Boroondara Road District

Boroondara Road District
Established	11 July 1854 (proclaimed)
Abolished	17 November 1871 (reconstituted as the Shire of Boroondara)
Area	60km2
Chairman (as of 17 November 1871)	George Taylor
Footnotes	First Board elected on 7 October 1856

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66903364

History

First proclamation

The Boroondara Road District was gazetted on 11 July 1854 after residents of Boroondara petitioned the state government. Following an act of Parliament in 1853, road boards could be constituted in parts of the state where at least five landowners and five residents had petitioned a local Justice of the Peace to do so. The purpose of these organisations was to improve, maintain and manage roads and bridges throughout the state consisting of local elected members. Their activities were overseen by the Central Roads Board reporting directly to the Lieutenant-Governor of the day.

Elections were subsequently held to determine the members of the Board. Overseen by the local justice of the peace, J. F. Palmer, the first meeting was subsequently held at the Red Lion Hotel in Hawthorn at 2pm on 2 September 1854. However, historical records suggest that an election was either not held or no candidates came forward, as the first Board was not elected until 1856. Thus, the District was not properly constituted and seems to have existed only in name until 1856.

Second proclamation

A public meeting held on 17 September 1856 was convened to discuss the formation and boundaries of the Boroondara Road District. As reported in the Argus, the gathering was well-attended and support for the creation of a district and board was generally present. This was despite some interjections and opposition from those concerned about the levying of rates on property owners, although this does not appear to have been a popular view.

As a result of resolutions passed at this initial gathering, a second meeting was called at the Governor Hotham Hotel in Hawthorn in a second attempt to elect a Board. Henry Walsh, a local Justice of the Peace and subsequently the first Chair of the Board, chaired the meeting, which was interrupted by a number of locals who opposed the creation of the District and proposed a resolution to reverse the decision of the previous meeting to establish a Roads District. The grounds of opposition included that it was preferable for Boroondara, as part of metropolitan Melbourne, to fall under the jurisdiction of the existing Central Roads Board to avoid the expense and inconvenience of separate administration and equipment for individual districts. This would in turn save local ratepayers money through the efficiencies of centralised government. However, many others rose in support of the creation of the District, arguing that it had been neglected by the state administration and necessitated a local government to ensure that the residents were able to more directly ensure that infrastructure was maintained to an acceptable standard.

After lengthy debate, a vote was called on the resolution to prevent the establishment of the District. The show of hands was reported to be close and a division was called during which the Chair declared the motion lost. This caused an uproar from those opposed to the District's creation and the meeting was thrown into disarray. The first board was subsequently elected and constituted with Henry Walsh as its inaugural chair, although the meeting caused much debate in letters written to newspapers over subsequent weeks from those involved.

Not giving up, those opposed to the formation of the District, including local members of the Victorian Parliament, held another meeting three weeks later on 28 October. They passed a resolution calling for the Governor of Victoria to rescind the proclamation of the Boroondara Road District. However, they were not successful in their efforts and sparked yet more letter-writing to newspapers condemning their attempts. One anonymous resident wrote:

"Localise your Government : let each district have its representatives to improve, strengthen and protect its own interests, such institutions to be fostered by the central Government...Inhabitants of Boroondara, arouse from your lethargy, and show these sapient legislators, and would be legislator, that if they have had their roads made at the public expense, they shall contribute, if not a portion of their time, at least of their money to make yours."

Operations

The Board began advertising for official positions in newspapers and held its first meetings.. Meeting were held every Friday night at 7pm at the Sir Robert Nickle Hotel in Hawthorn.. The first funds for the Board of £4,000 from the Victorian Government was appropriated by Parliament on 12 December. The first tenders advertised by the new District was published on 11 March 1857 by the newly-appointed secretary, John R. Withers.

Governance

Mayors

Main article: Chairmen of the Boroondara District Roads Board

Councillors

Main article: Members of the Boroondara District Roads Board