Wesfarmers Building (fmr), Bridgetown

Values

Demonstrates the importance of the apple industry in the southwest in the 1930s, both as a mainstay of the local economy, and as a key influence in the social and community life of the area.

Demonstrates the measures undertaken in rural WA in support of the war effort during WWII.

A good example of the involvement of Wesfarmers in rural communities across the State in the twentieth century, which was an important influence in rural expansion and the development of WA’s agricultural economy.

Representative example of a utilitarian building, constructed alongside a railway line to facilitate its business.

Physical Description

Single storey utilitarian building. Front section is rendered brick. Rear section is weatherboard. Corrugated iron low-pitched gable roofs to both sections. Large jarrah front doors to porch, with interior glass doors. Originally a spur line from the adjacent railway served the shed, but this has been removed. Machinery from the cool room has been relocated to Mokerdillup House (about 10km out of town) as a display feature.

History

Apples were first grown in Bridgetown by John Allnut, from 1862, and by the twentieth century apple growing had become a central industry in the area. The packing shed was constructed in Bridgetown in the 1930s as the local apple industry boomed. It included cold storage areas that allowed for advances in the industry. During World War Two, a section of the building was used to dehydrate fruit to send to the troops. Wesfarmers, and in particular the packing shed, was a major employer in Bridgetown. Many locals had their first job at the packing shed. Due to the apple industry’s central role in the local economy, businesses associated with the industry were important in community life. For example, the Wesfarmers Building was used as part of the community’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 1962 as a venue for fruit handling competitions, with prizes sponsored by both Wesfarmers and Paterson & Co, the other major fruit packing company in the town. A large section of the timber packing sheds to the rear of the building was demolished in the early 1980s, as the decline in apple exports meant it was no longer required. Some time in the mid-1980s the building began to be used as a rural supplies and real estate office. In 2005, the place is the business premises of Blackwood Rural Services, who provide agricultural merchandise and services in a manner similar to that originally undertaken by Wesfarmers. Wesfarmers formed in 1914 as a farmers’ cooperative, providing merchandise and services to rural communities. The cooperative movement was an important influence on the State’s economy, through its influence on the nature and development of primary industry in WA. Its primary aims were to reduce the cost of goods and to enable the export of local produce. In the past twenty years the company has diversified beyond agricultural products (eg. Buying out Bunnings; taking over Western Collieries). In 1984 the company was publicly listed.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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