Army Drill Hall & Grounds (fmr)

Statement of Significance

REMOVED FROM SITE Army Drill Hall was relocated from the site to Dardanup Heritage Park c 2000. The Army Drill Hall was built for the Australian Armed Services in 1904 and served as the local military centre for the training and raising of voluntary and militia troops for many years.

Physical Description

REMOVED FROM SITE (relocated to Daradanup Heritage Park)

History

Bunbury Army Drill Hall was built for the Australia Armed Services in 1904 by Eade and Deeble, a Perth building firm. The single storey, timber framed building was designed by the Public Works Department of Western Australia. The land on which the Army Drill Hall stood has been granted to the Church of England in 1845 and it was used for the parsonage before becoming the showgrounds for the Wellington-Nelson-Murray Agricultural Society. By 1896, the land was being used by Bunbury Volunteers (formed in the 1880s) and the Bunbury Rifle Volunteers (formed 1892) for training. The volunteer movement in Australia followed the British Government’s announcement that troops would be withdrawn from the Australasian colonies in 1859 and that the colonies should fund their own volunteer corps. This caused considerable apprehension in Western Australia due to large number of convicts in the colony and the withdrawal of British troops was deferred until 1868. However, steps were taken to form volunteer corps which were responsible for defence until the federation of Australian colonies in 1901. Despite the voluntary nature of the service, there were high expectations regarding training and commitment. It was generally considered that appropriate training involved drill and in order for drill training to be carried out effectively, drill halls were required. Drill was a formal and disciplined approach to exercising and training soldiers in the use of firearms and generally involved marching. It was designed to prepare men for traditional warfare based on marching into open combat. At Federation, a national training program was introduced along with the new policy of national defence. Although the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Defence was in charge of the policy, the state governments had a supportive role in the maintenance of the defence forces. In December 1903, the Western Australian Public Works Department drew up plans for a drill hall for Bunbury. The contract was put out to tender in December and the Perth building firm of Ede and Deeble won the contract with a price of £800. The timber and iron hall was 56ft x 36ft, with two armoury rooms extending the whole length of the building on one side, while on the other side were orderly rooms and four offices. Bunbury Drill Hall was completed in May 1904 and the infantry and light horse held a ball and supper to celebrate. Colonel Ricardo, who was responsible for introducing the new training systems to Western Australia, attended the celebrations. A store and stables were added in 1909 and renovations were completed to the bathroom in 1913. During World War I and World War II, Bunbury Drill Hall was used as a recruiting centre and training venue. During the second war, the grounds were also used by high school students for physical training. In response to the demands of World War II, a new sanitary block of five toilets and three urinals was built on the site. Bunbury Drill Hall was used by the 44th Battalion, which was closely aligned to the town. At one stage, the Municipality of Bunbury attempted to rename the battalion the ‘City of Bunbury Battalion’. Approximately fifteen other companies or parts of companies have also used the Drill Hall and grounds over the years, including the first ‘B’ Company, 1st Battalion WA Infantry Regiment in 1903 and ‘A’ Company 11/28th Battalion of the Royal West Australian Regiment in 1991. In 1950, a three bedroom asbestos home was built on the site to accommodate married officers stationed in Bunbury. The home was built for the State Housing Commission by contractors Ausden and Prosser. Ownership of the land was not officially transferred to the Commonwealth Government until 1956. After this time, Bunbury Drill Hall gradually proved inadequate for the needs of a modern army. The Army moved to new premises out of central Bunbury. The Drill Hall was then leased by a number of tenants, including the local Arts Council, various arts and crafts groups and the Rhema Family Church. Circa 1998, a mezzanine floor was installed to accommodate a kitchen, toilet, stage, entry and garage for the Family Church. Circa 2000, Bunbury Drill Hall was moved off the site to make way for an Officeworks development. An archival report was prepared for the City of Bunbury prior to its removal to the Dardanup Heritage Park. This history is based on the Documentary Evidence in Heritage Council of Western Australia, ‘Register of Heritage Places: Below Threshold – Army Drill Hall (fmr) and Grounds’, prepared by Prue Griffin, 2000.

Condition

REMOVED FROM SITE (relocated to Daradanup Heritage Park)

Uses

Creation Date

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