eastern side of Mandogalup Road, near the intersection with Norkett Road, where the railway line extended approximately parallel to Mandogalup Road. This area is currently used for farming.

History

During the 1920s development of the Peel Estate, a light railway line was constructed from Jandakot, running southwards to the swampy area of Mandogalup, which was to be the first area drained. Mandogalup was first known as the Six Mile, then as the Seven Mile, the mileage being reckoned as the distance by rail from Jandakot. Later the line was extended across the Hope Valley Road, and the Seven Mile was named Mandogalup. The line followed the course of Johnson Road almost due south to the Nine Mile, where Johnson Road meets Thomas Road, then to the Eleven Mile, finishing at the Thirteen Mile, subsequently called Wellard. At the Nine Mile, a branch line ran parallel to Thomas Road as far as Berriga Brook, mainly for the benefit of firewood cutters. In April 1921, a number of Group Settlers and ex-servicemen had applied for land at the Six and Seven Mile, and were living in tents near the Mandogalup lakes. At this time, the Six Mile stop was used to transport water and supplies to those living in the settlers’ camps. Approximately half a mile past the settler’s camp at the Six Mile was the Mandogalup School and Teacher’s Quarters, being the first building erected on the Peel Estate, and the prototype of most of those constructed in the following years. By the end of 1921, most of the settlers had built their homes, comprising small unlined weatherboard cottages of four rooms.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low Authenticit:y Low

Condition

Site Only

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Medina Townsite

Child Places

• 12086 First Municipal Roads Board Office
• 12095 Medina Shopping Centre
• 24503 Anglican Church (fmr)
• 24486 Medina Avenue Trees
• 15098 Uniting Church
• 15099 Uniting Church Manse
• 27231 House, 19 Cowcher Way West, Medina
• 24441 Medina Town Hall
• 24535 Chalk Hill
• 24437 Medina Infant Health Centre
• 12105 Harry McGuigan Park
• 03051 Kwinana Police Station (fmr)
• 24439 Medina State School

Values

The referring party believes that the place was the first purpose built town in Western
Australia, and one of the first few in Australia.
The place was designed by Margaret Feilman, who was responsible for the design of a
number of State Housing Commission public housing estates.
The place is was built for the BP Refinery, Western Australia's only oil Refinery, which has
supplied most of Western Australia's fuel needs for over 50 years.
The subdivision of lots, street layout and design characteristics of the houses, demonstrate
the dominant 1950s attitude to the planning, disposition and amenity of a low-cost housing
estate and the standards of accommodation considered to be suitable for public housing
for rental to low-income residents

Physical Description

Medina Townsite is located between the BP Oil Refinery and the Kwinana Freeway. It covers an area approximately 4.5 square kilometres. Medina Townsite includes areas of original bushland. The limestone ridge and native trees on the western side act as a buffer zone between the townsite and the industrial area close to the coast. The houses built in Medina by the State Housing Commission are typical of modest, vernacular houses of the Post-War era. They are simply detailed using standard materials, construction techniques and planning. The landscape of the suburb is undulating. The houses are set back form the street, with mature plantings surrounding them. The original lots have not been subdivided. Original house types vary in design and materials used include weatherboard, fibrous cement sheeting, half weatherboard/half sheeting, and brick. Yet the area has a high level of homogeneity and high authenticity.

History

The limestone ridge (Chalk Hill) that divides Medina Townsite from the industrial area is an ancient Indigenous campsite. The area is part of a trail of fresh water lakes and natural springs running north-south along the coast that were used for Nyoongar people for hunting and gathering. Nicholas Baudin, explored the area of East Rockingham in 1803, and named île Bauche (renamed Garden Island by James Stirling), Point Peron and île Berthollet (now Carnac Island). With the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the settlers made their first camp at the southern end of Cockburn Sound, and for a time it was considered as a suitable place to found the colony’s capital, owing to its potential as a harbour. In the end, Perth was chosen as the capital, but Cockburn Sound continued to be used as an anchorage. In December 1829 Thomas Peel, an English speculator, brought out four hundred indentured settlers. A townsite called Clarence was surveyed near Woodman’s Point to provide temporary accommodation for Peel’s group, with the intention that the lots would eventually be sold to private settlers. The site was inhospitable, and within two years the town had been deserted. The Mandurah area was settled by Peel and others in the 1830s, and the main road to Fremantle passed on the east side of Lake Cooloongup up to the coast. This route, which is now known as Mandurah Road, became a “spine” along which the East Rockingham settlement was to develop.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Uses

