Full description
The Municipal District of West Botany (1871-1888), later the Municipality of Rockdale (1888-1948), was a municipality in the Parish of St George in the County of Cumberland, constituted under the Municipalities Act of 1867 (31 Vic. No.12) and subsequent legislation. (1)
The Municipalities Act 1867 provided for the establishment of a municipality on receipt of a petition signed by at least 50 persons who would be taxed in respect of property or household residence within the area to be incorporated. The petition was to be published in the Gazette and a local newspaper. If no counter-petition signed by a greater number of persons was received within three months, the Governor could proclaim the area a municipality and define its boundaries. Municipalities proclaimed under the Act might be designated a borough or a municipal district, based on population and area. Boroughs were cities or towns, suburbs of the City of Sydney, or a populous country district, with a population of at least 1000 and an area of no more than 9 square miles. A municipal district required a population of at least 500 and an area of no more than 50 square miles. (2)
A petition to establish the Municipal District of West Botany was gazetted on 22 August 1870. (3) As there was no counter-petition, the new municipality was proclaimed on 13 January 1871. (4) The boundaries of the District included Cook's River, Wooli Creek, George's River and Illawarra Road. It was divided into the wards of Arncliffe and West Botany.
A returning officer was appointed on 18 January 1971 to provide for the election of a Council. (5) An election was advertised for 10 February 1871 to select six aldermen (6), and their first recorded meeting was on 13 February (7). The appointments of the Council and of the Mayor were gazetted on 17 February. (8) The Clerk of the Council was appointed on 28 February. (9)
On 12 January 1886 a petition was gazetted to extend the boundaries of the Municipal District of West Botany, to include some areas proposed for the new Municipal District of Kogarah. (10) This was followed by a counter-petition on 10 May. (11) The annexation was proclaimed on 20 December. (12) There were now three wards: Arncliffe, Rockdale and Scarborough. (13)
In 1888 the Municipality of West Botany was re-named the Municipality of Rockdale. (14)
The number of wards was increased to four at the end of 1900. They were Arncliffe, Hopetoun, Rockdale and Scarborough. (15) Their boundaries were amended in 1908 at the request of the Council. (16)
In 1906 Rockdale was expanded with the transfer of 580 acres from neighbouring shires. (17)
Parts of the Municipality of Rockdale were transferred to the Municipality of Kogarah in December 1916. (18) In 1922 land was transferred from Bexley to Rockdale, which was added to Arncliffe Ward. (19)
The Valuation of Land Act 1916 (Act No.2) applied to Rockdale from 1 December 1922 (20), and the first supplied valuation list was to be effective from 1 January 1923. (21) From this time the assessment of land values was no longer a function of the Council, which now used land values assigned by the Valuer-General when levying rates.
The Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (Act No.30) amalgamated many local government areas. As a result, Rockdale Municipality was dissolved and amalgamated with Bexley Municipality on 1 January 1949. The new amalgamated body was also named the Municipality of Rockdale. (22)
Endnotes
1. An Act to Establish Municipalities, 1867 (31 Victoria Act No.12), s.10.
2. Ibid, s.8.
3. NSW Government Gazette No.202, 22 August 1870, p.1807.
4. NSW Government Gazette No.8, 13 January 1871, p.99.
5. NSW Government Gazette No.16, 18 January 1871, p.153.
6. The Empire (Sydney, NSW), 10 February 1871, p.1.
7. NRS 20585.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.37, 17 February 1871, p.382.
9. NSW Government Gazette No.53, 10 March 1871, p.558.
10. NSW Government Gazette No.13, 12 January 1886, p.177.
11. NSW Government Gazette No.265, 10 May 1886, p.3327.
12. NSW Government Gazette No.723, 20 December 1886, p.8655.
13. NSW Government Gazette No.727, 21 December 1886, p.8675.
14. Rockdale Municipality Naming Act, 1888 (51 Victoria Act No.33).
15. NSW Government Gazette No.1212, 31 December 1900, p.10227.
16. NSW Government Gazette No.88, 22 July 1908, p.3910.
17. NSW Government Gazette No.105, 23 January 1906, pp.1343,1350; No.161, 16 May 1906 p.2979.
18. NSW Government Gazette No.223, 22 December 1916, p.7672.
19. NSW Government Gazette No.155, 3 November 1922, p.5891.
20. NSW Government Gazette No.158, 10 November 1922, p.5989 (notice 2687).
21. NSW Government Gazette No.174, 22 December 1922, p.6664 (notice 3896).
22. NSW Government Gazette No.161, 17 December 1948, p.3372.
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