Hampden/Heytesbury/Corangamite Shires

This plaque is located on the Civic Hall wall at 24 Silvester St.

Local government in the Hampden, Heytesbury and Corangamite shires has a colourful history.  Not surprisingly, the poor state of our tracks and roads has never been far away from the headlines.

Dr Daniel Curdie was a member of the original community-elected Hampden and Heytesbury District Roads Board established in 1857. The board was the forerunner to the Shire of Hampden (1863) of which Curdie was the first president.

Unfortunately, after 30 years of indifferent representation by the Hampden Shire councillors, the ratepayers of the Heytesbury district had ‘had enough’. They believed the various problems within their community were virtually ignored by the Hampden councillors whose interests, for the most part, were directed towards areas further to the north. (Our Cobden and District 1840-1920).

As early as 1890, a petition was delivered to the government in Melbourne demanding a new shire. Finally, after years of delay and bureaucratic red tape, severance from the Hampden Shire was granted on May 21st 1895.

A strong committee worked hard for Heytesbury’s freedom and there was jubilation when the shire became a separate unit of about 1500 square kilometres. The first council meeting took place at the Mechanics Institute in Cobden on September 4th 1895. Members were  Crs W Mitchell (president),   P T Neylon, W J Silvester, W Gubbins, W K McKinnon, E W Ellis, S Lord, C Underwood and R Haig.

The normal issues soon surfaced:  Councillor and officer spats about staff appointments, salaries, the meeting venue, media coverage, the president’s role, councillor expenses, roads and bridges . . .

But there were also more extraordinary happenings!

A recently-dismissed Heytesbury Shire secretary Frank Robert Fraser was arrested on larceny charges in 1914. A sum of £43-10-0 was stolen, an amount later found to be £936-16-0.  Fraser was jailed for 12 months in a Melbourne court. Two weeks later, National Bank manager and shire treasurer Richard Kent committed suicide in a ‘temporary fit of insanity’ after being concerned about the loss of shire funds.

The Heytesbury Shire Hall (which largely consisted of council offices and a chamber) was destroyed by fire on December 16th, 1920 at 4.30am. Shire secretary Mr W J Healey was tried for burning the offices down which resulted in a 12 months suspended gaol sentence if he agreed to a good behaviour bond with a ₤£50 surety . . . not to drink liquor for three years.

Up to £4000 was borrowed to re-build the new Shire hall (over your right shoulder) at 49 Victoria St in 1924. The wife of Mr W J Silvester laid the foundation stone and it was opened in 1925. It was described as having aesthetic significance – a particularly decorative example of inter-war style civic offices. See photo (right), it has elaborate render decoration and features a central portico with square fluted pillars. The chimneys are also decorative with cornices and curved chimney pots (Cobden Heritage Study Stage 2 – Ray Tonkin and Samantha Westbrooke).

Controversy over the sale of the Shire hall to solicitors A E George and Sons in 1963 led to conflict as a loan was needed to erect new council offices next to the recently-built council chambers adjoining the new civic hall. It was a particularly unsettled time in the history of the Heytesbury Shire with a list of complaints levelled against one particular councillor who was asked to show cause why he should not be removed from office.

The Shire of Heytesbury subsequently did move to the offices behind this wall and the next door
building in 1961. It was the new centre of local government for the shire until 1994.

Cr Alma MacDonald was the first and only female Heytesbury Shire councillor before continuing on with the Corangamite Shire. Her grandfather Frederick Wilson was the Heytesbury Shire’s first foreman. Long-serving Heytesbury councillors included W Silvester (26 years), P T Neylon (26), C Underwood (32), J McKenzie (21), W E Ellis (36), R L Howlett (32), H T Jones (28), A J Hill (24), A J Trotter (20),
L W Orton (29), L J Howarth (37), A J Bailey (31), J C McCue (27), A W Drayton (22) and M V Serong (25).

M L Whelan, L V Holton and L W Simpkin all held the shire secretary/manager position for more than 20 years while Lewis Grant (17 years), G H French (15 years) and J H Finnegan (16 years) were long-term engineers.

AND THEN TO 1994 (CORANGAMITE)

In 1994, Heytesbury Shire merged with, Hampden Shire, the Town of Camperdown and parts of 
Colac and Mortlake shires and the area around Princetown to become the Corangamite Shire. A small part of Heytesbury’s east became part of the Colac Otway Shire.

Between 1994 and 2024, Corangamite’s south central ward has been represented by councillors Alma MacDonald, Milton Parlour, Evan Savage, Helen Worland and Jo Beard (nee Roberts) who was the Shire Mayor from 2016-18.

Source: And We Who Followed – A History of the Heytesbury Shire 1921-1987 by Jack S Fletcher