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Smirk Cottage

Parent Place or Precinct

03841 East Rockingham Heritage Precinct

Uses

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: The place has aesthetic value as a modest but attractive cottage characterised by its simple form, limestone rubble walls with contrasting brick quoining, and its timber-framed verandahs across two elevations. Historic Value: This place is associated with a number of early pioneers of the district including Thomas and Eliza Smirk, who first purchased the land, and their son William, who built the cottage and lived there with his family. The place is historically significant as one of the earliest land grants in the area, and combines with other remaining homes such as Key Cottage, Lealholm, Paradise Cottage and Pines Cottage to form a precinct that represents the early settlement of the East Rockingham district. Social Value The place is among a number of significant sites in the area which provide the district with a sense of history and permanence. This is also evidenced by the ongoing efforts of community volunteers to retain and restore the building. Representativeness: The design of the building, which began with only two rooms and was later expanded, represents the tradition of expanding cottages into more substantial farmhouses suited to the size of the family and their farming operations. Level of significance: Exceptional

Physical Description

Smirk Cottage comprises a single-storey limestone cottage, set within attractive landscaped grounds that incorporate a range of other small structures, as well as numerous mature trees and a cottage garden. The building is oriented south to face the lower lying swamp area and bushland to the south, although the north elevation (facing Beacham Crescent) acts as the main visitor entry and is adorned with an early painted sign reading “T.S. ‘Tom’ Smirk”. Note that this sign was recently attached to the cottage, having belonged to the recently departed Tom Smirk of Baldivis Road. It is therefore somewhat out of place on this cottage. The building has a simple, rectilinear form, with a hipped corrugated iron roof and timberframed verandahs on both the north and south elevations. The south verandah is raised approximately 600mm above ground level, with rendered masonry steps providing access to the timber floor, which has limestone foundations. The verandah has simple square posts supporting a separate low-pitched skillion roof, and timber balustrades to each of its sides. The northern (rear) verandah is incorporated under the main roof, and has similar posts and balustrades, although a retaining wall along its northern edge has the verandah floor set approximately 400mm below the ground level of the adjoining garden. The cottage has rubble limestone walls, with cream-coloured pointing concealing most of the stonework itself and brick quoining surrounding some of the door and window openings. Brick is also used in the tall masonry chimneys, located at the east and west ends of the building. Several additions to the original fabric are evident, the first stage is delineated by the areas with brick quoining and reveal linings. The lean-to addition on the northeast corner of the building is most likely an early section of the fabric. The interior of the cottage, which has been furnished to represent the typical layout and appearance of a settler’s cottage, is quite intact, with rendered and painted masonry walls, timber lined ceilings and timber joinery, including timber floor boards, skirtings and architraves.

History

Thomas Smirk arrived in the Colony in 1851 as a convict aboard the Mermaid. Within approximately 3 months he received his ticket-of-leave and was eventually pardoned in 1853. Smirk first worked in John Hardy’s vineyard on the Swan River at Maylands until he married Eliza Hymus in 1855. Thomas and Eliza set up home at Wheatfield Cottage, where they had fourteen children. Their eighth child, William remained at Wheatfield Cottage until 1902, when he married Johanna Kavanagh and moved into the home he had built on Lot 617, one of numerous landholdings that were originally purchased by Thomas Smirk in 1895. The first stage of the cottage was built c.1902-1905 and comprised two rooms. It was located near the site of an earlier building built by Thomas Smirk c.1855. The date of subsequent additions is unknown. In the 1950s, with the development of the residential suburbs of Medina and Calista, Smirk’s original holding was partly resumed, with the cottage surviving. It was used as a residence by a former council works foreman until the Kwinana Town Council decided to demolish it in 1985. This decision was overturned following considerable community campaigning and the building was restored in 1991 by the Kwinana Heritage Group, who continue to occupy the building and use it as a local history museum.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Good

