The Prosperity of Southern Cross – 1936

THE PROSPERITY OF SOUTHERN CROSS
NEW TOWN HALL OPENED

SOUTHERN CROSS was in a gala mood last Wednesday. The cause of many arrangements, official and festive, was the opening of a new ornament to the district’s civic architecture, an imposing Town Hall surmounted by a high clock tower. Many visitors from the city and neighboring districts helped to make the occasion the most important event in the history of the Yilgarn Road Board and the hours sped by quickly from the beginning to the end of the official program.

Cars flew through the night from Perth and by the early hours of last Wednesday morning, a big contingent of executives from London House had arrived as the advance guard of the visitors to Southern Cross. Among those who breakfasted at the mining town after long night rides were the president of the Legislative Council (Sir John Kirwan), and Messrs. J. Cornel, M.L.C., G. Lambert, M.L.A., E. R. M. Paye (a director of Australian Mines Management and Secretariat), E. P. Mackey, of the Australian Machinery and Investment Co. Ltd., J. Davis Goff, West Australian, manager of the General Construction Co who built the Town Hall, C. Penn, editor of the “Commercial and Mining Review,” and representatives of neighboring road boards and municipalities.

PRIDE OF THE DISTRICT.
The new Town Hall was built by the
Southern Cross ward of the YilgarnRoad Board,

The cost was about £3,000 and fittings accounted for another £l,000. The chiming clock, donated by Mr. Claude de Bernales, is worth £488. The front portion of the building comprises a board room, road board offices, etc. The main hall as the rear is 80ft. by 40ft. with a supper room of the same dimensions below.

At 10 o’clock a fleet of cars left for the Southern Cross railway station for the official welcome to the Lieut. Governor (Sir James Mitchell) and Lady Mitchell. In an impressive hollow square formation outside the station were returned men under Messrs. W. St. C. Brookway (president of the Southern Cross sub-branch)and D. G. Morgan (president of the Moorine Bock sub-branch); girl guides under the district commissioner (Miss McMahon), and boy scouts.

The Lieutenant Governor inspects the guard of honour on his arrival at Southern Cross.

They were very well turned out indeed and after the official welcome by the chairman of the Yilgarn Road Board (Mr. L. P. Kelly), Sir James complimented the members of the guard of honour on their smartness and gave them his blessing. Sir James was accompanied by Colonel C. H. E. Manning, A.D.C. The party moved to the new Town Hall, where Sir James immediately expressed his delight at the excellence of the building and with the greatest goodwill broke out the Union Jack and the Australian flag with its symbol of the Southern Cross, both of which hung listlessly in the motionless air. The sun’s contribution to the warmth of the welcome was a shade temperature of 109 deg., which was rendered more discomforting by unusually high humidity.

Mr S P C Richards Manager of the Yellowdine Gold Development Mine

Then the cars headed for Yellowdine along a road that apparently serves as the local speedway, possibly because the owners of the 1,000 cars registered in the big district have few other opportunities for speed. Mt. Palmer township,
extraordinarily spruce and tidy, corrugated iron roofs grilling in the heat, was passed, and the next stop was in a veritable oasis, the home of the manager of the Yellowdine Gold Development (Mr. S. P. C. Richards). There were thick green lawns, a riot of border flowers and roses in full bloom. It seemed a mirage until Mrs. Richards worked a further miracle by producing iced beer, frozen strawberries, chicken sandwiches, and hosts of other dainties unexpected in that heat-ridden place.

The Lieutenant Governor unfurling the flag on the town hall – 1936

The visitors became miners for a moment, donning overalls and helmets for investigating the rich lode along the crosscut at the 50ft. level. The keenest observer was Mrs. E. Faye, who was formerly Miss Daphne de Bernales. After the surface workings had been explained and some of the yellow metal from Yellowdine, had been seen and coveted, the party moved back to the manager’s residence, where more refreshments were deeply appreciated. On that count, Southern Cross must be reckoned one of the most refreshing places In the world.

Mr. Faye formally welcomed Sir James, mentioning that his presence brought considerable happiness to every district which he visited. He talked of Yellowdine and its promise and declared that from next January the mine’s net profit of about £27,000 a month would make it the third largest gold producer in the State. Sir James had not seen the mine for a year. He complimented the management on the tremendous improvement achieved: Congratulatory cables were read from Sir William Campion and Mr. Claude de Bernales.

Back, at the Palace Hotel Mr. and Mrs. Faye were the hosts of a very pleasant luncheon party. In the afternoon Sir James and Lady Mitchell attended the prize-giving at the Southern Cross school and others of the visitors were shown over the hospital and other aids to living. In the evening Mr. L. F. Kelly presided over a very special dinner given by the chairman and members of the Yilgarn Road Board. Only the loyal toast to King George VI was given.

On the big dancing floor in the new Town Hall, the fun of the opening ball was just beginning. About 400 people were dancing to the music of a band specially brought down from Kalgoorlie. Those bright young people of the district had nothing to learn concerning the book of fashion. Practically every man in the hall wore a dinner jacket and their womenfolk were one and all beautifully gowned. On the stroke of nine o’clock, the band played the national anthem and Sir James and Lady Mitchell led the official party along the narrow aisle between the dancers. It was a most impressive scene. Sir James declared the new building open, saying, “In the last 40 years I have visited Southern Cross many times, but rarely has a visit given me greater pleasure than has this.

This beautiful new building is such a distinct sign of your progress. I have seen your town almost disappear and then grow again. The evidence of your return to prosperity is here tonight for all of you to see. It is quite right that you should have built this fine hall. Nowadays people demand much more comfort and consideration than they did in the old days, and they are perfectly right. I congratulate you on your forethought. I imagine your road board has its work cut out meeting the requirements of such a flourishing centre as this.” To Sir James was presented an, illuminated address, as a token of the esteem of the Yilgarn residents. Lady Mitchell was deeply touched when Mr. Kelly presented to her a beautifully carved paper-knife.

Mr. Claude de Bernales said “Southern Cross can be looked upon as the outpost which pointed the way to the establishment of the great gold mining industry of which Western Australia is so justifiably proud. It was from this town that the pioneers of the Eastern Goldfields started out, and the gold mines working at Southern Cross were the inspiration that led to the numerous expeditions which finally resulted in the famous discoveries by Bayley and Ford at Coolgardie and by Paddy Hannan at Kalgoorlie. Personally, I have the greatest faith in the Yilgarn District and particularly in Southern Cross itself. I am pleased that I have been privileged to present to the town a clock for its Town Hall. Let me express the hope that its hands will point to many hours of happiness and prosperity for the citizens and that the mutual goodwill that the presentation of this clock indicates will ever continue in the recollection that all of us are united in an effort to attain a wider distribution of prosperity and a greater appreciation of the good qualities possessed by each other.”.

At 10 o’clock Mrs. E. Faye set in motion the chiming tower clock presented by Mr. de Bernales and imported from England at a cost of £438. Its deep mellow notes pealed to the outskirts of the town. The people of Southern Cross take their pleasures athletically. A Canadian Barn dance set them twirling again after the close, of the official program. The hour was 10 o’clock, and the temperature was well over the century mark; the item was a fifth of a program of 26 dances, yet five hours later the dancers, still fresh as daisies, were still in the joyful throes of Gay Gordon and Veleta.

Southern Cross Town hall today – Photo by Mingor