By Chris Thomson | posted on April 12, 2018
THE spot where Edmund Lockyer claimed the western third of the continent for England, a house owned by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan and the York Street HQ of the Albany Advertiser are among 48 places set to be inducted into Albany’s heritage hall of fame.
Senior city planner Tom Wenbourne has recommended that the “long overdue” additions to the list be approved when Albany councillors next convene on April 24.
A quirky but profoundly historic addition to the list is the non-descript spot on the road outside 11 Parade Street where in 1827 Major Edmund Lockyer raised the Union Jack to annexe the western third of the continent for Mother England.
CEO of the Albany Historical Society Andrew Eyden said he welcomed formal recognition of the site, for which his group had lobbied for many years.
“It’s been a bit of a disgrace, really,” Mr Eyden said of the spot currently marked by a rough yellow arrow and the word ‘flag’ spray-painted on the street surface.
The heritage survey lists the site as having “exceptional” heritage significance.
Considered to have “considerable” heritage value is the former police inspector’s quarters on Brunswick Road now owned by Ms MacTiernan.
The Victorian Georgian-style building was erected in 1885 and has long been associated with politicians – with one-time Albany councillor Dennis O’Keefe being the original owner and his son-in-law Andrew Cuddihy, who later became mayor, moving in after his wife Emily inherited the house.
Ms MacTiernan was contacted for comment on her stewardship of the historic property.
The heritage survey says the Albany Advertiser’s Federation Free Classical-style building on York Street, that it has occupied since 1897, is also of “considerable” significance as part of a diverse range of structures that form the city’s commercial and civic heart.
City of Albany Executive Director Development Services Paul Camins said property owners and the wider community were invited to suggest places that could be added to the list.
“The addition of 48 new places to the heritage survey is the result of the feedback we received from the community about the buildings and places that are important to them and that reflect Albany’s long and rich history,” he said.
Other notable places on the draft list are Albany Golf Course, Breaksea Island, the Albany Snake Run, remains of the Frenchman Bay Whaling Station, and virtually the whole of Stirling Terrace.
The list offers no statutory protection for the properties but will inform the imminent development of another list under Albany’s planning scheme that does.