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Chalk Hill

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic value: As the highest point of a limestone ridge, the place is a pronounced landmark, which combined with the surrounding natural bushland, contributes to the townscape of Kwinana. Historic Value: The place was integral to the original town plan for Kwinana, providing access to the summer breezes, while also protecting the town from fumes and other undesirable effects of the nearby heavy industrial area. The place is documented as a traditional camping ground for Aboriginal people, and is also significant in more recent Aboriginal history. Social Value; The place is valued as a public lookout, allowing panoramic views in every direction and contributing to the community’s sense of place. Representativeness: The landscape of this hill is typical of the limestone ridge located in a north south alignment on the metropolitan coast line. Level of significance: Exceptional

Physical Description

Chalk Hill comprises a large limestone ridge, with a lookout at its highest point, surrounded by acres of natural bushland. The place forms a natural buffer between the residential townsite of Kwinana, and the heavy industrial area located to the west. The lookout can be accessed via a bitumen and limestone gravel path leading up from the parking area at Beacham Crescent. The lookout at the top of the hill is generally of limestone rubble construction with steps leading up to a circular platform edged with tubular steel railing. The lookout allows panoramic views in all directions, over bushland, residential and industrial sites. The place is in fair condition although the steps are in dangerous condition towards the top.

History

There is documented evidence that Medina and the surrounding area was an area of indigenous occupation, in particular the limestone ridge known as Chalk Hill, which divides Medina from the industrial area, was once an indigenous campsite. The area is part of a trail of fresh water lakes and natural springs running north-south along the greater metropolitan coastal strip used by the Whadjuk Nyoongar for hunting and gathering. Chalk Hill was part of the land owned by Thomas and Eliza Smirk, who purchased Lot 617, also incorporating the future townsite of Medina, in the 1850s. The Smirks operated a dairy farm and market garden on the property. In the 1950s, as with much of the land around East Rockingham, the site was resumed by the Government for the development of Kwinana. The town was the largest purpose-built industrial town in Western Australia, and was originally planned to be located north of the industrial area that was developing along the coast of Cockburn Sound. However, with the prevailing winds being westerly and the summer breezes south westerly, the town planner, Margaret Feilman, ensured the place was built south of Thomas Road, where it would be protected by the limestone ridge known as Chalk Hill. A large area of bushland around Chalk Hill was also retained as a buffer, or ‘green belt’, protecting the town from fumes and other undesirable effects of the nearby heavy industrial area. During the 1950s and 60s, Chalk Hill was a camping ground for the local Aboriginal families. Some of these people worked in the BP Refinery but were not eligible for housing until after the 1967 referendum, when Aboriginal people were given improved access to government facilities. The place has continued to be an important part of the Kwinana townsite, and a small limestone lookout is located at its highest point, allowing panoramic views in every direction of the distinctly contrasting scenery. Aerial photographs from the mid 20th century indicate that the landscape has become more heavily wooded and the access road to the crest of the hill was built in the late 1960s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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House, 19 Cowcher Way West, Medina

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Physical Description

Single house on an 809m2 lot on the edge of the Medina Townsite. House is weatherboard with timber frame walls, custom orb metal roof and brick chimney. Large mature tree at front boundary. Building plans indicate house was constructed for the State Housing Commission with date of 23.02.1953 on plans.

Uses

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Army Camp (fmr) - site

Uses

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Statement of Significance

Historic Value: The place is associated with Australia’s coastal defence system erected in response to external threats during World War II, and is one of a number of camps that was established in the unoccupied bushland east of Rockingham. Research value: there is some potential for the site to have archeological finds relating for former occupants. Level of significance: Some.

Physical Description

There are building remnants on both side of Gentle Road, at Lots 977 and 978. To the west, a low concrete circular formation is attached to a small concrete archlike structure, with stone cladding. The circular formation is clearly visible in aerial maps. To the east, at the same point on Gentle Road is a low hummock that appears to contain building remnants, largely concrete pieces. Adjacent to this, at a lower level is a larger remnant, comprising concrete footings and floor slab, with a small portion of brick wall, and concrete steps from floor level down to ground level. There are remnant non-native bushes and trees. Beyond these remnant pieces is thick bush, and as the place is fenced off, inspection was only available from the roadside.

