Facey Residence (fmr)

Statement of Significance

This place has historic value for its association with Albert Facey who served on the Mundaring Road Board as a member and Chairman during the 1950s. Albert Facey is also known for his autobiography that celebrated and acknowledged the dignity of working men and women and their contribution to the community, particularly in regional Western Australia. The place has aesthetic and social value as a demonstration of a simple family home in the Post War International style that is typical of scale of home for working families during the 1950s.

Physical Description

This single storey timber framed residence has a rectangular plan form and a pitched roof clad in corrugated sheet metal. The roof extends in a broken pitch to cover the verandah on the north elevations. The remainder of the elevations appear to be enclosed verandahs, or skillion additions. The walls are clad in weatherboard to sill height and fibre cement sheeting above. The windows are metal framed. The residence is located on a gently sloping site that enables direct access to the interior of the building on the southern elevation, and the north elevation is elevated. On the north elevation the verandah is accessed by timber stairs and timber balustrades are ‘St Andrews Cross’ style. The residence is set in a large lot which is predominantly grassed with mature trees on the property boundary. A large shed on the Newton Street side of the property obscures the view of the original residence.

History

This house was the home of Albert Facey (1894-1982) and his wife Evelyn Mary Gibson (1897–1976). The couple had lived in many towns in Western Australia before settling in Mount Helena in the early 1950s. Albert Facey was self-employed poultry and pig farmer and businessman and served on the Mundaring Roads Board as a councillor and also Chairman of the board for 1956-57. He retired in 1958 following a major heart attack. This is the home Albert Facey occupied during the time he served on the Mundaring Road Board. In 1981, Albert Facey rose to notoriety with the publication of his best-selling auto biography, ‘A Fortunate Life’ which has subsequently been realised in film and on the stage. The book celebrates the life of Albert Facey and the communities in which he lived and worked. From the readily available information and the physical evidence, this residence was built in the 1930s. The previous occupants and builder of the residence have not been determined. In 1953, Albert and Evelyn Facey moved into the home which was transferred to Evelyn Facey on 25 May 1953. In 1958, Albert Facey suffered a major heart attack, and in 1959 the couple sold the house and relocated to another property closer to medical services. Aerial photographs suggest that the lot included a small orchard of fruit trees around the house. The current owners believe the substantial rose bush in the front garden may date from the time of the original construction or soon after. Since the 1980s, the house has been extended to the north although the original form and extent of the residence can be determined. Other later structures on the lot date from c2013 and have no heritage value.

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Historic Themes

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