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The Municipalities Act 1867 (31 Victoria Act No. 12) provided for the establishment of boroughs or municipal districts following the petition of at least 50 persons liable for municipal taxes, that was published in NSW Government Gazette, if no counter petition by a greater number of persons was received within 3 months. (1) By 15 December 1870 a petition of 117 persons requested that the Village of Ashfield that consisted of more than 500 residents become a municipality consisting of two wards - North and South. The petition was published in the NSW Government Gazette of 21 December 1870 (2)
On 20 March 1871 the Colonial Secretary received a counter petition by 157 residents. The signatories to the new petition included at least 26 who had signed that submitted in December 1870. These dissenters felt that some irregularities had occurred in the preparation and presentation of original petition including that some of the signatories were not potential ratepayers, and that the area of the proposed municipality had been misrepresented to them. The major objection was that “they consider the area proposed to be incorporated is far too large to be worked with advantage or benefit to them, and comprises various interests which will be hostile to the satisfactory working of municipal duties.” They also believed that the population was too small and the buildings widely spread, and that the establishment of a municipality in the area was premature. (3)
A further petition of 52 people, submitted early in August 1871, requested that Ashfield should become a municipality with a population of 550 people and an area of 2½ square miles. (4) But this was followed by mid August by a further petition of 201 people requesting a Municipality known as the Borough of Ashfield that would incorporate ‘the Village of Ashfield and its suburbs’ with a population of 1000 people and an area of nine square miles to be divided into two wards – north and south. (5) A counter petition to that published in the NSW Government Gazette of 3 August 1871, signed by 90 residents, opposed the petition as being too restrictive, not including the whole area of Ashfield and excluding ‘many of the most influential and wealthy residents &c, who are desirous of being incorporated, and whose interests are identified with Ashfield.’ These petitioners appeared to support the document published in the NSW Government Gazette of 16 August 1871. (6)
The Borough of Ashfield was proclaimed to commence on 28 December, 1871. The Borough consisting of two wards (north and south) was in accordance with the petition of 201 persons that had been published in the NSW Government Gazette of 16 August 1871. (7)
Frederick Drake was appointed as first returning officer for the Borough to take responsibility for the first election which was held on 6 February 1872 in a booth erected in a paddock belonging to Henry Drake, situated near the railway station at Ashfield. (8) The following were elected as Aldermen - James Sandy, George Ekins Crane and William Henson for the North Ward; and Frederick Clissold, John Pope and John Smith for the South Ward. Alfred Thomas Wood and John Sydney Whitney were appointed as auditors. (9). The Aldermen met on Thursday 15th February 1872 and elected John Pope as the first mayor. (10)
The Municipalities Act, 1867 authorised municipalities with a population of between 1000 and 4000 to be divided into three wards upon the receipt of petition to the Governor. (11) Such a petition having been received, the Borough of Ashfield consisting of North, South and East wards was proclaimed on 13 December 1879. (12) The boundaries of the proclamation of December 1879 were declared 'defective' and the Borough consisting of an area of approximately 3.2 square miles divided into north, south and east wards three wards was proclaimed on 7 April 1893. (13)
By 23 February 1906 the Borough was known as the Municipality of Ashfield. (14)
The Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 had provided for adjustment to the land controlled by existing municipalities by addition or subtraction of land parcels within six months of the passage of the Act. (15) On 23 February 1906 33 acres in the Concord and Petersham parishes including part of Long Cove Creek and Canterbury Road were added to the northerly and easterly boundaries of the Ashfield Municipality. (16) This proclamation was adjusted by the NSW Government Gazette of 15 April 1908 when the word 'northerly' was deleted and 'southerly' inserted in its place. (17)
On 15 October 1941 the boundaries of the Municipalities of Ashfield, Drummoyne and Canterbury were rationalised as follows:
-Perches of land on the Northern boundary of Ashfield in the vicinity of Iron Creek were removed to the Municipality of Drummoyne;
-Perches on the southern boundary of the Municipality of Drummoyne in the Iron Creek area were added to the Municipality of Ashfield;
-4 perches were added to the Northern boundary of Ashfield although the Gazette does not indicate the Local Government area to which they had previousy belonged;
-9 perches were removed from the Southern boundary of Ashfield (near the western intersection of Hay Street) and added to the Municipality of Canterbury; and
-2 roods from the northern boundary of Canterbury at the eastern side of the Hay Street intersection were removed from the Municipality of Canterbury and added to Ashfield. (18)
On 12 May 2016 Ashfield Council was dissolved when it was amalgamated with Leichhardt Council and Marrickville Council to form Inner West Council. (19)
Endnotes
1. Municipalities Act 1867 s.10.
2. NSW Government Gazette No.318, 21 December 1870, pp.2833-34.
3. NSW Government Gazette, 12 April 1871, p.821.
4. NSW Government Gazette, 3 August 1871, p.1697.
5. NSW Government Gazette, 16 August 1871, pp.1801-3.
6. NSW Government Gazette, 28 November 1871, p.2705.
7. NSW Government Gazette No.318, 29 December 1871, p.2951.
8. NSW Government Gazette, 4 January 1872, p.41.
9. NSW Government Gazette, 20 February 1872, p.461.
10. NSW Government Gazette loc. cit.
11. An Act to Establish Municipalities, 1867 (31 Victoria No. 12) s. 16.
12. NSW Government Gazette, 13 December 1893, p. 5531.
13. NSW Government Gazette, 7 April 1893, p. 2716.
14. NSW Government Gazette No.105, 23 February 1906, pp.1340-41.
15. Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 s. 5(2).
16. NSW Government Gazette No.105, 23 February 1906, pp.1340-41.
17. NSW Government Gazette, 15 April 1908, p.2052.
18. NSW Government Gazette, 24 October 1941, p.3778.
19. Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016 (2016 No 242), cl.4(1) and Schedule 9, NSW Legislation website, 12 May 2016.
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