History

The location of the Army camp appears on early maps as a pair of narrow road reserves within a Commonage or Common Reserve 1485 – a large reserve that extended roughly between Wellard Road and Anketell Road. This section of town common land was utilised by the army during WW1 and WW2, as well as the open spaces of unoccupied bushland to the east of the township, which was considered a good training ground for both men and horses. The artillery also made use of the bare sandhills around Warnbro Sound as a practice ground, and left there many unexploded shells, not retrieved until the 1980s. The Radar Detection Huts located nearby (on the south side of Wellard Road) are associated with this army camp, and it is believed that the place was a campsite for the military personnel who operated the radar surveillance site. During the 1950s and 1960s the site was occupied by a nightclub, the Ding Dong.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low Authenticity: Low

Condition

Site Only

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Kwinana Senior High School

Condition

In good condition

Uses

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St Vincent's Parish House

Parent Place or Precinct

13096 St Vincent's Catholic Church

Condition

good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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St Vincent's Catholic Church Presbytery

Parent Place or Precinct

13096 St Vincent's Catholic Church

Condition

sound - some cracks in wall

Uses

Historic Themes

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Medina Education & Employment Hostel

Parent Place or Precinct

15098 Uniting Church

Uses

Historic Themes

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St Vincent's Catholic Church

Child Places

• 13157 St Vincent's Catholic Church Presbytery
• 13158 St Vincent's Parish House

Condition

good

Uses

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Medina Infant Health Centre

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Historic Value: The place represents the initial expansion of the population after WW2 in the ‘Baby Boom’ years, and the services required to meet the needs of this growing population. The place demonstrates the growing concern for the health and welfare of children, and advances in health education for women, which began in the early twentieth century in Western Australia. Social Value: the site was visited by the majority of families with children in Medina throughout the second half of the 20th century. it was one of the places in which facilities and particularly mothers met and exchanged information.

Physical Description

The place comprised a single-storey brick building with a gable tile roof that incorporates a small enclosed porch on the east elevation. The building had distinctive timber-framed joinery to the exterior, including timber-framed windows, vertical timber lining to the upper gable wall and wide fascias. The place has now been demolished.

History

A sub-committee of the Infant Health Association first began servicing the Kwinana area in 1953, with fortnightly visits by the mobile unit to the local shopping centre on Pace Road. The Medina Infant Health Committee was formed not long after, with the purpose to “establish, conduct and maintain an infant health centre in co-operation with the Public Health Department”. The Infant Health Centre was eventually constructed on a site just east of the shopping centre in late 1955. By 1960, the Road Board Commissioner saw the sister-in-charge of the Medina Infant Health Clinic, and expressed concern over dwindling numbers of mothers with infants attending the centre. This was because not only were the number of births in the district falling, but also the pre-school clinic operated by the Public Health Department had the effect of taking children aged 1-5 away from the infant health centre. It is not known how long the centre remained in operation at the site. The building was demolished in December 2012 to enable the extension of the Medina Town Hall.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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Medina Town Hall

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: The place is an attractive and well-resolved example of a community hall designed in the Post-War International style and is distinguished by its characteristic curved roofs and contrasting rectilinear form, as well as its simple modern detailing and projecting feature walls. Later extensions complement the styling and colour palette of the original hall. The building complements the style of surrounding residential and community buildings from the same era and makes a positive contribution to the streetscape of Pace Road. The mature white gum located near the entry to hall, combined with the grassed terrace and hedges, forms a distinct setting for the hall and also provides an attractive contrast to the otherwise hard urban setting. Historic Value: The place is associated with the early development of the Kwinana town site, being one of the first buildings constructed to provide much needed local facilities for the residents of Medina and Calista. Social value: The place is valued by the community as a substantial public building whose construction was funded entirely by contributions donated by industry and local community members. Level of significance: Considerable

Physical Description

The place comprises a substantial community hall designed in the Post-War International style - distinguished by its characteristic curved roofs and contrasting rectilinear form, as well as its simple modern detailing. Although the building has been extended towards the south and alterations to the glazing of the porch has occurred, the Medina Town Hall presents with a high level of intactness. The front elevation features projecting feature walls constructed with rounded blocks of limestone, positioned at right angles to each other to marking the front entry portico, and entry terrace. The portico projects forward of the terrace, and has timber-framed and glazed walls and a curved roof to match the main building form. Service rooms attached to the sides of the building also incorporated curved roofs. The building has been extended to the south and north. The southern extension, rectangular in plan, has masonry to the lower portion of the wall, and the upper portions clad in corrugated sheet metal, and a flat roof. The northern extension, smaller in plan, projects from the front façade and is constructed of the same materials as the southern extension, but has a low curved roof to match the original building. A mature white gum is located immediately adjacent to the front entry of the hall, and a large grassed terrace is located to the south, bounded on all sides by an open metal post and rail fence.

