Kalgoorlie & Boulder Amalgamated Workers Assoc Hall (fmr)

Statement of Significance

Goldfields War Museum and Worker's Office has social value through association with a community and cultural group.

Physical Description

A single-storey building designed in the Federation Free Classical (hall) and Interwar Austerity (office) style. It was built as a hall with an attached office which is an addition.

History

The initial rush of prospectors to the golden mile of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in June 1983 was quickly followed by the beginnings of labour organisation, as mining employment marked the commencement of capitalist enterprise. In the last years of the nineteenth century, labour organisation on the eastern goldfields grew strongly, in line with the rapid economic growth occurring at this time. This growing movement required its own premises. As was common practice elsewhere, most of these early goldfields labour organisations held their regular meetings (usually fortnightly) in hotels. Bailie's Federal Hotel, Kalgoorlie and Byrne's Grand Hotel, Boulder were the most popular venues on the golden mile, but other hotels and halls were also used. While these venues enabled the increasing number of unions to carry on business satisfactorily, they were not ideal, partly because they were not always available when needed but also because they conveyed an air of impermanence to the movement. Organised labour required its own places to meet for both practical and symbolic purposes. The early goldfields labour activists were almost all immigrants from other parts of Australia and many were already unionists who had learnt the importance of workers' halls and trades' halls in places like Ballarat, Broken Hill, Melbourne and Sydney. As a result, they made the construction of their own halls a high priority despite the financial difficulties such an undertaking presented. Labour organisations did, however, benefit from a principle in colonial land regulations which specified that some land should be set aside for 'public purposes', including meeting places. In October 1896 a number of separate miner's unions met to form the Amalgamated Worker's Association (AWA), an organisation which planned to represent both wage earners and non-wage earners. The Kalgoorlie and Boulder Amalgamated Workers’ Association (AWA), representing the bulk of the mining workforce, was by far the largest union in the early years of the golden mile. The AWA was established in October 1896 and was the first union to construct its own hall, built in Burt Street in Boulder between February and May 1898. After two unsuccessful land applications to the colonial government, the union applied for a third time in July 1897, this time sending a deputation to explain to the Minister for Lands that it wished for a town lot in the new townsite of Boulder in order to be free of its high rental payments for an office in Kalgoorlie and its dependence on renting meeting halls which were usually available only on Sundays. The union finally obtained a suitable block of land – Lot 313 Burt Street, the main street of Boulder. In addition, the government granted £100 towards the cost of the hall. When the hall was nearing completion in March 1898 its cost had reached £800, some of this money being raised by a sports carnival that the AWA organised for May Day in 1898. The first meeting in the new hall was held on 22 May 1898 AND, FROM June, regular AWA meetings and lectures began there. The following description of the hall is from a travelling inspector of the Central Board of Health who discovered that yet another building had been erected, contrary to the provisions of the Health Act, without permission being sought or plans and specifications sent in to the Board: “The building is situated on the block of ground on the west side of the Mechanics’ Institute and is sometimes connected with that building by a covered way and is used as a supper room on these occasions. Sunday lectures are also given here and attract large numbers of the population. The premises are substantially constructed, the front elevation being of stone, and the side and rear walls being of 14” brickwork, and the divisional walls 9”….The seating accommodation is for about 200 to 250 persons and it is stated that on certain occasions the building is greatly crowded.” The main hall that seated this number of people was approximately 44 feet long and 25 feet wide. Two smaller front rooms completed the building. The AWA built at least 16 more halls on other Western Australian goldfields prior to the Great War. Those at Cue and Gwalia were almost as large and substantial as that at Boulder, however other halls were considerably less impressive. The Workers Hall in Boulder was busy for over 50 years, during which time numerous changes were made to its structure. It remained in the hands of the AWA and its successor unions, the Westralian Goldfields Federated Miners’ Union and then the Australian Workers Union, until 1977 when its title was transferred to the Boulder Municipal Council, which planned to use if for tourist/museum purposes. (Note: the information above was taken from Layman, Barrett and Gill, 1997). The Insurance Plans for Boulder c. 1900 illustrate that Reserve 5330 (also illustrated as Lot 313) had the Workers Hall (whose secretary was Mr. Gilbert) constructed of brick with a small iron extension at the rear. The adjoining Lot 658 had the Mechanics Institute and a dwelling, both constructed of iron.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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