History

The Medina Hall was first discussed at a meeting of the Kwinana Roads Board in February 1953, when Commissioner Harry McGuigan, health and building inspector Doug Waddingham and the residents in attendance discussed the civic facilities required for the fledgling town. Amenities requiring urgent attention were a public hall, a school, shopping centre, children’s playground, playing fields, temporary bar, street signs and lighting. During May 1954, the Australasian Petroleum refinery donated £250 to the Medina Resident’s Association, towards the cost of purchasing a marquee to be used as a temporary hall for Medina. The marquee could hold up to 130 people and for a while was a popular community centre, however by October of the same year, Commissioner for the Road Board, Mr Harry McGuigan announced that, thanks to a substantial donation by the Australasian Petroleum Refinery Ltd, a permanent community halls would be built at Medina. The Board had originally arranged to finance the balance of the cost of the building and for the initial furnishings, however the oil company’s architects, Summerhayes & Associates had prepared an attractive design which allowed for the use of the hall in conjunction with an outdoor terrace. Works started almost immediately by the builder, R.J. Davies, for a cost of £17,500. Interestingly, the wandoo flooring in the hall came from the University of Western Australia, where it had originally been constructed as an outdoor dance floor for the visit to the State of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. Managing director of the oil company, Mr. A.E. Mason stated that his company would like the donation linked with the royal visit to Western Australia and so it had been decided to call the new building, ‘Queen Elizabeth Hall’. The hall was officially opened on 18 June, 1955, with over 900 people attending the opening ceremony. At the opening it was also revealed that on top of the £15,000 pledged by the oil company, another £7,000 had been donated by an anonymous contributor. The hall quickly became the focus of social events in Kwinana, such as the popular Coronation Ball, but was also used for more practical services by the district clinic nurse. The place was altered and extended c.2012, on the site of the former Medina Child Health Centre, and continues to function as a Town Hall.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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Uniting Church Manse

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

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Medina Avenue Trees

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: Lining the main entry into what was once the residential core and focus of community life in Medina, the Medina Avenue trees make a significant contribution to the townscape of Kwinana. With their intricate trunk formations and impressive canopies, the Medina Avenue trees are attractive specimens that contribute to the distinctive streetscape of Medina Avenue. Historic Value: The trees are associated with the original town plan of Medina, specifically the emphasis placed on balancing natural bushland with introduced species to provide pleasant green spaces amongst the suburban development. Social Value: The trees are valued by the local community and contribute to their sense of place. Level of significance: Exceptional

Physical Description

The subject trees comprise all those growing in the nature strips along Medina Avenue, particularly those along the west side, which have not been pruned to allow for overhead powerlines. The trees are believed to be Hill’s Weeping fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Hillii’) and are characterised by their intricate trunk formations and impressive canopies that shade both the footpaths and the road.

History

Despite the emphasis on retaining large portions of natural bushland in the plan for Kwinana, a number of the residential streets, most notably Medina Avenue, were also planted with homogenous rows of feature trees, including Jacarandas, peppermints, Cape Lilacs, and Weeping Fig. These plantings have continued to be maintained and have prospered, contributing to the attractive appearance of many streets. The distinctive mature trees planted in a row through the Medina Shopping Centre carpark first appear on archival photographs in 1958 as young saplings, suggesting they were planted within four years of the opening of the shopping centre.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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Medina State School

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

Historic Themes

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: The original school buildings are characterised by their simple rectilinear forms arranged to form a U-shape, and their modest but pleasing expression typical of buildings City of Kwinana Local Heritage Survey DRAFT – APRIL 2021 168 constructed during the 1950s. Later buildings are of a simple style and material palette and complement the original buildings. The school buildings have an attractive setting characterised by open grassed areas interspersed with shady trees and informal gardens. The school buildings complement the style of surrounding residential and community buildings from the same era and make a positive contribution to the streetscape of Medina Avenue. Historic Value: The place is associated with the early development of the Kwinana town site, being one of the first buildings constructed to provide much needed local facilities for the residents of Medina and Calista. Social value: The school is valued by current and former students, teachers and members of the community who have attended the school or have associations with the school. Representativeness: The school demonstrates the constant addition of new buildings and development of facilities as standards and requirements change. Level of significance: Considerable

Physical Description

The Medina Primary School is located on Medina Avenue and comprises three long, rectilinear buildings arranged in a U shape around a central bituminised quadrangle. The southern and easternmost wings are connected and combine to form an L-shape, while a small covered walkway connects the L with the northernmost wing. Each building wing is characterised by its simple rectangular plan that incorporates a row of classrooms or offices, connected by an external covered walkway, or verandah. The buildings are all timber-framed with weatherboard cladding to sill height, and fibro cladding above. Vertically-proportioned timber-framed sash windows are located across the outward-facing elevations, while bands of smaller windows face the quadrangle. The roofs are medium-pitched gables with overhanging eaves and wide timber fascias. The roofs are clad with corrugated metal cladding which resulted in the removal of the regular placed brick chimneys. An assembly building, square in plan, constructed from brick, with a corrugated metal roof. This building is from a later building campaign than the original school building. More recent buildings include an administration/entry building and classrooms built along the southern side of the site, probably during the BER campaign. These buildings are single storey, constructed from face brick in two colours (red to the dado, salmon above) and simple hipped and gabled roofs with wide verandahs clad in corrugated metal sheeting. Grassed play areas interspersed with shady trees characterise the spaces surrounding the main building form, and primary access to the site is off Medina Avenue and Budden Way.

History

The Medina Primary School was first discussed at a meeting of the Kwinana Roads Board in February 1953, when Commissioner Harry McGuigan, health and building inspector Doug Waddingham and the residents in attendance discussed the civic facilities required for the fledgling town. Amenities requiring urgent attention were a public hall, a school, shopping centre, children’s playground, playing fields, temporary bar, street signs and lighting. The Medina School was eventually constructed in 1954, although there were initial concerns it would be immediately too small for the local population. The Medina Parents and Citizens’ Association was formed in July 1954 and began raising money for equipment at Medina State School. Further fundraising took place over the following years, with the P&C also raising the majority of the money to fund improvements to the grounds and other work at Medina School during the 1950s. Later building campaigns include an assembly building in the quadrangle, and administration and classroom buildings along the southern side of the site.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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First Municipal Roads Board Office

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: The place has some aesthetic value as a modest but highly intact weatherboard and tile building dating from the 1950s, being a standard State Housing Commission building adapted for use as an office. Historic Value: The place is associated with the implementation of the Kwinana Road District Act of 1953, being the first office for the Road Board, and for with the Commissioner of the Kwinana Road Board, Mr Harry McGuigan, who was responsible for the development of Kwinana prior to the establishment of the constitutionally elected Board. The place is associated with the St John Ambulance Association, particularly the Medina branch, which was established in 1956 and operated from the building from the late 1960s. Social value: The place is valued by the community as the site of the first Roads Board Office, as evidenced by the placement of a historic plaque near the front of the building. Representativeness: The building demonstrates the scale of administrative offices in the 1950s for a small local government authority Level of significance: Considerable

Physical Description

The former Roads Board office comprises a single-storey timber-framed building clad with horizontal timber weatherboards. The roof is a simple gable form clad with terracotta tiles which continues down at the same pitch to form the canopy to the porch area. The building has a simple rectilinear plan, incorporating an entry porch on its southeast corner which is distinguished by its pairs of timber columns and fascia (previously used for the attachment of signage). External timber joinery is largely intact, including the timber fascias, eaves lining boards, the horizontal timber batten boards to the subfloor area and steps up to the entry porch. The original timber-framed casement windows and timber-framed glazed entry door are also intact. The windows are side hung casements with each casement being divided into four panes by horizontal glazing bars. The front entry door is of similar design being a timber framed door with a five-paned obscured glass panel divided by horizontal glazing bars. The building is set back approximately 8 metres from the street boundary, where a large granite boulder is located. A historic plaque is attached to the boulder, inscribed with “ Office – Used as the Commissioner’s Office from 1954-1961, then used as the Roads Board Office until 1963. The state government appointed Mr H L McGuigan as the Commissioner for the (then) new Roads Board District.”

History

On the 18th December 1953, the Western Australian Government passed the Kwinana Road District Act, severing the requisite land for industry and housing from the Rockingham Shire and placing the entire responsibility for the satellite town of Medina and its environs under the direction of one man, Commissioner Harry Lester McGuigan. In his capacity as Commissioner, Harry McGuigan was employed to administer the local government affairs for the first five years, with the Minister for Local Government having the authority to extend the commissioners term of office to seven years. Commissioner McGuigan found himself to be in a challenging situation, on the one hand he was to be the mediator between a huge international petroleum company and the Western Australian Government, while on the other hand he was confronted with the social problems of a new community made up of men and women of different professions, trades and nationalities, transplanted into what was then a new and remote location. The First Roads Board Office was constructed in 1954, comprising a small State Housing dwelling adapted for use as an office. The place was used as the Commissioner’s Office until 1961, at which time the district began to operate under a constitutionally elected Board, the Shire of Kwinana, and Commissioner McGuigan retired. In his outgoing speech, McGuigan identified that the offices were “temporary” and “may not meet the needs of the Board”, however it continued to be used for this purpose until 1963, when the new Council offices were ready. The St John Ambulance Association was first established in Medina in May 1956, following a public meeting at which a working committee of seven was elected. The committee was confronted with the problem of finding a building for the new sub-centre, and also laboured untiringly to acquire an ambulance. A vehicle was donated by BP in 1956 and it is believed that the Association moved into the former Roads Board Office in the late 1960s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: High

Condition

Good-Fair

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Anglican Church (fmr)

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value: With its simple form and modest finish, the building complements the surrounding residential buildings from the same era and contributes to the streetscape of both Medina Avenue and Hoyle Road. Historic Value: The place has historic value as the first Anglican Church built for residents of Kwinana. Social value: The church is valued by the congregation who regularly attend the church and for those members of the community who attend the place for social events. Representativeness: The modest scale and form of the church is representative of suburban churches built in the 1950s Level of significance: Some

Physical Description

The place comprises a modest single-storey building located on the corner of Hoyle Road and Medina Avenue, an element of a complex of Salvation Army buildings. The building has been constructed in at least two stages, with the southernmost part of the building, oriented east-west, being the main church hall, as distinguished by the small cross fixed to the apex of its gable roof. The secondary range running north south has followed a similar construction form and was built in the early 1970s. The painted face brick walls of the hall have regularly spaced piers to the north and south elevations, with timber-framed sash windows in between. A wing extends northward, with a similar rectangular plan, low pitched gable roof and regularly spaced brick piers, although the windows between piers on this wing are metal framed. The roofs of each wing are clad with corrugated metal cladding painted red.

History

The Anglican residents of Kwinana held services as early as 1953 in the church house located on Medina Avenue. Rev M.R.H. Norton was appointed in April 1953 by the Archbishop of Perth to be in charge of the Rockingham district which included Medina and Kwinana. Construction of the church building was discussed throughout 1953 however did not appear to progress immediately. The building was dedicated by Archbishop Moline on 8 June 1958 and designated as the Church of All Saints. The small church hall located to the east of the church, facing Hoyle Road, was built soon after to a design by honorary architect Milton J. Boyce. This information suggests that Boyce, who was achitect with the City of Perth, was also the designer of the church. The original church consisted only of the wing parallel to Hoyle Road. The porch addressing the Medina Avenue was built shortly after the construction of the church and the wing built from the north elevation parallel to Medina Avenue was constructed in the early 1970s. The clergy stationed at Medina were: •1958 W.K. Elphick •1959-1963 G. Kingston •1963-1964 A.J. Scott •1964-1970 R.H. Langshaw •1970-1975 J.B. Bowyer •1975-1986 D.L. Prescott In 1983, the property was sold to the Salvation Army and a new church built in Parmelia. The Salvationists re-opened the building on 11 February 1984 with Commissioner E. Burrows officiating. The church and hall continue to be part of the Salvation Army complex.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: High

Condition

Good

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Uniting Church

Parent Place or Precinct

17306 Medina Townsite

Child Places

• 18580 Medina Education & Employment Hostel

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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